Itinerary feedback would be greatly appreciated: Dec to Jan

11 comments

1. Of any night of you trip, the worst night to make a dinner reservation is probably the day you land in Japan. You might be exhausted from the trip, or not that hungry. Just hit whatever restaurant you find or even just snack on konbini food for that day.

   Tokyo Tower would not be my first choice of observation deck, would absolutely do Roppongi Hills Mori Tower or Shibuya Sky instead.

   Akihabara is not a morning place, stores will only open at 10 or 11am.

   JR Pass 14 days. Each ride inside of Tokyo if just a few dollars and you are unlikely to use it enough to reach the difference between 14 and 21 days (about 13 000 yen difference). Even going to Haneda is under 600 yen (you can round trip to the airport almost 11 times for that price). And staying in Asakusa, that does not have a JR station, would not help you save much either.

   While Hiroshima can be a day trip, even really busy day trip if you include Miyajima, I would consider doing all the Osaka stuff, go to Himeji in the morning and continue to Hiroshima to visit the peace museum. Sleep there and next day for Miyajima, go to Kyoto at the end of the day. If you do not want to move luggage, then send it from Osaka to Kyoto and just bring one change of cloth to Hiroshima.

   Why would you buy a 2 day Osaka pass (do you mean the Osaka Amazing Pass) and spend at least half the day not in Osaka ? An before buying it, make sure you will do enough activity to save money on the cost of the pass.

   Feel that you can easily compact Kyoto a bit and substitute one of the day for a daytrip to Nara.

   Why not explore Asakusa from one of the day you stay in Asakusa ? You could also consider to split the stay in Tokyo between a place located east, like Asakusa or Akihabara (as you already listed it), and one located more west like Shibuya or Shinjuku and visit the part of the city that is the closest or easiest to visit from there, would save you time in the train..

   If you consider Hakone, then make more sense for me to strop for a night at a ryokan than just doing it as a day trip. And again, if you do not want to deal with luggage in Hakone, just ship it from Kyoto to Tokyo.

   Not sure there is much point going to Meguro cherry blossom promenade… when there is no cherry blossom.

   ​

   Generally speaking seems ok and I would even say too light. Seriously consider adding a couple of extra for each day, so in case you are doing the things you listed faster than expected, you would have idea of things to do. It can be as simple as adding nearby sight, list a couple of shops, etc.

   You can also consider doing some seasonal activities. For example winter is nice for winter illumination and there is a lot of them. Do you have any new year countdown plan ? Either a new year party or do the more traditional thing of going to a temple at midnight. In the first days of the year you can also check to do visit 7 temples/shrines dedicated to the 7 gods of luck. Such course are called shichifukujin meguri. One that is easy to do and have a nice board with calligraphy and stamps from the temples is the Yanaka Shichifukujin, it’s between Ueno and Tabata station and you can pass by Yanaka Ginza on the way, but this one is only available in the first day of January, so maybe do it Jan 2 and go to Kansai the next day if you are interested.

2. I would work on building up your ability to walk a lot. I am also a little concerned that that will be a lot of walking for elderly people. Everything in Japan includes a lot of walking and a lot of stairs.

3. New Year’s Week in Japan is like Christmas week in the U.S. with most people taking extended holiday leave that week. This means Disney Sea/Land will be packed and I would not recommend going there New Year’s Week. Go to Disney when you return to Tokyo after visiting Kansai, ideally on a weekday, and crowds will be lighter. Also, some sites may be closed for 1-3 days that week. Bookmark and check this website for updates on closures and heavy travel dates you’ll want to avoid taking the Shinkansen on.

   – [Visiting Japan During New Year’s](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2276.html)

   I’m also not sure Akihabara is the best neighborhood to stay with elderly parents. One often overlooked area I really like staying in Tokyo is Akasaka. It’s near three subway stations (not JR but the JR pass doesn’t really pay off in Tokyo itself) and sites like Hie Shrine. It’s also got some good restaurants, nightlife/bright lights so fun to wander at night – but not as overwhelming as Shinjuku. It’s really nice to be able to walk to restaurants easily from your hotel at night or in the morning. Tons of hotels at all different price points too if you just search Akasaka on Booking or Agoda. Tip: Hotels don’t open booking dates til about 3 months out so I’d suggest putting in current dates to see what’s available now as if you search for Dec/Jan at this point you won’t find many options. Then book actual dates in early to mid October.

   – [30 Best Restaurants Near Akasaka Station](https://matcha-jp.com/en/10753)
   – [Go Tokyo: Akasaka](https://www.gotokyo.org/en/destinations/central-tokyo/akasaka/index.html)
   – [Akasaka Area Guide](https://www.japanistry.com/akasaka/)
   – [7 Things to Eat in Akasaka](https://www.tokyoweekender.com/2021/09/what-to-eat-akasaka/)

   Also, you’ll have lots of opportunities to enjoy winter illuminations at night in Tokyo and Osaka. This is a great way to see the city in new ways and means you can have a more relaxed morning, see sites in afternoon, have dinner, then enjoy the illuminations. They are all over and really impressive. There’s even a night illumination open air bus in Tokyo that would be really nice to do with your parents. Getting tickets for the illumination bus need yo be reserved well in advance and book up quickly so start watching their website in mid-fall and reserve ASAP got the dates you’d like.

