Hello everyone, I made a post previously asking for advice about my itinerary here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/12j8dqu/itinerary\_check\_please\_14\_days\_tokyokyotoosaka/](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/12j8dqu/itinerary_check_please_14_days_tokyokyotoosaka/)
I have since updated this itinerary based on everyone’s suggestions, and after doing more research!
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**Day 1 –** Travel from USA to Japan! (Sunday)
· Check in to flight 24 hours prior @ 10:25am
· Flight leaves from airport at 10:25am.
· Arrive to YUL (Montreal) airport at 11:43am. (1hr 18min)
· Flight leaves YUL at 1:20pm.
· Arrive to NRT (Tokyo Narita Airport) at 3:45pm. (13hr 25min. flight)
After our flight lands, we will have to go through Japanese customs, which can take up to 4 hours. We will need to pick up the JR Pass and Pocket Wifi.
To get from Narita Airport to the hotel, we will take the JR N’EX (Narita Express) for JR Ikebukuro Station.
· Purchase NEX Tokyo Round Trip ticket (can be used to/from the airport, and is valid for transfer to other JR Trains)
From there, it is an 8 minute walk to the hotel from Ikebukuro Station East exit.
\*\* Hotel: Sunshine City Prince Hotel Ikebukuro \*\*
**Day 2** **–** Odaiba, TeamLabs Planets, and Shibuya! (Monday) – **We were going to do the Imperial Palace this day, but it is closed on Mondays, so I shuffled things around. :)**
To get to TeamLabs Planets in Odaiba from our hotel, we will need to walk to the Ikebukuro Station and take the train to Shin-Toyusu Station.
o TeamLabs is right next to Shin-Toyusu Station.
o The train should take about 40 minutes.
· Our entrance time to TeamLabs is 1:30-2:00pm, so we have time to do things like get breakfast.
· We should be at TeamLabs Planets for 2ish hours.
After we are done at TeamLabs Planets, we can take a look at Joypolis, or go to Shibuya!
To get to Shibuya from Odaiba, we can use the train to go to Shibuya Station.
Some things we want to see in Shibuya:
· Vintage clothing stores (such as AMORE vintage)
· Shibuya Sky
· Konno Hachimangu Shrine
· Hachiko Dog Statue
· Shibuya Parco Mall (Nintendo Store)
· Pokemon Center Shibuya
· Mandrakes
**Day 3** **–** Tokyo! (Imperial Palace & Ueno) (Tuesday)
Today, we are going to see some classic sights in Tokyo!
From our hotel, walk to Ikebukuro Station, and take the train to Tokyo Station. Then, we can walk to the Imperial Palace (10 min. walk).
· We should try to be at the Palace by 8am or so, so that we can get to the zoo early!
· We should spend about 2 hours at the Imperial Palace.
After the Imperial Palace, we can navigate to the Ueno Park, where the Ueno Zoo is. (It opens at 9:30am)
· We will probably spend \~3 hours at the zoo. I definitely want to see the pandas!
· Other attractions at Ueno Park include: Kaneji Temple (bronze statue of Taigo Sakamori inside), and Toshogu Shrine, from the Edo Period.
When we are done at Ueno Park, we can head to Ameyoko Shopping Street for shopping and to get some street food! Ueno has a lot to offer!
**Day 4 –** Akihabara! (Wednesday)
To get the most out of our day in Akihabara, we should try to get up early and find somewhere there to have breakfast (Marufuku Coffee, maybe).
We can take the train from Ikebukuro Station to Akihabara Station.
This day will be for mostly wandering around, as there is so much to see and do! Let’s make the most of it!!
List of things we might like to see/do:
· Square Enix Cafe
· Mandrake(s)
· Don Quijote Store
· Raido Kaikan (merch)
· Super Potato (old games)
· Taiko (arcade)
If we have time after visiting Akihabara, we can visit the Tokyo Skytree or Tokyo Tower, which are open until 9pm and 10:30pm, respectively.
