Itinerary Check: 14 days, leave in one week!

My wife and I are leaving for Japan in eight days, and I’m so excited to finally be submitting my itinerary check. We’ll be there for two weeks, flying into Tokyo and out of Osaka, and our goal is to experience the following three “tourism food groups”:

1: City

2: Inaka

3: Nature

We’re trying to go for a mix of Japan’s “greatest hits” while also making room for some lesser-known/off-the-beaten-path spots. Any and all recommendations beyond our itinerary are encouraged. If it seems like there isn’t enough sake on our list, it’s because my wife and I don’t drink. We plan on using this itinerary as more of a “buffet” to pick and choose from than a schedule to rigidly adhere to, so if it seems like there’s too much packed into each day, that’s why.

**Day 1: Arrive in Tokyo**

– Chores: eSIM, currency, transit
– Shibuya Crossing
– Shibuya 109/Hachiko statue
– Harajuku

Eat: Ichiran Ramen (chain), Kaiten Sushi (chain)

**Day 2: Explore Tokyo / Ghibli Museum**

MORNING: SHINJUKU

– Metro Govt. Building view
– Shinjuku Goyen Natl. Garden
– Suga Jinga “Your Name” Staircase (because we’re nerds)
– Omoide Yokochō Alley
– Shinjuku Golden Gai
– Takashimaya Dept. Store

AFTERNOON: GHIBLI MUSEUM

– Tickets @ 4:00 PM
– Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum nearby. Possibly stop by before Ghibli?

EVENING

– Obake Staircase (“49 steps up 39 steps down”)
– Asakusa @ sunset

Food: Metro Gov. Bldg. 32nd Floor Staff Cafeteria, Harukor Ainu Restaurant

Dessert: Nakano Broadway ice cream, Ikebukuro Station Dessert Basement (if we feel like going out of our way), Bake cheese tarts (Shinjuku), Takashimaya Dept. Store Food Court

**Day 3: Final day in Tokyo**

MORNING

– Chiyoda City
– Intermediatheque (we like offbeat stuff like this)
– Magokoro Tenyo statue
– Walk by Sukiyabashi Jiro
– Shitamachi Museum

LUNCH @ ~~KOZASASUSHI. Very excited about this one.~~ All booked up. We’re trying to find a nice $60-100ish/seat omakase sushi place, if you have a recommendation

AFTERNOON: AKIHABARA

– Arcade games
– Creepy Vending Machine Corner

Food: Ginza Kagari, Ekibenya Matsuri Gransta Boxed Lunches, Ramen Street

**DAY 4: Travel to Nikko**

At this point, we switch gears from over-stimulated city life to quiet relaxed countryside. We plan on renting bikes and biking around Nikko. [This post](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/agb5c9/sights_and_time_in_nikko/) and [this map](http://nikko-travel.jp/assets/files/english/nikko_historical_walking_map.pdf) should give us plenty to go off of, but there’s an equally high chance that we’ll simply want to bike around and ignore any and all itinerary.

**Day 5: Nikko National Park**

We’ll take the bus around the park and use [this guide](http://nikko-travel.jp/assets/files/english/oku-nikko_hiking_map.pdf) to decide if and where we want to stop and walk around.

**Day 6: Travel to Akita/Tae no yu Onsen**

We’re staying at the Tae no yu onsen, so we’ll spend the first half of the day relaxing on the train and the second half of it relaxing at the onsen.

**Day 7: Onsen**

Full day at the onsen. Relax, bathe, walk around a bit.

**Day 8: Big travel day. Akita > Nagoya > Takayama**

We’re renting a car in Nagoya and driving up to Takayama. I’m very excited to have the freedom of a car for a bit, able to stop wherever we want. I plan on driving [this loop](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Nagoya,+Aichi,+Japan/Gero,+Gifu,+Japan/Takayama,+Gifu,+Japan/Shirakawa-go,+Ogimachi,+Shirakawa,+Gifu,+Japan/Nagoya,+Aichi,+Japan/@35.7219509,136.4022251,8.99z/data=!4m32!4m31!1m5!1m1!1s0x6003709e107b2365:0x2a9622d4e8ceb352!2m2!1d136.9065571!2d35.1814506!1m5!1m1!1s0x6002da5b928f1c39:0x2076f5b712e95e07!2m2!1d137.2441224!2d35.8059163!1m5!1m1!1s0x6002a342a14fc349:0xd4f2fb84f0b8e3dc!2m2!1d137.252159!2d36.1461317!1m5!1m1!1s0x5ff871b0b6bf25e7:0xccc551bb9d5805f8!2m2!1d136.9061975!2d36.2577967!1m5!1m1!1s0x6003709e107b2365:0x2a9622d4e8ceb352!2m2!1d136.9065571!2d35.1814506!3e0). We’d like to stop in a random town or two along the way either there or back and just walk around a bit.

**Day 9: Takayama**

I’m a carpenter by trade, woodworker by hobby, so finding out that Japan has a historic lumber/woodworking town made us completely revamp our original itinerary in order to accommodate it (sorry, Hokkaido, we’ll see you next time).

– Tour @ 10:00 AM
– Hida Folk Village
– Forest of the Seven Lucky Gods (next to Hida)

Food: Hida beef

**Day 10: Drive back to Nagoya, train to Kyoto**

Possibly spend some time in Shirakawa on our way back to Nagoya, depending on how sick I am of historic architecture (never gonna happen). We’ll be getting into Kyoto in the afternoon/evening, so we’ll have some time to wander around:

– Teramachi shopping arcade
– Nishiki Market street

Food: Nagahama Ramen, Shijo Kawaramachi

**Day 11: Kyoto**

– Bike tour 10AM – 3:30PM. We booked a [bicycle tour](https://www.viator.com/tours/Kyoto/Epic-Bike-Tour-of-Kyoto/d332-150739P1?m=61408&nid=VR.f42b4ac6-25ca-453f-a1a0-5f452ee8900a.VT_EMAIL_TRV) to cover many of the “greatest hits” of Kyoto. I’m not sure what exactly will be covered by this tour, so some of the next day’s items may become redundant.
– Gion district
– Sanjūsangen-dō 1,001 carved Buddha statues
– Gion Corner is something we’re on the fence about. On the one hand, it could be interesting. On the other hand, it could be boring.

Food possibilities: Sennari, Tonkichi, Monk Pizza (friend-of-a-friend recommendation), Katsukatsu Tonton, Soba-dokoro Shizuya

**Day 12: Kyoto**
– Arishiyama Monkey Park
– Arishiyama Bamboo Forest (I’ve read mixed things about both these places, but the general consensus seems to be that they’re best experienced in the early morning before the crowds)
– Sagano Romantic Train

Food: whatever we didn’t get to the day before

**Day 13: Kyoto > Nara > Osaka**
– Stop at Tsuen Tea in Uji on the way
– Temples/wandering in Nara
– Evening in Osaka, Dotonbori

Osaka food: Okonomiyaki Kiji, takoyaki (octopus balls), Aozora Blue (udon), Harukoma Honten (sushi)

**Day 14: Morning in Osaka, Flight @ 5:00 PM**
– Osaka Castle
– Beg to stay for just one more day