Help with planning

Hi everyone,

My husband and I are in our early 30s. We’ve been to Japan multiple times in our 20s and haven’t gone back in awhile. We need some help in refining our draft itinerary for our one year anniversary trip to Japan this spring. We fly into Haneda 4/3 and fly out of Osaka 4/12. We love exploring, immersing ourselves into local culture, eating well, and checking out unique cafes or bars with good vibes. We are used to waking up early and running on 5-6 hours of sleep. Any recommendations for to-dos, to-tries, or to-eats in each area, feel free to share! If you see any items on the list that are not worth going to or trying such as being time consuming, a tourist trap, or redundant, please let us know. Also, share if you see anything on the list you experienced and liked or heard good things about. Thank you in advance! not

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* Day 1: Arrive Haneda, Check in to hotel in Shinjuku, Lunch: Shin Udon, Explore Shinjuku, Dinner: Sukiyabashi Jiro Roppongi Hills, Nightlife: Hobo Shinjuku Norengai (Izakaya Complex)

* Day 2: Morning: Explore Imperial Palace and Tokyo Station, Early Lunch: Rokurinsha Tsukemen OR Nigiri Asakusa Yadoroku Riceball, Day Drinking: Hoppy Dori / Kuruand Sake Market, Ueno Park picnic and people watch, Dinner: Ishibashi Sukiyaki, Meguro River Sakura Explore and Food Stands

* Day 3: Toyosu Fish Market/Tsukiji Outer Fish Market, Breakfast: Itadori Bekkan, Sushi Sei Honten, AND/OR Tsukiji Itadori Uni Tora Naka-dori Branch, 10:30 am TeamLab Planets, Starbucks Reserve, Explore Omotesando/Aoyama, Lunch: Aoyama Flower Tea House OR Sakurai Tea Experience, Explore Shibuya, Dinner: DenKushiFlori, Shibuya Sky, Nightlife: SG Club Tokyo

* Day 4: A Happy Pancake for breakfast, Check out of Shinjuku hotel, Travel to Takayama, Check into hotel near old town, Dinner: Hidatakayama Kyoya, Check out Harada Sake Brewery, Enjoy hotel’s hot spring

* April 7: Miyagawa Morning Market, Day trip to Shirakawa-go, Return back to Takayama and explore old town and sake breweries, Dinner: Sakurajaya, Enjoy hotel’s hot spring

* April 8: Travel to Ryokan Yatsusankan in Hida, Enjoy Ryokan amenities and meals

* April 9: Travel to Osaka, Check in to hotel, Shopping and Explore (Hozenji Yokocho, Namba, Dotonbori, Shinsaibashi), Snack on Osaka specialties (Kushikatsu Daruma, Okonomiyaki Chitose, Dotonbori Imai Honten, Honke Shibato), Explore Osaka Castle Park/ Kema Sakuranomiya Park for sakura, Nightlife: PC and Retro Bar Space Station

* April 10: Day trip to Kyoto, Morning: Kinkakuji, Starbucks Gion, Lunch: Kikunoi Honten (Kaiseki), Explore Higashiyama Jisho-ji, Okazaki Canal, Heian Shrine, Kyoto Philosopher’s Path, Keage Incline; Dinner: Honke Owariya, Okakita AND/OR Yamamotomenzo, Nightlife: Gion/Pontocho, Maruyama Park, AND/OR Kiyomizudera (light up??), Dessert: Nakamura Tokichi (matcha dessert), return back to Osaka

* April 11: Day trip to Nara and Mt. Yoshino, Nara: Kofukuji Temple, Nara Park, Sagi-Ike Pond, Todaiji Temple, Kasuga Grand Shrine, Nakatanidou (mochi by Nara station), Mt. Yoshino: Eat specialty snacks from food stands, enjoy sakura, Koriyama Castle (check to see if there’s festival); Return to Osaka, Dinner: Sushiyoshi Reservation

* April 12: Check out

1 comment
  1. I only have fantastic things to say about Nigiri Asakusa Yadoroku. Went there on literally my first morning in Japan, and was immediately enamoured with the welcoming atmosphere, the super friendly chef, and of course the fantastic food, so I’m sure you’ll have a great time there as well. Keep in mind that it is pretty popular and lines can get long, so I recommend going there before it opens.

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