Hi! My family and I (4 adults) are going on a trip to Japan in March. It’s our first time, and as the youngest and most enthusiastic about the trip, I took it upon myself to create our itinerary! I really want my family to have a great time, so I hope you can help me make any adjustments needed to ensure the itinerary’s feasibility and enjoyability. I’ve also listed our combined interests below the schedule, if we missed out on any noteworthy places to visit. Thank you so much!
(Also, for our trip, would you recommend getting a JR Pass or a Suica Pass instead?)
ITINERARY
MARCH 12 (SUN)
— Arrival at Haneda Airport, check-in at hotel (TBD, likely in/near Shinjuku)
— Nothing planned to do for the evening! (any suggestions?)
MARCH 13Â (MON)
— Ghibli Museum
— Shimokitazawa: Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory, various clothing shops
— Shinjuku: Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, Samurai Museum, Sekaido (art store), Omoide Yokocho (alleyway), All Seasons Café
MARCH 14 (TUES)
— Snoopy Museum
— Gundam Factory
— Negishi Forest Park
MARCH 15 (WED)
— Shibuya: Hachiko Memorial Statue, Tokyo Shibuya Koen-dori Gallery, Meiji Shrine, SHIBUYA109 (mall), Mint Collectibles (sports cards shop)
— Harajuku: Ron Ron Cafe, Kiddlyland (toy store), various clothing & thrift shops
— Ikebukuro: Sunshine City (any more suggestions?)
MARCH 16 (THURS)
—Manriki Park (Manri no Mori Zoo) to see Puuta the raccoon!
— Itchiku Kubota Art Museum (may be closed during March)
— Chureito Pagoda
MARCH 17 (FRI)
— Akihabara: Radio Kaikan, Don Quijote, Rashiban, Surugaya, Mandarake, Super Potato, Mulan
— Art Aquarium Museum
— Uniqlo Flagship Store
— GINZA SIX (mall)
—Tsujiri (café)
MARCH 18 (SAT)
— Tokyo Skytree & Tokyo Solamachi
— Sumida Hokusai Museum
— Sumida Park
— Miraikan
— Kiyosumi Garden
— Odaiba Seaside Park
— teamLab Planets
MARCH 19 (SUN)
— Free day (any suggestions?)
MARCH 20 (MON)
— Flight back home, sometime in the afternoo
— Since there’s time in the morning, are there are some noteworthy places to visit near Haneda Airport?
———
INTERESTS
— Ghibli + places similar in atmosphere
— Raccoons, tanuki
— Anime and manga
— Fashion & thrifting
— Museums
— Ramen
— Mochi & dessert
— Snoopy
— Flowers & nature
— Cross-stitching
— Architecture
— Sports cards
3 comments
Don’t get the JR Pass, it’s used for nationwide transport on JR lines only, and you will absolutely not get your moneys worth. There is no such thing as a ‘Suica pass’. Suica (and Pasmo) is just a transit card you can pick up and load funds onto for all public transport. It can be used for some vending machines and IC payments. Go with Suica or Pasmo, they work exactly the same.
Don’t get the JR pass, suica/pasmo is fine.
Have you already looked into Ghibli museum tickets? They may already be sold out.
JR pass require some long distance to be worth the cost, total waste for you. Suica is not a pass in the sense that you pay an amount for unlimited rides during a period. Suica is a prepaid card you can use as a payment method. And yes get one if you want to make it easier to pay for train, subway and other transit as well as convenience stores and other shops.