   – [2021/22 SkyHop Bus Illumination Article](https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/news/see-tokyo-autumn-leaves-and-illuminations-on-an-open-top-double-decker-bus-110921)
   – [Tokyo SkyHop Bus Website](https://skyhopbus.com/)
   – Note: During Covid many routes were suspended and their English site wasn’t updated as much but once tourism reopens their website should be updated and you could hopefully reserve tickets via the English site more easily. For now, open the Japanese site in Chrome to translate to English.

   For current year illuminations, check for updated info in early to mid-fall but here’s some websites from 2021/22 winter season to give you an idea of all you can see. Just search Google for City Name + Illuminations + Year.

   – [12 Incredible Illuminations in Tokyo](https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/things-to-do/tokyo-illuminations)
   – [Tokyo Winter Illumination Guide](https://jw-webmagazine.com/tokyo-winter-illumination-guide-2017-2018-13d71df4af67/)
   – [Best Winter Illumination Spots in Osaka](https://jw-webmagazine.com/best-winter-illumination-spots-in-osaka-d19f1d509a4e/)

   For Osaka hotel, we’ve liked staying at the [Cross Hotel](http://www.booking.com/Share-C89fBP) as it’s super convenient to restaurants/shopping in Dotonbori and Amerikamura.

   For Kyoto, I strongly recommend staying in the Higashiyama/Gion area as you’re walking distance to so many sightseeing spots, shopping, and restaurants. We’ve liked staying there much better than when we’ve stayed near Kyoto Station.

   Yes, you should definitely do at least one (if not two) nights in Hakone to enjoy a ryokan/onsen experience and hopefully if the weather is good get some great views of Fuji from the lake. The first night you will be tired from travel so could have dinner at the ryokan and relax in the onsen. The next day, sight see, and if you stay two nights have dinner at [Gora Brewery & Grill](https://goo.gl/maps/5LprmhF8gbbdTiun8) and then relax again in the onsen. A bit slower pace will be a really nice break. The [Hakone Navi](https://www.hakonenavi.jp/international/en/) website has heaps of helpful info.

   Lots of lodging options. We’ve splurged at a place with 3 private outdoor onsen huts and an in-room tub and gone mid-range at a more basic ryokan with no in room onsen tub but still had the ability to reserve their outdoor onsen for private use. Both were great and if you search for lodging in Hakone you’ll find soooo many options.

   – [Splurge: Hakone Kowakudani Onsen Mizunoto](https://goo.gl/maps/H61oEniFa327TeGw5)
   – [Ajisai Onsen Ryokan](http://www.booking.com/Share-o3SlXsL)

   Happy planning!

4. Jan 1 there will be massive amount of festivities all around. You should try to figure a schedule to allow you both Disney and a Jinja visit

5. If you are going with elderly parents. You need to get them training on walking. That itinerary is going to be exhausting for them.

6. I just wanted to let you know the Starbucks reserve in nakameguro is very popular and even now with no tourists allowed the waiting time can be over two hours. On weekends I’ve seen a ticket system and tons of people just sitting in front waiting for their turn! I imagine once tourists are let in, it’ll be even more busy!

7. Are you just going to Tsujiki to eat? Sure its nice, but i had a better experience at Kanazawa fish markets. Its half way between Tokyo and Osaka, though I’m not sure how convenient it is to go from Tokyo to Kanazawa since have only been via Osaka. There’s a few things to do in that city too, its a relatively quiet city.

   Can you still go to observe the auction? I don’t think you can. You are left wondering around a wet market, which is cool to see giant fish (though cut up for selling purposes obviously), but in terms of eating Salmon at Tsujiki, you get the same quality in pretty much all fish markets across Japan.

   ​

   Jan 5, Osaka Aquarium is massive, spent 3 hours there and we weren’t spending time snapping a lot of photos there. You might not have time/be exhausted for pokemon centre.

   ​

   I also recommend going somewhere rural for Ryokan during the middle of the trip. The cities can get overwhelming really quick and its always great to just go and relax for two nights at a Ryokan and do onsen, especially in January when its really cold, and I mean really cold and the fact that you have elderly parents means they should have somewhere VERY nice to relax (I assume they have no issues sleeping in a tatami mat)

8. > Dec 28 – Tokyo – Might look for a dinner reservation.

   Didn’t do a single reservation while visiting Japan. Just walked in if there was room.

   One thing to keep in mind is that a lot of restaurants seem to have odd operating hours. They might be open 11am-2pm and then at 5pm-8pm, but otherwise they might be closed.

   Izakayas can offer things that might fit your needs. They are open in the evenings (but can be a bit loud). They offer beer (but idk about cocktails). And they offer “snacks”, i.e. warm/hot meals in tiny portion sizes, including meat skewers. It’s also common to order food multiple times during your stay in an izakaya. So you can order a meat skewer and if you like it, you can order more of it. If you don’t like the meat skewer, you aren’t stuck with a huge portion of food that you don’t like, and simply can order something else for your next round. Izakayas usually have a big red lampion 🏮 at the door so they are easy to recognize.

