Hey all, this is my second Itinerary for my trip. I made a preliminary version a few weeks ago and got some good advice that I tried to incorporate into my new itinerary. I’ve pretty much locked down my locations and I’m more concerned about making sure my day to day itinerary is solid and I’m not overbooking (or underbooking) my days. I also need to lock down any locations that require reservations since I’m basically a month out at this point.
About me: I’m solo traveling for 15 days from March 27-April 10. This is my first time visiting Japan and my first solo trip to another country. I’m somewhat of a geek, but I’m not terribly into Otaku / Anime culture. I most enjoy experiences, but can appreciate good views as well. I’m curious to try things out if they’re new or different, but not looking for something I can basically get elsewhere.
Luggage situation. My flight includes up to two suitcases. I’m currently debating whether I want to do that. I do intend to make a decent number of souvenir purchases as well as maybe some figures / gunpla in Akihabara that could benefit from bringing a second suitcase. I also know that it can be a pain to travel with a bunch of bags solo, but I do intend to forward my luggage between my major destinations.
Below I’ve noted all of my must-see destinations with *’s. Some days are definitely more detailed than others at this point, mainly because of lack of more detailed research on the emptier days. You’ll notice this is especially true for the latter half of my trip. (Could definitely use some suggestions for what to visit outside of shrines/temples in Kyoto)
**Tokyo**
*March 27 – Monday*
Arrive. Head over to Shibuya and soak in Japan while fighting jetlag.
– Arrive @ Haneda 2PM
– Train to Hotel @ Ginza (mid / late afternoon)
– short walk to Tokyo Tower
– Head over to Shibuya
– *Shibuya Sky
– Shibuya Parco Shopping Mall
– *Shibuya Crossing
– *Conveyor Belt Sushi for Dinner
*March 28 – Tuesday*
Day 1 in Tokyo. Odaiba / Asakusa. Dinner in Shinjuku?
– Tsukiji Fish Market in the morning
– *teamLab Planets right as it opens
– DiverCity / Gundam Statue / Statue of Liberty
– Water Taxi to Asakusa
– Sumida Park
– *Tokyo Skytree
– Nakamise Dori
– *Senso-Ji
– *Travel to Shinjuku for dinner at the New York Grill
– Kabukicho afterwards if time
*March 29 – Wednesday*
Hanami in the morning. Akihabara for the rest of the day.
– Chidorigfafuchi Moat Hanami in the morning
– Yasakuna Shrine
– *Imperial Palace
– *Eorzea Cafe for Lunch
– *Explore Akihabara for the rest of the afternoon (Game Centers / Shops)
– *Monster Hunter Cafe (Monhan Sakaba) for Dinner
– Ueno Park Hanami in the evening
*March 30 – Thursday*
Shinjuku / Harajuku + more Hanami spots. TBH, I don’t really have much planned for the actual areas of Shinjuku or Harujuku. Could use some recommendations outside of just walking around.
– *Meiji Jingu in the Morning
– *Happy Pancake for Brunch
– Yoyogi Park Hanami
– Explore Harujuku
– *Shinjuku Gyoen Park Hanami
– Explore Shinjuku
– *Meguro River Hanami in the evening
– Roppongi
– *Omakase Sushi Dinner somewhere near Ginza
**Yokohama**
*March 31 – Friday*
Ginza morning. Yokohama afternoon. Maybe some of Osaka in the evening, depending on when I end up arriving. Hotel is in Umeda.
– Explore Ginza in the morning
– *Pokemon Center DX
– *Pokemon Cafe for Brunch
– Train to Yokohama
– *Gundam Factory
– Yamashita Park Hanami
– *Sky Garden Landmark Tower
– Snack in Chinatown (if time)
– *Shinkansen to Osaka
– Umeda Sky Building (if time)
– Dotonbori (if time)
**Osaka**
*April 1 – Saturday*
Day 1 in Osaka. Shrines / Castles in the morning. Don’t have too much of a plan for the afternoon before going to Dotonbori in the evening, could use some suggestions.
– *Tenmangu Shrine
– *Osaka Castle
– Kema Sakuranomiya Park Hanami
– Eorzea Cafe / Pokemon Cafe Backup Day (if I couldn’t get reservation in Tokyo)
– Don Quixote Ferris Wheel
– Don Quixote
– *Dotonbori Dinner
**Hiroshima / Miyajima**
*April 2 – Sunday*
Planning one day (and night) for Hiroshima and Miyajima.
– *Shinkansen to Hiroshima in the morning.
– *Atomic Bomb Dome
– Atomic Bomb Museum
– *Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki for lunch
– *Ferry to Miyajima
– *Itsukushima Shrine (if not running late for my Ryokan)
– *Miyajima Ryokan dinner
– *Onsen
**Himeji / Osaka**
*April 3 – Monday*
Returning back to Osaka. Visiting Himeji Castle on the way up. Last Day in Osaka.
– Onsen
– *Ryokan breakfast
– Itsukushima Shrine (if didn’t visit yesterday)
– *Shinkansen to Himeji
– *Himeji Castle
– Shinkansen to Osaka
– *Osaka Aquarium
– Tempozan Ferris Wheel
– *Umeda Sky Building
– Fancy Wagyu dinner somewhere
**Nara**
*April 4 – Tuesday*
Head into Nara.
– Train from Osaka -> Mt Yoshino in the morning
– Mt Yoshino Hanami
– Train to Nara
– *Mochi at Nakatanidou
– *Nara Park
– *Todai-ji Temple
**Kyoto**
*April 5 – Wednesday*
Day 1 in Kyoto. Focusing primarily on Eastern Kyoto.
