Hi everyone,
My wife and I are traveling to Japan for the first time at the end of May. This is my second itinerary post–the first one ([here](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/z16j70/itinerary_check_2_week_trip_to_hakone_osaka_kyoto/)) has undergone some significant revisions thanks to all of the great advice from everyone on this sub. We’ve gotten our flights, so I want to run it by folks on the sub again to see if all the travel and day trips that I’ve planned are reasonable. Since we have potentially 5 Shinkansen trips planned over 7 days (and what looks like a handful of other train trips on commuter trains), I think it probably makes sense to get the 7 day JR Pass, but not 100% sure, since its not really clear from their website what non-bullet train trains are included.
My wife and I (both 30) are pretty seasoned travelers and like to see as much as possible while on our trips. We’re both really into nature, architecture, Japanese history and art (especially ukiyo-e), and also want to check out some of the hipper parts of Tokyo for bars, as well as good shopping for knick-knacks, books, art, ceramics, vintage clothing etc. We are up for any kind of food recommendations and aren’t picky.
We plan to link up with another couple in Kyoto as well, so any good group ideas are helpful too. Likewise, we have a free day in Tokyo that we might be able to fit in for a day trip, potentially to Nikko, Enoshima or Kawaguchiko, or any other places not super far. If its worth staying an extra day in Kyoto, or if there are any doable day trips from there instead of the Tokyo free day (maybe Hiroshima?), we are open to any suggestions as well.
Here’s our rundown of the 2 week trip:
**Day 1 – Sat May 13 / Sun May 14 (flight/Akibahara/Asakusa)**
* Fly from NYC to Narita Airport at noon EST on Sat May 13. Arrive around 2pm Tokyo time on Sun May 14.
* Go through customs, change USD to yen, grab a Pasmo/Suica card (any idea on best place to get these in Narita?)
* Take the Narita Skyliner train from the airport to our hotel in Ueno
* Not sure if we will be super awake from tons of sleep on the plane, or tired from no sleep. Any advice on how best to avoid jetlag coming all the way from NYC to Tokyo? Best to sleep on the plane or just tough it out?
* If we are super awake, walk 10 min to grab dinner at Ameyoko market in Okachimachi. Maybe continue to walk south to Akihabara shopping district. Check out arcades, step into Don Quijote, Pop Life Ms.
* If we are still super awake (definitely a possibility if we don’t sleep on the plane), hop on the train to Asakusa and check out Sensoji. I hear its really nice at night
**Day 2 – Mon May 15 (Nakameguro/Ebisu/Daikanyamacho)**
* Not sure when we will wake up. Either super early or super late depending on jetlag levels.
* Breakfast/Coffee at Kojo
* Take the train from Ueno to Nakameguro/Ebisu/Daikanyamacho
* Spend the day exploring these neighborhoods, check out thrift shops, food spots, Tsutaya Books, walk along the river. Any recs on good thrift shop spots here is appreciated!
* Depending on jetlag levels, on the way home stop in Ginza for unagi dinner at Chikuyotei and drinks at Tír na nÓg.
* When we get back to the hotel, send our big luggage onward to the hotel in Kyoto. Does anyone know the best way to do this?
**Day 3 – Tues May 16 (Ueno Park/Tokyo National Museum/Hakone travel)**
* Wake up and walk through Ueno park, visit the Tokyo National Museum
* Go back and check out of the hotel, grab lunch nearby
* Travel from Tokyo to Hakone. Seems like there’s 2 choices:
* take the subway to Tokyo station and transfer to the Shinkansen to Odawara (1 hr). Would activate the 7 day JR pass for this
* or take the local train from Ueno to Odawara on the Ueno-Tokyo line (1.5 hr). anyone know if the train is like a subway, or a commuter train? Is it worth it to activate the JR pass for the shinakansen on this, or just pay out of pocket? are any of these trains covered by the Hakone free pass? We definitely plan to get that. Just trying to save money on this one, we aren’t really in any rush for this part of the trip
* From Odawara, take the bus up to our Ryokan
* Settle in, eat dinner, relax and enjoy the onsen. Hopefully fully on Tokyo time by now
**Day 4 – Weds May 17 (Hakone Loop)**
* Wake up early and do the Hakone loop counterclockwise starting at Onshi-Hakone Park (seems like this is the best way to get any good early morning views of Mt. Fuji, unless the consensus is that its better to do the opposite way)
* Take the ferry across Lake Ashi, go up the Hakone ropeway to Owakudani to get some black eggs, walk down through Gora and see the Hakone Open Air Museum
* Depending on how long the loop takes, visit either the Mishima skywalk or the Venetian Glass Museum in the afternoon. Think there are enough time for either of these after the loop? Not sure how long it takes
* Bus back to the hotel to relax in the onsen some more
**Day 5 – Thurs May 18 (Shinkansen to Kyoto/Higashiyama)**
* Take the bus down to Odawara and take the Shinkansen to Kyoto station. From Kyoto station, take 2 local trains to our hotel next to Sanjo station. Can I use Passmo/Suica card for these trains?
