Hello!
I’m planning my first trip to Japan for this June and already deep into obsessive-planning-mode. I would appreciate any tips, advice, suggestions or warnings from anyone with more experience of Japan 🙂 especially regarding transit times between places or glaring omissions that can’t be missed (especially interested in tea, art, food, and checking out any local queer scenes)
I plan to go from June 9-22 and my current plans are as follows:
Day 1: arrive in Tokyo at 15:00. Figure out airport, suica & pocket wi-fi before heading to ryokan onsen in Shinjuku (one night in fancier place for the jetlag)
Day 2: explore Shinjuku & area (maybe also Koenji?)
Check into cheaper guesthouse in Ikebukuro.
Day 3: explore Shibuya
Day 4: check out Ginza and the Imperial Palace, National Theatre or museums around Ueno.
Move from guesthouse in Ikebukuro to ryokan in Asakusa for next 3 nights
Day 5: Explore Asakusa, Ueno, & Akihabara
Day 6: extra day for anything I missed. Also wondering whether to check out Yokohama (especially Chinatown). ((Alternatively, I could head to Nagoya for one night?))
Day 7: head early to Nagoya, then Magome-juku. Hike to Tsumago-juku and stay overnight at ryokan
Day 8: head to Kyoto.
Day 9: Arashiyama
Day 10: Fushimi-inari & Uji
Day 11: Obubu tea farm tour (11:00-15:00). Check into hotel in Nara
Day 12: day in Nara
Day 13: another day in Nara, returning late to Tokyo
Day 14: last day for last-minute thing or 2. Flight home at 17:40
2 comments
I like how relaxed the days are. So many people try to pack way too much into their day, and it’s worrying to think how many things they’ll miss out on. You’ve got a really good idea of things, IMO, and it’s good to know you’ll be able to really enjoy the things you do see.
My main questions are: is there a specific reason you’re switching accommodation so much in Tokyo? I get wanting a fancy place for the first night, but then moving from Ikebukuro to Asakusa … it doesn’t take up that much time of course but just curious.
Asakusa, Ueno and Akihabara might want to be stretched into 2 days. They’re all large areas, with lots to see. It depends what you’re after, though – if you want to shop and play games in Akiba, that can take all day. If you just want to soak up the bright lights and energy, but not really engage, that’s easily done in an hour or so. Asakusa will take longer if you explore the main temple complex and wander around. Ueno will take longer if you want to visit some museums etc. So my suggestion there would be to identify exactly what you want to do/see in those areas, just so you know you have enough time.
Tokyo to Magome-juku will take about 3.5 – 4 hours. Which is fine, but make sure you time your shinkansen and trains carefully if you intend to catch a bus from Nakatsugawa to Magome, as they only run a couple of buses a day. If you’re catching a taxi from Nakatsugawa then that’s fine 🙂 Same with Tsumago-juku – if you’re catching a cab to Nagiso or Nakatsugawa, then that’s easy – if you intend to catch a bus to Nakatsugawa, or a bus to Nagiso and then a train, be aware that each of these run only a few times a day. So just make sure you plan for that.
Your Kyoto itinerary looks great, nice and relaxing compared to some, which is good because it will be HOT in June! So each bit of walking takes a little bit longer in the heat, doesn’t it! In Arashiyama, because it sounds like you have an appreciation for beauty, check out Gio-ji. Look it up – it’s so gorgeous and is usually empty. Worth the slight detour (15 mins walk from the Bamboo Path).
Nara is good, careful of the deer, they’re lovely but they can get aggressive if you don’t give them ALL your senbei RIGHT NOW 🙂
Overall, a good itinerary! When you have firmed things up with specific items, let me know if you have more questions 🙂
Edit: forgot to add: If you’re wondering whether to go to Nagoya for the night, consider going to Ena. It’s just a little town, near Nakatsugawa, but it has Hiroshige Museum of Art. Right before your hike from Magome to Tsumago, you can check out Hiroshige’s *Sixty Nine Stations of the Kisokaido*. You mentioned you like art so that’s something to consider!
I would be very wary booking a fancy ryokan for the first night when you’re arriving so late unless you have travel insurance that covers flight delays. Maybe go for a package without dinner as well, just in case. Also with the “ryokan” in Asakusa, I don’t know exactly which place you booked but there’s a lot of hotels called “ryokan” in Asakusa that are really basic, just tatami floors and limited amenities — not necessarily bad, but perhaps not worth swapping hotels for.
Go to shinjuku ni-chome on Friday-Saturday for any kind of queer nightlife. You might want to even swap to a hotel in walking distance so you can stay out past the last train. Or get into the swing of things and stay out until the trains start again 😂
Yokohama Chinatown is pretty OK I thought. I have been to a lot of Chinatowns so maybe I am spoiled. There are a lot of fun touristy things in Yokohama like Cosmo World, Cup Noodle Museum, Ramen Museum, lots of historical sights for ~1900 when the city was a big deal. It is probably more convenient to head to Nagoya this evening. There are very many cheap hotels right next to Meitetsu Nagoya station you can stay at.
As for art, it might help for you to specify, are you interested in classic Japanese art, contemporary, manga, museums, little galleries, anything specific… etc. There are a huge amount of things to see.
Your pace is pretty relaxed and you should have no problem covering these things.
Enjoy your trip!