Trip Report: 17 days from Tokyo to Hiroshima April 2023

Hello everyone,

It’s been a few weeks since I returned from my second trip to Japan and figured I would write this up so it can serve as a review when I go to re-visit Japan and possibly give some itinerary ideas out. This was actually quite a spontaneous booking however having been to Japan made this easier. We were looking for some last minute award travel and saw openings for ANA The Room mid April and took it. This trip encompassed Hakone, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima and a day trip to Nara. With ample time, this really didn’t feel rushed and we have taken a day or two off of Tokyo, but I enjoy light days of doing nothing to be honest on a trip this long.

**Pre-Travel Arrangements:**

We got the 14 day JR pass through the JR Rail website and picked it up in Japan. Hotels and Ryokan in Hakone were booked prior to departure as well and we loaded the SUICA card when we got to Japan. I was using the Chase Sapphire to avoid foreign tx fees and the Schwab debit card for fee free withdrawals at 7-Elevens.

**Accommodations:**

* Tokyo: Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills, Park Hyatt, Capsule Hotel
* Hakone: Hakone Airu Ryokan
* Kyoto: Rinn Gion Kenninji
* Osaka: ibis Styles Osaka Namba

**Day 1 Hakone:**

We took a red eye flight which got us into HND airport at 5am and we were out and on the subway by 6:30am and directly to our Ryokan in Hakone. We were able to drop our luggage off by 8:30 and began our 2 day mini Hakone itinerary. From Hakone Yumoto Station, we boarded the Hakone Tozan railway and got to Gora station and did all of the Hakone essentials: Ropeway with views of Fuji (luckily a very clear day), the Sightseeing cruise, the Hakone Shrine. We did miss out on the Hakone Open-Air museum and regret waiting the 1.5 hour wait for the photo at the Hakone Shrine. This unfortunately got us to our Ryokan later than we had hoped. We finished Hakone activities by 4:30 and got to our Ryokan by 6 (aimed for 3 but thats how travel is lol). Hakone-Airu was awesome, and it was a last minute booking so we were very happy with the service. We had a private room onsen + the traditional Japanese Kaiseki Ryori. This was our first Ryokan experience and it was wonderful. After dinner, we hung around in the private outdoors onsen for a few hours enjoying the view. They also have a larger shared onsen which at 2am was empty haha. Went to bed completely opposite to our itinerary but thats okay and got up at 9am and rushed to check out.

**Day 2 Senso-Ji, Ueno, Skytree:**

Having slept super late and waking up super early, day two was a recovery day for us. We checked into our capsule hotel (2 day booking since we could not get multiple nights at the Andaz) and made use of the opportunity to visit Taito/Akihabara. After check in, we grabbed a quick 7-eleven breakfast/lunch and took a power nap from 2pm to 4pm. This had us refreshed and we took the subway to the Ueno Park. We didn’t spend too much time here and took the opportunity to go further up near the Taito Area to check off the basic tourist stuff, Senso-Ji and Skytree. Senso-Ji was mostly empty at night time which was a nice sight and we admired the Skytree from somewhat afar. This was a light day to help us recover and rehash with Tokyo schedule.

**Day 3 Imperial Palace, Akhibara:**

We started off the day at the Imperial Palace with breakfast at Mister Donuts. Also didn’t spend too much time here as most of the Palace was closed off however we did enjoy the nice stroll inside as far as we could go. We grabbed Sushi for lunch nearby here, unfortunately cant remember the place and headed to the Pokemon Center Tokyo DX for some light shopping. We ended the night in Akihibara and spent pretty much most of the evening shopping, checked out M’s Pop Life, gaming at the arcade etc… It was also a Friday night and it was nice to see the car scene extremely active from lamborghinis and ferraris to tuned cars. Also did some Pokemon card shopping.

**Day 4 teamLabs, Odaiba:**

We started the morning off moving from the capsule hotel into the Andaz which only took a small amount of time. Immediately after we headed to TeamLabs and got the ramen at Vegan Uzu for lunch. We spent probably 2-2.5 hours at the TeamLabs exhibitions which were very unique and different from my prior visit to teamBorderless. We checked out the rest of the Odaiba area after the exhibition at the Statue of Libery, the Gundam statue. We headed back to the hotel and had dinner at the rooftop bar (what a lovely view of Tokyo Tower) . Then we went to the nearby 7 Eleven and stocked up on Sake and Soju lol, so that’s how the rest of the evening went.

**Day 5 DisneySea:**

This wasn’t super high on my list however my buddy wanted to go so took the day for DisneySea. We went in the solo rider queues and were able to do pretty much everything. Had a nice steak lunch there and enjoyed some black pepper popcorn and beer. Got home and soaked up in the Andaz jacuzzi.

**Day 6 Food Tour, Shibuya:**

This was essentially a little food tour type of day for us. We all had specific places nearby Shibuya that we wanted to go to see we made a route to hit all of our places. We started off the day getting some EggSlut nearby Shinjuku station and some boba from Gong Cha. Walked over to Fuunji for lunch and checked out Meiji Shrine to walk that Tsukemen off lol. Then we got some kakigori at Azuki To Kouri for desert (delicious!). Then we headed down to the Shibuya Crossing area for a little photoshoot and to check out the Hachiko Statue, Nintendo Store, Pokemon Center, shopping. Ended the night with some standing sushi in Shibuya. Went back to the hotel and drank more Soju to complete the night!

