Hello, friends!
My husband and I have finally taken the plunge and purchased our flights to head to Japan Nov 10th-24th. Our dream is finally coming true! However, I’m pretty nervous as this is my first International Trip and I would love any insight any of you experienced Japan travelers have and any advice on our (very rough draft) itinerary. My husband and I don’t speak any Japanese, but we plan on learning basic phrases to get by and have important things/places written down in a notebook in Japanese. I’ve been trying to research as much as I can about the Metro system as well because I’m directionally challenged…My husband and I took a trip to New York in September with friends and none of us could figure out the subway…we ended up taking taxis everywhere for our 3 day trip which kills my confidence for Japan. But to be fair, we didn’t know googlemaps was the holy grail for getting around on trains, so I felt like we didn’t do enough research on our part. How do the two compare? Hopefully Japan’s system is way less confusing!
Some helpful tips I’ve seen so far are:
\-Carry a trash bag with you as trash cans are hard to come by
\-Getting a coin purse for change (I’ve heard Japan has been more accepting of cards now, but there’s still cash only food stalls, shops, etc)
\-Get a Japanese Sim Card/Pocket wifi (Any input as to which is better?)
\-Calculating whether the JR Pass is worth it or not for your trip (it will be for us)
\-Download the JapanTravel app by NaviTime along with googlemaps
\-Suicia Card for taking the guess work out of calculating your travel fare!
\-Always carry your passport on you (I didn’t know this was a thing)
\-Bring ibuprofen or tylenol (heard they’re more expensive in japan?) and comfy shoes (hello back pain and sore feet from walking)
I’ve already looked at all the new travel guides including the QR code on Visit Japan Web for customs, making a reservation on the shinkansen for any large luggage, and the updated guidelines on the JR Pass.
Our rough Itinerary is:
January 10th-Travel Day! Depart at 7:30am
January 11th-Arrive in Narita Airport at 3:30pm. We plan on taking the Narita Express into Tokyo. Arrive at hotel and explore the areas close by and get some dinner. Hoping to keep ourselves awake until a decent hour and then crash
January 12th-14th. 3 full days in Tokyo. We don’t have certain activities locked down on specific days but our must see places include: Zojo-ji Temple, Sensō-ji Temple (of course. we plan to go in the evening when it’s lit up), Nakamise Shopping Street, Shiba Inu Cafe, Shibuya crossing (plan to get a time lapse of the madness from the starbucks second floor), Yoyogi Park, Meiji Shrine, Gotokuji Temple, Shiro-Hige’s Cream Puff Factory, Tokyo Daijingu Shrine, Akihabara, Tokyo Skytree during sun set, Memory Lane, TeamLab Planets, and the Studio Ghibli museum. We want to not pack our schedule too full and have time to explore around us a little so i’m hoping this isn’t too much….I found a lot of these suggestions from The Invisible Tourist’s blog, and a lot of this was within their “perfect 3 days in Tokyo” itinerary
November 14th-In the late evening sometime leave Tokyo and head to Hakone and check into hotel for the night.
November 15th-We plan to see the iconic Chureito Pagoda and Mt Fuji. We’ve heard you have to be to the top by 10am or earlier or Mt Fuji may be hidden. Thus spending the night on the 14th…does this seem wise or instead make it a day trip? i’m just concerned about visibility with making it a day trip. The rest of the day we plan to explore and maybe rent bikes. Any suggestions for the rest of the day?
November 16th-18th Check out of hotel in Hakone (early in the morning) and arrive in Kyoto (2 hour commute) for 3 days. Our must sees are Kodai-Ji temple, Arashiyama bamboo forest, Sanjo Ohashi Bridge, kiyomizu dera, Tenryu-ji, Kinkaku-ji, Fushimi Inari Taisha, and all things matcha!
November 19th-Day trip to Nara. Haven’t researched much on things to do other than of course seeing the sacred deer…any suggestions are welcome! Leave in the evening to head to Osaka. Check into hotel for the night
November 20th-21st Osaka! One day will be dedicated to Universal Studios. Again would love suggestions for things to do! We plan to eat LOTS of delicious food!
November 22nd and 23rd Kinosakionsen/ check out a beach nearby. We plan to hit most if not all of the hot springs, stay in a Ryoken, and rent kimono. We’re extremely excited for this little town that looks very relaxing. We’ll leave late on the 23rd to head back to Tokyo to go home on the 24th.
November 24th-Flight leaves at 5:25pm. How early should we get to the airport? Not sure if we can squeeze a last minute activity in…
Thank you to everyone in advance for comments/suggestions!
2 comments
Plan to check out some of the autumn leaves illuminations. Most gardens/temples/shrines close at 5 or 6 pm but some stay open late for autumn illuminations (and in spring for cherry blossoms). So, you can go to the places that close early during the day and check out 1 or 2 of the illuminations before or after dinner.
– [Trip Report: Autumn Illuminations in Kyoto](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/mjt5yf/kyoto_autumn_night_illuminations_at_temples_and/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
– [Trip Report: Arashiyama Scenic Train and Riverboat](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/mibm8t/kyoto_sagano_scenic_train_hozugawa_riverboat/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
Happy Planning!
If you want to do a ryokan with Kaiseki meal in Hakone, you cannot leave in late evening as you would have to check in by 5 or 6 pm. But considering the number of nights you planed, I would not do them all with meal included. Also you could consider going to Kyoto at the end of the day (considering that alsmot all attractions close at 5pm in Hakone) so you would have an extra morning in Kyoto.
Chureito Pagoda is not in Hakone, it’s in Kawaguchiko make no sense do do round trip from Hakone to Kawaguchiko. Instead go to Kawaguchiko stay there for a night then go to Kawaguchiko.
Do not do Kinosaki-Tokyo. It would make much more sense to do Kyoto-Kinosaki-Osaka, this way you cut the long train ride on two days. Also you don’t have to rent kimono, the ryokan with have yukata in the room and you can wear it to go to the onsen. Also you would likely be unable to take of and put back a real kimono by yourself (like it takes 30 minutes for a professional to dress someone in a kimono).