Hey everyone! I’m (25) going to be traveling to Japan for the first time with my sister (23) from the beginning to mid-March. All the stuff to do is in the order we are planning to do them. I might have underestimated the wait times for the restaurants we’re planning to visit and the trains so I’m not sure how feasible the itinerary is so far. Would love and appreciate some insight/advice/tips! Thanks so much for taking the time to look over this! 🙂
Staying at these locations at the following dates:
Mar 3-5: Hotel Gracery Shinjuku
Mar 6: Madoka No Mori
Mar 7-11: The Blossom Kyoto
Mar 12-15: Nippon Seinenkan Hotel Shinjuku
Picked up the 7-day JR Pass
Does anyone know how far in advance I should forward the luggage? Also would love to hear anyone’s upscale dinner recommendations for our final night in Tokyo on the 14th.
**Fri, Mar 3 – Arrival**
* pick up IC/suica card/activate JR Pass
* take NEX to shinjuku
* check in hotel/recharge
* Dinner fuunji tsukemen
* Walk around city/neighborhood
* visit japanese 7-11/convenience store and load up on snacks 😀
**Sat, Mar 4 – Ginza**
* Geshary Coffee
* Tsukiji brunch
* teamLab Planets
* Unicorn Gundam Statue/Gundam Base
* Bongen Coffee
* Itoya
* Uniqlo Ginza
* Godaime Hanayama Udon
* Jazz spot intro
* Omoide Yokocho
**Sun, Mar 5 – Shibuya**
* forward luggage to hotel in Kyoto
* bricolage bread & co
* Mori Art Museum
* Gyopao Gyoza
* Kith Tokyo, Ambush
* Shibuya Sky
* PARCO: Pokémon center, Nintendo, APC, Human Made, Issey, Vivienne Westwood, Undercover
* Hachiko Memorial Statue
* Shibuya Crossing
* need sushi dinner recs around shibuya!
* Walk around Center Gai
**Mon, Mar 6 – Hakone**
* Amazake teahouse
* heiwa no torii/hakone shrine
* hakone open air museum
* relax at ryokan + kaiseki dinner
**Tues, Mar 7 – Kyoto Day One**
* lunch at yamamotomenzou udon
* kennin ji temple
* walk around/ shop at Hanamikoji Dori + coffee at Arabica Kyoto Higashiyama + Hokan-ji Temple + Kiyomizu-dera/sannenzaka + green tea dessert
* dinner at Jukusei Buta Kawamura tonkatsu
* bar or explore around the hotel? depending on how tired we are lmao
**Wed, Mar 8 – Nara Day/Osaka Evening**
* take train to nara
* feed deer and visit todai-iji and see mochi pounding Nakatanidou
* lunch 戸隠そば 沙門 soba
* take train to osaka
* shinsekai/tsutenkaku/dotonbori
* okonomiyaki, kushikatsu, takoyaki
* bar nayuta
**Thurs, Mar 9 – Kyoto Day Two**
* Arashiyama Bamboo Grove (early in the morning around 7am)
* walk to tenryu-ji/Arashiyama Monkey Park
* rikkakuma teahouse
* lunch at Okonomiyaki Katsu
* can revisit osaka or explore kyoto more
* forward luggage back to tokyo hotel
**Fri, Mar 10 – Kyoto Day Three**
* Fushimi Inari Shrine (early)
* Nishiki food market brunch
* Get coffee/explore Manga Museum/Kapital clothing store/Pokemon center kyoto
* need dinner recs around Kyoto!
**Sat, Mar 11 – Ueno/Akihabara**
* visit ueno park and akihabara
* revisit places?
* free day after traveling back from Kyoto on shinkansen
**Sun, Mar 12 – Yokohama:**
* nissan gallery
* cup noodle museum
* Gundam Base
* Bape Store Yokohama
* walk around Yokohama Chinatown
* yoshimuraya iekei ramen for dinner
**Mon, Mar 13 – Harajuku**
* morning: Fuglen Coffee; Walk around Yoyogi Park/Meiji Jingu Shrine
* Breakfast Happy Pancake
* Shopping/Views/Food (In order)
* Nike, Tokyo Plaza (Mirrors), Vivienne Westwood, Asics, New Balance, Stussy, Thisisneverthat, Kicks Lab, Bape, MEDICOM TOY PLUS, Visvim + FIL, Chop Coffee, Shiro (Perfume), AMORE Vintage, Needles, APC
* Purikira (Photo Sticker Booth)
* Lunch Gyukatsu Motomaru: beef cutlets
* Dinner: Kushiwakamaru
**Tues, Mar 14 – Daikanyama and Nakameguro**
* Daikanyama
* Vintage shops
* Tsutaya book store
* Nakameguro
* Coffee: Onibus
* Meguro River (cherry trees)
* Nakameguro’s Starbucks Reserve
* Restaurants: Totorou, Udatsu Sushi, kushiwakamaru, samon
* Desserts: I’m Donut?, Daiwa Nakameguro (fruit sandwiches)
* Evening: New York Bar at Park Hyatt Tokyo