**Day 7 Recovery Jacuzzi, Pancakes and Shibuya Sky:**

We got out of the room super late around 1pm, as we started the morning with a few hours in the hotel pool and jaccuzi to heal up. Headed back to Shibuya to grab some fluffy pancakes at Flippers and check out Takeshita Street. Then we hit up the hamster/hedgehog cafe and had tickets to see the Shibuya Sky from up top at night. Phenomenal view point and well worth imo, however it was extremely windy and they didnt allow tripods (nooo!).

**Day 8 Move to Kyoto:**

We grabbed breakfast at the Andaz buffet and headed out to Kyoto via Shinkansen. Got to Kyoto and we were tired and went from a late night dinner at a small little pizza place in Gion (kitchen Bisshon I think was the name). It was in a small alleyway and we ended up having a lot of fun communicating with the guy running the shop we google translate conversations! Spent more time than I thought we would and headed back to bed. The room was small and tight however it was tolerable for us as Gion was a great area to stay at.

**Day 9 Philosophers Path, Shrines, Shrines and Shrines:**

We spent the entire day pacing through all the shrines in the philosophers path. We started off at the Heian Jingu Shrine, through Nanzen Ji Temple, and Eikan-Do (zenrin-Ji) temple after. THe Zenrin-Ji temple was absolutely beautiful and the japanese garden there makes for a phenomenal photoshoot and we spent upwards of an hour shooting pictures. Then we got back on the Philosophers path and went through Honen-in Temple and Higashiyama Jisho Ji. We then ended the long walk at Shimogamo-Jinia Shrine. On our walk back to the hotel, locals were lighting small spark/fireworks at Kamogawa Delta which was fun to walk as well as crossing over the little turtle slabs in the river. I had been to Tokyo before however not Kyoto so this gave me a very nice warm impression of Kyoto. Loved it! Topped the night off with yakitori at a place right next to our hotel.

**Day 10 Nijo Castle, Bamboo Grove:**

We heade to Nijo Castle to start the day and then took the subway to bamboo forest. I was hoping to explore Arashiyama more however my friend was having knee pain and we had to cut this trip short. We still got to check out the Bamboo Forest + Hokan-Ji Temple but could’ve been a better planned day. When we got back to the room, I took a solo walk to Sanneizaka which was a lovely area with food, more shrines and the rain made for a great photo op.

**Day 11 Day Trip to Hiroshima:**

Got up early and hopped on the Shinkansen to Hiroshima. We started off at the epicenter and worked our way to the Peace Memorial and the Eternal Flame. It’s a very beautiful area honoring the lives lost during the bombing and the museum requires some perseverance. High tide was expected at 6:20pm so we headed to Miyajima and took the ferry to the floating shrine. We got some amazing pictures and hung around for a few hours until 8 and took the Shinkansen back to Kyoto. Got back in town close to midnight and hit up a izakaya (Kokonm I believe is where we went) and a dinner with the locals. Fun night.

**Day 12 Day Trip to Nara Park:**

This was one of the chillest days and we spent more time than we should’ve taking pictures and feeding deer. It’s a must visit day trip in my opinion and makes for a great stroll. We also hit up Kofuku-ji, Kasuga Taisha and Todai-Ji. On our way back to Kyoto, we made a quick pit stop to get pictures at Fushimi Inari (we have already hiked this before) and headed back to Kyoto for some dinner at Ichirans. We also met some foreigners living in Kyoto who saw me taking pictures and invited us for drinks. This was a fun night, and meeting random strangers that you had no intent of meeting make for great stories!

**Day 13 Move to Osaka:**

We packed up our luggage and took the train down to Osaka. Our hotel was right by Dotonbori and it wasn’t too loud for us. The first day we spent taking a quick power nap after checking in and spent pretty much the entire evening in Dotonbori. We got drinks and grabbed dinner and it was a light day for us.

**Day 14 Universal Studios:**

We went to Universal Studios. Similar to Disney Sea, we followed the single rider lanes and we were able to do everything we wanted. Got late entry into Super Nintendo World and heade back to the room. Got some late night sushi nearby Dotonbori.

**Day 15 Osaka Castle, Red Light District:**

We started the day with Osaka castle. We strolled the nearby area, the fruit grove and the garden and then we grabbed some phenomenal Udon at Nishiya (would recommend!) back by our hotel. We then went further down to check out the red light district of Osaka at Tobita (it really is a mini Amsterdam) and ended the fun (and broke hahah) night at teamLabs Botanical Gardens.

**Day 16 Packed and move back to Tokyo:**

We packed our stuff, grabbed some cheesecake from Pablo and headed on the Shinkansen back to Tokyo. We checked into the Park around 3:30pm and went back to Fuunji for some Tsukemen again. Then we spent the evening at Akhibara for some last minute souvenir shopping. On our way back to the Park, we stopped at 7 Eleven and loaded up on Soju and Sake and cried our sorrows away to th end of an amazing trip.

**Day 17 Flight back to NYC:**

We took our last dive in the pool at the Park and grabbed some fluffy pancakes before we boarded our return to flight to NYC. Thank you Japan for the trip of a lifetime and I can’t wait to be back, sooner than later :(!