Hi, my girlfriend and I (mid-20s) are flying into Tokyo from the US for the first time this year on April 20th. She is staying till the afternoon off April 29th while I’m staying a few days extra til May 2nd. We’re adventurous travelers and the priorities for the trip are eating good food, exploring cultural areas, and a bit of relaxation. After reading other reports here, I’m trying to balance planning out each detail with leaving room for spontaneous activities/relaxation. Given that Michelin star restaurants book up quick, I’m trying to book a handful now through concierge and leave the rest of our dining to the day off.
Here is a rough itinerary with what we have booked now:
**Friday April 21st -> Arrive in Tokyo HND**
1. Fly in at 2pm HND, grab cash, JR Pass, IC card at airport
2. Take Limo Bus to Park Hyatt Tokyo
3. Walk over to Meiji Jingu, Yoyogi Park, Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
4. Casual Ramen/Udon Dinner
1. Soba House
2. Ramen Hayashida
3. Udon Shin
5. Drinks at Ben Fiddich or New York Bar
**Saturday April 22nd -> Tokyo**
1. Hotel Breakfast
2. teamLab Planets – Reserved for 11:30 – Noon
3. Lunch at Toyosu Market/Sushi Dai
4. Pokemon Center Tokyo
5. Imperial Palace
6. Explore Ginza
**Sunday April 23rd -> Travel to Hakone**
1. Hotel Breakfast, Checkout, Forward Large Luggage to Kyoto
2. *Shibuya Crossing / Harajuku / miPig Cafe*
3. *JR Train or Romance Car to Hakone (Yama-No-Chaya Ryokan)*
1. Bento box lunch on train
2. *Buy Hakone Free Pass*
4. Hakone Open Air Museum
5. Owakudani
6. Hakone Pirate Ship
7. Onsen & Dinner at Ryokan (6:30pm)
**Monday April 24th -> Travel to Kyoto**
1. Breakfast at Ryokan
2. JR to Kyoto Station
1. Drop off luggage at Kyoto Station with hotel desk for forwarding to hotel
2. Quick lunch nearby?
3. Fushimi Inari Shrine / Torii Gates
4. Check in to Westin Kyoto
5. Yasaka Shrine
6. Nishiki market
**Tuesday April 25th -> Kyoto**
1. Breakfast at Hotel
2. Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
3. Sagano scenic railway
4. Tenur-ji temple
5. Arashiyama Monkey Park
6. Togetsu-kyo Bridge
7. Food street for lunch
8. Kinkajuji
9. Back to Hotel
10. Dinner at Kobe Beef steak Mouriya Gion
**Wednesday April 26th -> Travel to Osaka**
1. Breakfast at Hotel
2. JR to Osaka
3. Tenjinbashisuji Shotengai
4. Osaka Castle Museum
5. Check in to St Regis Osaka
6. Dotonbori
**Thursday April 27th -> Osaka**
1. Breakfast at Hotel
2. Shitennoji
3. Tsutenkaku / Shinsekai (Lunch)
4. *MiPig Cafe?*
5. *Day Trip to Nara?*
**Friday April 28th -> Travel to Tokyo**
1. Breakfast at Hotel
2. Suntory Yamazaki Distillery 4 Hour Tour
3. JR Train to Tokyo
4. Check in Andaz Tokyo
**Saturday April 29th -> Tokyo**
1. Breakfast at Hotel
2. Akihabara’s UDX parking garage
3. Senso-ji
4. Kappabashi
5. Shopping in Ginza
6. 6pm HND Departure for GF
**April 30th -> May 2nd – TBD;**
1. JDM Car Stuff (Daikanyama T Site, Nissan Zama Heritage Collection, Intersect by Lexus)
2. Sawanoi Sake Brewery Tour
My big questions in addition to general feedback on this itinerary and items italicized:
1. Is the JR pass worth it for convenience or should I just buy tickets separately as we have limited time and the faster trains would likely be worth it?
2. Should we just spend 4 days in Kyoto rather than staying in Osaka and take day trips to Osaka and Nara? I’m having trouble finding appealing stuff to do in Osaka anyway other than Michelin restaurants that I’m still working on getting reservations
3. Any general restaurant/food recommendations in these areas? We don’t have a budget limit for food as we’re covering flights and hotels with points so willing to splurge on this.
4. Am I missing anything major that would be recommended for a first time traveler?
5. We were planning on bringing one large checked bag and one carry on bag and using a luggage forwarding service for the big bag between all of the hotels. Is this a good plan to make travel easier?
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Thanks!