Itinerary check – 16 days Kyoto-Fuji-Hakone-Tokyo, family of 4, May-June

Family of 4 including two 7-year olds.

First time in Japan and very little / no Japanese spoken.

We are most interested in modern and traditional culture, food, kid-friendly amusement parks and games, outdoors activities like hiking or boating.

I am planning on train station and dept stores being our best friend for lunch and dinner, and konbini our friend for breakfast.

I prefer to underplan and travel slowly, minimizing intercity transfers, and taking into account kids’ unpredictability and need for frequent breaks / playgrounds etc.

Our kids are pretty game for most things as long as there are sweets or souvenirs involved in some fashion, lol.

I’ve bolded crucial or booked activities, and italicized lodging.

​

**Questions:**

1. Our first full day in Japan is in Kyoto on a Sunday. We are staying in Gion. What would be recommended given the busy tourist day AND that we will likely be awake early?
2. I’m not convinced Arashiyama is worth the 45 minute transit time from Gion for a family with kids. Monkeys and renting a rowboat would be fun – but e.g. more shrines and temples and bamboo forest seems not noteworthy vs. Higashiyama sites.
3. Disneyland vs DisneySea? We only have time for one. Or maybe neither! We are Disney “agnostics” – have never been to a Disney park, no strong interest, and our kids have much more interest and allegiance to Pixar era movies, Frozen, etc., rather than Mickey and Minnie.
4. Are there any kid-friendly ways to view traditional Japanese sports or performance art? Kabuki? Sumo? Bunraku?

# Kyoto

5/27

* Arrive KIX from USA in afternoon
* Get ICOCA
* Haruka to Kyoto Station
* *Check in to machiya in Gion*

5/28

* Anticipate being up early
* Wander southern Higashiyama district if up very early
* Nishiki Market area lunch
* “Maikoya” facility for a sweets class or origami class or similar

5/29

* **Toei Eigamura Studio** \- kid friendly “ninja” activities and dress-up
* Nanzen-ji and Higashiyama sights north of here

5/30

* Osaka daytrip
* **Kaiyukan Osaka Aquarium**
* **Orix Buffaloes game @ 18:00**
* Train back to Kyoto

5/31

* **Fushimi Inari walk and hike (to the top)**

6/1

* **Nara daytrip**
* Splurge-y dinner, possibly at the Ritz Carlton

# Kawaguchiko

6/2

* Leave Kyoto by shinkansen to Nagoya, local train to Hongo Station
* Pick up rental car from Toyota Hongo Station
* **Ghibli Park @ 12:00**
* Drive to Lake Kawaguchiko area
* *Stay at Kawaguchiko Country Cottage Ban*

6/3

* Chureito Pagoda
* Easy hiking and caves: wind cave thru forest to ice cave and back, \~2mi
* Time permitting, possibly check out Lake Shoji, specifically Tatego-hama beach
* *Stay at Kawaguchiko Country Cottage Ban*

6/4

* Ide Sake Brewery Tour
* Fuji Panoramic Ropeway
* Drive to Hakone
* *Stay at Hakone Airu onsen ryokan*

# Hakone

6/5

* **Hakone Loop starting in Hakone-Yumoto**

6/6

* Check out of ryokan
* Yunessun baths/pool complex
* Drop off rental car at Odawara Station
* Shinkansen to Tokyo
* Ninja Akasaka dinner
* *Stay at Mimaru Akasaka*

# Tokyo

6/7

* Harajuku and Shibuya walk, shop, explore
* Cat cafe
* **Shibuya Sky @ dusk**

6/8

* **One of the Disney parks**

6/9

* **Teamlab Planets @ 09:00**
* Tsukiji outer market for lunch
* **Owl Cafe Fukurou @ 15:00**
* Akasaka/Roppongi area for Robot Park and easy dinner

6/10

* Ueno for park, shopping, swan boat rental, possibly Science/Nature Museum or Hana-Yashiki Amusement Park
* ?Arashio sumo stable if open
* Ferry to Odaiba
* Miraikan vs arcade
* Dinner
* **Unicorn Gundam at dark**

6/11

* <unplanned day likely to be in Shinjuku or Shibuya or Ikebukuro for shopping, exploring, and eating>

6/12

* Last minute souvenir shopping
* Afternoon flight back to USA