Hello there, my friends and I (group of 3) will be visiting Japan for the first time. Our goal here is to have a relaxing and fun trip together. I have made a list of places I want to visit and would really appreciate your thoughts on it.
How do you think? Is it too greedy? Do you have suggestions of places I can visit?
Japan Trip Itinerary
12/08/2023 – 21/08/2023
Osaka – 3 days
Kyoto – 3 days
Tokyo – 3 days
Osaka
Day 1 (12/08):
7:25 AM: Arrival at Kansai Airport, Osaka
9:00 AM: Check in at Hotel and head to Dotonbori for breakfast
11:00 AM: Walk to Namba and visit the Glico Running Man billboard
○ Estimated transit time: 10 minutes
12:00 PM: Lunch at Kuromon Market
○ Estimated transit time: 15 minutes
2:00 PM: Depart to Osaka Castle.
○ Take the subway from Nippombashi Station to Osaka Business Park Station.
○ Estimated transit time: 25 minutes
5:00 PM: Visit Tempozan Ferris Wheel
○ Take the subway from Tanimachi 4-chome Station to Osakako Station.
○ Estimated transit time: 25 minutes
6:30 PM: Visit the Osaka Aquarium
8:00 PM: Dinner at Tempozan Harbor Village area
9:30 PM: Stroll along the bay and explore Namba nightlife
Day 2 (13/08) :
9:00 AM: Visit Osaka Science Museum
○ Estimated transit time: 20 minutes
11:00 AM: Head to Tower of the Sun at Expo ’70 Commemorative Park.
○ Estimated transit time: 30 minutes
1:00 PM: Picnic lunch in Hattori Ryokuchi Park
3:00 PM: Visit the Open Air Museum of Old Japanese Farmhouses,
5:00 PM: Visit Instant Ramen Museum.
○ Take the subway from Hattori Ryokuchi Station to Ikeda Station.
○ Estimated transit time: 25 minutes
7:00 PM: Dinner at Instant Ramen Museum.
8:30 PM: Enjoy night views from Umeda Sky Building.
○ Estimated transit time: 20 minutes
10:00 PM: Explore the bars and clubs in the Umeda area.
Day 3 (14/08) :
9:00 AM: Visit to Mozu Tombs.
○ Take the subway from Umeda Station to Mikunigaoka Station, followed by a short bus ride.
○ Estimated transit time: 30 minutes
11:00 AM: Head to Asahi Suita Brewery for a beer brewery tour.
○ Take a bus or taxi to reach the brewery.
○ Estimated transit time: 25 minutes
1:00 PM: Lunch at nearby restaurants.
3:00 PM: Visit the Sumiyoshi Taisha.
○ Take the subway from Asahiobashi Station to Sumiyoshitoriimae Station.
○ Estimated transit time: 30 minutes
5:00 PM: Visit Shitennoji temple,
○ Located near Tennoji Station.
○ Estimated transit time: 15 minutes
7:00 PM: Dinner at a restaurant near Abeno Harukas.
9:00 PM: Enjoy night views at the observation deck of Abeno Harukas.
10:30 PM: Explore Bay Area nightlife.
🚄 Osaka ➡️ Kyoto (30 mins)
Kyoto
Day 4 (15/08)
11:00 AM: Arrival in Kyoto from Osaka
11:30 AM: Lunch at “Cafe de Kyoto” near Kyoto Station
12:30 PM: Visit Kyoto Railway Museum
○ Take a taxi or use public transportation (bus or train) from Kyoto Station to Kyoto Railway Museum
○ Estimated transit time: 20 minutes
2:30 PM: Explore Nijo Castle
○ Take a taxi or use public transportation (bus or train) from Kyoto Railway Museum to Nijo Castle
○ Estimated transit time: 15 minutes
4:30 PM: Relax at “Nijo-jo Chaya” tea house near Nijo Castle
5:30 PM: Visit the Kyoto Manga Museum
○ Take a short walk from Nijo Castle to the Kyoto Manga Museum
○ Estimated walking time: 10 minutes
7:30 PM: Dinner at “Nishiki Warai” restaurant in downtown Kyoto
○ Explore the Pontocho district after dinner for nightlife options, such as “Bar Moonlight” or “Club Kyoto”
9:30 PM: Return to the hotel and rest
Day 5 (16/08)
8:00 AM: Breakfast at the hotel
9:00 AM: Visit Fushimi Inari Shrine
○ Take a taxi or use public transportation (train) from your hotel to Fushimi Inari Shrine
○ Estimated transit time: 20 minutes
11:00 AM: Explore Toji Temple and its surroundings
○ Take a short walk from Fushimi Inari Shrine to Toji Temple
○ Estimated walking time: 15 minutes
1:00 PM: Lunch at “Toji Kaisen Ichiba” near Toji Temple
2:30 PM: Relax at “Funaoka Onsen” natural hot spring bath near Toji Temple
○ Take a taxi or use public transportation (bus) from Toji Temple to Funaoka Onsen
○ Estimated transit time: 20 minutes
4:30 PM: Visit Sanjusangendo
○ Take a taxi or use public transportation (bus or train) from Funaoka Onsen to Sanjusangendo
○ Estimated transit time: 25 minutes
6:30 PM: Dinner at “Izuju” restaurant near Sanjusangendo
8:00 PM: Witness the Gozan no Okuribi Festival at Higashiyama
○ Take a taxi or use public transportation (bus) from Sanjusangendo to Higashiyama
○ Estimated transit time: 15 minutes
11:00 PM: Return to the hotel and rest
Day 6 (17/08)
8:30 AM: Breakfast at the hotel
9:30 AM: Visit Monkey Park Iwatayama in Arashiyama
○ Take a taxi or use public transportation (train) from your hotel to Arashiyama
○ Estimated transit time: 30 minutes
11:30 AM: Explore the Bamboo Grove and other attractions in Arashiyama
1:30 PM: Lunch at “Arashiyama Yoshimura” restaurant in Arashiyama
3:00 PM: Visit the Samurai and Ninja Museum
○ Take a taxi or use public transportation (train) from Arashiyama to the Samurai and Ninja Museum
○ Estimated transit time: 25 minutes
5:00 PM: Explore the Nishiki Market Shopping District
○ Take a short walk from the museum to the Nishiki Market
