Hi guys! Going to Tokyo on July and wanted to check if my itinerary’s too packed, needs diversity, or needs better routing.
1-
Shinjuku – Kabukichon, Omoide Yokocho
2-
Kamakura – Tsurugaoka Temple, Zenirai Temple, Komachi Dori, Hokokuji Bamboo Garden
Kamakurakokomae
Enoshima*
Yokohama* – Red brick warehouse, ramen museum
3-
Ghibli Museum*, Kichijoji*
Shibuya – Shibuya Crossing, Hachiko, Pokemon Center, Donki Shopping, Shibuya Sky, Nonbei Yokocho
4-
Tokyo Disneyland
5-
Warner Bros Tokyo
Harajuku – Takeshita St, Yoyogi Park, Meiji Shrine
6-
Ueno – Ueno Park, Ameyokocho
Those in asterisks are those that I’m not sure of yet.
Notes:
– Placed Ueno Park as last so we’re nearer the airport. My hotel’s in Shinjuku. Is there enough to do in Ueno Park, and do you guys prefer Asakusa or I do both on last day?
– Is Shibuya enough time if i go Ghibli Museum first? Is there time to slot in Tsukiji before Ghibli?
– Not sure how to go about Kamakura. Do i slot in Enoshima or Yokohama after? I heard Enoshima closes early too
– If I’ve been to Shibuya on a prior day, is it still worth allotting a half day to Harajuku? Any reccs on better places to go full day after Warner Bros?
Thanks!
6 comments
Ikebukuro, Ginza and Kichijoji feel nothing alike.
Ikebukuro is less luxe than Shinjuku. It’s an Akihabara aimed for women (aka less hentai and more yaoi and family friend anime shops.)
Ginza is Ginza, it’s luxe, but there are more affordable brands like Muji and Uniqlo. I think of it as wide sidewalks and actually named streets and lots of department stores.
I’m sure Kichijoji is expensive to LIVE in, but it’s more cute stores and a big park. It has a much lower skyline and more small shops.
That’s a pretty ambitious if you plan on getting off the plane and going right at everything. I find it’s always helpful to factor in some time to actually acclimate before you try to hit your entire list. That said, I would 1000% recommend taking the train down to Kamakura at least for the day. Great place, great sights there.
If you want to go to the Ghibli museum you need to check for tickets now. They sell out quick. You can’t just show up to go.
If you are wanting to spend any time in Akihabara you will most likely need more than just a couple of hours. It’s a big area and there is stuff on every floor of all the buildings.
Ueno park is also a big area. There are six museums and a zoo (one of my favorites). As well as two or three shrines. You could easily spend the entire day just in the park depending on what you want to do and see. Loved the natural history museum there. Hachico was stuffed after his death and is on display in the museum.
Keep in mind that you are going to be there in the summer. It is extremely hot and humid. Drink lots of water.
There are two parks at Disney. Do Disney Sea during the day then after 6pm switch to Disneyland. They don’t do park hopper tickets but they do discounted prices after 6pm. The reason for doing it this way is that Disney Sea is designed more for teens and adults and it gets super busy in the evening where the main park is really busy during the day and is not as busy in the evening.
Have fun!
i understand you want to make most of your limited time in japan, but i feel like the first day is very burdensome. assuming you’re flying from america, you’ll get off a 12+ hour flight, most likely exhausted and sleepless, and you want to hit 2 popular and big districts in a span of 6-7 hours? i feel like you should take it a little slow, im not saying spend the entire day in your hotel room but do not make your first day very extensive. you will probably not follow the itinerary perfectly anyway. you should rest a little and discover around the neighborhood and area of where you are staying and eat good food. just an idea . enjoy your trip!
The fish market was okay for me. It’s interesting to see, but nothing that was like oh I’m glad we stopped here. Hope you have fun though make sure you take the time to enjoy the small stuff it’s way better.
Day 1 will be problematic. If you arrive when lots of other flights do, you are potentially looking at a 2 hour line up at immigration and customs. Then making it into Tokyo from the airport adds approx 45 mins for Haneda, or more than an hour for Narita. That’s ignoring time taken checking into your accommodation.