* Meet up with another couple who we will be staying with in Kyoto
* Take the remainder of the day to explore Higashiyama
* Make our way up to Kiyomizu-dera. See some sights like Yasaka Shrine, Hokan-ji on the way
* On the way back check out Gion, Hanamikoji Street
* Maybe grab dinner at Nishiki Market, are most food stalls closed by 6pm, or are any good ones open late?
* Stop in for drinks at Rum And Whisky before heading back to the hotel
**Day 6 – Fri May 19 (Fushima Inari/Kinkaku-Ji)**
* Spend the morning hiking off the rum/whisky at Fushima Inari.
* Take a 30 minute cab to Kinkaku-ji. maybe stop by Toji-in gardens nearby
* Back to the hotel to change for a distillery tour at House of KI NO BI and nice dinner at Fortune Garden
**Day 7 – Sat May 20 (Himeji/Osaka)**
* As early as we can, go to Kyoto station and 45 min Shinkansen to Himeji castle.
* Check out the castle and Koko-en garden. Grab lunch on the way back to Himeji train station
* 1 hour shinkansen train to Osaka-Umeda station. Check out Umeda, dinner at Takonotetsu, Drinks at Bar Juniper, Bar Elixir-k
* 1 hour train home on the Keihan mainline
**Day 8 – Sun May 21 (Nara/Osaka)**
* Make our way to Kyoto station. Nearby, check out the Sunday flea market at To-Ji Temple
* Take an hour train down to Kintetsu-Nara Station. Spend the day exploring Nara park, Kōfuku-ji and Tōdai-ji temples. Bring some lunch for a picnic in the park
* 45 min train to Osaka-Namba Station. Explore Dotombori canal district and grab some street food
* 1.25 hour train (likely have to connect to Keihan mainline) back to the hotel in Kyoto at Sanjo station.
**Day 9 – Mon May 22 (Arashiyama)**
* 40 min train to Arishiyama, bamboo forest and monkey park, Tenryu-ji temple, Okochi Sanso Garden. Eat lunch at Yoshimura
* fit in any additional Kyoto stuff we missed/want to see
* Send luggage onward to Tokyo hotel
**Day 10 – Tues May 23 (Shinkansen to Tokyo, Shimokitazawa)**
* Bullet train in the morning to Shinjuku station. Check into the hotel in Shinjuku
* Take the train to Shimokitazawa, explore the vintage shops, bars restaurants for the rest of the day
**Day 11 – Weds May 24 (Shinjuku)**
* Visit Ninja Trick House and Samurai Museum. Lunch at Ichiran Ramen
* Check out Gyoen National Garden in the afternoon
* Check out Golden Gai and Omoide Yokochō (piss alley) and grab dinner somewhere there
* Go to a jazz show at the Pitt Inn
**Day 12 – Thurs May 25 (Free day)**
* No plans today, maybe go to the fish market and Teamlab planets, or maybe take a day trip somewhere within 2 hours train? Is the trek out to Nikko, Kawaguchiko or Enoshima doable in a day/worth the trip? We might be a bit burnt out by now from some packed days, but I like to try and hit as many places as possible during our trips, as you can see…
**Day 13 – Fri May 26 (Sumo Wrestling/Yokoami)**
* Visit the Hokusai Museum
* Next door, attend the Sumo tournament at Kokugikan Arena. Believe that it goes on until 5pm
* Check out the Tokyo Skytree and go to the Pokemon Center
**Day 14 – Sat May 27 (Harajuku/Roppongi)**
* Explore Yoyogi Park, Meiji Jingu
* Check out the shopping in Harajuku
* Dinner at Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu sushi or Butagumi in Roppongi, drinks at These
* Visit Mori Art Museum roofdeck overlook at night
**Day 15 – Sun May 28 (Shibuya)**
* Stop by Hanazono Shrine in Shinjuku and check out the Sunday flea market (we like flea markets as you can tell)
* Take the train to Shibuya and do some last day shopping
* Hangout, get lunch/drinks/dinner in Shibuya, maybe check out some hifi bars like Jazz Blues Soul Bar, Lion, JBS, Grandfather’s
**Day 16 – Mon May 29 (Flight home)**
* Last day, maybe grab a big breakfast somewhere in Shinjuku? Any good ideas for this?
* 1.5 hour Narita Express from Shinjuku to the airport at 1pm, arrive around 230pm
* Fly home to NYC at 5pm and enjoy the horrible jet lag the next few days
Thanks for any help on our itinerary!