**Day 5 –** Day Trip to Mt. Fuji & Hakone! (Thursday)
We have to try and visit Mt. Fuji on a clear, dry day, so that we can actually see the mountain!
To see Mt. Fuji, we will take the Tokaido Shinkansen (Bullet Train) from Tokyo to Hakone.
· Take Tokaido Shinkansen from Tokyo Station, and get off at Odawara Station. From there, take the Hakone tozan train for Hakone-Yumoto, and get off at Hakone-Itabashi.
· The total ride is about 2 hours long.
Once we arrive to Hakone, there is lots to see and do!
· Views of Mt. Fuji via the cable cars and ropeways
· Hakone Shrine
· Hakone Open Air Museum
· Onsens (public baths) such as Yurari Onsen or Tenzan (jungle onsen), which is open to the public for day use. (1300 yen)
· Odawara Castle
Restaurant suggestions: Coffee Camp, Plaisir de l’Oeuf (located inside Hakone museum of Photography), Shake & Dog
**Day 6** **–** Tokyo DisneySea! (Friday)
Tokyo DisneySea is open from 8am to 10pm and costs approx. $60 to enter.
To get there, we should take the JR Keiyo/Musashino Line from Tokyo Station to Maihama Station (about 15 minute ride.)
We should try to get there before the park opens to get in line, if possible!
Tokyo DisneySea is comprised of the following areas:
1. Mediterranean Harbor
2. Mysterious Island
3. Mermaid Lagoon
4. Arabian Coast
5. Lost River Delta
6. Port Discovery
7. American Waterfront
Unlike Disney World, Tokyo Disney has a free FastPass system. You can print FastPasses from in front of the rides, or you can use the Tokyo Disney app on your phone.
**Day 7 –** Travel from Tokyo to Kyoto! (Saturday)
Checkout from our Tokyo hotel is 10am. If needed, we can arrange a luggage delivery service (Takkyubin) from the front desk.
Travel from Tokyo to Kyoto is done using the Hikari Shinkansen (bullet train), and takes around 2hr 40min.
Before we get on the train, we can grab something to eat and drink from Tokyo Station.
Our hotel in Kyoto is called “SH by the square hotel Kyoto Kiyamachi.”
· Check-in time is 3pm.
If we are hungry once we get to Kyoto, we can go to the Higashiyama District with old-timey shopping and restaurants. Kodaji Temple and Maruyama Park are nearby.
If we are feeling extra ambitious, we can visit Kiyomizudera Temple and the Tatami Starbucks (they are right near each other)!
· We should be sure to visit the Pokemon Center while in Kyoto – it is located on the 5th floor of the Takashiyama Store.
**Day 8 –** Fushimi Inari & Nara! (Sunday)
Today, we can wake up bright and early to visit Fushimi Inari and the Thousand Torii Gates!
· From Kyoto Station, take the JR Nara Line 2 stops to JR Inari Station.
· Hiking Inari takes \~3hrs, but we will not go all the way up. We will probably spend \~2hrs there.
From Fushimi Inari, we can take the train from Inari to Rokujizo, and then change to the Kaisoku Express, riding the train to Nara. The trip is about 45 minutes.
Once we arrive in Nara, here are some things to see:
· Nara Park (with the deer)
· Kofukuji Temple
· Todai-ji Temple (great Buddha statue)
· Heijo Palace Remains
We can spend lots of time in Nara, and eat there too!
· Restaurant suggestions: Maguro Koya, Surugamachi no Okonomiya (both Japanese restaurants) or Sakura Burger (burgers, hotdogs, sandwiches)
After we are all done in Nara, we can take the train back to Kyoto Station. Most things in Nara close early, around 5pm.
**Day 9 –** Universal Studios Japan! (Monday)
Today, we are going to Universal Studios Japan (USJ)!
