Hi all,
My wife (31F) and I (30M) have found this subreddit extremely helpful as we plan for our thrice delayed honeymoon trip to Japan. We’ve mostly just been reading, but would like some feedback on the details as our departure date approaches and our excitement bubbles. Most of the trip is quite planned out, with the partial exception of Kyoto.
A bit about us: In general we are interested in eating great food, learning about Japanese history and culture, and open-ended exploring/sightseeing. it’s our honeymoon, so we’re willing to spend money to do things we enjoy, but don’t want to needlessly throw money away. For example, we’d spend $100 USD on dinner, but probably not more than once. We’re coming from the US and speak almost no Japanese, but are eager to learn whatever we can.
The main things we would like feedback on are:
\- For inter-city travel, does it seem like a safe plan to **not** make any reservations on the shinkansen and just show up? I think transit will be one of the more challenging parts of our trip, so it seems like less of a headache to simply show up at the train stations and get the next train out rather than rushing to catch a reservation, but we also don’t want to be left stranded.
\- What should we do in Arashiyama in Kyoto?
\- Did we overplan or underplan at all? We tried to err on the side of underplanning and instead just build in additional optional activities if our time or interest allows.
\- Is there anything on here you’d recommend skipping? Or anything that is near the areas we’ll be going that seems like a can’t miss?
Thanks in advance for all your help and guidance.
**TOKYO**
**Saturday 4/1**
* Arrive in Tokyo (Haneda) at 5:15pm
* Pick up/activate JR pass and mobile wifi
* Stay at Hotel Gracery Shinjuku
**Sunday, 4/2**
* Breakfast: Shinpachi Shokudo Shinjuku
* Tokyo Free Guide
* Meiji Jingu
* Yoyogi park
* Shibuya crossing
* Coffee: Chatei Hatou
* Shibuya Parco
* Dinner
**Monday 4/3**
* Tsukiji Outer Market
* Hamarikyu
* Cooking class at Tsukiji Soba Academy
* (if time allows) Dusk: Tokyo Metropolitan building
* Omoide yokocho
**Tuesday 4/4**
* Senso-ji
* (?)(If time or interest allow) Sumida Park: riverside park near Senso-ji
* Tokyo National Museum
* Lunch: Sasa-no-Yuki: tofu centric lunch spot (slightly farther from museum)
* Ueno-koen
* (?)If time/interest allow: Ameya Yokocho
* (?)If time/interest allow Nezu Shrine
* Dinner:
**HAKONE**
**Wednesday 4/5**
* Breakfast
* Train to Hakone (Buy Hakone Free Pass with round trip from Shinjuku station on Romance Car ($49))
* Arrive at Hakone Yumoto station. Use Hakone Baggage Service to have luggage sent to hotel
* Hakone Tozan train/Hakone Ropeway to Owakudani.
* Lunch at Owakudani visitor center?
* Take sightseeing cruise on Lake Ashi
* Stay at Ryokan (Mount View Hakone)
**Thursday, 4/6**
* Breakfast at ryokan
* Tenzan toji-kyo
* Lunch: Amazake Chaya Tea house (20 mins from Tenzan by bus)
* Hike along Old Tokaido Highway to Motohakone Port
* If time/interest: souvenirs at Ashinoko Chaya
* Dinner: Mori Meshi
**KYOTO**
**Friday, 4/7**
Morning – train from Hakone to Kyoto
LUNCH – on train
Check into hotel
Evening – kaiseki meal
Walk down Pontocho Alley, iconic old street, best for evening stroll
Hachi bar
Stay at Hotel: CANDEO HOTELS Kyoto Karasuma Rokkaku
**Saturday, 4/8**
10am – 1pm Architecture tour — *Northern Higashiyama*
* Murin-an Villa
* Heian Shrine
* Kyoto RHOME Theatre
* Blue Bottle Coffee
* Nanzenji-temple
LUNCH:
Sanmikouan
Stay in Northern Higashiyama
* Eikan-dō temple
* Philosopher’s Path
DINNER:
**Sunday, 4/9 Nara**
BREAKFAST: [Izama](http://kyoto-izama-web.com/) \- Obanzai style
