Looking for some opinions/ways to improve itinerary, first time in Tokyo/Kyoto

9 comments

1. That is way, way too packed an itinerary. You’re not allowing any breathing room for yourself. I mean on the 13th you’re doing 4 areas with all those activities – each area alone would be a day in itself.

   I don’t think you’re allowing yourself any time to enjoy and absorb things, going from place to place in such a quick manner and trying to pack it all in will probs just leave you dissatisfied and very stressed.

2. Yeah, for essentially 7.5 days trip – you have to prioritize which one you want to see. For instance, I am staying in Tokyo for 6 nights to be able to somewhat see the major areas (Shibuya, Shinjuku, Asakusa, Odaiba, Akihabara).

   June 12 and June 13 are just impossible, June 15 should leave perhaps the first Shinkansen at 6AM,

   I recommend re-prioritizing your plan and just focus on the ones you want to see with the time that you have

3. 13 – That is at least 2 days worth of visit. Also

   15 – That could be kind of ok for a full day, but you don’t have the morning so it can be a lot.

   It is not that outrageous, but just be flexible and drop things if you see you run out of time, just make some priorities and try to enjoy what you are doing instead of rushing.

4. I agree with the others that many of these days are too packed – Travel time/eating/finding your way/random distractions will eat up more time than you think.

   To point out something in particular – The 16th in Tokyo contains things from literally all over town, and Kyoto’s public transport is…not efficient. The Monkey Park alone requires a hike to get to. Unless you’re doing a (packed) bus tour, it’s nearly impossible to do in one day.

   Re: Taxis – They are reasonably reliable but fairly pricey and not always abundant.

5. 6/13 and your Kyoto days are completely unrealistic. Stuff from 6/13 is at least two days worth, and all that Kyoto stuff is at best three days, if not four with how spread out a lot of it is and how Kyoto’s transportation is set up. You need to prioritize what’s most important and trim it down. Your second Kyoto day is literally all across the entire city.

6. I agree with pretty much all the other comments on which days are problematic. I also had an ambitious itinerary and ended up having to cut some things. While it is tedious, I recommend going through each day and seeing exactly how far things are (ie subway/bus time, walking time, budget time for eating…) that way you can get a realistic view of what can be done. I’d also recommend checking the average time to visit each place (also tedious but worth it). Some places look like they will be quick but you end up spending a good amount of time just walking around the area to see everything. If it makes you feel better, the temples tend to get old, after a while they all start to feel the same so don’t feel too bad about having to cut some (Kyoto has too many to see them all anyways!).

   Not to add one more thing to an already busy itinerary but we really enjoyed the Sagano Romantic Train in the Arashiyama area. It was not only beautiful but a nice little break off our feet inbetween the Bamboo Forest and the Monkey Park.

7. We just came back from a 10 day trip, Tokyo > Hakone > Kyoto > (one trip to Osaka) > Tokyo. Started around 7-8 am everyday, walked 25k+ steps a day, and did maybe 20% of your itinerary.

   Travel time between places takes longer than you think. For example going from Shibuya to Asakusa is 40 min on the subway, without considering getting to/from the station itself.

   If you want to do any window shopping (+1-2 hr here/there), eat at a sit down place (1-1.5 hr) and there are lines for more popular places.

   Realistically, prioritize 2-5 top things per day. Like you really don’t need to do Metropolitan Building and Skytree, unless you just take a picture outside and keep moving. Give yourself some breaks and slow down and enjoy. It’s a vacation! I mean unless you’re in the Amazing Race. 😉

8. Just use Wanderlog for planning. You put in each of these places, it will show you the distance and travel time between each, and you can see them on a map to see if you are crisscrossing all over the city. You can also put in the times you plan to spend at each spot to see if your days are too packed.

9. 6/16 needs to be toned town significantly. I recently went to Nijo Castle and spent the better part of three hours there. I didn’t even get to go to the Kyoto Imperial palace because there was lot enough time.