Here is my tentative plan, I would appreciate if anyone could critique this itinerary. I am still researching and learning which places would be the best for me. My area of interests is culture, food, architecture, art, anime, nature, temples and exploring night life.
Day 1 : Departure from home
Day 2 : Arrival in Tokyo
Arrive at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, then take the Tokyo Monorail to my hotel in Tokyo.
Take rest and walk around the neighborhood.
Day 3 : Explore Tokyo
Start my day with a visit to the Meiji Shrine. Take the JR Yamanote Line to Harajuku Station.
Next, head to Harajuku, known for its quirky street fashion.
In the afternoon, visit Shibuya Crossing. Take the JR Yamanote Line to Shibuya Station.
Explore the nightlife in Shibuya.
Day 4 : Tokyo
Visit the Tsukiji Fish Market in the morning. Take the Oedo Subway Line to Tsukiji Shijo Station.
Head to the upscale shopping district of Ginza. Take the Hibiya Subway Line to Ginza Station.
In the evening, visit the Tokyo Tower. Take the Oedo Subway Line to Akabanebashi Station.
Spend some time in Akihabara. Take the JR Yamanote Line to Akihabara Station.
Day 5 : Tokyo
Visit Asakusa. Take the Ginza Subway Line to Asakusa Station.
Explore Nakamise Shopping Street.
In the evening, enjoy the nightlife in Roppongi. Take the Oedo Subway Line to Roppongi Station.
Day 6 : Tokyo
Spend the day in Odaiba. Take the Yurikamome Line to Daiba Station.
Visit teamLab Borderless, a digital art museum.
In the evening, enjoy a walk across the Rainbow Bridge.
Day 7 : Tokyo to Hakone
Take the JR Tokaido Shinkansen (Kodama or Hikari) from Tokyo to Odawara, then transfer to the Hakone Tozan Train to Hakone.
Enjoy a boat ride on Lake Ashi and take the ropeway to Owakudani Valley.
Spend the night in a traditional ryokan (Japanese inn) and enjoy a hot spring bath.
Day 8 : Hakone to Kyoto
Take the Hakone Tozan Train from Hakone to Odawara, then take the JR Tokaido Shinkansen (Hikari) to Kyoto.
In the afternoon, visit the Fushimi Inari Shrine (Probably might consider early morning the next day). Take the JR Nara Line to Inari Station.
Day 9 : Kyoto
Visit Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion). Take the Kyoto City Bus 101 or 205 from Kyoto Station to Kinkaku-ji.
In the afternoon, visit Ryoan-ji, known for its rock garden. Take the Kyoto City Bus 59 from Kinkaku-ji to Ryoan-ji.
Then visit Nijo Castle. Take the Kyoto City Bus 12 from Ryoan-ji to Nijo Castle.
Day 10 : Kyoto
Visit Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. Take the JR Sagano Line to Saga-Arashiyama Station.
In the afternoon, visit Tenryu-ji, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and take a boat ride on the Hozu River.
Day 11 : Kyoto
Visit Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion). Take the Kyoto City Bus 5 or 17 to Ginkaku-ji.
Walk along the Philosopher’s Path.
In the afternoon, visit the Kyoto Imperial Palace. Take the Kyoto City Bus 5 or 101 to Kyoto Imperial Palace
Day 12 : Day Trip to Nara
Take the JR Nara Line from Kyoto to Nara.
Visit Todai-ji Temple, which houses a giant Buddha statue.
Visit Nara Park and spend some time.
Day 13 : Kyoto to Osaka
Take the JR Kyoto Line (Special Rapid Service) from Kyoto to Osaka.
In the afternoon, visit Osaka Castle. Take the JR Loop Line to Osakajokoen Station.
In the evening, explore Dotonbori. Take the Midosuji Subway Line to Namba Station.
Day 14 : Osaka
Visit the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan. Take the Chuo Subway Line to Osakako Station.
In the afternoon, explore the Umeda Sky Building. Take the Midosuji Subway Line to Umeda Station.
Try local dishes like takoyaki and okonomiyaki .
Day 15 : Osaka
Visit the Sumiyoshi Taisha. Take the Nankai Main Line to Sumiyoshi Taisha Station.
In the afternoon, explore the Shinsekai district. Take the Midosuji Subway Line to Dobutsuen-mae Station.
In the evening, visit the Abeno Harukas. Take the Midosuji Subway Line to Tennoji Station.
Day 16 : Osaka
Spend the day exploring any areas I may have missed or revisit my favorite spots.
Consider visiting the Minoo Park, a forested valley on the outskirts of Osaka, known for its waterfall. Take the Hankyu Minoo Line to Minoo Station.
Day 17 : Osaka to Hiroshima
Take the JR Sanyo Shinkansen (Sakura) from Osaka to Hiroshima.
Visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Museum. Take the Hiroden Streetcar Line 2 or 6 to Genbaku-Domu Mae station.
Day 18 : Day Trip to Miyajima
Take the JR Sanyo Line from Hiroshima to Miyajimaguchi, then take the JR Miyajima Ferry to Miyajima.