Train to Nara
Nara-koen – buy shika sembei (deer crackers) to feed deer
* Todaiji Temple
* Kasuga Taisha
* Yoshikien
LUNCH:
Cafe Fluke – right outside Nara Park
Naramachi
DINNER:
In Naramachi: [Kanakana](https://www.visitnara.jp/venues/D01453/)
**Monday, 4/10**
EARLY BREAKFAST: hotel
9am: Arashiyama bamboo grove
Tenryu-ji Temple
Potentia: [Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple](https://www.insidekyoto.com/otagi-nenbutsu-ji-temple)
Saga-Toriimoto Preserved Street – historic area
Hogonin temple
[Okochi-Sanso Villa](https://www.insidekyoto.com/okochi-sanso-villa-arashiyama)
LUNCH: Yudofu Sagano – tofu restaurant with Japanese garden
Dinner: Somewhere in Arashiyama
**Tuesday, 4/11**
9:30am-12pm BRUNCH: [Nishiki Market food tour](https://www.magical-trip.com/product/b0423202-29dd-4399-b047-9c6a0ee31ea5)
*Southern Higashiyama Ideas*
* Maruyama Park: cherry blossoms
* Hokan-ji Temple
* Yasaka Shrine
* Shoren-in Temple
* Shopping
* Kiyomizu Temple – ascent up steps
* LUNCH
* 3-4pm Nagomi tea ceremony on Ninenzaka street
DINNER: Teppan Tavern Tenamonya
**HIROSHIMA**
**Wednesday, April 12**
* Breakfast in Kyoto, catch train to Hiroshima
* Arrive in Hiroshima late morning/early afternoon
* Lunch: Okonomimura
* Peace Blvd/Peace Memorial Museum
* Peace Park
* (?) Tourist Loop Bus if time allows
* Mitaki Temple (?)(if time allows?)
* Dinner: Tosho
* Stay at Hiroshima Washington Hotel
**Thursday, April 13**
* Breakfast
* Drop luggage at hotel to be transported to Hiroshima station (for pick up on Friday AM)
* Take streetcar from Hatchobori station to Hiroshima station, then San-yo line to Miyajimaguchi station. Take JR Ferry from Miyajimaguchi Station to Miyajima Island
* Floating torii
* Itsukushima-jinja: shrine
* Lunch
* Cafe Lente OR Fujitaya
* Coffee at Sarasvati
* Misen & Ropeway:
* Daisho-in
* Dinner :
* Momijo-so
* Stay at Miyajima Guest House
**Friday, April 14**
Leave for Tokyo
4 hours on shinkansen
Stay in hotel
**Saturday, April 15**
Leave Tokyo
2 comments
> Shinkansen reservations
Hikari trains have five unreserved cars each and you are boarding at major stations (where lots of other people will be getting off), as long as you go a little earlier you should get seats together no problem. Worst case you sit apart from each other until the next station and keep a sharp eye out for people alighting the train.
The exception to this is the Odawara-Kyoto leg on 4/7. Hikari only call at Odawara once every two hours so there’s only a very small number of trains you could theoretically take (i.e., low loss in flexibility), and it’s worth guaranteeing seats on the Mt Fuji side.
> recommend skipping
Reading on here about cherry blossoms blooming early and rain being forecast, I recommend checking if there are actually cherry blossoms left by the time you go to sites such as Sumida Park, Ueno Park, Philosophers Path etc. in case you get disappointed that it’s only tree branches left.
> evening – kaiseki meal
Have you booked this already? $100 (is that per table or per person?) is not much as far as dinner kaiseki goes and if a good place existed at this price point I imagine it would get snapped up quite quickly.
For this year, i feel like reserving is important, a lot more people are visiting Japan. Also you can reserve seats to and fro that will allow you a chance to see Mt Fuji. If you are going towards Kansai from Tokyo, reserve to the right. The other way if you are returning.
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-visitors-rise-near-15-mln-jan-tourism-recovers-2023-02-15/
https://youtu.be/zSXY52pm1as