We should decide whether to get the regular Studio Pass, or the Express Pass, which allows you to skip ride lines.
To get to USJ, we will take the bullet train from Kyoto to Osaka (15 min.), and then take the Osaka Loop line to Nishikujo Station. From Nishikujo, take the Sakurajima Line to Universal-City Station. This trip takes about 13 minutes. Then, it is a 5-minute walk to the park!
Areas of the park include:
· New York
· Minion Park
· San Francisco
· Jurassic Park
· Waterworld
· Amity Village
· Universal Wonderland
· Hollywood
· The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
· Super Nintendo World
The park is open from 8am to 10pm. If we are hungry after visiting the park, Universal’s City Walk is open late.
**Day 10 –** Arashiyama! (Tuesday)
Today, we will be exploring Arashiyama, which is in the far west of Kyoto, tucked along the base of the Arashiyama Mountains (meaning “Storm Mountains”).
First, we will take the train (\~30min) from Kyoto Station to Arashiyama Station.
· Grab coffee at % ARABICA Kyoto Arashiyama.
· After arriving in Arashiyama, walk 10 min. to Arashiyama Monkey Park. The Monkey Park opens at 9:30am, and we can expect to spend 1-2 hours there. It costs ¥550 to enter (cash only!)
· After the Monkey Park, we can walk 5 minutes to the Togetsukyo Bridge, which is one of Arashiyama’s most famous landmarks!
· After the bridge, it is a 5-minute walk to Tenryuji, Arashiyama’s most important temple.
· When we are done at Tenryuji, we can leave through the back entrance into the Bamboo Groves.
· After that, we can head to the traditional preserved street of Saga-Toriimoto. It is a good place to do some shopping and eat lunch!
Restaurant suggestions: Kijurou (Wagyu Beef with a view), Nishiki (Kyoto-style Japanese food), Tasiho HANANA (Japanese)
📷**Day 11 –** Osaka Aquarium! (Wednesday)
Today is a great day to go to the Osaka Aquarium KAIYUKAN, which was once the world’s largest Aquarium!
To get from Kyoto to Osaka, we will take the bullet train (15min. ride) to Osaka and then take the Chuo Subway line to Osakako Station. From there, it is a short walk to the Aquarium.
· The Osaka Aquarium opens at 10am, and costs ¥1800 to enter (\~$18). We can get breakfast somewhere beforehand! (9 Borden Coffee or Cafe Fujiya are nearby.)
· We should plan to spend around 3 hours at the aquarium.
After visiting the Aquarium, we can head to Umeda Sky Building (¥700), with the Floating Garden Observatory!
Other things we want to see in Osaka if possible:
· Pokemon Center Osaka (walk from Osaka Station)
· Pokemon Cafe Osaka if not able to go to Tokyo one (we were not able to get reservation for either.)
· Tsutenkaku Tower and Shin-Sekai area (shopping & restaurants).
**Day 12 –** Go Home! (Thursday)
It’s time to head home and see the kitties!
Check out of Kyoto Hotel before 11:00, and see if we need to use luggage delivery service to airport.
We will need to go to Kyoto Station to catch the bullet train back to Tokyo Station. We can use the Hikari Shinkansen if using JR pass, or if using round trip ticket, we can use the Nozomi Shinkansen.
· The bullet train takes about 2 hours, 40 minutes.
· After the shinkansen, we will use the Narita Express train to get to the airport.
· We should plan at least 3.5 hours for travelling.
Our flight leaves Narita Airport at 5:30pm.
· We arrive to Montreal (YUL) at 4:40pm. (12h flight)
· We leave Montreal at 7:50pm. (1hr 23min flight)
· 📷We arrive home at 9:13pm.
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**Suggestions are still welcome, absolutely!! It’s a very packed trip, so I will get a new pair of sneakers before we go, and a new rain jacket, since it seems to be pretty rainy right now. :)**
Thank you so much to everyone that gave us information!! I appreciate all of you so much.
