Hi everyone!
My brother (30 M) and I (29 F) are travelling to Japan from Jan 24 to Feb 12. My brother likes anime, so there’s some of that sprinkled in this itinerary. But, we are both pretty game for anything and enjoy exploring.
I’ve really enjoyed reading this subreddit. I’ve been to Japan once before. But, this is my first time planning a trip to Japan, so I’m feeling nervous/overwhelmed and hoping to have an itinerary check in case I’ve missed any problems in my trip. Would also love any feedback and suggestions! Thank you in advance!
**Day 1** (Tokyo) TUES Jan 24 – Arrive at Narita Airport at 2:50 pm
* Set up ubigi for eSim
* Reserve/Get on Narita Express to Shibuya Station and say hi to the Hachiko Statue
* Check into Tokyo Stay Shibuya Hotel at Shibuya (hopefully by 7 pm)
* Take it easy – eat dinner at Coco Ichibanya and if not too tired, check out Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo (closes at 10 pm)
**Day 2** (Tokyo) WED Jan 25
* Head to Nakano: Shopping at Nakano Broadway
* Head to Shinjuku (optional; skip if Nakano takes longer than expected): Check out the billboard at Shinjuku Station and Omoide Yokocho
* Head to Harajuku: Go to the Harajuku mipig cafe (will need to reserve in advance)
* Head to Shibuya: Shopping at Shibuya Parco
(!) *Question*: I’m realizing there’s a lot of shopping on this day, and I’m not sure if I’ll be as interested as my brother in some of these shopping areas. If there’s any suggestions on what to check out in these areas, I would really appreciate it! I was thinking the Kurand Sake Market but their business hours don’t seem to align with our traveling route :/
**Day 3** (Tokyo → Nagano) THURS Jan 26:
* Depart Tokyo at 0800h and leave luggage (or early check in if possible) at Hotel JAL City Nagano at 1100h
* Head to Matsumoto (1 hour from Nagano):
* Consider free rental bikes if available and weather is decent ([https://visitmatsumoto.com/en/miscellaneous-en/even-more-free-rental-bikes-now-available-for-tourists/](https://visitmatsumoto.com/en/miscellaneous-en/even-more-free-rental-bikes-now-available-for-tourists/))
* Lunch at Ishii Miso Brewery(if possible, join the tour – per website, it looks like you have to inquire in store)
* Stroll through Nawate Street and Nakamachi Street
* Optional – Visit Matsumoto Castle
* Return back to Nagano
**Day 4** (Nagano) FRI Jan 27:
* Buy the 2-day Snow Monkey Pass and head to Jigokudani Monkey Park
* No 1-day Snow Monkey Pass, but the 2-day Snow Monkey Pass should be worth it (covers travel and admission to the Snow Monkey Park)
* Take the Snow Monkey Express from Nagano station at 0910 (earliest bus) and arrive at Snow Monkey Park Bus Stop at 0957. Another 40 min walk to the Snow Monkey – estimated arrival time 1040-1100h
* Hang out at Snow Monkey Park for 45 minutes
* Walk back to bus stop and aim to catch the bus at 1230h. Will reach Nagano Station at 1325h
* Visit Zenkoji Omotesando on the way to Zenko-ji Temple
(!) *Question*: There doesn’t seem to be a way to get to the Snow Monkey Park earlier by transit . So, I’m worried that this makes the rest of the day really tight as I was thinking of also visiting Zenkoji Omotesando. I’m also not sure if 45 minutes at the Snow Monkey Park is enough time to really enjoy the place, or if there’s anything near the park that’s worth visiting before heading back (e.g. Shibu Onsen Town? Onsen Kaede-no-Yu? Should I forego Zenkoji Omotesando and Temple?) Wondering if anyone has any feedback or suggestions for this day.
