15 Days Trip in February – Tokyo, Kawaguchiko, Yamagata(Tohoku), Nikko

Hello! My mother and I are planning a trip to Japan from 1 Feb – 15 Feb. Both of us have been to Japan twice before (areas we visited are Kyushu, Shikoku and Hokkaido), but both have been guided tours as we were too busy to do planning back then, so this will be the first time we are travelling by ourselves.

**Some background info:**

* My mother and I are very into beautiful scenery/nature, small quaint towns/villages, architecture, experiencing the culture, and good food. Some hikes are good as well. We can walk a lot.
* We love photography, even in the less touristy areas.
* Museums are not really our thing, but it also depends. (We’re skipping TeamLab, my mother doesn’t seem interested after showing her some pictures haha).
* We are also looking for cute stationery shops (my mum is specifically looking for a card holder, she received a Sanrio one from a friend who went to Tokyo many years back and is still using it right now).
* We are very early risers when we travel (6-7AM), so hopefully we can do some sightseeing in the morning.

I have done a fair bit of research, but I do still have some questions regarding the trip, and any other advice for first time (kinda) travellers to Japan would be very much appreciated as well.

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**Day 1 (1 Feb):**

* Arrive at Narita 7.30AM. Buy SUICA/PASMO cards, esim/wifi etc.
* Head to Shinjuku station (hotel is near the station)
* Lunch: Gyukatsu Motomura Shinjuku
* Takeshita Street, Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku, exploring Harajuku a bit, Shibuya crossing

**Day 2: Mount Takao Day Trip**

* Morning: Mount Takao (hoping to reach summit by 10AM-11AM)
* Lunch at the foot of Mount Takao, before heading back to Tokyo
* Afternoon: Yanasen (Yanaka Ginza Shopping Street, Nezu Shrine)

**Day 3:**

* Early Morning: Tsukiji Outer Market for breakfast
* Imperial Palace
* Lunch: Tonkatsu Marugo
* Afternoon: Asakusa (Setsubun Festival????)
* Sanrio World Ginza until closing time

**Day 4: Tokyo** **→ Kawaguchiko**

* Morning: Meiji Shrine
* Bus from Shinjuku Station to Kawaguchiko Station after Lunch
* Take bus to hotel, check in, just chill and explore the area around the hotel and grab dinner.
* Fireworks at 8PM?

**Day 5:**

* Take earliest bus back to Kawaguchiko Station.
* Morning: Fujiyoshida (Arakura Fuji Sengen Shrine, Chuerito Pagoda, exploring Honcho street)
* Oshino Hakkai
* Board 3.14PM bus to Lake Yamanaka to catch Diamond Fuji
* Board 5.02PM bus back to Kawaguchiko Station, grab dinner and walk back to hotel since we will miss the last bus
* Fireworks at 8PM?

**Day 6: Kawaguchiko → Tokyo**

* Maybe take first bus to Oishii Park for pictures and explore
* Take bus, and walk to Asama Shrine and Tenku no Torii
* Back to hotel, grab bags and head to Kawaguchiko Station. Lunch before bus back to Shinjuku
* Chill for the rest of the day, explore Shinjuku area (Kabukicho, Golden Gai, Omoide Yokocho for photos? Maybe Don Quijote)

**Day 7:**

* Might pop by Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in the morning if the weather is clear.
* No other plans for now (further questions at the end of the post)

**Day 8:** **Tokyo → Yamagata \[Day 1 of JR East Tohoku Pass\]**

* No plans in the morning for now. Might pop by Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building if the weather is clear
* Thinking of going back to Asakusa if it’s too crowded during our visit on Day 3
* Lunch before train to Yamagata City
* Check in, chill for the rest of the day. Explore city a bit while grabbing dinner

**Day 9: \[Day 2 of JR East Tohoku Pass\]**

* Morning: Tendo City. Specifically, wanted to try Wagashi at Koshikakaen (opens 9.30AM). Explore a little and maybe early lunch here.
* Back to Yamagata Station. Board 1.20PM bus to Zao Onsen.
* Explore Zao Onsen, see Zao Snow Monsters
* 6.40PM bus back to Yamagata City

**Day 10: \[Day 3 of JR East Tohoku Pass\]**

* Morning: Yamadera for the Risshaku Temple (opens 8AM)
* Early lunch, before heading to Oishida Station (transfer at Uzen-Chitose)
* 2.10PM bus to Ginzan Onsen
* 6.21PM bus back to Oishida station

**Day 11: \[Day 4 of JR East Tohoku Pass\]**

* More relaxed morning. Explore Yamagata City in the day time for some photos.
* After lunch: train to Yonezawa
* Mainly Uesugi Jinjia Shrine, and just exploring.
* 5.30PM: Uesugi Snow Lantern Festival?

