My husband and I will be going for our first trip to Japan this coming week from 21st May to 1st of June.
Unfortunately I had a terrible fall just a month prior to our trip and I actually have partial tears of several ligaments of both ankles. At the moment, I’m wearing aircasts for both my ankles and have been going through some treatment to alleviate the pain. I’m able to walk, but walking longer than an hour makes my ankles start to throb with pain and after a full day of walking, I usually suffer terribly the next day.
This makes me worried for my trip in Japan. I’m thinking of bringing a lot of painkillers for this trip. Anyway, this is my itinerary for the trip and there are times when I’m keeping it light and easy just to make time for random stops at cafes/shops nearby to sit in case I’m suffering from a lot of pain from walking at the time. I would truly appreciate any feedback or input on the travel details! Thank you so much.
**Day 0:**
Arrival at Haneda Airport at 10.55pm.
Head to Haneda Airport Station Terminal and obtain Suica/Pasmo cards for travel.
Take the train to Keikyu-Kamata station. Walk 300m to Chisun Inn Kamata.
Rest.
**Day 1 TOKYO:**
Start the day early.
Breakfast at 7-11.
Walk to Kamata Station.
Head to Ueno Station.
Exchange for JR Passes.
By 9am:
\- Ueno Park
\- Toshogu Shrine
By 11am:
Head to Ryogoku Station.
Have lunch around arena for the Sumo Tournament.
Stay till end of tournament around 6pm.
6pm:
Head to Ikebukuro
Pokemon Center Mega (closes around 8pm)
Walk to Tenka Zushi Ikebukuro (closes 9.30pm)
After dinner:
Walk to Ikebukuro Station, end at Keikyu-Kamata Station.
**Day 2 KANAZAWA:**
Walk to Kamata Station and take train to Tokyo Station. From Tokyo Station, take the Hokuriku-Shinkansen to Kanazawa Station.
Upon reaching Kanazawa Station, get day pass for the buses.
Take bus to Kenrokuen Garden.
Stay at Vacational Rental Sunny Heights.
Places to go:
\- Higashi Chaya tea district
\- Nagamachi neighbourhood
Options for dinner: TBD
**Day 3 KANAZAWA:**
Still around Kanazawa.
Walk around Kanazawa instead of taking buses today. (Unless feet hurt then take another day pass.)
\- Myouryuji Temple
\- Kanazawa Castle
\- Kenrokuen Garden
\- Omicho Market
Dinner: Oriental Brewing Higashiyama for craft beer and pizza (Close at 10pm)
**Day 4 TAKAYAMA:**
Head early to Takayama.
From Kanazawa Station, take the Hokuriku-Shinkansen to Toyama Station.
From Toyama Station, take the Hida Limited Express to Takayama Station.
Walk to ryokan.
Put bags first at Oyado Koto No Yume
Attempt to reach early morning and head to one of the morning markets.
Buy the 1-day pass around.
\- Matsuri no Mori, Yatai Kaikan
\- Higashiyama walk
\- Takayama Jinya
\- KIV Takayama Showa Kan Museum/Kusakabe Folk Museum
\- KIV Hida Folk Museum
Dinner at either Sakurajaya or Heianroku
**Day 5 TAKAYAMA:**
Take Nohi bus to Shirakawa-go
Spend the morning and afternoon there.
Head back to Takayama for dinner.
Dinner location: TBD
Rest at ryokan.
**Day 6 HAKONE:**
Head off early to Hakone.
Head to Takayama Station to take the Hida Limited Express to Nagoya.
From Nagoya, take the Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen (Hikari) to Odawara Station.
Collect Hakone Free Pass and take train to Hakone-Yumeto Station.
From Hakone-Yumeto station, take the Hakonetozan line to Tonosawa Station and walk to Yama No Chaya.
OR take a bus to Yama No Chaya.
Put bags at ryokan first if arrive prior to check-in at 3pm.
Head to Lake Ashi, Hakone Shrine.
Booked for one expensive night at this ryokan just for our honeymoon lol.
Dinner provided.
**Day 7 HAKONE, TOKYO:**
Checkout from Yama no Chaya by 10am.
Explore more of Hakone.
\- Ropeway to Owakudani
\- Pirate ship to Togendau port.
Head back to Tokyo via Romancecar to Shinjuku if possible.
From Shinjuku Station, take train to Higashi-Shinjuku Station to Sotetsu Fresa Inn.
Put bags at inn.
By 6pm:
Head to Roppongi Hills for sunset.
Dinner: TBD.
**Day 8 TOKYO:**
Head to Higashi-Shinjuku Station and go to Tsukijishijo Station.
Walk to Tsukiji Outer Market.
Spend the morning there. Go back to Tsukijishijo Station, take train to Shiodome Station, then to Daiba Station via the Yurikamome.