**Day 5** (Nagano → Kyoto) SAT Jan 28:
* Depart Hotel at 0800h
* My brother is going to head to Gifu to check out Prinny Club Store first. This is one of his “must-do”s. But, since the store opens at 3 pm on Saturdays, I’m going to skip that de-tour myself and head straight to the Hotel The M’s Kyoto to drop off our luggage (I’ll try to see if I can get one of our luggage sent to the hotel via Takuhaibin from Nagano on Day 3, in hopes that it will arrive in Kyoto on Day 5.)
* For myself, I will hopefully arrive at our hotel around 12:30 pm
* Explore Arashiyama (Arashiyama Shoryuen)
* Look for anything plum-related and yuzu-related
**Day 6** (Kyoto) SUN Jan 29:
* Visit Kinkaju-Ji – Walk around Golden Pavilion and small tea garden
* Visit Hanamikoji Street
* Explore Kiyomizu-Zaka street on the way to Kiyomizu-Dera temple
* Special night illumination usually start around 1730h
* Optional – Visit Gion Tatsumi Bridge
**Day 7** (Kyoto/Day Trip to Nara & Uji) Mon Jan 30:
* Day Trip to Nara – Leave hotel at 0800h
* Head to Nara Park (hopefully by 0930h) and see/feed the deer
* Head to Nandaimon Gate and Todai-ji
* Head to Uji at 1300h – ideas to visit:
* Fukujuen Uji (Uji Tea Factory)
* Nakamura Tokichi Honten, Uji Honten
* Famous Uji Bridge
* Byodo-in Temple
* Return back to Kyoto
**Day 8** (Kyoto → Osaka) Tues Jan 31:
* Visit Nishiki Market for breakfast then check out of hotel
* Head to Hotel WBF Namba Motomachi in Osaka
* Explore Tsutenkaku Hondori Shopping Street
* Go to Shinsekai for dinner (find a kushiage/kushikatsu restaurant)
* Visit Tsutenkaku at Shinsekai
**Day 9** (Osaka) Wed Feb 1:
* Whole day at Universal Studios Japan (will get regular day pass; no express pass)
* Aim to be at USJ at 0800h to get Nintendo Timed Entry ticket (fingers crossed!)
**Day 10** (Osaka) Thurs Feb 2:
* Dotonoburi
* I’m struggling to figure out what to do here – any suggestions welcome!
**Day 11** (Osaka → Noboribetsu) Fri Feb 3:
* Travel via Train (leave at 5:30 am and hopefully reach by 6:30 pm) or Flight to New Chitose Airport (may be more inconvenience with check-in/security but shorter travel time)
* Check in Dai-ichi Takimotokan, see Sengen Park and enjoy amenities at Hotel
**Day 12** (Noboribetsu) Sat Feb 4:
* Visit Jigokudani
* Visit Oyunuma Lookout/Oyunuma Pond/River Oyunuma Natural Footbath
* Explore shops (e.g. Charcoal Grill and Ramen “Isekura”, Sugi Bee Garden, Milky House, Daikokuya Folk Art Shop)
* Optional – Noboribetsu Bear Park
**Day 13** (Noboribetsu → Sapporo) Sun Feb 5:
* Head to Sapporo and leave luggage at Wyndham Garden Sapporo Odori (hopefully by 1130h)
* Visit Sapporo Beer Museum
* Visit Mount Moiwa
* If time allows, explore Sushikino at night
**Day 14** (Sapporo) Mon, Feb 6:
* Visit Sapporo Crab Market
* Visit Shiroi Koito Park
* Visit Tanukikoji Shopping Street
* Head to Suskino (smaller site of Sapporo Snow Festival) then walk to Odori Park (main site of Sapporo Snow Festival)
**Day 15** (Sapporo/Day Trip to Asahikawa) Tues, Feb 7:
* Day Visit to Asahikawa (3 h travel from Sapporo)
* Visit Asahiyama Zoo and see penguin walk
* Visit Asahikawa Shrine (optional)
* Visit heiwa dori pedestrian street site of Asahikawa Winter Festival
* Visit asahibashi site of Asahikawa Winter Festival
**Day 16** (Sapporo/Day Trip to Otaru) Wed, Feb 8:
* Visit Otaruyume Market & Yamanaka Dairy Farm Otaru Shop
* Visit Otaru Canal, Otaru Denuki Joji (alley with street food), shops around Otaru Canal and Sakaimachi Hondori Street
* Optional – Suitengu shrine, Nantaru Market
**Day 17** (Sapporo → Tokyo) Thurs, Feb 9:
* Travel via Train or Flight to Haneda Airport (may be more inconvenience with check-in/security but shorter travel time)
* Light shopping if time allows
**Day 18** (Tokyo/Day Trip to Hakone) Fri, Feb 10:
* Purchase Hakone Free Pass
* Visit Hakone Shrine and Kuzuryu Shrine Shingu
* Go on pirate ship tour
* Board Hakone Ropeway at Togendai Station and travel to Owakudani – the “Great Boiling Valley”
* Take Hakone Tozan Railway back to Gora station
* Visit Hakone Open-Air Museum
* Head back to Tokyo
(!) *Question*: Is this too much? Is it better to skip Hakone if we can only do one day there?
