Hey all, long time lurker first time poster.
Read some great advice on this sub, so I wanted to check if this itinerary is doable. I am a fan of planning, so I always try to plan vacations. I do not have strict schedules but more places I want to see, if something falls through then that is fine.
We are going with 6 people, this will be my 3rd time to Japan, my partners 2nd time but the other 4 are first timers. Therefore, we tried being on the saver side and just picked Tokyo and Osaka as home bases with planned day trips. We have 8 days in Tokyo and 8 days in Osaka.
Please let me know what you think. We are not shy to walk everywhere, last time we averaged at around 25,000 steps a day.
\- Do you guys think that Kamakura is too heavy? I read online that it is quite doable, the two hiking routes and we plan to leave early in the morning (Our accomodation in Tokyo saves us around 35 min of traveling with train).
\- We want to see a night view of Kobe at one of the observatories but we have a kobe beef dinner planned at 19:15, is it doable to go to one of these observatories after 20:30, maybe with taxi?
\- How is travelling in a bigger group? I am a little bit anxious about it, esp some restaurants might be an issue.
Bold sentences are reservations, italic sentences are maybe
**Day 1**
Arrive afternoon at Haneda and check in airbnb, take it easy till others arrive.
Nothing planned for today.
**Day 2**
Akihabara:
* Radio kaikan
* Anime/weeb stuff
* Arcade games
* Yanagimori Shrine → steins gate
Shinjuku:
* Toilets
* Hanazono Shrine
* Takashimaya terrace
* Kabukichō
* Godzilla
* Tokyu Kabukicho Tower
**Day 3**
Asakusa:
* Senso-ji
* Asakusa Shrine
* nakamise street
* Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center (viewing deck)
* Asakusa yokocho
* Orange street
* Nishi sando shopping street
* Sumida river and park
Street food / Snacks:
* Onigiri Asakusa Yadoroku (Because I love Onigiri)
* Suzukien Asakusa & Kaminari Issa → Matcha
* Asakusa Kagetsudō → Melon pan
* Imoyasu → Sweet potato
* Asakusa menchi
* Toyofuku
Ueno:
* Ueno Onshi park
* Ueno Toshogu
* Benten-dō
* Momi no Yu
* Ameya Yokocho
* Marishiten Tokudaji temple
Street food/ Snacks:
* Usagiya
* Oyama
* Unatoto Ueno
* Shoryu (Dumplings)
**Skytree → reservation at 18:00**
* Studio ghibli, pokemon, JUMP (shonen), one piece stores
* Dinner 30th floor Tokyo soromachi ?
Sensoji at night
**Day 4**
Tsukiji fish market → get street food and take away
Picnic in Hamarikyu gardens
Ginza:
* Shop
* Pokemon centre
* Seiko building
* Uniqlo
* Muji
* Ginza Six rooftop → Toyoiwa Inari Shrine
Tokyo Chuo:
* Imperial gardens
* Marunouchi street → Standard bakers Tokyo
* Tokyo station → character street, CALBEEEEE
Eat snack before going to teamlabs
**Odaiba → teamlab at 19:00 tokyo station to teamlabs 20-30 min**
*Go to Odaiba for night → 20 minutes from Teamlab*
**Day 5**
Kamakura day trip:
* Kita-kamakura station
* Engaku-ji (300 yen)
* *Tōkeiji (200 yen)*
* Meigetsu-in (300 yen)
* Jochi-ji (200 yen)
* Start Daibetsu hiking trail
* Kuzuharaoka shrine
* Detour Zeniarai Benten Shrine
* sasuke inari shrine
* Daibutsu Kiridoshi Pass
* Kotoku-in Temple (200 yen)
* Hasedera temple (400 yen)
* *Goryo Shrine*
break
* Komachi Street
* Tsurugaoka Hachimangu
* Kencho-ji (300 or 500 yen)
* Hansobo shrine
* Start of Ten-en hiking trail
* Myoou-in
* Hokokuji Temple (500 yen + Matcha)
* Sugimoto Temple (200 yen)
* Walk or bus to Kamakura station
**Day 6**
Shibuya:
* Hachiko
* Scramble crossing
* Love hotel hill
* Parko – Pokemon + Nintendo store 6th floor + rooftop park
* Yoyogi park
* Meiji shrine
Harajuku:
* Takeshita street
* Tokyu plaza
* Shop
**Shibuya sky reservation at 20:00**
**Day 7**
Chill day or **mt Fuji day trip**
Tokyo tower + Zojo-ji
Ikebukuro
**Day 8**
Mt takao day trip
Roppongi:
* Roppongi hills mori towers
* Big spider
* Mohri Garden
**Day 9**
Check out at 10
Travel to Osaka → arrival around 14:00
Check in Osaka wing hotel
Walk around shinsekai and dotonbori
**Day 10 → 1 day Hankyu tourist pass**
Check out hotel wing
Leave luggage at airbnb
Kobe:
* Hike to Nunobiki falls
* Hike to Nunobiki herb gardens or take cable car
* Kobe port and downtown
* Go to Fate/stay night houses and bridge
* Ikuta Jinja
**Reservation @ Mouriya for kobe beef at 19:15**
If possible go to one of the observatories after dinner
Come back and check in airbnb
**Day 11 → Hankyu 2 day tourist pass**
Mount Kurama:
* Kuramadera temple
* Yuki shrine
* Kifune shrine
Gion:
* Shoren-in’s (500 yen)
* Chion-in
* Marayuma park → Yasaka shrine
* Daiunin temple
* Kōdai-ji Temple (600 yen)
* *Ryozen kannon statue and shrine (200 yen)*
* nene-no-michi
* Ishibei Alley
* Hokanji temple
* Yasaka Koshindo
* Nineizaka
* Sanneizaka
* Kiyomizu-dera (400 yen)
**Day 12**
* Nanzen-ji temple (300 +500 +500 yen)
* Oku-No-In Temple
* Suirokaku Aqueduct
* Tenju-an (300 yen)
* Eikan-do
* Heian-jingū
* Fushimi Inari Shrine > Mount inari
**Day 13**
USJ
**Day 14**
Osaka amazing pass day 1
* Keitakuen Garden
* Shitennoji Temple (Chushingaran, Hombo Garden)
* Osaka castle
* Osaka-jo Gozabune Boat
* Pokemon center Umeda
* Umeda sky building observatory
* HEP FIVE Ferris Wheel
* Nakanoshima River Cruise/Tombori River Cruise
* OSAKA WHEEL (Ferris Wheel)
* Tsutenkaku Tower
* Spa suminoe
**Day 15**
Mount Shosha day trip (Get Kansai JR pass 1 day)
**Day 16**
* katsuoji temple
* *Hoshida park*
Day 17
Check out and travel back to airport