From Daiba Station, walk to Diver City. See the Gundam Statue, walk around area.
By 2pm:
Walk to Teamlabs Tokyo. Entry time 3pm.
From Teamlabs Tokyo, walk to Shin-Toyosu Station, to head to Yurakucho Station, and walk to take the Yamanote line to get to Akihabara Station.
Head to Mandarake, Animate.
Dinner: TBD.
Head back to inn.
**Day 9 TOKYO:**
Head from Higashi Shinjuku station to Shinjuku-sanchome Station to Tokyo Station. Walk around 14 minutes. Head from Tokyo Station to Maihama Station. From there, Disney Resort line to Disneysea.
Spend the day here and then head back using the same way.
**Day 10 TOKYO:**
Walk to Kanda Station in the morning to head to Shibuya Station.
Head to Meiji-Jingu Shrine. Hang around Shibuya, and checkout Shibuya Crossing.
Back to Shibuya Station to take train to Kichijoji Station, then a bus before walking to Ghibli Museum.
After the museum, walk to Mitaka Station, and head to Nihombashi Station. Walk to Pokemon Cafe.
Hang around Pokemon Center.
Pokemon Café for dinner, entry 8pm.
Return back to Nihombashi Station, take to Ueno-Hirokoji Station. Walk to Ueno-okachimachi Station and take train to Higashi-Shinjuku station to inn.
**Day 11 TOKYO:**
Last day in Tokyo.
Send bags to Tokyo station locker.
Walk to Kyobashi Station and take the Ginza line to Asakusa Station.
Places to go:
\- Asakusa Shrine
\- Senso-ji
Lunch: TBD.
Wander about for the last few hours in Japan.
From Tokyo Station to collect luggage, take train to Shinagawa Station, and from there to Haneda Airport Station via Keikyu line.
Head to airport by 7pm.
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**Places I’d like to go but unsure where to put in:**
Traveler’s Notebook Factory
Rainbowholic’s stationery shop
Any dessert shop that Kantaro frequents lol
​
I used Google maps to plan the routes to take and usually try to choose the one that doesn’t require much transits. Unsure if that’s the best way. I’m thinking we might get lost a lot haha. I’m also anticipating a lot of pain for my ankles but hoping it’ll be fine with nights of rest and LOTS of painkillers. Thank you in advance for any input! Do let me know if there are any suggestions to change routes or easier way to get to places I suppose! Ooh, and food recs are much appreciated too!
9 comments
Would you be able to take some taxi’s? They also have sightseeing bus and taxi tours.I would look up transits which allows the least walking. It’s hard to avoid transit in Japan. Because sometimes going to places requires a walk to train, bus, walk to attraction and then the walking you do when you get to your destination. Many buildings in Japan and have a lot of stairs. When your in a train station, find out ahead of time, when the elevators are. Also, it’s important to watch out for uneven pavement. I would look into onsens. Make sure all your hotel accommodations are near sightseeing or train stations. I think the inside of temples and castles will be hardest on your feet. Some parts of them have elevators. If it were me, I might request a wheelchair for some of the time. Double check the reviews of gardens. I went to one garden that was super steep and uneven.
Takayama:
* Skip the morning markets. They were utterly boring imo, it’s a bunch of people setting up tents and selling stuff bazaar style, I went to both – I only bought some snacks from one, and the other sold mostly fruits/local produce, and it was so sparse like less than 10 tents/stalls in each. Really disappointed, not sure if it’s better now than it was in Jan/winter.
* Recommend the [Takayama Retro Museum](http://retromuseum.jp/index_en.html), same vibes as the Showa-kan (first I’ve heard of it), and you can play a bunch of games as well like old consoles, etc.
Day 6:
* Looks like a tiring day of mostly travel, I’m aware you can rest on the bullet trains in between but having to keep alert for when to get off, managing luggage (if you aren’t using a delivery service), is going to be tiring in reality. Just pointing this out, doable but keep it in mind, especially with your injury.
Also, it’s fine to have a time scheduled but keep in mind it *won’t* happen 100% in reality, and some parts look tight with shops closing times, etc that can leave you being unable to do what you’ve planned.
Getting around Tokyo will take a lot more time than other places due to how dense it is, and having to navigate around even a single station, so always keep a buffer for that.
Get proper walking shoes that are comfortable, rest when you can. You can easily walk over 20k steps a day so do take care. Hope you have a good trip.
