Hi all!
You were very helpful back in 2019 for my first trip to Japan so I thought I would check my itinerary again with you for a November trip!
This time around it is a big group of us (seven in total) since we are taking our parents and some siblings along. Very excited to meet up with my language exchange friend in Kyoto and see some of the beautiful 紅葉。
My wife and I are a lot more adventurous than the rest of the group so there will definitely be times where we may be splitting up to do more activities. With that said, a lot of the activities will be similar to our first visit so our parents can see them. We enjoyed Kyoto a lot more than Tokyo last time which is why you will be seeing a majority of the the itinerary there.
My mother in law absolutely loves gardens so if there are any good parks or temples I didn’t include in my list that are must sees – please let me know!
I haven’t done that much research on hotels/air B&B options yet so if you have any good recommendations let me know!
We are in our early 30s now so we have a little more savings to spend on comforts, etc.
Let’s get to it!
Day 0: November 16th: Travel Day – Tokyo
* Arrive 4:45PM NRT airport
* Get Japan Rail Pass activated to start on the 18th (7 day ordinary pass)
* PICKUP PASMO CARD and put 5000 yen on it. Kesei Train -> Shibuya
* Activate Ubigi Sim
* Hang out in Harujuku or sleep early at hotel in Shinjuku
Day 1: November 17th: Tokyo
* Wake up early and eat at ゴントラン シェリエ 新宿サザンテラス店
* Shinjuku Gyoen for a relaxing walk
* Hang out in Shibuya for a bit (Shibuya Crossing), see the new Pokemon Center and Nintendo shop at Parco mall
* Pepper’s Parlor for lunch
* Head to Teamlab Planets (Toyosu) – last time to visit before it closes end of this year!
* End the evening in Kabuchiko and chat with some salary men at Golden Gai (find dinner here wherever sounds good)
Day 2: November 18th: Shinkansen To Kyoto!
* Meet up with language exchange friend around lunch time to go coffee hopping and whatever else sounds fun to her.
* I’ve recommending a leisure day of walking around Higashiyama to the rest of the group to recharge and prepare for the crazy Kyoto schedule we have planned.
Day 3: November 19th: Kyoto
* Kiyomizu-dera Temple (as early as possible since it gets crowded quickly)
* Kodaigi temple (very close) afterward
* then hike back down to Higashiyama do some shopping and visit the special Starbucks
* travel by foot for a bit to Nanzen-ji temple
* a bit farther for Eikando temple
* then walk down the Philosopher’s path toward the Silver pavilion (Ginkaku-ji) (eat meals along the way – no rush)
Day 4: November 20th: Kyoto
* Start early at Bamboo grove in Arashyama. There was some street food near here we enjoyed last time that should substitute for breakfast.
* Tenryuji Temple
* Sagano romantic train to Kameoka, then take bus to Hozugawa river cruise and take boat back to Arashyama (I read there was a big accident on the river cruise a few weeks ago. Does anyone know if this attraction will be closed down?)
* Grab lunch somewhere in the area – Any suggestions?
* Finally Daikakuji Temple.
* There’s a great aged steak place we stumbled into by chance my last visit that I would love to try to find again!
Day 5: November 21st: Kyoto
* Early to Fushimi Inari Shrine. Want to time myself to see how fast I can climb to the top this time around!
* Head to Gion for shopping and food
* Nishiki market (also food)
* Nijo castle (strong maybe)
* End the day at 1 Star Michelin Restaurant – Shimagamo Saryo. Book in advance. Traditional Kaiseki style restaurant that I think would be a great date for my wife and I.
Day 6: November 22nd: Travel to Kinosaki Onsen Town via Shinkansen
* Stay at Kigusuriya (cottage room which should be big enough for 7) in Kinosaki Onsen Town and have a relaxing onsen hopping day.
Day 7: November 23rd: Travel to Hiroshima via Shinkansen
* Atomic Bomb Dome/Peace Memorial Park
* Grab lunch at local Okonomiyaki place
* Any recommendations for dinner?
* Stay night in Hiroshima
Day 8: November 24th: Hiroshima/Miyajima
* Take aqua net ferry to Miyajima
* Cable car to Mt. Misen and hike down or just chill near the deer and the beautiful Itsukushima shrine
* Yakigaki would be fun to try
* Travel back to Tokyo via Shinkansen
Day 9: November 25th: Tokyo (again!)
* Breakfast: Tsumugi, カフェ区画 本願寺インフォメーションセンタ 棟内 3 Chome-15-1 Tsukiji, Chuo City, Tokyo 104-0045
* Tokyo Art Aquarium (opens 10:00am)
* some Ginza shopping, Ichiyanagi (fancy sushi) – Book in advance for lunch
* head to Harujuku for a while Takeshita street and Meiji Jingu
* Shibuya Sky at night
* Any recommendations for dinner?
Day 10: November 26th: Tokyo
* Happy Pancakes for yummy souffle pancakes (opens 9am)
* Ueno Park
* Tokyo National Museum (maybe skip?)
* Nakiryu (michelin star ramen joint – expect at least an hour for queue)
* Harry Potter Cafe in Minato (probably skip)
* Afternoon tea at Imperial Hotel Tokyo
* Sensoji temple at night – We saw it during the day during our last visit and would love to see it lit up at night this time.
Day 11: Tokyo and Travel Home via Narita
* Nothing planned today except packing and hanging around Shibuya area before taking the train to the airport for flight at 6:00PM.
3 comments
Just wanna make a few comments about Nakiryu and the Harry Potter cafe.
We recently came back from our trip and went to both places. We actually went to Nakiryu back in 2018 and their menu was much more diverse back then. They didn’t have the steak-like pork dish anymore and less ramen options. We got there about 30 minutes before it opened and didn’t get seated until almost 3 hours later…the wait was pretty insane…
I would recommend another Michelin star ramem restaurant at Shinjuku – KONJIKI. They have a much better queuing system. If you go about one hr before opening, you will probably be their first 10 customers. You can also choose a time zone to come back to as well meaning you don’t need to wait around mindlessly.
The Harry Potter was a disappointment to us. While we did like the drinks and the soup, the main dishes were not impressive at all. I had the meat pie and my partner had the roast beef. Both were rather unflavorful. However the train station where you get off to get to the cafe is absolutely amazing. It’s so unique and different from all the other stations. There is a mini mall in the area I believe but we didn’t get to check it out as almost all shops were closed by the time we were done with dinner. There’s also a Harry Potter merchandise shop there too.
Hope you have fun! It’s amazing to get to travel again.
I would definitely recommend the gardens in hiroshima. Shukkeien Garden. The best I’ve seen in japan I think. And so many turtles and large koi!
Heads up, though I’m sure you’ve seen by now that the JR pass prices are increasing insanely in October. I had 90 days to exchange my pass voucher this year, so you may want to look into purchasing yours before October in order to keep the costs down. Especially with a group that large.