Hi! So my son (16 year old) and I are going to Japan the first week of February. It’s a big jump for both of us in terms of adventures, his first real international trip and my first to somewhere outside of North America/Europe. I initially put together an itinerary for last summer, but then of course Japan didn’t open up in time for us to go. So I’d love your suggestions on how to make the most of the time!
Some things about us:
* Both reasonably adventurous eaters, definitely want to try local cuisine.
* Son is very into anime and manga, and evidently really wants to check out Pokestops and cat cafes
* Currently planning on 7 day JR Pass
* Coming from Texas, so definitely going to have to buy some additional winter clothes before our trip!
**Things we’ve already booked:**
**Flights:** Flying in/out of Haneda, arriving late on Jan 30, departing in the evening on Feb 9.
**Lodging:**
* **Tokyo**: 5 nights in Akihabara, about 8 min walk from Okachimachi Station
* **Kyoto:** 3 nights in Shimogyo Ward, about 5 minutes from Kyoto Station
* **Kanazawa:** 1 night at a ryokan about 15 minutes from Kanazawa Sation, right by Omicho market
* **Tokyo:** 1 night at a capsule hotel in Shinjuku City
For the lodging, the first Tokyo reservation is the only one that isn’t fully refundable, so technically I’m not 100% locked in (yet).
Here’s the rough plan we have so far,:
Day 0 (arrival day): Arrive late evening, check into hotel
Day 1: Tokyo – Shinjuku City, Harajuku, Shibuya City, Nintendo Tokyo
Day 2: Tokyo – Akihabara, Ueno Park, Asakusa
Day 3: Day trip to Nikko (not sure about this)
Day 4: Day trip to Yokohama (Cup Noodles Museum), Kamakura, Hakone
Day 5: Travel to Kyoto, Kyoto International Manga Museum, Kinkaku-ji
Day 6: Gion Shirakawa Namisato, Fushimi, Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Arishiyama
Day 7: Day trip to Osaka, Nara Park
Day 8: Travel to Kanazawa (not sure what to potentially slot in here)
Day 9: Back to Tokyo, possible side trip on the way to Takayama? Not sure what else to put in here
Day 10: Last Day in Tokyo, not sure
Some places not currently on the itinerary but I’ve noted as places we might want to check out:
* Ghibli Park
* Ghibli Museum
* Small Worlds Tokyo
* Pokemon Center Tokyo DX
* Nakano Broadway
* Kanda Myojin Shrine
* Super Potato Retro-kan
* Daily Chico
As you can see, there’s still a lot to figure out, any help would be greatly appreciated! I’m very open to making changes to the itinerary. TIA!
3 comments
>Day 4: Day trip to Yokohama (Cup Noodles Museum), Kamakura, Hakone
You can’t do all of that in one day. Maximum Yokohama and Kamakura, or Hakone by itself.
Yokohama is a nice enough city to spend a day by itself, and so is Kamakura. If you only go for Cup Noodle Museum, then you could do Kamakura in combination, but I wouldn’t personally.
You need to make the Ghibli museum decision soon. How it works is that if you want to go in February, you have to reserve your date/time on January 10th.
There is a bread curry shop in omicho market kanazawa that is outstanding.