○ Estimated walking time: 10 minutes
7:00 PM: Dinner at a restaurant in the Nishiki Market area
9:00 PM: Enjoy nightlife options in Gion, such as traditional tea houses or bars
11:00 PM: Return to the hotel and rest
🚄 Kyoto ➡️ Tokyo (2 hours 15 mins)
Tokyo
Day 7 (18/08)
1:30 PM: Arrival in Tokyo
2:30 PM: Check-in at your accommodation and freshen up
3:30 PM: Visit Sensoji Temple
○ Take the train from your accommodation to Asakusa Station
○ Estimated travel time: \~30 minutes
○ Explore the temple grounds and Nakamise Shopping Street
○ Visit the temple’s main hall
5:30 PM: Head to Tokyo Skytree
○ Take a short walk from Sensoji Temple to Tokyo Skytree
○ Estimated walking time: \~20 minutes
○ Visit the observation deck for panoramic views of the city
7:00 PM: Dinner in the Skytree area
8:30 PM: Relax at accommodation or explore nearby nightlife options
Day 8 (19/08)
9:00 AM: Breakfast at a local cafe near your accommodation
10:00 AM: Start your day at Ueno Park and Yanaka
○ Take the train from your accommodation to Ueno Station
○ Estimated travel time: \~30 minutes
○ Explore Ueno Park, including Ueno Zoo, museums, and cherry blossom spots
○ Walk to Yanaka and experience the old Tokyo atmosphere with traditional houses and shops
12:30 PM: Lunch in the Yanaka area
2:00 PM: Visit teamLab Borderless and teamLab Planets
○ Take the train from Nippori Station to Tokyo Teleport Station
○ Estimated travel time: \~40 minutes
○ Immerse yourself in the digital art installations and interactive exhibits
5:00 PM: Explore Odaiba
○ Walk or take a short train ride from teamLab to Odaiba
○ Visit attractions such as Palette Town, Odaiba Seaside Park, and DiverCity Tokyo Plaza
7:00 PM: Dinner at a restaurant in Odaiba
9:00 PM: Enjoy the nightlife in Odaiba, such as rooftop bars or karaoke
Day 9 (20/08)
9:00 AM: Breakfast at a local cafe near your accommodation
10:00 AM: Start day at Shinjuku
○ Take the train from your accommodation to Shinjuku Station
○ Estimated travel time: \~30 minutes
○ Explore Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
○ Visit Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building for a panoramic view of Tokyo (free observation deck)
12:30 PM: Lunch in Shinjuku
2:00 PM: Shopping and leisure time in Shibuya
○ Take the train from Shinjuku Station to Shibuya Station
○ Estimated travel time: \~10 minutes
○ Visit Shibuya Crossing and explore the bustling streets of Shibuya
○ Enjoy shopping at Shibuya 109 and other trendy stores
6:00 PM: Dinner in Shibuya
8:00 PM: Explore the nightlife in Shibuya, including bars and clubs
Day 10 (21/08)
9:00 AM: Breakfast at a local cafe near your accommodation
10:00 AM: Visit Ginza for shopping and sightseeing
○ Take the train from your accommodation to Ginza Station
○ Estimated travel time: \~20 minutes
○ Explore the upscale shopping district and visit department stores and luxury boutiques
○ Visit the Art Aquarium Museum Ginza
12:30 PM: Lunch in Ginza
2:00 PM: Relax at Hamarikyu Gardens
○ Take a short walk from Ginza to Hamarikyu Gardens
○ Estimated walking time: \~10 minutes
4:00 PM: Optional visit to Shinbashi
○ Take the train from Shimbashi Station
○ Explore the area’s shopping streets and have a leisurely stroll
6:00 PM: Return to accommodation for packing and getting ready to leave
7:00 PM: Depart for the airport
○ Take the train or arrange for a taxi to the airport
○ Have dinner at the airport before flight
5 comments
You are being way to strict on your time table and way too hopeful with those transit times. Personally if I went on this trip I would be miserable getting shoved from spot to spot without being able to enjoy my time somewhere.
My suggestion is find the most important things for you to see and put them on the schedule. Anything else that you want to see but arent critical you can add to another list by area so if you finish something and dont know what to do next you pick one of the destinations you had listed nearby.
Why not schedule your trips to the bathroom, as well?
its awesome you have so much planned! But I would be a little more lenient with the time, its hard to schedule things like that down to the T considering transit, weather, traffic etc. And who knows you may end up really enjoying one place and staying for hours and not being super interested in another and then you have time to spare!
I was like you, planning the little stuff like estimate travelling time to have a gauge (been to Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo as well).
Heck, everything was throw out of the window when we were there. As long as we knew where we are heading on that day, we just rely on google map on the timing. I planned 2hrs for Asakusa, guess what, that place is so beautiful and so many things to see/eat that we took way longer (almost 4hrs). If your idea is to have a relax trip, be prepared to drop a few “optional” on focus on the main areas.
how are you going to enjoy those things if you always have to worry about making it to the next thing in time. like just go with the flow
but I mean if you want it like that and enjoy it like that, who am I to judge lol