Hi everyone. My brother and I are going to Japan this summer and we have little knowledge of Japan and no idea what we want to do. I started this itinerary several months ago in a google doc and put it off until now. I made plans until the 3rd but I don’t know if it’s realistic.
Some notes/questions:
– I’ve already booked my hotels in each city but I can cancel.
– Is the JR pass worth it for us?
– We don’t drink alcohol
– I wrote out everything in the order that we’d be doing them.
– I will be using luggage storage and forwarding services
Thank you all in advance for the help ♥️
Day 1 – Tokyo (Aug 27)
– Land in Haneda Airport in Tokyo at 2:25 pm
– Pick up passes/internet etc
– Get to hotel
– Get something to eat from near by (either bring to hotel or eat inside depending on energy levels)
– Walk around or stay in and relax (depending on energy level)
Day 2 – 1 night in Kyoto (Aug 28)
– Board JR train to Kyoto
– Check into hotel
– Eat light breakfast
– Traditional Tea Ceremony in Kyoto MAIKOYA at 11 am – Nakagyo Ward
– Visit Kyoto International Manga Museum – (have lunch there too) – Nakagyo Ward
– Visit a temple (open to suggestions)
– Go out for dinner (either bring to hotel or eat inside)
– Go back to hotel and chill (or do something idk)
Day 3 – 1 night in Osaka (Aug 29)
– Board JR train to Osaka
– Check into hotel
– Eat breakfast
– Visit Kamigata Ukiyoe Museum – Chuo Ward
– Eat lunch at Halal Matsuri – Fukushima ward
– Walk around Shinsaibashi District
– Maybe something to fill this space
– Visit Dotonbori for dinner – Chuo ward
– Something to do before we go back to hotel
Day 4 – Back to Tokyo (Aug 30) Chiyoda
– Board JR train to Tokyo
– Check into hotel
– Have light breakfast
– Visit Museum of modern art
– Grab lunch and go to Imperial palace
-Spend time in surrounding park and look at castle ruins, gate etc
– Go to Home Maid Cafe for drinks
– Visit Animate comic shop, AKK, Hands be Atre, Muji etc (all within walking distance of Home Maid Cafe)
– Find restaurant for dinner
– Take the train home
– Grab some snacks from vending machine and chill before bed time
Day 5 – Various – (Aug 31)
– Visit Ghibli Museum at 10am
– Visit Teamlabs planets
– Have late lunch
– Go to Showa Kinen Park and rent a bike
– Eat dinner
– See Tokyo Sky Tree
Day 6 – Shibuya (Sept 1)
– Have brunch
– Friday prayer at Tokyo Camii & Diyanet Turkish Culture Center
– Necoma Cat Cafe – Meguro City (can be moved to day 7)
– Yoyogi Park
– Go shopping (Mega Don Quijote)
– See Shibuya crossing
– Eat Dinner
Day 7 – Onjuku Beach – (Sept 2)
– Grab breakfast and lunch to go at 7/11
– Board train to Onjuku beach around 8:30
– Get there around 11am
– Spend day at beach and explore nearby places
– Board train back to Tokyo at around 4-5pm
– Go back to hotel
ALTERNATIVELY
– Grab breakfast
– Go to Necoma Cat Cafe at 11 am
– Board train to Onjuku Beach around 2pm
– Spend the day at the Beach and explore nearby places
– Board train back to Tokyo at around 8pm
– Grab snacks and go back to hotel room
Day 8 – Harajuku – (Sept 3)
– Shopping
– Other things
Edit: sorry for the layout of this post. It looks normal on my phone but looks like a jumbled, messy paragraph when I hit done.
3 comments
Just to note that most hotels in Japan will not let you check in until 3pm, but will store your luggage for you if you arrive before then.
Having trouble figuring out how a 8/27-9/4 trip gives you 10 days. Especially with, assumedly, 2 of those being big airport days.
Traveling to Kyoto for a single nite and then Osaka for a single nite, just to go back to Tokyo seems like a waste. Especially with what looks like only 7 full days to work with. For that length of trip, I’d really recommend just sticking to the Tokyo area or the Kyoto/Osaka area and taking a couple day trips.
Even if you stick with this very hectic schedule, not sure the JR Pass makes sense for you.
Including your trip to the beach your JR Pass is only close to breaking even. If you pay as you go you can catch the faster Nozomi shrinkansen to / from Osaka/Kyoto which you cannot use with a JR Pass.
Osaka and Kyoto are close together. Consider using one as a base and travel back to the other at night ~20-30 mins rather than changing hotels.
Luggage forwarding could be a problem for you as your plan indicates you need next day delivery, this may or may not happen. Surely for a one week trip you will not be too loaded up to handle yourself on the shrinkansen.
I would consider sticking to Tokyo this trip. More than enough to see and do in a week and some shorter trips available if want some out of city adventures. Kyoto and Osaka could be saved for another time.