Try local delicacies like oysters and momiji manju (maple leaf-shaped cakes).
Return to Hiroshima for the night.
Day 19 : Hiroshima to Kanazawa
Take the JR Sanyo Shinkansen (Sakura) from Hiroshima to Shin-Osaka, then transfer to the JR Thunderbird Limited Express to Kanazawa.
Visit Kenrokuen Garden. Take the Kanazawa Loop Bus to Kenrokuen.
Explore the Higashi Chaya District. Take the Kanazawa Loop Bus to Higashi Chaya District.
Day 20 : Kanazawa
Visit the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art. Take the Kanazawa Loop Bus to 21st Century Museum.
Explore the Nagamachi Samurai District. Take the Kanazawa Loop Bus to Korinbo.
Day 21 : Kanazawa to Tokyo
Take the JR Hokuriku Shinkansen (Kagayaki) from Kanazawa to Tokyo.
Day 22 : Tokyo
Visit Ueno Park and the Tokyo National Museum. Take the JR Yamanote Line to Ueno Station.
Explore Ameya-Yokocho Market. It’s a short walk from Ueno Station.
Day 23 : Tokyo
Visit the Edo-Tokyo Museum. Take the JR Chuo-Sobu Line to Ryogoku Station.
Spend the afternoon in Akihabara, known for its electronics shops and anime and manga stores. Take the JR Yamanote Line to Akihabara Station.
Day 24 : Tokyo
Visit Roppongi Hills for shopping and dining, and enjoy the view from the Mori Tower. Take the Oedo Subway Line to Roppongi Station.
In the evening, explore Shinjuku and its vibrant nightlife. Take the JR Yamanote Line to Shinjuku Station.
Day 25 : Tokyo
Spend my last full day in Japan shopping for souvenirs and exploring any areas I may have missed.
Consider visiting the Imperial Palace and its surrounding gardens. Take the JR Yamanote Line to Tokyo Station, then walk to the Imperial Palace.
Day 26 : Departure Preparations
Use the JR Yamanote Line or Metro for any last-minute shopping or sightseeing.
Day 27 : Departure
Tokyo Monorail from my hotel to Haneda Airport for my flight.
For this itinerary, I am thinking a 14-day JR Pass would be the most cost-effective option. I know the new JR prices will start in Oct. If I book my JR pass before Oct. I will be able to use the old prices, right? I will activate it on the day I leave Tokyo for Hakone and it will be valid until the day my return to Tokyo from Kanazawa. For the rest of my stay, I can use single tickets or day passes depending on my plans.
8 comments
Harajuku isn’t what it used to be but it’s your first time.
You want to do Ginkakuji together with the other two. Look at the geography.
If you’re going as far as Hiroshima with a week left, I would perhaps consider Fukuoka. Might make it too rushed since you still have to do Kanazawa. (Fukuoka is my fav place in Japan so I am biased.)
“take rest and walk around the neighborhood” – I like this. The only sensible way to spend any first day on vacation. Too many itineraries on here have things like “dinner at the Owl Cafe then Golden Gai bar hopping”
Perhaps take off one of the Tokyo (end) and fit it Himeji and/or Kobe even as a day trip.
or even one more day in Kyoto.
Kanazawa normally is not for 1st time trip.
I hope you travel light with so many stops. Have fun.
You have a packed trip!
Tiny note for you:
Walk from Meiji Jingu to Harajuku, it’s not very far. But I would add to the warnings that Harajuku has sadly changed a lot. It’s now mostly people selling horrible giant crepes to an unending crowd of tourists.
I’m too old to know for sure but my guess is that if you want to see contemporary cool kids and street fashion, head to Shimokitazawa and wander around the tiny streets with thrift stores.
Depending on what you mean by “Explore the nightlife in Shibuya”, you may want to shift the early morning fish market visit to fall after a low effort day (“Take a rest and walk around the neighborhood “) instead.
Wow, this is a great itinerary! I got a lot of insight from this for my upcoming trip in the fall. Just a heads up, I think teamLab Borderless may be closed and moving to Azabudai Hills in the fall. Such a shame; it looked like a really cool find! [https://www.teamlab.art/e/borderless_azabudai/](https://www.teamlab.art/e/borderless_azabudai/)
Nice itinerary, i am in the middle of a 30-day solo trip myself. You made some sensible choices, its best to not over commit and leave sone blanks to fill.
My best advice is in line with your intetests, try and look through events listings for theatre, concerts and sports. If you are staying this long then its nice to pack in some entertainment. Personally I really enjoyed Noh, though it is not everyones cup of tea.
Another recommendation is the Kadokawa Musashi Museum. Its a new thing well worth exploring especially if into books and/or visual arts.
Hiroshima to Kanazawa is quite the trip, about 4 hours. You may want to space your itinerary out a little by adding a daytrip in-between, or maybe by doing one of Osaka/Kyoto first, then travelling to Hiroshima before seeing the other big Kansai city and then heading on to Kanazawa.