May Itinerary 2021 – Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka

5 comments

1. Do you really need to backtrack to Tokyo? What about about taking an open jaw flight returning home from Osaka?

   I rarely see it mentioned here but one of the highlights from my trip to Tokyo is the Japanese cocktail scene, it’s much different than anywhere else in the world. I really recommend checking out a place like Bar High Five or Ben Fiddich from this bartender: https://youtu.be/ore2GcXFIv4

2. Personally, I would allot more than 1 day for Kyoto and Osaka rather than spend the extra time in Tokyo. Both cities have a lot offer and it’s worth taking your time.

   Kinkaju-ji is rather out of the way, easily a 30-45 minute+ bus ride each way from central Kyoto especially in rush hour. The pavilion itself is basically an endless queue from start to finish for what amounts to a 1 minute photo op before a crowd of tourists shoves you out of the way, but current conditions may change that.

   Kiyomizu, Yasaka shrine, and the entire historic district around them is also very touristy but also very worth it and also more easily accessible. Arashiyama area on the opposite end of Kyoto is a bit less crowded and absolutely gorgeous.

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   >- 2:30 pm possibly take monorail which is on the central Yamanote line where we can get on a commuter train to Shibuya. Idk just get the hell out of the airport and to a JR station to get our passes

   Your phrasing is strange. From Haneda you can take the monorail to Hamamatsucho, that is on the Yamanote line. The monorail is not on the Yamanote line. The other option is to take the Keikyu line to Shinagawa that is also on the Yamanote. As you are not taking the shinkansen from day 1, you can go to the hotel first and not have to carry your luggage when exchanging the pass.

   You cannot just go to any random JR station to change the pass, you need to go to the specific desk that exchange the pass in [selected stations](https://japanrailpass.net/en/exchange.html). As you can change it at Shibuya station, it’s not as if you need to rush to exchange it…. I mean, I hope that you only plan to take 7 days pass. It’s already borderline not worth buying (depending on how you get it). A 14 days pass is a waste of money. There is nothing in your itinerary that justify the extra 17 600 yen for the second week on the pass.

   Just buy individual tickets when you do not have the pass active. And if you do not want to buy tickets, get a Suica or Pasmo to make it easier to pay for the train.

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   Ghibli, they open at 10, but you need a ticket for that time. There is 4 time slot for the ticket, every 2 hours. You need to have the ticket for the time you will enter. You cannot enter at 11 for example, so you need to right ticket and be on time. So this depend on the ticket you can get, you might not be able to get a 10am ticket.

   Instead of Akihabara, you should check Nakano, it’s an otaku place, maybe not as big as Akihabara, but it will be on the way to Shinjuku, so much easier to get there.

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   Kinkaku-ji does not take much time, but there can be a lot of tourist. You might want to check other places in the area. If you plan to take the bus 3-4 times in the day, there is a 1 day bus pass that can save you some money.

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   I do not understand. Do you plan to stay in Osaka ? If yes, then it make no sense to return to Kyoto and see Higashi Honganji… I mean, just take the shinkansen from Osaka.

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   Any local train/subway in Tokyo is pretty cheap, you do not have to use JR Pass for that, just pay the subway ticket, so going to Asakusa is going to be cheap.

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   If you want to see geisha, check Gion corner in Kyoto, they do have show there.

   Hot spring, that you would have to plan a bit more, because Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka are not known for it. Assuming that you Fuji day trip is to go to Kawaguchiko, then you should check to find a hot spring there, or a hotel/ryokan that allow day use of the onsen (mean you pay for onsen use, even if you do not stay for the night) here are some hints [https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6902.html](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6902.html)

   You can take the bus, or if still under the JR Pass, check to reserve the JR Fuji excursion train, it’s an express train to Kawaguchiko (not totally covered by the pass, but it will be the same price as the bus), you can reserve tickets when you have your pass. There is a limited number of train during the day, so make sure you check the schedule or get the ticket in advance.

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   I would personally plan a bit more things, don’t be too stressed about being somewhere at a specific time, unless you have a ticket with a time. When I say plan more, it’s more to have options. For example there is days I would have 10 things in my option and would end up just doing half of it. For sur you can do much more in Kyoto than what you wrote. Yes, you can schedule free day, but why not have additional plans, in case you are not tired and want to do something, so you can pick from thinks you have already spotted.

