Hi, r/JapanTravel!
I’ve been lurking around this subreddit for quite a bit, and after some perusing and watching several YouTube videos, I think I have a first draft for a travel itinerary ready to present. Like the title says, I (22M) plan on traveling to and staying in Tokyo from Friday, May 19 to Sunday, May 28, 2023. Next year, I’ll be situated in Madison, Wisconsin, so flight prices are a bit pricey right now departing from MSN (or the farther Chicago O’Hare airport). I’m tracking the prices now, but I plan to book no later than February 2023.
The first three full days (May 21-23) I’ll have to myself to explore the city. From May 24-27, my mom and my sister (19F) will be arriving in Tokyo after visiting the Philippines to join me. Because of this, we want to visit the more touristy locations when we’re all together (e.g., teamLab Planets, Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Skytree). I’m not committed to visiting/dining at every place in this first draft; the places under each neighborhood are locations I might be interested in visiting. I probably won’t get to all of them, but they’re what I’m looking at at the moment.
If you have any local recommendations, please provide them in the comments!
**Day 0** (Friday, May 19/Saturday, May 20)
* Arrive at Haneda Airport (HND) around 4pm local time; pick up eSIM/pocket WiFi and purchase an IC card
* Explore the surrounding area near my hotel
* I’m not sure where I’ll be staying yet, so wherever I do end up, I think my plan is to explore the surrounding area the afternoon I arrive in Tokyo (since I’ll likely be tired after a long flight).
**Day 1** (Sunday, May 21)
* Morning
* Ikebukuro (and the surrounding area)
* [Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=6655307181794378837)
* [BAGUS Ikebukuro](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=2886516626962934473)
* Afternoon
* Shinjuku (and the surrounding area)
* [E-Sports Cafe](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=6963199854745536434)
* [gindaco](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=341592465054463995)
* [Suga Shrine Otokoda](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=12464250750455539532) (I’m a huge anime fan, so I definitely wanna visit this location!)
**Day 2** (Monday, May 22)
* Morning
* [Tokyo Dome City](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=4911609151609816178)
* Afternoon
* Akihabara
* [at-home Cafe](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=15918941925487264043)
* [Akihabara Radio Kaikan](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=13873233010271852641)
**Day 3** (Tuesday, May 23)
* Morning
* Nakameguro
* [Meguro River Cherry Blossoms Promenade](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=6217470048122371304) (Yes, I’m aware that cherry blossom season will be over by the time I arrive in Tokyo, but I still think it’d be worth visiting the area. But if the cherry blossoms are the only hotspot in Nakameguro, I’d appreciate some suggestions to fill in this gap in my itinerary.)
* [JANAI COFFEE](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=17445626792325174870)
* Afternoon
* Shibuya or Akihabara
* If I’ve already explored most of Akihabara on day 2, I might go to Shibuya instead. Regardless, on day 5, I’ll be in Shibuya (with my mom and my sister). I’ll end up going to one of these locations twice over the course of the trip.
**Day 4** (Wednesday, May 24)
* I’m not sure when my mom and sister will arrive, so the plan for day 4 is subject to change. It’s about a five hour flight from Manila to Tokyo, so it’s possible I might have to cut back on some activities.
* Morning
* [Meiji Jingu](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=10361244767556222835)
* [Yoyogi Park](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=3800131593595043646)
* Afternoon
* Harajuku
* [Takeshita Street Square](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=8495077770240075731)
* [HARRY Hedgehog Café & Pet Store](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=15163039660491907150) (My sister *really* wants to visit this place.)
