**Context:** We are leaving soon for a 3-week trip in Japan. It’ll be my husband’s first time in Japan, and my second. My first trip was not planned by myself and consisted of 10 days in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto – far too rushed for our taste I think, so we are looking for a much slower pace. We do not plan to have too many activities/restaurants that require reservations and for us to keep to a strict schedule. We are open to being a bit more exploratory while still hitting some of the main tourist spots so that my husband can experience them for the first time.
We are doing our first two days in Tokyo near Tokyo Station, then using Osaka as our base to go to Kyoto, Nara/Kobe, and Hiroshima for the next ten. Then two nights in Hakone and ending in Tokyo to hopefully catch the beginning of the sakura blooming.
I have never planned for a trip this long before, and any feedback about any issues that may arise or whether this may be too “relaxed” (or more packed than I think it is) are much appreciated 🙂
**Friday, March 10 (Tokyo)**
* Arrive at NRT, Activate JR Pass, purchase Welcome Suica Card, pick up Pocket Wifi (Japan Wireless), activate eSIM. Forward large suitcases to Osaka hotel with Yamato .
* Take transit to hotel (1.5 hrs), check in, casual dinner – explore immediate area if we have energy.
**Saturday, March 11 (Tokyo Station, Akihabara)**
* I kept the next couple days light to account for jet lag.
* TOKYO STATION: Visit Character Street, Ramen Street , explore department stores around the area (Daimaru, Takashimaya, Mitsukoshi, etc.)
* AKIHABARA – just exploring the area and stores, specifically Mandarake, crane machines, Don Quijote, Animate, etc.
* Omakase dinner (already reserved), then a free evening, prep to go to Osaka
**Sunday, March 12 (Osaka)**
* TOKYO: Casual lunch/brunch, probably from a conbini or department store. Then take the shinkansen to Osaka (3 Hours)
* OSAKA: Hotel is near Shinsaibashi, explore Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi, street food dinner
**Monday, March 13 (Osaka)**
* OSAKA: Casual breakfast, visit aquarium and surrounding area (Tempozan Harbor Village)
* Lunch at Kuromon Ichiba Market, shop for gifts to take home
* Take a break and drop any items bought off at hotel near Shinsaibashi
* Explore Shinsekai, have dinner there (likely street food)
**Tuesday, March 14 (Osaka)**
* OSAKA: Casual breakfast, then all day at Universal Studios (tickets booked with Klook)
**Wednesday, March 15 (Kyoto)**
OSAKA to KYOTO after a casual breakfast
* KYOTO: Kiyomizu-Dera, then explore Gion and have lunch there
* Nishiki Market, Teramachi and Shinkyogoku Shopping Arcade, Fushimi Inari
* Dinner (Kyoto or Osaka), time-dependent (e.g. if we’re hungry, we’ll have dinner in Kyoto)
**Thursday, March 16 (Kyoto)**
OSAKA to KYOTO after a casual breakfast
* Tea ceremony/making wagashi (reservation made, location close to Nijo Castle)
* Nijo Castle, then Lunch in the area.
* Kinkaku-ji, Ryoan-ji, Ninna-ji, then dinner (Kyoto or Osaka)
**Friday, March 17th (Kobe)**
* OSAKA to KOBE after a casual breakfast
* Kobe Animal Kingdom (capybaras!!!)
* Kobe beef lunch, then explore the pier area/cafe hop. Possibly visit the aquarium. Evening dinner in Osaka
**Saturday, March 18th (Nara)**
* OSAKA to NARA after a casual breakfast
* We play Pokemon Go and this is the March Community Day so we’ll be happy just wandering around catching Pokemon on our phones in Nara. Won’t be doing this inside any temple grounds we visit – any insight on the appropriate etiquette is appreciated.
* Nara Park to feed some aggressive deer, lunch
* Kofuku-Ji, Kasuga-taisha, Todai-ji if time, Mt. Wakakusa
* Back to Osaka for dinner
**Sunday, March 19th (Hiroshima)**
* I’m not too sure about this day – we’d love to visit Okunoshima (Rabbit Island) but it doesn’t seem like it would be possible given where it’s located – from Osaka, Google Maps is giving me a time of 4 hours (?!) and from Hiroshima, it’s giving me a time of 3 hours to get there. This is one of the draws for us in this area so if it can be included that would be great – am I missing something here??
