Hi all. My sister and I are traveling to Japan in the second week of May. It’ll be my first time visiting Japan and first time flying overseas period. My sister also hasn’t been on a plane at all so it’ll be an interesting experience. We are mostly staying in Tokyo since our aunt/uncle moved there just before the pandemic and offered to let us stay there. We are planning on staying a few nights in Kyoto though. Our interests include anime, videogames, animals, nature, art, hiking and cultural experiences.
Day 1 – Fly out of Salt Lake City at 8 am. Land in San Francisco and catch a flight from there to Japan.
Day 2 – Land in Haneda airport at 1:55 pm the next day because timezones. I figure we will be pretty jetlagged since there is a 16 hour time difference. Will pick up pocket wifi, suica card, and money at ATM. I will mostly plan on eating dinner and trying to stay up as long as possible to get adjusted to the new time zone. Might walk around aunt/uncle’s neighborhood and try to stock up on snacks at a convenience store.
Day 3 – I think we will still be really jetlagged this day so not trying to pack this day too much or do something that would require a reservation in case we’re not feeling up to it. So I was thinking maybe go to **Asakusa** and **Sensō-ji** and just wander around. Not sure if we should tack something else onto this day?
Day 4 – **Ueno Park** and the **Tokyo National Museum.** May try to visit other museums/shrines/etc in the area but plan on those two things at least. I kind of want to visit the zoo because I’ve never seen a panda in person but the reviews seem to suggest the animals aren’t well treated there so I don’t know.
Day 5 – Go to **Tsukiji Outer Market** in the morning. Then **Meiji Jingu**, **Hachikō Memorial Statue,** and **Shibuya Crossing**.
Day 6 – Shopping day at **Akihabara**. Want to go to **Owl Cafe “Fukurou”** since my sister loves owls. I also want to try to go to the **Pokemon Cafe.** Not sure if we should try to plan other things this day since it feels kind of light like Day 2.
Day 7 – Hike at **Mount Takao.** Thinking of taking trail #6 to the top and then trail #1 on the way back where we will see the **Takaoyama Yakuouin Yukiji Temple**. Eating a late lunch at **Ukai Toriyama** on a friend’s recommendation.
Day 8 – Go to **Zōjō-ji Temple,** **Tokyo Tower** and **TeamLab Planets TOKYO**. What else should we do this day?
Day 9 – **Ghibli Museum** and more anime shopping at **Nakano Broadway** and **Ikebukuro**.
Day 10 – See Grand Sumo Tournament at **Ryogoku Kokugikan National Sumo Stadium**
Day 11 – Take first available Shinkansen to Kyoto. Take taxi to lodgings since it’s a bit far to our lodging. Drop off bags in their storage room. Walk to **Kōdaiji Temple,** **Yasaka Shrine,** **Hōkan-ji Temple** and **Kiyomizu-dera** which seem to be within easy walking distance of where we are staying. Check into lodgings and eat dinner.
Day 12 – **Arashiyama Bamboo Forest** and either ***S*****agano Romantic Train/ Hozugawa River Boat Ride** or **Togetsu-kyo Bridge/** **Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama** since I don’t think there will be time for both sets. Then **Kinkaku-ji**
Day 13 – **Fushimi Inari** shrine early in the morning and then half day trip to **Nara Park/** **Tōdai-ji**
Day 14 – Travel day. Our flight isn’t until 4:50 pm at the Kansai airport so I’m thinking doing small last minute sight seeing before checking out of our lodging at 12:00. Maybe grab some nice food at **Nishiki Market?**
Would love advice on what we should add/remove or move around? I also kind of want to add a stop to see the Gundam in Yokohama now that they extended the time that it will be there. Not a huge Gundam fan so not the end of the world if I don’t make it but I like the novelty.
Also, would appreciate any advice on what stores to visit in Akihabara/Ikebukuro.
And any recommendations for a nice place to eat for dinner for our last night in Kyoto/Japan? I thought about Kaiseki but my sister can be a little picky about food and it might be beyond our budget anyways. Thinking 10,000 yen max per person.
2 comments
Just a traveler like yourself, OP, and have only been to Japan once before. But I think you could add to day 3 if you find you’re up for it.
>Day 3 – I think we will still be really jetlagged this day so not trying to pack this day too much or do something that would require a reservation in case we’re not feeling up to it. So I was thinking maybe go to Asakusa and Sensō-ji and just wander around. Not sure if we should tack something else onto this day?
If you have the energy, Ueno park is not far from there.
Also, Sumida River Walk is nearby. That’s actually what we plan to do on our second day in Tokyo, after flying from LAX. Asakusa, Senso-ji and the nearby shopping street, eat at Hoppy dori, and then go to Sumida River walk and walk across the bridge to the Sky Tree. There are also river boat rides we’re thinking about.
I don’t know if Day 8 is too busy or not (see above — no expert), but we are also adding Small Worlds to the day we go to Teamlab.
We’ll be there in May, too! Have a great trip, OP!
I suggest using sim or esim rather than a pocket wifi, the latter is just another thing that has to be lugged around and kept charged. There are several companies who offer esim that you can set up before departure or you/your uncle can buy a simcard at the airport or most electronic stores. (bic camera etc)