A friend and I are going to Japan for our first time, both in our early twenties and first time leaving the US for an extended trip. We will be staying in five different hotels (mostly hostels) to experience as much of Japan as possible during our 12 full days. We know we can’t see everything, but want to see as much as we can while we’re there.
Since we’re only in Osaka and Kyoto for a few days we planned each day out, but we’re leaving our Tokyo days open so we can “go with the flow”. We already have our JR passes, portable Wi-Fi reserved, and reservations for dining.
Day 0 – Landing at HND 1:35pm
Day 1 – East Tokyo
– Ueno Park
– Senso-Ji
– Kirby Cafe
– Tokyo Skytree
Day 2 – Osaka
– Shinsekai Market
Day 3 – Osaka
– Super Nintendo World
– Dotonbori
– The Drunken Clam
Day 4 – Osaka
– Hiroshima Day Trip
– Peace Memorial Museum
– Atomic Bomb Dome
– Peace Memorial Park
– Hiroshima Castle
– Okonomimura
Day 5 – Kyoto
– Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
– Arashiyama Monkey Park
– Toei Kyoto Studio Park
Day 6 – Kyoto
– Kiyomizu-dera Temple
– Sannenzaka
– Starbucks
– Nishiki Market
– Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine
– Itoh Dining (Wagyu Beef)
Day 7 – West Tokyo
Day 8 – West Tokyo
Day 9 – West Tokyo
Day 10 – West Tokyo
Day 11 – East Tokyo
Day 12 – East Tokyo
Day 13 – Leaving via HND at 5:15pm
Questions:
1. Is it worth going to Tokyo Sky Tree, Shibuya Sky, and Tokyo Tower or should we pick one?
2. Is it worth taking a trip to Kobe for wagyu beef? Itoh Dining is close to our hotel in Kyoto so we made a reservation there to try it.
3. Is there anywhere to watch amateur sumo wrestling events in Tokyo? I checked a couple websites and it looks like there aren’t any big tournaments during our trip, but figure there may be lesser known events.
4. Should we be cautious about eating street food as far as food poisoning goes? Any tips or things to watch out for are appreciated.
5. Any places worth visiting in Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto for someone interested in samurai culture/history? I’d love to see how they make the swords if possible
Thank you in advance for any responses!
1 comment
> five hotels
How? Tokyo first leg, Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo second leg is only four? It’s not really worth changing hotels within a Tokyo stay.
> go with the flow
depending on your interests, some attractions/shops/cafes in Tokyo require advanced reservations, are only open on specific days of the week, or have more limited operating hours. You might want to make a list of the places you want to go to and check these aspects.
> other questions
(1) Just pick one
(2) No, just eat it in Kyoto / Osaka. There’s no reason to waste time traveling to Kobe (keep in mind that the Shinkansen stops at Shin-Kobe and it’s another short hop to Sannomiya) especially if you are not visiting any attractions there. Lunch sets are usually a lot cheaper than dinner.
(4) Unless you have a very sensitive stomach or various allergies, knock yourself out.