Hi all,
I (33, male from the UK) am travelling to Japan for 16 days solo in May and have been looking at plenty of guides, itineraries and videos to try and help put something together which is a good mix for a first time visitor.
Quick summary is I would be interested in cool buildings, food, views/nature, shrines/temples. I don’t have as much of an interest in things like anime/manga etc hence not featuring much allotted time)
So far I have worked on the initial Tokyo leg which is below (although I do come back to Tokyo for one more full day at the end, I have already assigned that to the Sumo tournament which I’m hoping to get tickets for).
As I am very loose with my plan so far, I am more than happy to rip up the itinerary or make major changes if it doesn’t make sense logistically/is too packed/there are ‘better’ options with my time. It is also more a skeleton of the areas I’ll be in rather than being specific with where I’ll eat/shops I’ll go to/activities etc. Those will gradually grow once the order is locked in (e.g. where to visit in Asakusa). Please feel free to criticise the plan as it stands and if you can, offer alternatives I can build on. Also worth knowing if any activities don’t really make sense for someone on their own.
**Underneath the itinerary is currently the additional activities I have not yet been able to slot in as I’m not sure of where would be best to put these.**
Also, you will notice that the evenings are very bare bones currently. I am struggling to make decisions on what to do in the night time as a solo traveller (it is the part giving me the most anxiety currently). As this will be my first solo trip to Japan, I am not sure what to expect for this part and also what it will be like going out alone. I am not a big drinker however I am OK to ‘get involved’ considering this is a rare holiday for me.
Thanks!
**Day 1**
* Land at Narita at 14:30. Travel into Tokyo (Shibuya) after completing standard ‘admin’ (e.g sorting JR Pass, SIM card/WIFI)
* Only plan is dinner (due to potential jet lag). I want to keep dinner easy as I’m worried I might be a zombie after the flight. Currently found Yakiniku LIKE or trying an Ichiran?
**Day 2 (Hotel = Shibuya)**
**Morning**
* Shibuya scramble with a coffee/breakfast & Hachiko Statue
* Yoyogi Park and Meiji Jingu
**Afternoon**
* Shibuya PARCO and pick up lunch
* Starbucks Reserve Roastery
**Evening**
* Shibuya Sky at sunset OR a walking/food tour in Shibuya
​
**Day 3 (Hotel = Shibuya)**
**Morning**
* Nakamise shopping street & Senso-Ji temple
* Asakusa
**Afternoon**
* Akihabara
* Tokyo Skytree (if haven’t done Shibuya Sky previous day)
* Kura Sushi
**Evening**
* **CURRENTLY OPEN**
​
**Day 4 (Hotel = Shinjuku)**
**Morning**
* Breakfast before Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
**Afternoon**
* Cooking Sun for Sushi making class
* Omoide Yokocho
**Evening**
* Golden Gai
​
**Day 5 (Hotel = Shinjuku)**
**Morning**
* Tsukiji Outer Market and breakfast
* TeamLabs Planets
**Afternoon**
* Art Aquarium
* Ginza and Tokyo Imperial Palace
**Evening**
* **CURRENTLY OPEN**
**Day 6 (Hotel = Shinjuku)**
* Potentially a day trip to Kamakura or add extra attractions (below) not included
​
**Unallocated list(some of these just generally come recommended and looked interesting, however I haven’t locked in what to do whilst there as a solo traveller – e.g. Akasaka, Harajuku)**
**Activities**
* Baseball game and/or batting cage
* Visiting Harajuku
* Edo Taito Craft Centre (came recommended – however no idea if worth squeezing in?)
* Visiting Akasaka
* Ueno Park (seemed nice however already visiting Yoyogi and Shinjuku Gyeon – worth swapping in for one of them? Or adding as a third?)
* Tokyo Olympic Stadium tour (I like sport so thought this would be interesting – however is it worth the trip?) It looks like it could fit on the Shinjuku day?
* Buy a Goshuincho for temple visits (and where would sell a nice one as a keepsake)
* Ghibli Museum (I enjoy Ghibli films however not clamouring for Park tickets, however the museum is well reviewed and if I can add it in it would be nice)
**Restaurants/cafes I’ve been told to visit (your own guidance welcomed!)**
* Han-no-daidokoro bettei
* Happy Pancake
* Ninja Restaurant Akasaka (would this be silly to do alone?)
* Dawn Cafe
* Harry Potter Cafe Asakusa
* Akihabara Menya Musashi Bujin
* Homemade Noodle Billiken
​
After writing it out it feels very empty at the moment – I have been advised to not cram too much in. Am I being far too cautious at the moment?
1 comment
i’m curious why you’re switching hotels in six days.
>Ueno Park (seemed nice however already visiting Yoyogi and Shinjuku Gyeon – worth swapping in for one of them? Or adding as a third?)
ueno has a bunch of museums so i would keep that. i went over there for a different museum and ended up checking out the national museum which was pretty awesome. if anything, drop yoyogi unless there’s a festival there. gyeon is beautiful. thanks for reminding me, i should go back.
i would skip takeashita street in harajuku. it’s a lot of tourists and not very interesting. i imagine it was interesting years ago. that being said, it is right outside of meiji jingu. you can walk to these places from shibuya if you’re a walker.
skip starbucks and go to koffee mameya if you’re into coffee. not the one in omote sando, the fancier one. (EDIT koffee mameya kakeru [https://koffee-mameya.com/](https://koffee-mameya.com/)) you’ll need a reservation. it’s by the museum of contemporary art.
i would drop akibahara if you’re not into anime, video games and/or cheap electronics. i was there yesterday, for the second time, got bored and left.
depending on what kind of architecture you’re into there’s enough of that alone to keep you busy. i would look at virginia duran’s guide if you like modern.
sorry for the disjointed reply. i am here now. and like you i don’t go out at night. i’m a bit of an introvert. add to that everyone is masked up all the time, a*nd the language barrier,* and it’s easy to stay in at night if you’re here alone. on that note you should try to learn a few key phrases if you don’t speak japanese. at least hello, thank you and i do not understand japanese (nihongo ga wakarimasem).
plan on getting wet up to your knees at teamlabs.
i almost forgot: i have done skytree, shibuya sky and last week was tokyo tower. i think the last one might have had the best views…i went to the top, but it wasn’t necessary. the first observation deck was great. and that last elevator ride was scary.
hope this helps!