* OSAKA to HIROSHIMA: Atomic Bomb Dome/Museum, then Okonomiyaki (Hiroshima style) for lunch
* Take the ferry to Miyajima, explore – likely going to follow [this](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3458_miyajima_full.html) basic itinerary but we’ll probably take the ropeway instead of hiking then go back to Osaka
**Monday, March 20th (Osaka Free Day)**
* Last chance to revisit street food markets for lunch, cafe hop, or explore Osaka Castle Park
* A collaboration cafe in the afternoon (made reservations)
* Dinner and prep to go to Hakone
**Tuesday, March 21st (Kyoto)**
* My understanding is this is a holiday – hope everything is open!
* In Osaka: Forward large luggage to Tokyo hotel, keeping our two carry-ons
* OSAKA to KYOTO, then Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Nonomiya Jinja Shrine and Lunch
* Explore Pontocho Alley, revisit Nishiki Market area or relax at a cafe for a bit
* Kichi Kichi Omurice (dinner reservation – we’re going for the experience), then back to Osaka
**Wednesday and Thursday, March 22nd and 23rd (Hakone)**
* Casual breakfast, OSAKA to Hakone (Odawara Station), est. 3 hours
* We’re definitely here just to laze about mostly. Not trying to see everything possible in Hakone mostly just planning to relax in the onsen/get spa or massage treatments.
* Planning on (early-ish) dinners in the surrounding area.
* Explore the Open-Air Museum (ryokan is close to here) and Hakone Shrine.
**Friday, March 24th (Tokyo – Asakusa)**
* HAKONE to TOKYO (approx 1.5 hours)
* Drop things off at hotel (around Tokyo Station), have lunch in ASAKUSA.
* Senso-ji Temple, Asakusa Shrine, Nakamise Street, Tokyo Skytree
* If time: Explore and shop in Ginza and have dinner in the area
**Saturday, March 25th (Tokyo)**
* Light breakfast in Shibuya – go to Tsutaya at Shibuya Crossing, purchase some books, hang around at Starbucks to people watch if possible.
* We love Costco… and we’re curious about what Japan has that we don’t (we’re Canadian). It’s an hour from Shibuya Station to the Kawasaki Warehouse.
* probably not planning to bring anything too crazy big/impractical on transit but if we do get anything we’ll drop it off at our hotel back near Tokyo Station.
* Explore/shop in Ginza if we didn’t have the chance to do it the day before + dinner in the area.
**Saturday, March 25th (Tokyo – Harajuku, Shibuya, Shinjuku/Ikebukuro)**
* Brunch near Harajuku, exploring Takeshita dori (early, hopefully to avoid large crowds)
* Explore Yoyogi Park and relax at nearby cafes in Shibuya
* Shop (e.g. Tokyu Hands, Pokemon Center in Ikebukuro)
* Dinner in Shinjuku? We’re not big on nightlife (though we do want to have a lot of street food/eat at an izakaya). Probably quite busy on a Saturday… any suggestions w/ regard to this are welcome.
**Sunday, March 26th (Tokyo)**
* Free day to shop for gifts, revisit areas of interest like Asakusa, Akihabara, Nakano Broadway, etc.
* If the sakura are in bloom, a picnic in the park too
**Monday, March 27th**
* TSUKIJI: Breakfast/brunch while exploring Tsukiji Fish Market
* Team Labs (tried to book tickets online… credit card didn’t work. Hoping to be able to purchase tickets on location).
* UENO: Ameyoko Street, Ueno Park, chill with the sakura if possible
* AKIHABARA: Moff Rell (Rabbit Cafe)
* Free evening, prep to go home
**Tuesday, March 28th: Flight back to Canada**
If you got this far, thank you!!
3 comments
We’re Canadian also. Outside of flights, how much are you budgeting/expecting to pay food/accom./doing things/trains etc?
Looks like an amazing trip!
Great agenda. Do you speak Japanese? How do you plan to get around?
Your itinerary seems very close to what I did back in 2019, with a few changes (skipped Hakone and did a day trip around Mt. Fuji/Kawaguchiko/Chureito Pagoda instead; also went to Okunoshima and Himeji). I didn’t find it very relaxed, but it was certainly amazing! 🙂
Are you planning on doing a half-day in Hiroshima + Miyajima, coming from Hiroshima? That seems a bit crazy to me. I feel like both places deserve more attention. And be mindful that the Miyajima ropeway stops running at 16:00-16:30ish.
On the way from Osaka to Hiroshima or vice-versa I would stop in Himeji to check out the castle. The castle is _gorgeous_ and a very short 15-20 min walk from the train station. If you have a couple of hours to spare I really recommend it!
As a last note, just a reminder that the vast majority of animal cafes in Japan are not ethical.
Have fun!