hello! this is my first draft itinerary for my wife and I’s first trip to japan. i have never travelled internationally and have never planned a vacation this long before, so all suggestions are welcome!
we’re both wildly obsessed with food but there’s so many options that i chose to leave them off the itinerary and chose places once we’re in the area. however, please recommend any must-dos if you see a spot for them.
my wife also wants to see the cherry blossoms more than anything, so i’ve marked a few park locations with “Blossoms?” – i know the forecasting isn’t perfect this far out but i’m hoping some of my guesses are accurate. thank you everyone!
Day 1 – Arrival in Tokyo (3/28, 4pm)
* Purchase train tickets for Tokyo -> Kyoto + Osaka -> Tokyo
* Buy Pasmo / Suica card
* Travel to hotel and arrive by 6pm
* Eat locally + 7/11 or Lawson
Day 2 – Ikebukuro
* Shopping at:
* Nakano Broadway (take transit to Ikebukuro)
* Pokemon Center
* Evangelion Store
* Skytree
Day 3 – Shibuya
* Shopping at Nintendo Store, Animate
* Hunt for vinyl at Tower Records and Disk Union
* Meiji Shrine
* Visit Daikan-yama T-Site
* Shibuya Sky Observation deck
Day 4 – Akihabara
* Eat at Kirby Cafe
* Visit Gigo Akihabara 1
* Collectible shopping at: Mandarake, Jungle, Hard Off & Hobby Off
Day 5 – Akihabara
* DisneySea
Day 6 – Asakusa (Blossoms?)
* Hama Rikyu
* Fertility festival
Day 7 – Shinjuku (Blossoms?)
* Shinjuku Gyoen
Day 8 – Ginza/Koto City
* Eat at Pokemon Cafe
* Shopping at: Muji, Sanrio World, Uniqlo, Itoya, Peak Design
* Visit DiverCity Tokyo Plaza (Unicorn Gundam Statue)
* Visit Small Worlds
Day 9 – Toyosu
* Teamlab Planets
* Sightseeing/Exploring
Day 10 – Mitaka (hoping to see cherry blossoms)
* Ghibli Museum
* Inokashira Park
* Koganei Park
Day 11 – Kawagoe
* Karaki Mokkou
* Tsubakiya Tea Room
* Starbucks
* Sightsee/Explore
Day 12 – Tokyo to Kyoto
* Check out of Tokyo hotel
* Travel to Kyoto
* Visit Fushimi Inari Taisha
* Eat at Shake Shack
Day 13 – Kyoto
* Omi Jingu
* Philosopher’s Path
* International Manga Museum
Day 14 – Kinosaki
* Check out of Kyoto hotel
* Will likely use one of the town’s tourist itineraries
Day 15 – Kinosaki
* Will likely use one of the town’s tourist itineraries
* Travel to Osaka
Day 16 – Osaka
* Go on Osaka Castle tour
* Eat street market food
Day 17 – Universal Studios
* Spend day at Universal Studios
Day 18 – Osaka to Tokyo
* Imperial Palace
* More arcades
Day 19 – Tokyo Buffer
* Doing anything we missed out on!
Day 20 – Departure from Tokyo (4/16, 6 PM)
* Take in the sights and local areas before leaving