Context/TMI preamble: I went to Japan in 2018 with my partner, her sibling, sibling’s partner, and a friend. The trip was lifechanging for me and very good, barring some friction due to travel styles. No one’s fault. Since then I’ve been wanting to go back, and my partner cheered me on to take a solo trip (something I’ve been wanting to do for years but never had the means), so I bought the plane ticket in….February 2020.
Fast forward to the end of 2022, Japan reopens its borders, and my wife encouraged me one again to set out on the solo trek.
So, below is the very flexible itinerary for my (35M) solo trip to Japan. My travel style is *very* laid back, and I tend to go with the flow on things. I’m traveling with only a carry on and a smaller personal bag (I’m buying a suitcase during my final days there to bring back shopping). I’m not really listing restaurants (most meals are going be a random place I find, or me deciding, like, I want yakiniku and just googling it). I speak very little Japanese, just enough to be kind to customer service and strangers, or if I need to ask for something. Also, it will be peak cherry blossom season so just go ahead and assume I’m seeing those any chance I have.
But, basically I realized my trip is *next week* and my brain started to anxiety spin, so after leaving comments and suggestions on dozens of itineraries here over the years, I decided to post my own in case I’m screwing anything up and not realizing it.
**3/23 -> 3/24 – Tokyo**
– Flying out of the eastern U.S., landing in Haneda on 2:40pm. Visit Japan Web is already completed.
– Grabbing my JR Pass and pocket wifi (both already purchased) then heading to my hotel in Asakusa (booked).
– It’ll be late afternoon at the point, I’ll be jet lagged as heck, so I’ll most likely just grab some small things from a conbini and crash.
**3/25 – Tokyo**
– Likely visiting the Anime Japan convention. Ticket not purchased yet but I will grab a day pass.
– If time post convention, I’ll walk over to the Museum of Emerging Science, check out the Unicorn Gundam nearby, etc.
**3/26 – Tokyo**
– Focusing on Asakusa (Senso-ji, etc), and spend the afternoon in Akihabara (otaku stuff, Kanda Myoujin)
– Stop by the statue of Chirori the Therapy Dog
**3/27 – Tokyo**
– Jinbocho, Glitch Coffee Roasters
– Ikebukuro
**3/28 – Tokyo to Hakone**
– Shinkansen to Hakone
– Staying way up in the woods (booked). This is a mostly off the grid day. Not really doing much but relaxing, hiking, soaking.
**3/29 – Hakone to Kyoto**
– Shinkansen to Nagoya, brief stop in Gifu (it’s the sister city of where I live and I want to look around, I’ve emailed the rep to see if there are any specific sites I should see)
– Continue on to Kyoto, ideally mid afternoon, gain access to the machiya house I am renting
– Walk the surrounding neighborhood, go to a supermarket and grab ingredients to make dinner
**3/30 – Kyoto**
– Fushimi Inari early morning.
– Kiyomizudera, and the surrounding shopping streets
**3/31 – Kyoto**
– Check out of machiya and drop bags at hotel (booked)
– Spend a good chunk of the day in Western Kyoto visiting temples. There are also some kofun in southern Kyoto I’ll try and visit this day.
– Gonna pop over to Osaka for a few if I have time, there’s a surf shop I want to go to (I don’t surf, it’s a long story though, basically I know someone the owner bought surfboard designs from)
**4/01 – Day trip to Kanazawa**
– I know this is a really long day trip, but I don’t really care. I’m gonna do it.
– Kenroku-en and Higashi Chaya
**4/02 – Day trip to Hiroshima**
– I know this is *also* a really long day trip, but I don’t really care. I’m gonna do it.
– If I can get out early enough, I will also see Miyajima
**4/03 – Back to Tokyo**
– Staying in Shibuya now (booked).
– Visit the *grave* of Hachiko (not the statue), leave a dog treat as an offering. This is personal for me.
– Shimokitazawa for a bit.
– Stop be NIGHTFLY, a citypop bar, on the way back to Shibuya
– Pop over to Shinjuku for Omoide Yokocho, to revisit Albatross
**4/04 – Tokyo**
– Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum (as they open)
– teamlab Planets (noon entry time)
– ARTNIA and some other Shinjuku wonderin’.
– Buying a big suitcase from Tokyu Hands this day to pack up the stuff I’ve bought.
**4/05 – Tokyo**
– Possible Nikko day trip, undecided. If I don’t wake up early enough to justify it, I’ll decide the day or what I’m doing.
**4/06 – Tokyo**
– Very early morning hike at either Kinchakuda or Mt. Mitake
– Revisiting shopping sites I need to hit now that I’m about to leave.
**4/07 – Tokyo to Home**
– One final soak at the hotel (forgot to mention that I made sure all of my hotels had onsen or sento, including the machiya which has an outdoor bath. I’m going to be soaking a *lot*.)
– Grab breakfast/early lunch
– Back to Haneda for the trip home.
Basically, just kind of want to see if this makes sense or if I’m under/over utilizing my time. Also if you have enough of a vibe from my itinerary that there is something cool you think I should check out, please let me know that also.
Last time I went to Japan, I did Harajuku and some other “big” stuff (I had also done Fushimi Inari but I really want to go back), so if you notice big glaring holes like that, that’s why.
Thank you!