Hi – my wife & I are looking to visit Japan for the first time for 2 weeks, can I have some thoughts on my current itinerary?
**Day 0 :**
\-Arrive in Tokyo, hotel in Shinjuku, rest + wander nearby and get acclimatized
**Day 1:**
\-Morning – Harajaku including Meiji Shrine, Yoyogi Park & Takeshita Street
\-Late Afternoon & Evening – Shibuya
​
**Day 2:**
\-Morning – Shinkansen to Kyoto, hotel nearby Kyoto Station
\-Evening – Gion
​
**Day 3:**
\-Morning & Afternoon – Fushimi Inari Shrine
\-Evening – food in Kyoto Station
​
**Day 4:**
\-All-day – Arashiyama – Bamboo Grove, Otsuka ‘Murasawa A5 Wagyu Steak’, Tenryu-Ji Temple, maybe Monkey Park if up for the trek!
​
**Day 5:**
\-Morning – Nara
\-Afternoon – Tea Ceremony in Kyoto
\-Evening – food in Kyoto Station
​
**Day 6:**
\-All-day – Osaka – Osaka Castle, Osaka river cruise, Shinsekai, Abeno Harukas, Dotonbori
​
**Day 7:**
\-Day – Kyoto to Hakone to stay in a ryokan
\-Afternoon & Evening – relax in onsen and kaiseki meal
​
**Day 8:**
\-Morning – Breakfast + Togendai Pirate Ship Cruise
\-Day – back to Tokyo, hotel in Shinjuku
\-Evening – food & Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building for night views
​
**Day 9:**
\-Morning – lie-in/relax
\-Sunday 1pm-Evening – Akihabara (we are anime fans) – electronic shopping, maid cafes, sega arcades etc
​
**Day 10:**
\-Morning & Afternoon – Ikebukuro – Sunshine Mall + Otome Road
\-Evening – Night out in Kabukicho & Golden Gai
**Day 11:**
\-Lunchtime after lie-in for hangover – Ueno Park for romantic lunch & maybe Ameya Yokocho
\-5pm-9pm – Park Hyatt Peak Bar Twilight Hour all you can drink cocktails
\-Evening – food somewhere nearby hotel
**Day 12:**
\-Morning – Asakusa & Senso-ji Temple
\-Lunchtime – Hotoluna River Cruise to Odaiba Marine Park
\-Afternoon & Evening – Odaiba – FujiTV Observation Deck, AquaCity shopping mall, Decks Building including Joypolis Arcade Centre, Divercity Plaza w/ Gundam Statue, Pallette Town including big ferris wheel
**Day 13:**
\-Morning: souvenir shopping – Mega Don Quixote in Shibuya & Yodobashi Camera for electronics
\-Lunch & Afternoon – Nakano Broadway – figure/anime shopping
\-Late afternoon-evening – packing bags
\-Evening – last meal somewhere close
**Day 14: Fly home :(**
​
Thoughts? I wanted to make an itinerary for my wife that hit the sights while also leaving time for leisure/relaxing in the hotel etc too. Any improvements/amendments would be welcome!
6 comments
Looks fine for a first visit to Japan. Few things:
1. Fushimi Inari Shrine doesn’t take a morning and afternoon. It’s more like a couple of hours and you’ll want to arrive early (8am or earlier) to beat the crowds. Look at visiting some temples after the shrine or taking a half day trip somewhere like Himeji.
2. If you’re getting a JR pass, I’d try and squeeze in a long day trip from Kyoto to Hiroshima to visit the peace memorial park and museum. It’s a profound experience.
3. If you want a wacky dinner experience in Tokyo, check out Kagaya Bar and make a night out of it. Unless you’re easily offended, in which case avoid 🙂
I would get to Fushimi Inari at the ass crack of dawn. Even at 8 it was getting busy. The earlier you get there the better chance you get of awesome pics.
​
There is an amazing gin bar in the Gion district, Nokishita711. Some of the best drinks we have ever had, and the atmosphere was awesome. It is also pay what you want, so be cool.
#
Hey there, this is a really solid itinerary for a first trip. Couple thoughts.
* So I did Fushimi Inari and Nara on the same day on my first trip. Inari is on the way to Nara from Kyoto. I definitely recommend doing it early like people are saying (get there by 8am), OR later if you want to catch the sunset.
* Don’t sleep on eastern Kyoto during the fall. When I was there last October/November, my favorite day was spent cherry picking [this](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3950_eastern_kyoto_full.html) itinerary. I spent about 5 hours walking from Ginkakuji to Kiyomizu-dera, stopping wherever I felt like. Eikando Temple was probably my favorite stop.
* If you feel comfortable spending a little, highly recommend a Kyo-kaiseki restaraunt (I ate lunch at [Gion Maruyama](https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g298564-d4496439-Reviews-Gion_Maruyama-Kyoto_Kyoto_Prefecture_Kinki.html) and it was one of the best meals of my life).
* I saw the Hiroshima day trip recommendation, but TBH Hiroshima needs 2 days IMO, especially if you want to see Miyajima. I would recommend jetting to Himeji to tour the castle though. It’s the best in Japan, and only an 1hr 15min away from kyoto station. Easily done in a half day.
re shopping streets, Takeshita Street can be insanely busy though there are a few side alleys you can get down to avoid the crush. Akihabara is a fun place to wander round. Odaiba was pretty good. In Osaka I didn’t think much of Dotonbori.
Ryokan are superb. Tea ceremonies I have avoided. I have seen several but don’t think it’s worth a lot of time.
Overall it looks like quite a lot of time spent in Tokyo. If you have a JR pass you can go quite far and see more. I really like Tokyo.
Since you are planning the trip that’s well over a year from now, I guess you haven’t purchased your flights yet. If that’s the case, consider booking an open-jaw flight where you fly into Tokyo and depart from Osaka (or vice versa). You will definitely save time and likely money too. Not sure you had thought about that…
I am sad your only staying 3 days in Kyoto. I think it might be better to give Kyoto one more day to look around the area next to kyomizudera and up to the north side.
Kyoto is just too beautiful. I spend 4 days there and would have loved if I gave up some of my days of tokyo to kyoto.