My girlfriend and I will be traveling to Japan in late March. This is our first time in Japan, and are looking forward to seeing the cherry blossoms. I haven’t explicitly put cherry blossom viewing as an activity but I don’t think they will be hard to spot.
One problem I can see happening is getting our luggage handled. We’re only going to each have a carrier and a backpack and plan to take advantage of the luggage hold service at the different hotels or the lockers at major train stations. I know there are some luggage forwarding services but I’m not sure how reliable same-day delivery will be. As for food, we have a big list of dishes but won’t be searching for specific restaurants.
## Day 0: Arrive at Haneda Airport
* Flight arrives at 7 pm. Get Suica, JR pass, portable Wi-Fi, and some cash. Check into a hotel in Shinjuku.
## Day 1: Shinjuku
* Start the day at Meiji Jingu
* Walk around Shinjuku
* Head to Sunshine City in Ikebukuro for more theme cafes/shops
##Day 2: Tokyo East
* Breakfast at Tsukiji Outer Market
* Walk around at Imperial Palace East Gardens
* Arcade and shopping at Akihabara
* Walk from Kaminarimon Gate to Sensoji Temple
* Time permitting, stroll around Sumida park and see the night view from Tokyo SkyTree
## Day 3: Shibuya
* Grab some coffee from Starbucks above Shibuya Crossing
* Explore Shibuya Parco, specifically the 6th floor’s Pokemon center
* Shop around Harajuku and Takehita Street
* Take the shinkansen to Kyoto
## Day 4: Kyoto East
* Walk up to Fushimi Inari early in the morning
* Take the train to Gion
* Walk to Maruyama Park, swinging by Hanamikoji Street
* Walk through Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka, ending the walk at Kiyomizu-dera
* Time/energy permitting, visit Shoren-in Monzeki on the way back and Nishiki Market
* Rest at a Ryokan
## Day 5: Kyoto West
* Take the train to Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, then visit Tenryuji
* Walk across Togetsu bridge to Arashiyama Monkey Park
* Rent a bike at Arashiyama station
* Bike to Adashino Nenbutsuii temple via Saga Toriimoto preserved street
* Bike to Daikaku-ji Temple
* Return bike to Arashiyama station
* Take the train to Osaka
## Day 6: Nara/Osaka
* Take the train to Nara
* Walk around Nara Park
* Return to Osaka
* Spend the rest of the day eating around Dotonbori and shopping in Osaka
## Day 7: Universal Studios Japan
* Buy a bento for lunch before going inside
* Use timed entry that came with the express pass to enter Super Nintendo World
* Take the shinkansen back to Tokyo
## Day 8: Ghibli Museum
* TODO – Get tickets Feb 10
* Depart from Haneda airport at 4 pm
Some days are much busier than others for sure. I’m not worried about myself but I can definitely see my girlfriend getting tired. If there are any locations you would recommend skipping, please let me know. I’m sure this won’t be my last time in Japan.