**Day 5** (Thursday, May 25)
* Morning
* Asakusa (and the surrounding area)
* [Sensō-ji](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=7785923974874169613)
* [Sumida Park](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=14509476154859036887)
* [Tokyo Skytree](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=9015449659807889194)
* [Kura Sushi – Oshiage (Skytree) Station](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=7443127494105288732)
* Afternoon
* Shibuya (with mom and sister)
* [Hachikō Memorial Statue](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=150846235021963194)
* [Nintendo Tokyo](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=14598527675868167682)
* [Gusto Shibuya – Station Front](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=281611597086006919)
* [SHIBUYA109](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=6170678451487891570)
* [Uobei Shibuya Dogenzaka](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=5886746596086835007)
**Day 6** (Friday, May 26)
* Morning
* [teamLab Planets TOKYO](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=7918542870314997282)
* [Yoshinoya Toyosu Restaurant](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=1427337243381275460)
* [Toyosu Market](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=15474277121690448860)
* Afternoon
* [Hie Shrine](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=17240653475158981775)
* [Tokyo Tower](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=5195627782660688349)
* Ginza (and the surrounding area)
* [Art Aquarium Museum](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=15689961400037075470)
* [Kyūbey](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=8263217184568084951)
* [Ginza Kagari Main Branch](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=9392657951139765811)
* [Ginza Lion Beer Hall](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=11853028993467700328)
* [Sushi Katsura](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=3848496844951919241)
**Day 7** (Saturday, May 27)
* Originally, my mom wanted to take a day trip to Kyoto, but after reading some of your comments, it seems like the associated travel costs and travel time wouldn’t justify the experience. Two alternative locations I saw were [Kamakura](https://www.google.com/maps?q=Kamakura,+Kanagawa,+Japan&ftid=0x6018459b80ac5619:0x5700747a399f2502) and [Kawagoe](https://www.google.com/maps?q=Kawagoe,+Saitama,+Japan&ftid=0x6018da49f61066b7:0xdfd5d75b60b9af9e), so for anyone who’s been to either location I’d love to hear your thoughts on both and which has a vibe that’s most similar to Kyoto.
**Day 8** (Sunday, May 28)
* Return pocket WiFi at HND and travel back to the US
**Notes and Questions**
1. While I was reading over others’ travel itineraries, I noticed a lot of comments emphasizing that the OP might be including too many activities in a single day to accomplish. Thus, I made an effort to group certain locales and activities together. I even made a [custom map](https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1cwFe2VXXbe-LUpiRWIv2OVlO_zjj6to) in Google Maps which divides the city into four quadrants, and I arranged my itinerary in a way that stays within one quadrant per day.
2. Since my mom and my sister are arriving later than I am (and there is potential for us to split up), would it make sense to buy an eSIM for myself and a pocket WiFi for them to share?
3. Traveling to Kamakura or Kawagoe should be possible using an IC card, right?
2 comments
Day3 : afternoon. Maybe choose a different area if you already have seen most of Akihabara and since you’ll be in Shibuya later.
Day 4, you can definitely do Shibuya on this day. Harajuku and Shibuya are so much neighbours that it’s basically the same area. Meiji jingu and yoyogi are pretty quick visit, then Harajuku for late morning/lunch time/early afternoon, then Shibuya for afternoon/Evening.
Then you have freed up half a day on Day 5 and/or 3 to shuffle around some other stuff and can do a full day in Akihabara and perhaps visit the Imperial palace. Or just do a longer day in Asakusa/Ueno
Day 7. Kamakura is a great choice. Nice vibes and easy to get to. Can easily be combined with Enoshima.
1. yes, that is a common thing, but still try to be flexible, don’t rush to see everything at all cost, it’s all right to take time and enjoy what you are doing, don’t rush to see everything at all cost.
2. eSim yes, but check price of pocket wifi, it’s usually more expensive, so it you have a good deal on eSim, you might just decide to skip the pocket wifi, then the question is also to know how much everybody need to have internet at all time. Of course everybody with their sim allow for splitting and being able to communicate or the question is, do everybody have to have access to internet on their phone during the day?
3. Yes, possible, but there is discount tickets to Kawagoe, so you should check that if you decide to go to Kawagoe.