I have seen soo many itineraries and have formulated my own here for my first time in Japan for 10 days in late Jan. I will be solo-travelling and passing through Japan for a short holiday before I head over to the UK for work abroad 🙂
Please let me know what you think of my itinerary: too ambitious, locations too spread, better things to do, etc.
Note: I will be carrying 2 check in luggages and 1 carry on as I travel bc I’m also going to the UK after. Luggage forwarding is out of my budget and I wonder if lugging my baggage around on trains is ok.
**DAY 1**
* Arrive into Haneda Airport at 5am
* Swap exchange order to JR Pass and activate
* Activate Ubigi eSIM
* Catch train from Tokyo to Osaka (carrying 2 large check-in and 1 carry on luggages)
* Drop bags at Hotel the Rock
* Osaka Castle (1hr)
* Kuromon Market (9am-5pm)
* Namba Yasaka Shrine (30min)
* Houzenji Temple (30min)
* Snack: Rikuro-Ojisan no mise Namba store (\~Uncle Tetsu)
* Shopping at Don Quijote Dontonbori (2hrs)
* Dinner: KaitenSushi Sakae
* Street food: Izakaya Toyo (closes 7pm)
**DAY 2**
* Wake at 6am
* Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine (2hrs)
* Kiyomizu-dera Temple (2hrs)
* Pass through: Sanneizaka, Ninenzaka, Hokan-Ji, Kennin-ji Temple (1hr)
* Lunch: Hanamichi
* Gion, Yasaka Shrine, Hanamikoji Street (2hrs)
* Night: Pontocho
* Night Osaka: Dontonbori District
* Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street
* Food: Kushikatsu Daruma Dotonbori
**DAY 3**
* Wake at 6am
* Monkey Park Iwatayama (9am)
* Pass through: Togetsu-kyo Bridge
* Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Tenryu-ji Temple (1hr)
* Pass through: Jōjakkō-ji Temple, Gioji
* Saga Toriimoto Preserved Street
* Adashino Nenbutsuji Temple
* Night Osaka: Shinsekai
* Food: Yakitori no meimon, Curry Yakumido
**DAY 4**
* Wake at 6am
* Kinkaku-ji Temple (2hrs)
* Kyoto Imperial Palace (1hr)
* Nijo Castle (1hr)
* Lunch: Nishki Market (2hrs)
* Daimaru Basement Floor (79 Tachiuri Nishimachi)
* Gion (2hrs)
* Night: Pontocho
* Toji Temple
* Night Osaka: Namba
* 福太郎 (fried pancakes), Takoyaki Wanaka
**DAY 5**
* Wake at 5am
* Himeji Castle
* Itsukushima Floating Torii Gate
* Markets for Lunch: Miyajima Omotesandō Shōtengai (Kiyomori-dōri)
* Peace Museum 200Y (8:30AM-5PM)
* Peace Memorial Park – Dome
* Okonomimura Momotaro
* Night Osaka
NOTE: \[FIRST TRAIN @ 6AM\] \[LAST TRAIN @ 9PM\]
**DAY 6**
* Wake at 8am
* Kuromon Market (9am-5pm) (2hrs)
* Train from Osaka to Tokyo @ 1PM (4hrs)
* Check in at Tama Ryokan
* Explore 7-Eleven, Family Mart (2hrs)
* Hanazono Shrine (30mins)
* Lunch: Ichiran Ramen (1hr)
* Shopping: Itesan, MUJI, SEIBU (100Y store) (3hrs)
* Dinner: Yakitori @ Omoide Yokocho alleyway
**DAY 7** (last day with JR pass) – Should I make a trip to Kanagawa/ Enoshima Island?
* Wake at 6am
* Meiji Jingu Temple (2hrs)
* Lunch: Micropig Cafe Harajuku (open 10am) (1hr)
* Takeshita Street (1hr)
* Pass through Omotesando Hills (high-end shopping) (1hr)
* Hachiko Statue (1hr)
* Shibuya Crossing @ Starbucks (1hr)
* Shibuya SKY @ Sunset 4:30PM (2hrs)
* Dinner: GYOPAO Gyoza Rippongi, Gyukatsu Momotura Harajuku, Maidreamin (1hr)
* Pass through Roppongi Hills to view Tokyo Tower
* Shopping: MEGA Don Quijote (2hrs)
**DAY 8**
* Wake at 6am
* Senso-ji Temple (2hrs)
* Asakusa Jinja
* Lunch: Asakusa Nishi-sandō Shopping Street (2 hrs)
* Kappabashi Dougu Street (kitchen ware) (2hrs)
* Pass through Shin Nakamise Shopping Street (1hr)
* Snack: Kenty’s Kitchen
* Nakamise Shopping Street (2hrs)
* Kaminarimon Gate (2hrs)
* Dinner: Asakusa Gyukatsu (2hrs)
* See Kaminarimon Gate @ night (1hr)
**DAY 9**
* Wake at 4:30AM
* Tuna auction @ 5:30AM at Toyosu Market (3hrs)
* teamLab Planets @ 9:30AM (2hrs)
* Tsukiji Outer Market (2hrs)
* Ginza: Uniqlo, A Happy Pancake, MUJI (2hrs)
* Lunch: Maidreamin Akihabara Honten, Gyukatsu Ichi Ni San (1hr)
* Kanda Myojin Shrine (1hr)
* Ameyoko Shopping Street (2hrs)
* Dinner: Kikanbo Ramen (1hr)
**DAY 10 -** trying to do off the beaten path day in Tokyo. Any other recommendations on what to do is welcomed here!
* Wake at 8am
* Tomioka Hachimangu (flea markets) (2hrs)
* Lunch: 大衆酒場 斎藤商店 門前仲町 (1hr)
* Naritasan Fukagawa Fudōdō Temple (fire ceremony) (2hrs)
* Sunamachi Ginza Shopping District (maybe)
* Tokyo Character Street (1hr)
* Daimaru Tokyo Shopping (2hrs)
* Chill night – open to recommendations
**DAY 11**
* Wake at 4:30AM
* Train from to Haneda Airport @ 6AM, arriving at 7AM for a 9:55AM flight
* Are these timestamps ok or should I leave for the airport earlier?
Please let me know your experienced thoughts and recommendations! 🙂
3 comments
Bring way less luggage, like as little as you can.
Day 5 is absolutely unrealistic. Make no sense to wake up that early, you have to time this on opening time of Himeji castle, so 9am. Himeji/Miyajima/Hiroshima would need 2 days, max you can do is 2 and you still have to make choices and will only be able to see the highlight.
In Asakusa, Sendo-ji, kaminari-mon and nakamise is just the same area, make no sense to split this, or the plan is not in order
Depending on the crowd some of your Kyoto schedule might be compromised.
Also on day 4. I would rather visit Nara than spending it on Nijo castle. But that’s just my preference.
If you have the time gion is almost walkable from kiyomizu Dera
You’re trying to do as much as I am doing in 15 days in just 10. It seems extremely crowded. But if you really are up to getting up at 6 am or earlier for your holiday, maybe it can work.
I’d say you’re trying to do too much.
Don’t forget to check out the “new” luggage rules on the Shinkansen and make seat reservations so you don’t get fined!