– Train to Kyoto in the morning
– *Kiyomizu Dera
– *Sannenzaka
– Nanzen-Ji
– Heian Shrine
– *Imperial Palace
– Yaksha Shrine
– Maruyama Park Hanami
– *Gion
*April 6 – Thursday*
Arashiyama in the morning / afternoon. No real solid plan for the evening atm.
– *Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
– *Monkey Park
– Tenryu-Ji
– Sagano Romantic Train
– *Kinkaku-Ji
– *Kichi Kichi Omurice for Dinner if reservation possible.
*April 7 – Friday*
Fushimi Inari in the morning. Catch-up / free day to hit anything I’ve missed to this point.
– *Fushimi Inari Shrine (hike to the top)
– Toji Shrine
– Hitting anything else I’ve missed or wanted to see in the afternoon / evening
**Fujikawaguchiko**
*April 8 – Saturday*
Don’t have much planned due to the long travel time. Just going to try and hit up the pagoda and relax in the hotel with nice views.
– Leave for Fujikawaguchiko in the morning
– *Chureito Pagoda
– *Hotel Onsen and Dinner
**Tokyo**
*April 9 – Sunday*
Returning back to Tokyo. Free day here to try and see anything I missed from before. Would a half day at DisneySea be worth it here to fully see everything if I’m going tomorrow?
– Hotel Onsen
– Leave for Tokyo
– Free Day to check out anything I missed
– Check into Hotel Miracosta
*April 10 – Monday*
Last day. Leaving via red-eye flight in the evening. How late can I stay in DisneySea without missing my flight?
– *DisneySea
– Leave Tokyo via HND at 11PM
I plan to forward my luggage between my major destinations. (Tokyo – Osaka – Kyoto – Tokyo) Do you think it’s better to forward directly from Kyoto to the Airport (I heard you need like 48 hours heads up if doing this), or is traveling from DisneySea to HND with luggage manageable?
3 comments
On Arrival Day you’re aware of jetlag, which is good, but I think maybe you’re under anticipating how hard it might hit you. Just be prepared to maybe feel like your ass is kicked more than your expecting and not being able to do all that stuff the day you land.
>*teamLab Planets right as it opens
Get your ticket *now* if you haven’t already, don’t rely on just being able to walk up. They often sell out a few weeks in advance. I just got mine for April 4th a couple of days ago and the pickin’s were *slim*. I also looked at the 28th (I’ll be in the city the same time as you) and it was pretty open (“right as they open” and most of the morning was already sold out), there were plenty of afternoon spots.
Same with the theme cafes, make sure you get tickets/reservations in advance if you haven’t already. Most places you won’t be able to just walk in.
>*Meiji Jingu in the Morning
>*Happy Pancake for Brunch
>Yoyogi Park Hanami
Yoyogi Park and Meiji Jingu are basically right on top of one another; you can walk through the park to enter Meiji Jingu. I’d personally do both at once before brunch and avoid the backtrack.
>*Omakase Sushi Dinner somewhere near Ginza
Again, get this figured out now because reservations go fast for this kind of thing. You can definitely get lucky and find a place you can just walk into for omakase (I did when I was there), but if you wanted a more “higher end” one, most have reservations booked months in advance and you need to speak Japanese to book them.
Overall I’d say your itinerary is packed but doable. DisneySea will depend on if you’re a big ride person or not. If you are going on rides I’d say definitely need the whole day because the line waits can get ya.
I take it you have no intention of resting in between and your physical condition is in top notch athlete levels?
Just by reading it gave me stress on how you would manage all off that in 1 day’s time per day, for 2 weeks straight. Disregarding possible jetlag which might hit you really hard, some days are impossible to do unless you intent to arrive, look, take 1 or 2 photo’s and leave to the next activity on the planning.
March 27 – Monday
Doable, but very busy for your first day, and if you have/get jet lagged, you won’t make it.
March 28 – Tuesday
This is a 2 day planning, far too many activities.
Tsukiji Fish Market – Do you mean the old one or the new one?
March 29 – Wednesday
When do you plan on going to the imperial palace when you spent the afternoon in Akihabara? Take your time Akihabara, you’ll lose the entire day there if you want to.
March 30 – Thursday
Yokohama is not doable in that day, perhaps even Roppongi is not doable.
March 31 – Friday
IF you go to osaka on that schedule you will arrive around 9 in the evening.
Explore Ginza in the morning. For how long, and when do you expect to be in Ginza? There is not much morning left and how long will you be there?
Yamashita Park Hanami
Snack in Chinatown (if time)
Umeda Sky Building (if time) (Osaka)
Dotonbori (if time) (Osaka)
There simply is not enough time in the day to be doing that.
April 3 – Monday
*Osaka Aquarium, you will not make it. It will be around 4, perhaps 5 o clock in the afternoon when you get there.
April 5 – Wednesday
If you drop 2-3 activities, you can do it. Unless you rush, then drop 1 or 2.
April 6 – Thursday
Doable, everything has to be done before the evening but extremely fast paced.
April 7 – Friday
Inari shrine averages around 2-3 hours entirely. I take it you rest and do it at your own pace. So expect 3 hours at least.
I see your Saturday April 8 is basically free. Perhaps take a few activities from Kyoto and do them on Saturday, rather than a fast paced, packed day. Likewise for Tokyo. You have a free day at the end. Put some activities there.
I do find your list doable but fast paced and exhausting. Pretty much no rest at all and after 2-3 days, your feet will start to kill you. It’s just too much to be honest.
for me this itinerary would be a nightmare. you don’t leave yourself any downtime.
i feel you have tried to pack as much as in as possible, i know you want to see everything but i feel you might rush through it all and see nothing in the process. slow down and enjoy the time you have there.