Hi everybody,
after lurking on this sub for a few weeks and collecting itinerary ideas like a squirrel gathering nuts in autumn, I finally managed to put together an itinerary for our first trip to Japan from 14.03.2023 to 29.03.2023. I’ve been trying to find a good balance between visiting all the places that are important for us to see and not totally overwhelming/exhausting ourselves – which is tough, so if a day seems too packed/too “boring”, I’d love your advice on it!
We (me and my partner) will get ourselves a 14 day JR Pass. It might not entirely be worth its money but I feel like it’s most convenient.
**DAY 1 – Tokyo** (Business hotel near Ueno Station)
* arrive at Haneda airport at 08:50 am, get JR Pass, Suica, activate E-Sim for data plan
* travel to and check in at Hotel, drop off luggage
* explore the immediate neighbourhood: Ameyoko, Ueno Park
* rest a lot, will probably be jetlagged as hell
**DAY 2** **- Tokyo**
* Harajuku (Takeshita Street, Meji-Shrine, Yoyogi-Park)
* Shibuya (Shibuya Scramble, Hachiko, Shibuya 109)
* eat at Usagi Ramen, Shibuya
* Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building for skyline view
* Shinjuku (Shinjuku Gyoen, Kabukicho Street, Piss Alley, Golden Gai)
**DAY 3 – Tokyo**
* Nakano (Broadway and surroundings)
* Asakusa (Asakusa underground street, Ekimise, Nakamise) – eat at THE FARM CAFE
* Sensoji Temple, Asakusa Shrine
* Nishi Sando Shopping Street
* Tokyo Skytree
**DAY 4 – Tokyo**
* explore Akihabara (Yodobashi Camera, Mandarake, some game center e.g.), probably get Ramen at some place (recs would be appreciated!)
* Imperial Palace
* lunch at A Happy Pancake Ginza
* TeamLab planets
**DAY 5 – Tokyo**
* cooking course at local family home
* Golden Dragon Festival at Asakusa
**DAY 6 – Tokyo/Fujikawaguchiko** (Ryokan)
* head from Tokyo to Kawaguchiko (leaving the bigger pieces of luggage at the hotel in Tokyo, we’ll return there at the end of our trip), check in at Ryokan
* Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway, mabye take a walk at the lake shore into the direction of Oishi Park
**DAY 7 – Fujikawaguchiko/Yamanakako** (Ryokan)
* hike form Kawaguchiko to Yamanakako (via Oshino Hakkai and Yamanakako Hanaomiyako Park) – there’ll be quite a few bus stops on the way, so if we get tired, we can just hop on a bus
* check in at Ryokan, eat, relax
**DAY 8 – Yamanakako/Osaka** (Business hotel in Namba area) – Vernal Equinox Day
* travel from Yamanakako to Osaka by bus & Shinkansen (it’s a long ride – approx. 5 1/2 h)
* Dotonbori, Hozen-ji Yokocho in the evening
**DAY 9 – Osaka**
* Kuromon Market
* Osaka Castle
* Namba Yasaka Shrine
* Shinsekai
**DAY 10 – Daytrip from Osaka**
* **???**
**DAY 11 – Osaka/Nara**
* head from Osaka to Nara, check in at hotel (check out Necoco shop on the way)
* Todai-ji Temple, Yoshikien Garden, Nara Park and Kasuga-taisha
**DAY 12 – Nara/Kyoto** (hostel in Higashiyama)
* head from Nara to Kyoto
* Arashiyama, Gijo-ji Temple
* Kitano Tenmagu Shrine (there’ll be a flea market!)
* Ryoan-ji
* Kinkaku-ji
* head to hostel and check in
**DAY 13 – Kyoto**
* walk to Kiyomizu-dera early in the morning via Maruyama Park, Hokan-ji, Sannen-zaka & Nineen Zaka
* Fushimi Inari
* Nishiki Market
* Pontocho
**DAY 14 – Kyoto/Tokyo**
* Philosophers Path + Gingaku-ji
* Shinkansen to Tokyo
* hopefully enjoy Cherry Blossom Festival at Ueno Park (it’s the 27.03. – do you think we have a shot or is this just wishful thinking?)
**DAY 15** **- Tokyo**
* visit the places we didn’t manage to see yet or want to see again, buy whatever souvenirs we want, eat whatever we still want to eat
* maybe check out the Cherry Blossoms at Chidorugafuchi Park/Ueno Park
* cry ourselves to sleep
**DAY 16 – Tokyo**
* head to Haneda airport early in the morning for our flight back home
As you can see, Day 10 (daytrip from Osaka) is still is a bit of a mystery. We’ve taken Himeji-Castle/Kobe into consideration as well as Wakayama/Koya-san – has anybody done a daytrip to Koya-san from Osaka? Thoughts and ideas on this are very much welcome and appreciated.
Also, if you have any recommondations for places to eat at near the places included in our itinerary, I’d love to hear them!