**Day 12: Yamagata → Nikko \[Day 5 of JR East Tohoku Pass\]**

* Train to Nikko
* Afternoon: Nikko (Shinkyo bridge, the temples, Kanmangafuchi Abyss)

**Day 13: Nikko → Tokyo**

* Morning: Kegon Falls.
* Explore Lake Chuzenji, grab lunch, then back to Nikko Station
* Train to Tokyo
* Chill for the rest of the day

**Day 14:**

* No plans for now. I was thinking about Plum Blossom hunting, since we’ll be missing the Cherry Blossoms.
* Kameido Tenjin Shrine
* Ushi Tenjin Kitano Shrine
* Some last minute shopping before flight the next day
* Ameyoko Street: Niki no Kashi to buy some snacks?

**Day 15:**

* Morning: Train to Narita Station
* Explore Narita Omotesando, lunch
* Head to Narita Airport for flight at 6.40PM

Other information:

* Days 2 and 3 are interchangeable for me schedule wise, depending on the weather forecast? Hoping to be able to see Mount Fuji on Mount Takao.
* I named a couple of restaurants for our lunch options, but they’re flexible and we’re okay to change places to eat.

Questions:

1. How is the Setsubun Festival like at Sensoji Temple? Is it very crowded/is it worth a visit? I was thinking to just experience it since we will be there, but if things can get too hectic we might swap it to another day.
2. Are there any suggestions on where to get cute stationery? Also gachapon stores with cute figurines that are near any of the places we will be visiting in Tokyo?
3. I’ve seen quite a number of people mention that Google Maps isn’t the most accurate in terms of transportation in Japan. Are there any apps that are more reliable? Preferably in English, but if the apps are solely Japanese I would love to know of them as well (can read Kanji, currently learning Japanese though not very skilled yet)
4. Around how much time should we spend in Oshino Hakkai? I’m not quite sure how big the area is, so I was a bit worried about the time allocation on Day 5 for this.
5. For Day 7, I’m thinking of doing a mini day trip as well. Considering between Kamakura, Kawagoe and Shibamata, but for Kamakura, I was thinking if it might be a bit too many temples for us in this one trip. Which area would you recommend for us (or.. which areas have more photography opportunities LOL)?
6. This is a bit of a stupid question: is JR Senzan Line (to get to Yamadera) covered by JR East Tohoku pass? I think yes, but I’m not confident on this and would like to confirm this detail.
7. Any recommendations on restaurants to try local beef in Yonezawa that also has other non-beef food options? I’m happy with the beef, but my mother would like some variety.
8. On Day 12 when travelling from Yamagata to Nikko: JR Tohoku Shinkansen to Utsunomiya Station is covered by the JR East Tohoku Pass, and transferring to JR Nikko Line is not covered, is this correct?
9. Day 14: I stated Plum Blossom hunting, but honestly I’m not sure if they do bloom this early. Research says mid-Feb to early March… is it silly of us to try to look for them on 14 February?
10. Is the trip to Narita Omotesando on the morning-early afternoon before our flight the evening on Day 15 possible? I’m assuming there are spaces to store our luggages at the station…
11. I have booked almost all hotels as of now already, but chosen to pay at the hotel. I mostly booked through the hotel websites, however I’m a little confused as they do not ask for our card details, since our past bookings for hotels in other countries have always asked for them for reservation. Is this normal?
12. Any other Passes/Day tickets(?) I should get for any part of this trip?

Thanks for taking the time to read all this, and/or answering any questions! If there are some days you do not think are feasible, or you have other suggestions/recommendations, I gladly welcome them. Thank you!!