Hey y’all! I’m making my first ever trip to a non-English speaking country and I’m gonna be doing it solo. I have a lot of anxiety about the whole thing but I’ve done some planning and research for months to prepare myself for this. However I don’t have much trust in my itinerary planning skills since before this I’ve only ever gone on trips planned by other people. I’m hoping each day to stick to one area to avoid having to pay for and take public transit multiple times throughout each day.
Day 1
• arrive mid-day in Tokyo at Hotel near Tokyo station
•unpack at hotel and then take the train to Ueno
• spend the rest of the evening chilling in Ueno park and going to Ueno zoo
Day 2
• head to Ikebukuro
• stop by Animate store near Ikebukuro station
• Sunshine Dori
• Otome Road
• check out a couple themed cafes in the area
• Sunshine city/aquarium
• go back to hotel near
Day 3
• take train to Asakusa
• explore the multiple shopping streets
• visit gardens and shrines
• find some places to relax and draw sights
Day 4
•head to Akihabara
•spend the day visiting anime and electronic stores all throughout the area
•hit up some cat and maid cafes
•visit a couple shrines in the area towards the end of the day
Day 5
•go to Shibuya
•spend the day shopping in Shibuya and then taking some time in Yoyogi park
•spend the evening visiting Nakano broadway and then going over to Kichijoji
(I’m aware Kichijoji and Nakano broadway are not IN Shibuya I just want to go visit those places during the same day in the evening)
Day 6 (still not too sure about this one)
•spend the day visiting and shopping in Shinjuku (not at night, I’m not interested in whatever goes on there at night)
•spend other half of the day visiting Harajuku
Day 7
This one I’m still not too sure about. I’d love to take suggestions as to what other areas of Tokyo I should go to. My first idea was to spend time in the parks around the Imperial Palace in Chiyoda but I figure that may not take me all day and I’ll want to spend the evening somewhere else
I’d really appreciate any feedback and suggestions, especially for the later days where I’m a bit more iffy about my plans. Things such as stores or restaurants that may not be as well known or any nice sightseeing locations in these areas to check out. I’m also always looking for suggestions of places to relax in these areas I visit as I know I’ll get tired of walking around and will want to rest
3 comments
>•hit up some cat and maid cafes
Do research on cat cafes first and try to find one that fosters/rehabilitates cats, because there are definitely a lot of super sketch ones that have terrible conditions for the animals ~~same thing for the maids~~.
>•spend other half of the day visiting Harajuku
That won’t really take you half the day. Takeshita St, the part of Harajuku that everyone is at, is the main thing in Harajuku and is just a completely crowded shopping street. It’s fun to see, but it’s not a *lot*, if that makes sense. Also, it’s right next to Yoyogi Park/Meiji Jingu, so I’d suggest do Yoyogi Park this day instead, either before of after Takeshita St., and make sur you stop by and pay respects at Meiji Jingu. You’ve also got Omomtesando nearby if you’re really in the shopping mood still.
Overall your itinerary is good, I think. It’s very relaxed, which is mostly what I suggest to folks.
For Day 7, can you tell us some things you’re interested in? Music, culture, nature, etc? Tokyo has pretty much anything and I’d love to suggest particular neighborhoods and it’ll help to know more what you’re into and what your expectations are.
Day 1-Ueno Zoo closes at 5 PM and is closed every Monday. Just make sure you have time. If you are sensitive about animal conditions in zoos, you might want to skip it too. It’s not the best to say the least, and there are no more pandas. Ueno park is nice though.
Day 6-there’s nothing wrong with Shinjuku at night. Same as any other place like Shibuya or Ikebukuro
5 and 6-I would do Harajuku, Shibuya and kichijoji on the same day. Take the Keio Inokashira line train directly to or from Kichijoji-Shibuya, walk between Shibuya and Harajuku, then do Shinjuku and Nakano on the same day. Take the JR Chuo line. Don’t go to Nakano Broadway on a Wednesday as many shops are closed
Tip for Asakusa, go to the tourist center building opposite Senso-ji and go up to the observation deck (7th or 8th floor? I forgot, but it’s stated there). You get a pretty cool view of it.
Not sure if you’re going to Tokyo Skytree, but the Govt Metropolitan Building also has 360 views at the observation deck for free instead. It’s really beautiful, I went just before sunset to catch both the day and night views of the city.
Shinjuku Gyoen may be a garden you’d enjoy sitting and drawing in. If you go to Yoyogi park on a Sunday, there are people performing sometimes. You can walk to Meiji Jingu from there as well.
Harajuku won’t take you half a day, it’s mainly just one street. It’s fun for the vibes, and the smell of crepes lol.
I haven’t been, but my friend said she liked the vibe in Roppongi. Nothing special to do though she said, just for walking around. I also haven’t been to the giant [Starbucks Reserve Roastery](https://www.starbucksreserve.com/en-us/locations/tokyo) but it’s on my list for the next time I go.
I think you can rest at cafés or parks?
I was solo in Tokyo for about a week as well, you should be fine as long as you have your phone and Google Maps + Google Lens handy. Just point and gesture if it comes down to it lol, it’s a normal part of travelling. Enjoy!