This is pretty much my first travel outside the States excluding Canada and the one when I was like 8 years old. It’s exciting but I’m also worried in general. It’s going to be a family and friend trip but I will be solo for more than half of the trip alone.
My major concern in Japan is the transportation. I’m so worried that I will get lost and take the wrong train, etc. I just hope my group and I will be able to figure it out together and then I will be fine on my own.
To start, I am a huge fan of the anime, manga, and the outdoors (in no particular order). There are a few things that I really care about and I can’t seem to find much about them when I googled them in this subreddit.
Here are a few of the things that I really care about and I would appreciate it if anyone have any tips for merchandise related to the following (can’t seem to find anything for these two when searching this subreddit).
1. Liar Game by Shinobu Kaitani
2. Hungry Heart: Wild Striker
**Day 1: Saturday, March 18th. Arrival at NRT Airport**
\-Arrive around 5 PM
\-Customs, Suica Cards, Lugagge Delivery to Osaka Hotel
\-Head to Tokyo Hotel, check in, venture the street and eat
\-Sleep
**Day 2: Sunday, March 19th: Day Trip to Yamanashi (Mt. Fuji)**
\-Ghibli Museum (10 AM to 12 PM)
\-Yolo transportation to Yamanashi? Arrive around 3 PM.
\-Stay in hotel and relax with rooftop onsen, Kaiseki dinner, etc.
**Day 3: Monday, March 20th: Chureito Pagoda and Kyoto**
\-1 Hour walk to Chureito Pagoda (Sunrise at 5:48 AM) (5:30 AM to 6 AM)
\-1 Hour walk back to Hotel, onsen, bath, etc. (Leave at 9:30 AM)
\-Probably around a total of 6 hours to get to Kyoto (sightseeing hotel shuttle to Mishima station), shinkansen, etc. Arrive at Arashiyama Station (3:30 PM)
\-Kyozuan (tofu ice cream and black sesame) and Arashiyama Bamboo Forest (3:30 PM to 5 PM)
\-1 hour ride to Nijo Castle (NAKED FLOWERS 2023) (6 PM to 7:30 PM)
\-Tofu restaurant reservation at 8:15 PM in Gion
\-Pontocho area
\-Hotel
**Day 4: Tuesday, March 21st: Kyoto and Nara Park**
\-Fushimi Inarii (6 AM to 9:30 AM)
\-30 Min ride to Nishiki Market (10 AM to 11:30 AM)
\-One hour and a half to Nara Park, etc (1 PM to ?)
\-Back to Kyoto (late night food if hungry)
**Day 5: Wednesday, March 22nd: Osaka (USJ)**
\-USJ (Arrive around 7:30 AM), get Monster Hunter Iceborne VR Tickets when get in. Leave around 7 PM.
\-Dotonbori food, snacking, late night Ramen, etc.
\-Hotel: Pick up luggage
**Day 6: Thursday, March 23rd: Osaka (partly SOLO)**
\-Kuromon Market for Breakfast: Fugu, bluefin tuna, etc (7:30 AM to 11:30 AM)
\-PARCO Shinsaibashi and Daimaru Shinsaibashi (Capcom Store) and (Jump Store) (12 PM to 5 PM)
Note: Huge fan of Monster Hunter and One Piece
\-Hotel: Drop off loot
\-Team Lab Botanical Garden (6:30 to 8:30).
\-Dotonbori Dinner and then hotel
**Day 7: Friday, March 24th: Kobe (SOLO)**
\-Check out and send luggage to Tokyo Hotel
\-Maiko Marine Promenade (bridge) (9 AM to 10:30 AM)
\-Reservation for Teppanyaki (12 PM to 1:30 PM?)
\-átoa aquarium (art and aquarium fused) (1:30 PM to 4:30 PM)
\-Maya Ropeway to Mount Maya (5 PM to 8 PM). Kikusedasai (10 Million Dollar View)
\-One hour and 20 min walk on main road to Hotel (on Mt. Rokko) (9:30 PM to 10 PM Arrival)
**Day 8: Saturday, March 25th: Kyoto (partly SOLO)**
\-Sunrise at Mount Rokko (5:57 AM)
\-Breakfast at Hotel
\-Rokko Cable and then to Arashiyama Monkey Park (2 Hour Ride). (10:30 AM to 1:30 PM)
\-Tofu Restaurant
\-Kyoto Tower (30 min ride). Sunset at 6:13 PM.