I highly suggest using Uber/taxis instead of public transportation. I have sesamoiditis in my right foot and went to Japan a few weeks ago in an air cast. The most difficult times for me were using public transportation. The amount of walking up and down stairs and standing while waiting in one place really killed me (especially carrying my backpack and pulling roller suitcase). For some reason, we always find escalators going one way but not always the other, and there’s not a lot of places to sit. I once sat on the waiting area floor when I couldn’t take it any longer and the stares were SO bad. It’s also incredibly difficult and painful to use all of those muscles in your feet to keep your balance on the trains when there’s nowhere to sit (even with my boot on, I did not always get a seat). Also, I should note, the only people that use elevators are elderly and families with strollers, I always felt too guilty to use them myself, especially with a long line.
Other than that, I was able to go to many shrines (picked ones with short entries), Super Mario World, the deer park at Nara (hired a rickshaw), bamboo grove (only went in for a bit and walked out), and lots of other places without issues. The most challenging was probably the monkey park in Arashiyama which was right next to our hotel so i knew it would be a hike but still wanted to go.
I think as long as you know your limits, take lots of breaks, and plan accordingly it’s definitely doable.
FYI: We removed teamlabs from our itinerary after seeing a video on YouTube. You have to remove both your shoes, walk in water, and then each room after that looks to have really unstable ground, with no shoes on. Don’t feel bad if you can’t go, I heard it smells like feet pretty bad in there (makes sense lol).
Remember to collect your tickets for the Sumo at the 7/11 prior, maybe with breakfast the day before?
The good bouts start at 2ish so it’s pretty empty prior, which means you can explore the stadium and souvenirs in relative peace.
If you like beer Popeye is around the corner from the stadium and their happy hour is one free plate of selected food with any drink(with a crown stamped next to it on the menu). It’s craft beer so it’s not the cheapest option but the free food helps soften the blow
As someone with constant ankle pain, the one issue other than the constant walking that I struggle with, is the constant standing. Mostly from waiting in lines whether that’d be at the airport, at train/bus stations, at popular restaurants. Even if I wanted to sit to rest my feet, there were hardly any chairs or rest area. Sure some places had parks but benches were limited and were often already taken. You can go to a cafe but you’d have to pay for a drink or snack, and even then, if it’s busy you can’t stay long to get enough rest.
So I think that’s something you’ll also have to keep in mind. In my first trip, I was only able to fully take a rest when I returned to my hotel after a full day of walking. From then on, I’ve pretty much relied on taxi or Uber, but it’s an added expense and not all areas have Uber or taxis readily available.
Tip about Takayama: head to the market next to the canal in the morning. The stalls AND shops will all close by noon or 1pm, so if you want something, buy it and don’t wait. I thought the shops would remain open all day but I was wrong.
FWIW I went to the traveler’s notebook store in Kyoto and was underwhelmed! Spent about 5 minutes in there. I’m not sure if that’s the place you want to go?
I just came back from Japan and also stayed at Yama no Chaya!! Honestly one of my favorite experiences and so relaxing. Perfect for easing any foot pain.
Some tips, at Hakone-Yumoto station they have luggage/bag delivery to the hotels in the area for a decent price depending on the size of your bags. I can’t remember the exact price but it was around ¥1500-2000 for a large backpack. They sent our bags straight to the ryokan same day. We got to sight see right away and when we checked in our bags were waiting for us!
Not sure what room you have at the ryokan but they offer 45 min private baths in one of their larger baths that you can reserve for that afternoon/evening. Yama no Chaya only has 8 reservation spots so it’s first come first serve. We checked in at 4 PM and were able to snatch the last private bath reservation! Even though our room had its own bath, the private reservations was a nice chance to experience the other onsen they had to offer. The private onsen was much larger than the one in the room.
Also, if you want to stay an extra hour at Yama no Chaya you can pay ¥3000 to check out at 11 AM instead of 10 AM. I liked this option since we loved how relaxing the ryokan was and didn’t want to leave right after breakfast.
Hope you have an amazing time!
I’m wondering if you might be able to bring a cane seat or other ability to test? I couldn’t walk long distances during my trip and it was really hard ðŸ«
I did have fun, but I had to have a few cries in the middle as I just couldn’t do more in a day.
Any museum/ shrine stuff will be a lot of walking!
Cool to see you’re visiting Kanazawa! I live near the city, and I think it’s one of the best places in Japan. Sorry to hear about your ankle injuries as Kanazawa is a very walkable city. If you have a specific question about the city I’d be happy to try and help answer it.
The bus system here is very good and extensive. You can’t use national IC cards (SUICA, PASMO, etc.) on the local buses, but if you’re getting a pass for the loop bus or something similar you should be good.
One note, check around for information about the painkillers you may want to bring. Japan is very strict when it comes to some medications. For example, you can’t bring Nyquil here. [https://www.seattle.us.emb-japan.go.jp/faq/faq.htm#4](https://www.seattle.us.emb-japan.go.jp/faq/faq.htm#4) Has some more info.