Hi all,
Me and my wife will be traveling to Japan in April to celebrate our 30th birthdays this year. I think we have a pretty solid itinerary, but wanted advice if any days seem overbooked or could be better spent.
We plan to have the JR rail pass to cover most traveling, but may also get a local transit card (especially for Kyoto). We’ll be visiting after the peak of the cherry blossom season, so we don’t expect to see much but are also hoping some of the crowds die down. My wife has some dietary restrictions so she can’t drink and must avoid raw fish, but she’s practicing her Japanese so I’m hopeful we can convey this at restaurants to avoid any issues.
​
* 4/9: Arrive at Haneda around 5pm, get monorail to Hamamatscucho Station, then walk to hotel in Shinbashi district. After check-in, get some dinner.
* 4/10: Want to check out Zojo-ji Temple/Tokyo Tower area in the morning, then planning to head to Akihibara and Jinbocho areas for rest of the day. May also walk to the Tobichi store to get some Mother/Earthbound series merch
* Sometimes they have pop-up stores in Shibuya, so if there’s one happening we will skip Tobichi since it’s a bit out of the way.
* 4/11: Day trip to Nikko, using JR Tokohu to JR Nikko route. Plan to see sights within walking distance, will likely skip ones that require a bus ride, then back to Tokyo.
* 4/12: Ueno Park/Tokyo National Museum, then walk on Kappabashi Dougu street towards Nakamise-dori street market. Want to see Senso-Ji at night, then back to the hotel.
* 4/13: Check out of hotel and take bullet train to Kyoto. Depending on when we arrive, hoping to drop bags at our ryokan near Kyoto station and then make our way to Kiyomizu dera. It’s either a long walk or local transit, based on Google maps. After, can explore Higashiyama area for shopping/dinner, then back to ryokan to check in at night.
* Not sure if this is too ambitious, but want to do some activities in Kyoto when we arrive, especially if we get an early train from Tokyo and have an afternoon free.
* 4/14: Visit Kinkaku ji and Ryoan ji in the morning to avoid crowds (probably will take JR train to a bus or walk from JR station if weather permits). Then, have a tea ceremony scheduled for 5pm near Nishiki Market, so we’re thinking to visit the Nijo castle on the way over there. Hopefully can see some of Nishiki Market before the ceremony, as it seems to close around 6pm.
* Getting around Kyoto might be a hassle without a local transit card, though it also seems JR has buses that the card covers?
* 4/15: Head to Arashimaya area in the morning, doing the main sights should take up most of the day.
* Will likely need to do laundry this day as well. If ryokan doesn’t have any, seems like there are laundromats near Kyoto station.
* 4/16: Day trip from Kyoto, first to Himeji castle. Planning to just admire it from the grounds/gardens, so don’t expect to stay more than an hour or two. Then, will take bullet train to Osaka, where we’ll take the loop to JR Namba, then explore Dotonbori area for dinner. Will head to Osaka station to get a train back to Kyoto.
* 4/17: Visit Fushimi Inari shrine and do the hike. Hoping to start early and finish around lunch. Then, can either head back to ryokan to rest or go see Ginkakuji and walk the Philosopher’s Path.
* If we’re tired after the hike, could instead see the Toji shrine near Kyoto station and not overexert ourselves.
* We want to do a kaiseki meal at our ryokan and are thinking this night is a good option, as they require two day’s notice.
* 4/18: Day trip from Kyoto, first to Uji. Want to check out the shrines near Uji station and partake in their famous matcha tea. Then, will take JR onward to Nara to see the main sights.
* Might be better to just visit Nara, but Uji seems like an overlooked gem so we are excited to check it out for a few hours in the morning.
* 4/19: Check out of ryokan and head back to Tokyo. After checking into hotel in Shinbashi, plan to spend day exploring Shinjuku to shop/eat.
* 4/20: Day trip to Hakone, doing the loop before heading back to Tokyo.
* Wondering if it’s too much to do Hakone as a day trip. Would be open to alternatives (maybe around Fuji).
* 4/21: Meiji Jingu shrine/surrounding park in the morning, then day in Shibuya area.
* Want to see Harajuku/Omotesando but mostly plan to check out the Shibuya malls, especially the Nintendo store or any cool pop ups.
* 4/22: check out and depart Tokyo from Haneda.