\-Daikoko-yu (bathhouse)
\-Ichinenzaka, etc to Kiyomizu-dera (Special Night Viewing)
\-Night bus to Tokyo
**Day 9: Sunday, March 26th: Shinjuku and Koto City, Tokyo (partly SOLO)**
\-Bus arrives around 6:45 AM
\-Your Name anime pilgrimage (Suga Jinja) (til around 8:30 AM)
\-Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden (9 AM to 10 AM)
\-5 CM Per Second pilgrimage: Sangubashi station (til 11:30 AM)
\-Anime Japan (12 PM to 5 PM). Hope line won’t be too long.
\-Team Lab Tokyo (6/6:30 to 8 PM)
\-Check into Hotel nearer to Kasai Rinkai Park
**Day 10: Monday, March 27th: Akihabara, Tokyo (SOLO)**
\-Train might or might not be early enough for me to get to Kasai Rinkai Park and watch sunrise. However, I won’t have too much buffer time and I might want to walk around and find a good spot to watch sunrise. Thus, I might end up waking up around 4 AM and do 1 hour walk to Kasai Rinkai Park. (Sunrise around 5:35 AM) (5 AM to 7 AM)
\-Hotel (breakfast)
\-Akihabara (Just shopping, didn’t make detail plans yet)
\-Check into main Tokyo hotel near Tokyo Station (Pick up luggage)
\-Ueno Park (late night cherry blossoms) Only 20 min walk.
**Day 11: Tuesday, March 28th: Shinjuku City, Tokyo (SOLO)**
\-Hotel Breakfast is offered from 6:30 AM to 9:30 AM everyday
\-Ueno park (?). Might want to head to Ueno park early everyday and relax and enjoy the Cherry Blossoms before stores open, etc.
\-Nakano Broadway
\-More Your Name pilgrimage in Shinjuku (Shintoshin Pedestrian Bridge) Ideal at night though
\-Shibuya Parco: 6th Floor (AniBirth, Capcom, Koei Tecmo, Jump, Nintendo, etc)
\-Shibuya Crossing
Note: Not too detailed planning. Not sure how to make it so I have time to do all those.
**Day 12: Wednesday, March 29th: Toshima City, Tokyo (SOLO)**
\-Hotel Breakfast
\-Ueno Park?
\-Sunshine 60 (Ani Cute, Ghibli, One Piece, Pokemon Center) (Opens at like 10 AM)
\-Animate Ikebukuro (Grand Opening) (Opens at 11 AM)
\-Hotel
\-Ueno Park super late night?
**Day 13: Thursday, March 30th: Chiyoda, Tokyo (SOLO)**
\-Hotel Breakfast
\-Ueno Park?
\-National Museum of Modern Art (10 AM to 1 PM)
\-The East Gardens of the Imperial Palace (1 PM to 4:30 PM). Sword Art Online pilgrimage.
\-Tokyo Station (underground) if time
\-Yurakucho Itocia (Sweets, others)
\-Yurakucho Marui (8F) (Sword Art Online pop up store)”
\-Hotel
**Day 14: Friday, March 31st: Departure**
\-Hotel Breakfast
\-Ueno Park
\-Airport
Are there any good recommendations for things to do in the morning on Days 11 to 14? I probably won’t mind keep going to Ueno Park in the morning but maybe a little bit of variety should be nice as well. I believe almost every day I have planned to watch some cherry blossoms, one way or another. I’m hoping it would look amazing when I’m there.
I’m not planning to have my luggage in Kyoto because I wasn’t sure if I would end up buying many things there. I’m mainly shopping in Osaka and Tokyo as of right now. Or should I have my luggage delivered from Airport to Kyoto to Osaka and then to Tokyo just in case?
Thank you for reading this long post and I would like to hear any/all feedbacks about my current plans.