   Another option would be to go to tonkatsu (~steak/schnitzel) restaurants, or omuraisu (omelet with rice wrapped in it) restaurants.

   > Dec 29 – Tokyo – SkyTree Town and Sky Tree at evening/night

   Veeery long waiting time (at least in summer). Might be worth having a plan B if standing around for a long time is an issue for your parents.

   Since you are in Asakusa, you could make a trip to Ueno Park which is not too far away. Skip Ueno zoo if you like animals (the zoo is too tiny for those animals and it is a rather sad sight), but in case that you insist to go there, their highlight is a panda.

   > Dec 30 – Tokyo – Afternoon: Tokyo tower.

   The tower is on the opposite side of the city from shinjuku iirc? The tower is closer to Asakusa? Maybe not worth to do a round trip if you are in shinjuku. Meiji-jingu, on the other hand, is close to shinjuku, so I’d do those two on the same day.

   The shinjuku garden is pretty! A good choice. But check operating hours!* Meiji-jingu requires a decent amount of walking on a path without asphalt (tiny pebble stones and dirt possible). If your parents are not good on their feet, this might be tricky.

   *check operating hours for just anything. When we’ve been to Japan, we found those very odd. Every place seemed to have different hours and they were all something like 11am-5pm.

   > Jan 2

   Tsukiji has been sort of closed for tourists (last time I checked). You’ll have to book a guided tour in advance and you’ll have to get up very early (4-5am).

   Regarding the JR pass, think twice if you really need it. We were considering it but found that for our trip it was cheaper to just buy the tickets without getting a JR pass.

   To give you an idea of the prices:

   – from Kyoto (which is near to Osaka) to Tokyo the ticket was 10,000¥ (~$100) per person.

   – From Kyoto to Hiroshima it was also 10,000¥.

   – From Osaka Airport to Kyoto main station it was 4,000¥ ($40), iirc.

   – from Kyoto main station to Fushimi Inari it was 140¥ ($1.40).

   – from Asakusa to Shinjuku it was 420¥ ($4.20) with the Yamanote ring line, iirc.

   > Kyoto

   There is a nice garden to the west of Kyoto main station (Shosei-en), that I found pretty in summer, in case you are interested in such things. There’s also a big temple to the east of the main station (Higashi Honganji.It’s quite famous and also pretty). If you manage to find that temple on the map, just go from there in a straight line to the west to locate the small garden I mentioned.

   For the imperial palace in Kyoto, make sure it is open (to the public)! It wasn’t when we visited.

   About Fushimi Inari: there are a lot of stairs (this is an understatement). I was there when I was in my mid 20s and it was very challenging to get to the top of Fushimi Inari. It also took an hour (to the top, and then more time to go back down). But to be fair, most people don’t walk all the way up. They only go to the first or second “platform”, so this will probably be fine for your elderly parents. But you will probably not spend as much time in the shrine as you think because of this. Note: to reach the shrine itself you don’t have to climb any stairs (or just a few at the train station), so I’m definitely not talking you out of visiting the shrine. It’s pretty and the shrine itself is very accessible. It’s just the famous red gates/torii that require climbing stairs, but your parents will probably be able to at least reach the entrance of the gates and maybe even walk through them for a little.

   Also consider visiting Nara if you are in the Osaka/Kyoto area. Maybe spend one day less in Tokyo and one day more in Kyoto/Osaka instead for a day trip to Nara.

   > back to Tokyo

   Why? I see this so often… Why do people go to Tokyo, then to Kyoto/Osaka, and then to Tokyo again…?

   Don’t waste money on the train again and don’t waste energy to move back and forth. Just do everything you want to do in Tokyo in the first half of the trip, and then go to Osaka/Kyoto and stay there till the end. Book a flight home from Osaka International Airport. Or book a flight from Osaka with an intermittent stop in Tokyo and then board a flight home from there if there are no direct flights from Osaka to where you live.

   Edit: added garden and temple name in Kyoto + something about Fushimi Inari and Nara

9. Let’s hope they will open up further by the time of your trip. They are only allowing tour groups for now.

10. A few quick comments:

    Japan half shuts down from about the 1st to the 4th of January, and while some places will still be open (and trains will still run) some places will close for a few days longer – it’s not a trip ruiner, just be aware that some of the shops or resturants you try might not be open at that time.

    Tsukiji is pointless these days since they moved it.

    The Tokyo Imperial Palance is “meh”. Why not throw in a few museums instead?

    And that’s *a lot* of temples/shrines, are you sure you won’t be templed out by the end?

    Definitely go to Hakone for a change of scenery. Also consider a day hike or two for some greenery!

11. Not sure what your budget is, but Ishinohana in Tokyo and Bar Rocking Chair in Kyoto both have excellent cocktails, and I’d bring my elderly parents to either. It’s easy to make a reservation at Ishinohana online.

    Definitely stay overnight in a ryokan in Hakone. The views of Fuji from Owakudani are incredible, and you shouldn’t miss an onsen experience.

    Kaiyukan aquarium in Osaka is awesome!