This is my first time planning a trip like this and while I’ve had a lot of fun with it up until now, there’ll probably be some things included that make little sense to more experienced travellers. I’m glad this subreddit exists and is filled with so many kind and patient people! Thanks already for taking the time and checking out this post!
5 comments
I’ve only been once, and am returning soon, so this is just my limited, hands on perspective (that was also pre-pandemic, so I’m sure things are different)
I’ll be landing in Japan on the 25th and will also be checking out Ueno Park on the 27th! Probably won’t stay though, as it’s pretty notoriously packed. The spectacle would be worth seeing, though. If you’re just looking for cherry blossom viewings there are many beautiful areas, such as Hamarikyu Gardens, which is a pay park that has many different breeds of cherry blossom so you can see them in various states of the cycle.
The only real worry I have over your itinerary is that the Kyoto days are fairly packed. Very doable but that will be so, so much walking.
All in all it’s a good outline. I’d try and leave yourself lots of wiggle room, and don’t be fully married to your plans, because a beautiful thing about Japan is there is so much to get lost in. Food ideas you may want to try on a whim (and you absolutely should), or needing reservations for a place you weren’t expecting, or just the wait to get in is too long. Or not being able to tackle all the walking like you were expecting. So, treat your itinerary as a guideline and allow deviation where it needs to be.
Japan is absolutely a place you will want to return. So keep that in mind, “oh, we couldn’t do it *this* time, but next time!” will help save a lot of heartache.
Also, very important first timer tips: comfortable shoes, bring a small hand towel you can keep on your person, absolutely eat the fresh food at convenience stores at least once (the katsusandos at 7-11 is a high I’ve been chasing in the states for 4 years).
Edit: Also, if you and your partner like a good drink, while in Piss Alley/Omoide Yokocho, check out Bar Albatross.
The 14 day JR Pass does not add up. You should get a 7 day JR Pass and use it from day 8 instead as along with your day trip from Osaka it will add value. By paying an extra 17600 yen to go to 14 days your only getting 3700 yen benefit on your first trip from Tokyo plus whatever you save on small city journeys.
A Suica card will give you the convenience in Tokyo and elsewhere you require as it’s just tap and go. You will not be concerned trying to sort out what is a JR train, just catch the best transport that gets you where you want to go.
I like your plan. Just be prepared to be flexible and possibly miss some places as your enjoying some others too much to leave
You absolutely don’t need a 14 day JR pass. You barely need a 7 day pass (and you should use the JR calculator, because it may not even make sense to get that one). Having a JR pass won’t make things more convenient for you, in my opinion. You’ll actually be limiting what trains you can take daily.
Definitely don’t think you need 2 observation decks.
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>DAY 3 – TokyoNakano (Broadway and surroundings)Asakusa (Asakusa underground street, Ekimise, Nakamise) – eat at THE FARM CAFE
Is there a reason you grouped these 2 areas together? They’re not close to each other and you’re going to Asakusa on Day 5 anyway. If you want to group a cool neighborhood with Nakano, I would suggest Koenji which is great for food, nightlife, and small store shopping – and only like a 20 minute walk between each other.
In general, you have a lot of the basic tourist destination neighborhoods in Tokyo which is great, but I always recommend dedicating some time to spend in some cool neighborhoods with a bit of a different flavor; Shimokitazawa, Nakameguro, Koenji, Kichijoji, Daikanyama, etc.
And try not to get burned out on temples and shrines and tall buildings. I don’t think there’s a real need to see 1-2 (or 3-4) of those every day. It’s okay to dedicate a day to just exploring 1 or 2 neighborhoods and eating a bunch of snacks and checking out cool stores. Give yourself some time to enjoy your surroundings rather than jumping from spot to spot.
How do you arrange for cooking at a Japanese home? Do they speak some English?
14 days pass is an absolute waste of money and it will NOT offer any extra convenience.
Day 1-7, the only longer distance you would have to do is from Tokyo to Kawaguchiko. Anything else would be local train or subway. You are likely going to be really far from the extra 17 000 yen between a 7 days and 14 days pass.
Here the true convenient move is to get an IC card, either the Suica or Pasmo. It will be much more convenient as you will be able to use it to ride any train/suway aroun Tokyo. Using the JR Pass, you would have to force yourself to use JR and you would not even be able to go everywhere, for example there is not JR going direct to Skytree, Asakusa, Toyosu (teamlab planets).
It would not even be more convenient to go to Kawaguchiko as the train is not totally covered by JR Pass, so you would have to pay for the part from Otsuki to Kawaguchiko. It would make much more sense to go buy a single ticket for the Fuji Excursion train direct to Kawaguchiko, or a bus ticket to Kawaguchiko.
You could decide to use a JR Pass from day 8, to 14 and as it is, you won’t save any money on that part. The only convenience factor is that it would allow you do to a day trip to anywhere you want, and in that case, you could save money. It would also offer you some extra flexibility.
Still you are likely going to use some non JR transport and your IC card would get handy.