Hi everybody! We’re a family of 6 that have a trip booked to Japan and Korea in January, with Japan being the first leg of the trip. Our current itinerary is detailed below. A couple of questions we’re looking to get answered:
* We’ll be staying in Shinjuku for the Tokyo portion. What’s the best method of transit from Haneda airport to Shinjuku for our group of 6? JR Pass seems slightly expensive based on the train lines we plan to take, so we’re not sure if the Pass is the route to take.
* We’ve had difficulty navigating through Tablelog. Our family places a heavy emphasis on good food during travels, but we also would like to keep most meals at a reasonable price point. For that reason, we want to plan out a good portion of our restaurants rather than wandering the neighborhoods. Any guidance on how to find restaurants near our attractions would be amazing!
**Itinerary** (Attractions listed in the order we will visit them on each day)
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**Day 1 – Tokyo:** Relax, recover from the flight and explore Shinjuku
**Day 2 – Tokyo:** Sensō-ji Temple, Akihabara, Imperial Palace, then end with exploring Shibuya/Harajuku
**Day 3 – Tokyo:** Tsukiji Outer Market, teamLab Planets, end by exploring Ginza District
**Day 4 – Tokyo:** Explore Shinjuku and go to Mori Art Museum
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**Day 5 – Kyoto (Staying at the Cross Hotel Kyoto):** Explore Gion District and Nishiki Market
**Day 6 – Kyoto:** Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Kiyomizu Temple, end with Fushimi-Inari Temple
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**Day 7 – Osaka (Staying at the Hyatt Regency Osaka):** Osaka Aquarium
**Day 8 – Osaka:** Umeda Sky Building, Osaka Castle, end with exploring Tenjinbashi-suji Street
**Day 9 – Osaka:** Sumiyoshi Taisha and explore Tsukenkaku Tower/Dotonbori Street
Is this too much? Too little? What should we add or cut out? Our family is 6 adults, with two older (65+) adults. TIA!
1 comment
>We’ll be staying in Shinjuku for the Tokyo portion. What’s the best method of transit from Haneda airport to Shinjuku for our group of 6? JR Pass seems slightly expensive based on the train lines we plan to take, so we’re not sure if the Pass is the route to take.
You can just plug your locations into Google Maps. It will be extremely useful for you during your trip. It will tell you what trains to take, what platforms, the cost, etc. From Haneda to Shinjuku Station could cost you as low as 500¥.
>We’ve had difficulty navigating through Tablelog. Our family places a heavy emphasis on good food during travels, but we also would like to keep most meals at a reasonable price point. For that reason, we want to plan out a good portion of our restaurants rather than wandering the neighborhoods. Any guidance on how to find restaurants near our attractions would be amazing!
Not sure what area you’re coming from, but if it’s a major city in the US, you’ll likely be shocked at how generally cheap eating out in Japan is. I’ve used a combination of tabelog, Google Maps, and simply walking around. I have the opposite approach as you, though, as I don’t plan too far in advance for food.
I’d personally take out a day from Osaka and add it to Kyoto or Tokyo. I’m a bit of a broken record on this, but I recommend checking out some other neighborhoods in Tokyo like Kichijoji, Koenji, Shimokitazawa, Nakameguro, Tomigaya. Your group might like Daikanyama, too, though I found it a bit stuffy/pretentious on our most recent trip. YMMW. The Tsutaya there is gorgeous, though.