Hello, everyone! My spouse and I will be spending two weeks in Japan in early April, and it’d be great to get some feedback on our plan. This will be our first trip to Japan—we are late 20s and enjoy hiking, nature, Nintendo, and just going around and seeing the sights, hopefully including sakura. We also like good food, but not enough to wait in super long lines or to go out of our way.
We think we’re covering a lot of the essentials without packing too much into each day, but feedback very much welcomed on anything that may be too ambitious or that we are leaving out.
April 2 – Tokyo
· Arrive at Haneda 5am, pick up JR pass, Suica card, and pocket wifi, transfer to hotel to drop off luggage
· Shibuya Crossing, Shibuya sky, and walk around near the station. Visit Nintendo Tokyo store?
· Walk around Shinjuku Gyeon National Garden
· Shinjuku Southern Terrace
· Back to hotel in Shinjuku early since we’ll be tired
April 3 – Tokyo
· Day tour to Mount Fuji. I hear weather can be dicey, but we enjoy nature and should enjoy the stops even if the weather doesn’t cooperate
· Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building after sunset when we get back – our tour’s end point is a 10 minute walk away
April 4 – Tokyo
· Teamlab Planets at 10:30am, wander around surrounding area
· Roppongi Hills and Mori Tower for a panoramic view during the day
· Imperial Palace gardens for Sakura viewing
· Tokyo Station and character street shopping
April 5 – Tokyo
· Tokyo DisneySea
April 6 – Tokyo
· Senso-ji and Nakamise shopping street
· Ueno Park and surrounding area
· Akihabara on the way back
April 7 – Tokyo to Kyoto
· Activate 7 day rail pass
· Mid morning transfer to Kyoto – staying in Gion
· Spend afternoon and evening in Gion
April 8 – Kyoto
· Early AM to Fushimi Inari Taisha
· Nanzen-ji
· Eikan-do
· Philosopher’s Path
· Honen-in
· Ginkakuji
· Might not do all the shrines along the way, we’ll play it by ear
April 9 – Kyoto
· Kiyomizu-dera
· Walk through Higashiyama ward and shopping streets nearby
· Tea ceremony
· Nishiki Market
April 10 – Kyoto
· Early AM Arashiyama bamboo grove
· Maybe rent bikes to see the observation deck, Togetsu-kyo bridge, and Gio-ji shrine
· Kinkaku-ji
· Find an onsen in the evening (any recommendations for tattoo-friendly in Kyoto?)
April 11 – Kyoto
· Day trip to Nara to see the deer and shrines around the park. Maybe climb to the top of the mountain in in Nara Park
April 12 – Hiroshima
· leave fairly early for Hiroshima, aim to arrive around 11 or so to drop off luggage at hotel
· ferry to Miyajima Island for high tide around 1pm
· depending on when we get back, see part of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Atomic Bomb Dome, etc. We’re staying right across from the peace park so it’s easy walking distance
· Eat Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki
April 13 – Hiroshima to Osaka
· Peace Memorial Museum, see anything else we missed in the Peace Memorial Park
· Afternoon shinkansen to Osaka
· Check into Ryokan
· Visit Dotonburi and Shinsaibashisuji
April 14 – Osaka
· Osaka Castle and grounds and general area
· Switch from Ryokan to hotel for rest of stay (they’re a 5 minute walk apart)
· Cooking class in the evening. Generally a chiller day
April 15 – Osaka
· Shinsekai
· Denden Town
· Namba Yasaka Shrine
· Spend more time in Dotonburi and do some shopping
April 16
· My spouse flies out in the afternoon – lazy morning to eat any last food
After our vacation ends, I’ll be staying for another 12 days for work – 2 days Osaka, 2 days Nagoya, 8 days Tokyo. With that in mind I’ll be going for the 14 day JR pass, which will last until I get back to Tokyo.
I’ll have one last free weekend in Tokyo, where I hope to go to the Ghibli Museum, Pokemon Café, and maybe a few other neighborhoods or parts of Tokyo that we didn’t make it to. I’ll probably play it by ear, depending on what I feel like I’ve missed out on during the rest of the trip. I’ll be busy going to meetings during most workdays, but will have some free time in the evenings and it looks like I’ll have meetings in Shinjuku, Minato City, Chiyoda City, and the western outskirts.
I’d love any recommendations for evening activities in those area that don’t require reservations or early booking, since I’ll be more limited by my work schedule. Also, if anyone has recommendations for cafés or other places where I could catch up on email near Shinjuku Gyeon National Garden (where my hotel will be), that would be great! I’ll be leaving Japan before Golden Week starts.
Thanks very much!
2 comments
If you’re planning to go Pokemon Cafe, don’t forget to make reservations. Ghibli Museum also require purchase of tickets beforehand online. Tickets are available for sale about a month earlier. You can’t play by ear to go these two places as walk-ins are not allowed.
For your first arrival day, you might be too early to start off at Shibuya. Most shops open after 11am, and even Shibuya Sky only open from 10am. I don’t think you’ll use up 5 hours to get your bearings and drop off luggage after arrival. You can visit the Meiji Shrine which is one station from Shibuya or even walking distance if you’re up for it as it opens much earlier.
Just FYI, Japan is projecting the full bloom of Sakura trees by the end of March: https://sakura.weathermap.jp/sp/en.php
The expected date for Tokyo is March 17 with trees being in full bloom by the 25th. If you’re visiting in April, you might miss them or come right near the end.