Hello r/JapanTravel!
I’m currently planning a 14 day trip to Japan from Feb 20 to March 6th 2023 and would be grateful to receive some feedback (given the comments received on my last itinerary check in 2019 were very helpful). Plane tickets, accommodations and JR passes are already booked.
I am travelling with my boyfriend (both 25 y/o). We’re Canadian but arriving from Thailand so I think jet lag shouldn’t be an issue. We like picturesque landscapes, architecture, art, anime, shopping, food and just wandering around. It’ll be my third time and his second time in Japan, and we’ve been to Kyoto and Tokyo so we will be skipping some main attractions in these cities this time around.
Last time we didn’t get to eat much because 1) we were very cheap on food and 2) we both got food poisoning. Although we have some restaurant reservations, we’re planning to just have a list of food we want to eat and find a place on the spot
**Day 1 – Monday Feb 20 – Tokyo**
* Arrive in Narita at 5 PM
* Shinkansen from Narita to Kyoto
**Day 2 – Tuesday Feb 21 – Kyoto**
* Day trip to Osaka
* Shopping for warmer clothes
* Dotonbori
**Day 3 – Wed Feb 22 – Kyoto**
* Higashiyama (we really liked the area so want to revisit)
* Gion, dinner at Gion Shinbashi Nakatani (reserved)
* Pontocho
**Day 4 – Thurs Feb 23 – Kyoto**
* Day trip to Uji OR bike around Kyoto
**Day 5 – Fri Feb 24 – Hiroshima**
* Nishiki Market
* Shinkansen to Hiroshima
* Hondori shopping street
**Day 6 – Sat Feb 25 – Hiroshima**
* Atomic Bomb Dome, Peace Memorial Park, Peace Memorial Museum
* Okonomimura
**Day 7 – Sun Feb 26 – Miyajima**
* Itsukushima-jinja Shrine
* Miyajima ropeway to Mt Misen
* Ryokan in Miyajima
**Day 8 – Mon Feb 27 – Okayama**
* Travel from Miyajima to Okayama
* Koraku-en garden, Okayama castle
**Day 9 – Tues Feb 28 – Okayama**
* Day trip to Naoshima
* ChiChu Art Museum (reserved)
* Bennesse House Museum
**Day 10 – Wed Mar 1 – Tokyo**
* Shinkansen from Okayama to Tokyo
* Ikebukuro for Mega Pokemon Centre and anime merch
* Shinjuku at night
**Day 11 – Thurs Mar 2 – Tokyo**
* Day trip Kamakura/Enoshima
* Hasedera
* Daibutsu
* Shichirigahama Beach
* Enoshima Island
**Day 12 – Fri Mar 3 – Tokyo**
* Shopping in Harajuku, Omotesando
* Shibuya Sky for sunset
**Day 13 – Sat Mar 4 – Tokyo**
* Explore and shopping in Daikanyama, Naka-Meguro
* Omakase at Isana Sushi Bar (reserved)
**Day 14 – Sun Mar 5 – Tokyo**
* Free day for now, maybe Akihabara if we didn’t find anime merch we wanted in Ikebukuro
**Day 15 – Mon Mar 6 – Tokyo**
* Tsukiji Fish Market early in the morning
* Back to Canada 🙁
**Questions**
* Q1 : is it enjoyable to bike in Kyoto and Naoshima in February? (although we are Canadian)
* Q2 : does the Kamakura/Enoshima day trip seem feasible? Didn’t want to add too much and feel rushed
* Q3 : open to any suggestions for our last day in Tokyo! We’ve been to Akihabara, Asakusa, Ginza and TeamLab Borderless last time
* Q4 : any suggestions of places to buy and develop film photos in Tokyo? Also, if anyone knows around how much 35 mm film costs in Tokyo it would be appreciated!
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Thanks in advance for any feedback or suggestions
3 comments
There is a team lab Planets in Tokyo at the moment but if you think Borderless is enough I think it’s fine to skip. Pretty sure you can buy film at any Bic Camera shop though I’m not sure about developing photos. I do feel like if you’ve been to Kyoto already, perhaps give Osaka a try instead? Osaka has a lot of fun attractions and great food as well. If you haven’t already, Kyoto has a lot of cute cafes on the way from Gion to yasaka shrine (Page One, kumono ocha, traditional Starbucks)
If you’re not getting a rail pass and using a Nozomi, I think your arrival day is fine, if you were planning to get a rail pass, I think it might be touch and go.
We arrived in Narita on 12/22/22 around 16:00 and we were not on a NEX until 18:48. The last Hikari to Kyoto is 20:10 (This is from Shinagawa but Tokyo Station will just be a little earlier) [https://japantravel.navitime.com/en/area/jp/timetable/00007825/00000110?direction=down&type=Hikari](https://japantravel.navitime.com/en/area/jp/timetable/00007825/00000110?direction=down&type=Hikari)
We spent a good 20 minutes just deplaning and getting to Customs. And yes, we had all our QR codes. There were just a lot of slow moving lines.
Kyoto might be a little crowded on 2/23 since it is a holiday (The Emperor’s Birthday) Uji is just lovely.
I think you should be able to cycle on Naoshima, I would worry more about the wind than anything else.
If you start off by 9:00 am I think you will be able to get your Kamakura and Enoshima day in. I just wouldn’t start it by leaving at say 11:00 am.
Hope this helps!
this not being your first trip shows. the itinerary is pretty reasonable.
as someone recently trying to buy clothes, be aware, if you are on the heavier side, it gets hard to find clothes pretty quick. I dont know about Osaka but next to/north of Kyoto tower in Yodobashi is a big clothes store you could pop in real quick (since its right next the trainstation)
Also, there is a big camera store, which might have film and or the ability to develop it ?
about biking, Uji… I guess you would rather bike around, and Uji is a lower priority plan. You know it wont be too warm in February, I dont know how cold you can stomach on a bike. I would say, decide it when you reach Kyoto. Maybe its not too cold but starts raining, then its probably decided as well…
That being said, Uji is so close, you could easily bike around from 9 amto like 2pm and still make a trip to Uji, see Byodoin, and buy some tea on the way back to the station. Be aware, in Byodoin the museum closes earlier, so if you get there at like 1630 or so head first to the museum (its rather close to the end of the normal walking path next to the entry/exit)