Hello,
I’m trying this again after making some changes. It’s my first time traveling to Japan and I want to be sure I don’t miss out, but I also want to be sure that my plan is viable and that I’m not adding too much. I know some days I could add more\* depending on which area I’ll be at and I’m open to suggestions.
Kyoto (Mar 6th to Mar 10th)
* Mon: Arrive in KIX around 11:00am, pick up JR pass (14 days), take bullet train to Kyoto, drop stuff at Airbnb near Gion, visit Ippodo Tea, Nishiki Market, Gion
* Tue\*: Fushimi Inari, Philosopher’s Path, Kiyomizu-dera, Kichi Kichi Omurice
* Wed\*: Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Monkey park, Golden temple
* Thur: USJ in Osaka
* Fri: Yasaka Pagoda and shrine (early morning to avoid crowds), take train to Osaka airbnb
Osaka (Mar 10th to Mar 14th)
* Fri: Drop stuff at airbnb near Dotonbori, Osaka castle, Dotonbori
* Sat\*: morning trip to Hiroshima (Itsukushima shrine, Miyajima Island, Atomic bomb dome), afternoon back in Osaka, maybe visit Daruma temple Katsuo-ji if not on sunday\*\*
* Sun: Daruma temple in the morning\*\*, Nara in the afternoon (Park, Todai-ji and Nigatsu-do temples), train back to Osaka, Shinsekai Retro district
* Mon: Daytrip to Kinosaki Onsen, take train back to Osaka around 3pm
* Tue: Nothing planned in the morning, take train to Tokyo hotel around 10 or 11am
Tokyo (Mar 14th to Mar 19th)
* Tue: Drop stuff at hotel in Shinjuku at around 1 or 2pm, visit Shibuya crossing, visit Shibuya Sky
* Wed: Take train to Nagoya for Fertility Festival, late afternoon back in Tokyo, Golden Gai
* Thur: Morning bus trip to Shimoyoshida, visit Chureito Pagoda for Mt. Fuji viewing, back in Tokyo around 2pm, visit Cat temple Gotokuji, Starbucks Reserve, Miyashita Park, Tokyu Plaza
* Fri: Visit Odaiba in the morning, Teamlab Planets as soon as they open, Unicorn Gundam Statue, afternoon in Ginza, visit Uniqlo, evening in Roppongi
* Sat: Morning in Harajuku, afternoon in Akihabara, evening in Kabukicho and Omoide Yokocho
* Sun: Morning in Asakusa, visit Senso-ji temple, return to hotel for check-out by 1:30pm, take train to NRT, flight departure at 6:15pm so arrive at the airport at around 3pm.
The way I planned out this itinerary is so that we visit the “more popular” attractions during weekdays and avoid larger crowds (better for photography).
