This is my first time going to Japan. I’ll be traveling with two friends, and one of them will be staying with me.(the other one isn’t sure where they want to stay in Japan yet.)My friend and I will be staying together, but we may do our own thing at times so we’ll get our own sim cards instead of pocket wifi. I will arrive a few days before my friends, so I plan to use this time to explore on my own.I’ve got an airbnb booked near skytree for the entire trip so we can keep most of our luggage there the whole time, and then I’ve got an airbnb booked in kyoto as well.
As far as interests go, we are both making our own itineraries, so I’ll list my own interests. I’m interested in anime,sanrio, ichiban kuji, gachapon,cute food,wagyu beef, arcades, video games, places to take pictures and sweets.
I’m aware that June is going to be very hot and very rainy as well, so that is why I don’t have very much planned for each day because I know I probably won’t get everything done if I jam-pack my days full. Only my kyoto portion of the trip is fully planned out. My trip still isn’t for 5months, so I expect my plans to change quite a bit yet and want to get some nice feedback if possible. Thank you in advance!
May 28th: Leave Home
•Arrive at MSP airport by 4am
•Flight departs at 6:05am
•Arrive at EWR at 9:46am
•Depart EWR at 10:45am
•Arrive at HND at 1:35pm (+1)
May 29th: Arrive in Japan
•1:35pm Arrive at Haneda Airport; get IC card, esim card, ticket for limousine bus, JR Pass,etc.
•Check into airbnb/Eat Lunch
•Recover from jet-lag
May 30th:Explore local area
•Breakfast at Land_A
•Get birthday gift for tomo
•Recover from jet-lag if needed
May 31st: Friends Arrival
•2:20pm Friends Arrive at Haneda Airport
•Go to Airbnb w/friend and then get lunch
June 1st: Tomo’s Birthday
•Crisscross Cafe for breakfast
•Get lunch with Tomo
June 2nd:Spend day at Tokyo Skytree
•Eat breakfast at Moomin Cafe
•Attempt to get lunch reservation at Kirby cafe
•Go to Sumida Aquarium
•Shop at Kirby store, Rilakkuma store, Hello Kitty store etc.
•Dinner at Musashi 634 Cafe
June 3rd:Spend day in Asakusa
•Breakfast at HATCOFFEE
• Rent kimono from Yae Kimono Rental
• Go to Sensoji Temple and Nakamise Dori
•Nishi Sando Shopping Street
•Get dinner at Yoshikami
•Asakusa Yokocho at night
June 4th:Spend day in Akihabara
• Eat lunch at MaidDreamin Cafe
•Arcades
June 5th:Spend day in Shibuya
•Breakfast at Bills
•Nintendo Store
•Shibuya Sky
•Jump Parco
•Kiddyland
•Dinner at Kumachan onsen hotpot
June 6th: Harajuku
•Marion Crepes
•Lunch at Pompompurin Cafe
•SailorMoon Store
•Coffee at Cafe REISSUE
•Mipig Cafe
•Dinner Kichijouji Petit Mura
June 7th: Shinjuku
•2DCafe
•Cafe Binggo
•SunShine City Mall
•Happy Egg
•Shin-Okubo
•Sekaido Stationary Store
June 8th: Sanrio Puroland (if open)
June 9th: Head to airbnb in Kyoto
•Ekiben for breakfast on shinkansen
•Arashiyama Bamboo forest
•Arashiyama Rilakuma Tea House for lunch
•Arashiyama Miffy Store
•Sugano romantic train
•Kinkaku-ji
•Dinner at Kinkaku An (if open)
•Itadaki if Kinkaku An closed
June 10th:Spend day in Kyoto
•Breakfast at Komeda’s Coffee
•Kiyomizu-dera
•Sannenzaka
•Tatami Starbucks
•Lunch in Sannenzaka
•Yasaka Shrine
•Maruyama Park
•Dinner at Kobe Beef Steak Mouriya Gion
June 11th: Kyoto
•Fushimi inari taisha
•Nishiki Market
•Dinner (TBD)
June 12th:Spend day in Osaka
•Breakfast
•Osaka Castle
•Lunch
•Osaka Aquarium
•Rikuro Ojisan Cheesecake
•Dotonbori
June 13th:Head back to Tokyo
•Check out of Kyoto airbnb
•Hyde&Away Cafe for breakfast
•Hie Shrine
June 14th:
•Ueno Zoo
•Ameyoko
June 15th: Ginza
June 16th: Disneyland
June 17th:
•Shiro-Hige Cream puff factory
•Nakano Broadway
June 18th: Yokohama
June 19th:
•Tsukiji Outer Market
•Dinner at Dawn Robot Cafe
June 20th: Friends go back home
• Have final lunch with friend
•See them off to airport
June 21st:
June 22nd: Head back home
1 comment
Hi!
I have to ask, have you ever traveled to Asia before? I personally find jet lag doesn’t just disappear after a day or so. It stays with you a good week+ For me, traveling from the US to Japan, it means waking up super early all the time and getting exhausted by 9:00 pm. I would make sure to invest in some breakfast food items for your rental, or you are likely to find yourself hungry long before your planned breakfasts.
I think the Moomin Cafe is closing. See this notice:
[https://benelic.com/moomin_cafe/news/20221206/](https://benelic.com/moomin_cafe/news/20221206/)
So I don’t think you will be eating there. I would check all the other places you plan to eat to make sure they are still open as well and/or don’t need reservations.
It makes sense to go to Kiddyland on June 6, because the main branch is in Harajuku and not Shibuya. I’d also warn a lot of places on your list don’t open until 11 or noon, so I am not as sure what you plan to do before that, because again, you will probably have jet lag and be up by 7 (This is mostly a problem in Tokyo.)