Hello fellow travellers,
Asking for advice on my travel plan during 21 Dec -> 02 Jan in Tokyo and Tohoku.
To preface this itinerary, I’m a single male and I can say I’m quite experienced in travelling to Jp, having been here a bit under a dozen times already for both work and holiday. I’m illiterate but I can understand JP verbally and respond in simple words and sign language. Enough to get around without troubling others.
The first half is my own travel, while the second half is meeting up with friends and family in Tokyo for new years and comiket. I’m a very casual otaku, so this would be knocking off my bucket list to visit Comiket as well.
Also I arranged the trip this way because JR national pass has literally doubled in price, so doing a domestic flight to Hakodate, then taking a ferry, and then the JR Tohoku 5 day pass, is cheaper than a 7 day JR pass. Thanks JR, for screwing over my original plans. Also leaving it this way, so I can save for a western tohoku trip in the future (Aomori, Akita, Yamagata, Aizu-Wakamatsu)
Questions/Advice needed:
In Day 5, my only worry is that either bad weather / snow / christmas day holiday would disrupt the highway bus to Miyako. Is this a valid worry? Is Hiraizumi temples a *must visit* and I should change to there instead?
In Day 9, I basically have no plans for that day since I will likely be allocating any shopping to the 30,31,1 days instead. What’s a good short 1 day trip in the greater tokyo area? While I have been to Tokyo multiple times, it’s basically bounded by the yamanote line.
Option 1: I’ll go for a walk around Shimokitazawa, then eat the meaty sandwich (stabler), then head towards Yokohama for the afternoon for either gundam factory visit, then dinner at Yokohama Chinatown.
Option 2: Head down to Kamakura in the morning, take a pic at the famous crossing, then head into Enoshima for shrine, tower, aquarium. Dinner at Tokyo.
**Day 1: Tokyo (21 Dec)**
Arrive at tokyo in the afternoon.
Check in at the hotel in Hamamatsucho, and basically explore around for a bit.
Visit Tokyo Tower (aim to get the 600 step certificate!), take a pic from the nearby park, then probably head into Shinjuku for dinner.
**Day 2: Hakodate (22 Dec)**
Check out in the morning, go to Haneda
Take a domestic flight to Hakodate
Arrive in Hakodate in early afternoon. Check in hotel first.
Walk towards Motomachi area, then head up to the observatory around sunset time.
After enough time up there, head down and then walk towards the bay area and look for food.
Enjoy the xmas tree by the bay.
**Day 3: Hakodate (23 Dec)**
Wake up, go towards Goryokaku garden and tower.
Have an early lunch nearby there. (Ramen!)
Head back towards the bay area (by tram) and walk around towards the warehouse direction.
Probably grab some pierrot burgers.
Go around shopping, then end the night.
**Day 4: Morioka (24 Dec)**
Check out of hotel in the morning
Make my way to the ferry. Take the Tsugaru Kaikyo ferry to Aomori.
Arrive at Aomori 4 hours later (early afternoon or noon-ish)
Activate JR Tohoku pass at Aomori JR station, take the shinkansen down to Morioka.
Arrive in Morioka, check in hotel.
Spend the evening in the city, probably walk towards the castle sight and see what’s there at downtown.
**Day 5: Morioka (25 Dec)**
I have two options here:
1. Head down to Hiraizumi and walk around the tourist spots – Motsuji temple lake, then Chusonji temple. Spend half a day there then head back to Morioka for the night.
2. Take the earliest 106 express bus from Morioka to Miyako. Enjoy some seafood lunch and probably head towards Jodogahama bridge by bus. Just to enjoy the beach. Head back to Miyako, then catch the evening bus back to Morioka.
I’m leaning towards option 2 at the moment.
**Day 6: Sendai (26 Dec)**
Check out of hotel, head down to Sendai by train.
Explore Sendai city – Sendai castle site, Zuihoden.
**Day 7: Sendai (27 Dec)**
Take a train to Shiogama, take the cruise that views Matsushima bay pine islands ~50minutes.
End up at Matsushima around lunch time. Eat some seafood.
Tour around Matsushima area. The shopping street, the red bridges, the temple on the island.
Take the JR train back to Sendai in the evening.
**Day 8: Tokyo (28 Dec)**
Shinkansen down to Tokyo after checking out of hotel. JR Tohoku pass ends today.
Check into hotel at Shimbashi. This will the base where I will be for the next week.
Visit a friend, have dinner at Kagurazaka or nearby there. Probably will eat monjayaki again.
**Day 9: Tokyo (29 Dec)**
One free day in Tokyo.
**Day 10: Tokyo (30 Dec)**
Comiket day 1 morning. Continue with friends in the afternoon, but probably not visiting Akiba that day. Might do my own shopping around. Might just go shopping at Odaiba Diver City.
**Day 11: Tokyo (31 Dec)**
Comiket day 2 morning.
Afternoon is probably visiting Akihabara and shopping/hunting for comiket goods or whatever I feel like getting.
Probably a short nap after dinner, then wake up in time for new years.
I’m probably going to Sensoji temple for the new years countdown and be stuck in the crowd. Either that or fireworks at yokohama bay.
**Day 12: Tokyo (01 Jan)**
Wake up, pick a temple for Hatsumode (I’m going to Tokyo Daijingu Temple for now)
I have multiple options here, but its all shopping. Either I go with my friends to hunt for comiket goods in Akiba shops, or I go around shopping in winter sales again and try to snag a fukubukuro (without needing to book them, if possible). That would be Ikebukuro probably.
**Day 13: Tokyo (02 Jan)**
Flight back home. My flight is in the afternoon at Narita, so I have ample time to check out, have a good lunch, then head towards the airport to wait for my flight.