4. Unless you really love clothes, a full day for Harajuku is overkill, IMO. Go check out Akiba when you get bored.

   I doubt you will need 4 hours to spend inside Ghibli Museum… plan for 2 hours to see everything at a leisurely pace. There isn’t really much out that way other than the museum. The park nearby is nice.

   In Osaka – the aquarium is the most incredible aquarium I’ve ever seen in my life. Definitely worth the cost of admission.

   Arashiyama was cool, but a bit underwhelming for me, tbh.

   I can’t speak for teamlab Planets, but Borderless was incredible.

   As for the geisha show, there’s usually two types of tickets – one for the full show, and one for a single act. I’d recommend the single act unless you’re really into it 🙂

   For Wifi – ninja wifi was great for us. Super easy and inexpensive.

   I know this sounds weird, but I really enjoyed the food markets in the basements of department stores. Incredible displays and tons of tasty stuff.

   I also don’t see Fushimi Inari on your list… it was a top 5 thing for me, assuming you are able to get there early before the busloads of Chinese tourists, and you’re fit enough to do the hike. It’s fairly mild, but it does get hot, even in may. 🙂 So many magical little shrines there.

   DM me if you want more ideas. I have a map and photo guide of everything we did on a 3 week trip.

5. So you already have a lot of replies so sorry if you got some of these responses already.

   For Kyoto’s ramen dinner: KARAKO! Look it up with just Karako Restaurant Kyoto on google and it pops up. Its tiny, its… not fancy lets say. BUT ITS SO GOOD! and the owner was SO friendly and he honestly reminded me of my dad which was so nice. We honestly found it while doing a lost wander around Kyoto (was looking for a certain temple but got turned around, found a different temple and just explored that instead) and since it was a chilly Christmas eve the huge steaming bowls of ramen were extra tasty. But honestly, that was the best ramen I had the entire trip. Is it the best Ramen in Kyoto? Cant say objectively, but to me and my friends personally, it was the best ramen in Japan =3 Also SUPER well priced which is a bonus.

   For Universal Osaka: honestly? Get there earlier than 8:30. Grab breakfast from a combini and just chill near the gates, especially in may since it’ll be warmer then when we went (late Dec). Also either BOOK IT to the big popular ride you want to go on the most right away OR Wait until the evening like an hour or so before the park closes. My friends went on the flying dinosaur and the wait was just over 2h to get on (we didn’t know where it was at first and got there a bit after the park had opened) but later that night about an hour before park closing we saw the wait time was like 30min. I know you are getting a fast pass but that may not cover all the popular rides you want so something to keep in mind. Also the little kid section of the park (sesame street/hello kitty/ peanuts) is the BEST later at night. Little to no lines and still fun rides in my opinion. I honestly like little kid rides, teacups/cupcakes are the bomb!

   Oh and for the Spider-Man 4D, I suggest maybe going later at night when the lines are shorter and not using a fast pass for it. I got a mini fast pass for free (I was to fat for a ride and despite me apologizing to them and saying it wasn’t their fault in any way they insisted on giving me a mini fast pass for 1 ride, this included either the Jurassic Park water ride or spider man 4d) and Im so glad we didn’t use it for it. The fast pass bypasses all of the winding line up areas but on this ride that’s PART of the ride. You get to check out the Daily Bugel and the angry motivational posters are in English and they are funny. Also you stand in a room with a large screen that shows a video giving you the set-up story of the ride. I don’t speak Japanese but could get the basic idea and it was fun to watch. Honestly, without speaking Japanese that ride is still SO MUCH FUN!

   Also when it comes to getting food in the park, send ONE person to the line and get the food while the others find a place to sit. OR make sure you have a spot before even sending someone for food. Do not get food first. Learn from my mistakes! Bouns being if one person is getting all the food you don’t get questioned when getting the kids menu items since they assume you have a kid waiting at the table.

   The peanut’s restaurant in the little kid section has the best food options in my opinion as well, at least they did back in December 2018.

   HAVE A FUN TRIP!