Visiting Japan for the first time in late September, and I’m very excited. This is part of a 2-week tour with the 2nd half being in Korea.
I realize before even posting that my itinerary is a bit whirlwind and trying to fit a lot in not too much time. It’s a group trip and these were the destinations decided on by majority vote.
The purpose really is to just walk around Tokyo, Kyoto and Kawaguchiko, take in the sites and the atmosphere and most importantly, enjoy some delicious food. That’s a BIG one. For each day, I’ve made a list of potential food spots we’d be looking to try (not all of them obviously, but at least a couple). Would love for more recommendations as well.
Anyway, here’s what it looks like:
**Day 1**: Arrive in Tokyo, late afternoon. By the time we get to our accommodation, it’ll be early evening. We’re staying in Shinjuku, so we’ll probably just walk around the neighbourhood and take in the vibes. Would like to check out Omoide Yokocho. Food spots on the list: Menya Kaijin, Sushi Zanmai, Gyukatsu Motomura
**Day 2:** Explore Shibuya and Harajuku – Shibuya Sky, Meiji and circle back towards Gyoen and Yoyogi if time permits. Potential food spots: Ramen Hayashi, Udon Shin, Guykatsu Motomura, Sushi no Midori, Blacows, Viron, Yogoro
**Day 3:** Leave bright and early and take the shinkansen to Kyoto. We will be staying near Kyoto Station. The first day, we will likely be checking out Higashiyama and Gion, and the various temples in the area like Fushimi Inari and Kiyomizudera, and Sannenzaka/Ninenzaka areas etc. Potential food spots: Gion Negiyaki Kana, Izuu, Yamamoto Menzou, Matsunosuke, Yamamoto Mambo
**Day 4:** One more day in Kyoto. Will be checking out the south side of the city. Gonna wake up as early as possible to visit Arashiyama as I’ve heard it gets crazy later in the day. Maybe check out the monkey park as well and do a little walk by the river. Will also check out Togetskuyo Bridge and Kamemeya Park. Potential food spots: Arashiyama Daizen, Unagi Hirokawa, Mister Gyoza, Suehiro
**Day 5:** Back to Tokyo as early in the morning as possible. For the remainder of the trip, we will b e staying in Sumida City. Today’s itinerary is Ginza and the Tsukiji area. We’ll check out the market and visit TeamLabs Planets. Might make a pitstop at Ginza Itoya and Daimaru depending on time. Potential food spots: Onodera (will make reservation), Ushigoro (will make reservation), Ginza Kagari Ramen, Wagyu to Worldwide, Zeitaku Don, Kitsusenya
**Day 6:** Day trip to Kawaguchiko. Not too much planned here – just wander the town, check out Oishi Park, the Pagoda with he views of Fuji, maybe go up the cable car and hit up an onsen. Depending on weather and how clear Mt Fuji is, we may switch this to Day 7
**Day 7: **Last day in Japan – we’re planning to spend it around Asakusa and Akihabara. Check out Senso-ji temple, walk along Nakaimise and then down to Akihabara for some of the cool electronics, gaming and manga-related stores. Potential food spots: Curry Bondy, Ayam-Ya, Grill Grand, Edo Fuji, Kamejuu, Fruits Parlor Goto, Noguchi Sengyoten
Day 8 – we leave Tokyo in the morning and head for Seoul. And that’s that! Thoughts? Any kind of recommendations and suggestions for cool things to see or activities to do are very welcome! And oh yes, always open to more food recs
3 comments
Day 2: The SkyTree isn’t in Shibuya/ Harajuku area, it’s way over in Sumida where you’re staying on day 5. I’d recommend doing the Shibuya sky instead, it’s an open air observatory and I thought the open air experience was way better (you’ll prob need a ticket in advance)
Day 3: if you plan to do all of Fushimi Inari this seems extremely tight, if you’re ok rearranging it is open 24 hours
Probably not what you want to hear, but I think 7 days is too short for Kyoto to make sense, especially if you’re going for a day trip to Kawaguchiko. This has caused you to overpack your Kyoto days, as well. Things are very spread out there and rushing around kind of takes away some of what makes the city so charming. It also cuts your Tokyo time significantly, which really only leaves you the basic tourist spots & neighborhoods.
I would think about replacing Kyoto with Kamakura. You can go for a day trip or an overnight and enjoy next door Enoshima, as well. It’s not Kyoto, but it has a lot of the same characteristics that people go to Kyoto for and would, I believe, really reduce a lot of the travel-anxiety you will probably be experiencing with your current itinerary.
I will say, though, at least you’re not trying to make a Kyoto “day trip” work. It’s shocking the amount of itineraries I see posted on here trying to pull that off.
Is your flight set? Because you can free up half a day for more sightseeing by not returning to Tokyo and flying from Kansai directly to Seoul. Also saves you the cost of the return train. Flight connections between Kansai and other Asian airports tend to be much better than to ones outside Asia.