I’m planning a trip for 3, my mom, my best friend (who currently lives in northern Japan), and myself. I’m fully in charge of planning so I’m kind of goin’ wild with options and would love feedback!
1. Do you think I’m missing anything?
2. Is there anything on my list that you think isn’t worth the effort?
3. Any food places I should know about? There are so many options!
Day 1: Arrive in Osaka- explore Dotonbori and Hozenji Yokocho to eat a bunch and then sleep
Day 2: Osaka Castle (probably just the outer area), Nishinomaru Garden, Umeda Sky Building, Pokemon Center, Redhorse Osaka Wheel
Day 3: Namba Yasaka Shrine, Reptile Cafe Dining Rock Star, Shinsekai, Shitennoji Temple, Sumiyoshi Shrine
Day 4: Universal Studios Japan and travel to Kyoto
Day 5: Fushimi inari Taisha and Nara (Park, Todai-ji, horyu-ji, Kasuga, Kofuku-ji, Yakushi-ji, Isui-en)
Day 6: Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Kimono Forest, Monkey Park, Giou-ji, Otagi Nenbutsu-ji, Kinkaku-ji, yokai Street
Day 7: Kyoto Pokemon Center, Nishiki Market, Loutre Otter Cafe, Yasaka Shrine, Tea and Sake Tasuki, Kiyomizu Dera, Okunoin Temple, Gikaku-ji
Day 8: Fuji Surrounding (Fuji Q? Caves?) to Tokyo
Day 9: Rikkyo university, Jiyu Gakuen Girls School, Dectective Cafe Bar Progress, Otome Road, Pokemon Mega Center, Sunshine Aquarium, Pikachu Sweets
Day 10: Meiji Shrine, Harajuku (thrift shops and Laforet and sweet shops), Miyamasumitake Shrine, Shibuya Crossing & Hachiko, Village Vanguard, Pokemon Center Shibuya, Tokyu Hands, (maybe Nogi Shrine?)
Day 11: Shirohige’s Cream Puff, Gotoku-ji, Ghibli Museum, Nakano Broadway
Day 12: Tokyo Dome Sentai Show, Gatchapon Hall, Eorza Cafe gift shop, Magikarp Taiyaki snack, Senso-ji, Real Escape Game Asakusa, Skytree
Day 13: Character street & kitkat, pokemon cafe, yukinosita ginza, oiwa inari tamiya shrine, tokyo tower, sengaku-ji, ginza west aoyama garden, (nogi shrine?) – Leave for N. Japan at night
Day 13-16; Akita Prefecture
5 comments
I would recommend do to Umeda Sky Building when it get dark, the night view is stunning, so it’s mostly just changing the order that day.
Kyoto to Kawaguchiko area is not the most convenient. Check the route, you might prefer to do this as a day trip from Tokyo, especially as you do not seem to plan to stay for the night. It would also be easier to manage luggage.
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Some of the days you have many things planned, just be ready to change plan and drop stuff mid day, so know what your priority are.
Pretty ambitious! I would recommend throwing a couple days in there where you have no schedule whatsoever and just go explore.
Also, idk how old your mom is, but if she’s older she may have a tough time with this busy of an itinerary.
Two things… I WOULD advise going INSIDE Osaka Castle, interior-wise it’s by far the best castle of the ones I’ve been to. (I’ve been inside 5. Including Himeji.)
Also Fushimi Inari is a good chunk of a day by itself, you might be trying to do too much, unless you don’t do the full trip to the top.
Edit: Also if you like museums, both the Tokyo National Museum, and Tokyo Edo museum are really good museums.
I would strongly recommend against going to animal cafés. They usually don’t treat animals well and are solely interested in profit making rather than the well being of the animals there.
The otter cafe is especially bad, because the otters are usually bought from illegal exotic animal trade and are a big reason why Asian otters are nearing extinction in the wild.
Please reconsider visiting pet cafés in Japan.
I’m gonna steal this one. Looks good