**Day 19** (Tokyo) Sat, Feb 11:
* Visit Toyosu Market for breakfast
* Visit Tokyo Team Labs (need to purchase tickets in advance)
* Visit Akihabara
* Return back to Tokyo Station/Last minute shopping
* Visit Pokemon Cafe for dinner (need to reserve in advance)
**Day 20** (Tokyo) Sun, Feb 12: Last Day
* Last minute shopping/places to visit
* Flight departs at 1800h
Thank you!
2 comments
Fly to/from Hokkaido. Totally worth it.
I think you’re doing a lot so it might be more relaxing to skip Hakone. It’s a very involved day trip and Owakudani and Jigokudani are kinda similar. Skip Noboribetsu Bear Park, it’s terrible. Noboribetsu Date Jidaimura is the cooler Noboribetsu attraction.
Also, I think for Nagano, maybe you could do Matsumoto second, then in the evening of the 2nd day your brother can go from Matsumoto to Nagoya and stay in a cheap business hotel near the station. Then he has time to do some sightseeing in Nagoya or Gifu instead of spending all day on a train to see one store.
Have a good trip!
If you can cancel, I would recommend you stay a little closer to Nagano Station. The JAL is a lot further from the station than a lot of other places and I’m not really sure it is nicer. I’ve stayed at the Metropolitan (which has a gorgeous lobby) and is literally attached to the station and I’ve stayed at the Dormy because it has a sento and is a short walk from the station (much shorter than the JAL) You can still stay at the JAL, but it is like an additional 10 minute walk.
I just looked at your dates on Booking, and it’s like $10 more per night for the Metropolitan and it is literally attached to the station so you don’t need to go outside. It makes it 100% easier to catch trains or buses to do other things for the day since it is right there.
Keep track of when the Pokemon Cafe opens because it goes FAST. Getting a reservation there and the Kirby Cafe are super hard! BTW if you are not fully committed to the Pokemon Cafe, there is a take out Pokemon Sweets in Ikebukuro that doesn’t require reservations.
I don’t know where you are traveling to Japan from but if you’re anything like me, you will be jet lagged and up early in the morning. Most of the Nakano Broadway Mall shops don’t open until 11 or noon, you might want to figure out something to do before they open.
I guess you could visit Kichijoji? It’s a little further along the Chuo line. I guess it really depends on your interests?
I agree you should fly. I flew from Nagoya to Hakodate and the trip was really lovely and it’s super cool going over Towadako and seeing the Shimokita Peninsula from the air. I would fly both directions with Hokkaido. Pre-Covid, the two times I flew domestically in Japan it was great.
I’ve done Hakone over one day. It really depends on how much you want to do and how long you want to spend at places how exhausting it is. I personally hate that pirate ship, which is one reason I’ve stopped doing the circle tour. I know a lot of people like it, but I just find it terribly boring.
Good luck!