3 Week Trip Report: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Hakone

Hey Everyone!

I \[M23\] was recently in Japan for just over 3 Weeks (May 15th to June 7th) and wanted to share my itinerary, thoughts / experiences, and a quick overview of how much I spent on the trip (Prices will either be in JPY or CAD).

**Before Leaving:**

* Withdrew 100 000 JPY (At the time was around 1100 CAD) and brought an additional 500 CAD with me to exchange if needed (Ended up exchanging 200 CAD but I started using my Amex a lot more near the end of the trip or for larger purchases).
* Booked Flight: 1400 CAD (Toronto to Tokyo)
* Booked Accommodations (I travelled with two other people so I’ll put how much I spent)
* Airbnb in Asakusa // 6 Nights // 240 CAD
* Airbnb in Gion // 5 Nights // 145 CAD
* Airbnb in Dotonbori // 4 Nights // 190 CAD
* Hotel in Hiroshima // 2 Nights // 90 CAD
* Airbnb in Hakone // 2 Nights // 145 CAD
* Airbnb in Nakano // 4 Nights // 150 CAD
* Bought the 14 Day JR Pass from the official website (550 CAD), it made it easier to book seats online and there was no exchange voucher. I ended up going to a JR Station and getting my JR Pass from there a couple days after arriving, only had to show them my email confirmation and passport.
* Packed everything in a Medium size suitcase (W + H + L under 160 cm) and had a carry-on size duffel bag folded up inside my checked bag which I used on the way back.
* I ended up settling with this since I knew I was going to use Yamato Transport to send my luggage to majority of places + this also gave me freedom to bring some more stuff back. You could also choose to buy a cheaper suitcase from there and fill it with stuff to bring back if you need space. Any time I didn’t have my main suitcase I would just use my duffel bag to get me through a couple days.
* Ubigi E-Sim – Started off with the 10 GB plan and ended up getting the 3GB plan near the end of the trip.
* Booked Ginza Kyubey (We couldn’t get reservations at the main location so booked for Garden Tower Location)
* It was about 150 CAD / person – I’m glad I tried the Omakase experience but I don’t think I’d do it again without language skills (Or I’d go to places where the Chef’s are comfortable with English). I went in with the very basics but couldn’t have a conversation with the Chef, going in a bit more prepared with language would’ve enhanced my experience.
* Booked teamLab Planets tickets
* Filled out Japan Web Forms
* Loaded up Suica on Apple Wallet (Very convenient since I didn’t need to carry another card around or cash to fill up the card)

**TOKYO**

DAY 0 + 1 (Asakusa):

* We got unlucky with delayed / cancelled flights so we got to Tokyo a day later than expected on the 16th instead of the 15th.
* We landed in NRT before noon and got through the airport very fast (Around 30 minutes to go through all the stops + get our bags), bought tickets for the Skyliner and headed to our Airbnb in Asakusa.
* Took the day easy and only went to Sensoji Temple and a bit of Sumida park.

Day 2 (Odaiba):

* teamLab planets for 11 AM, for first-timers I definitely think it’s worth going. I found it enjoyable and something I haven’t experienced before.
* Miraikan Museum, if you’re into Science and Tech or like interactive exhibits you should definitely check it out. If you’re going just to go I’d probably skip it, I didn’t spend too much time here tbh.
* DiverCity Tokyo Plaza, saw the Gundam Statue + walked around the mall.

Day 3 (Ueno):

* We spent majority of our day at Ueno Park going to the different museums, exhibits, and stalls.
* We had our reservations for Ginza Kyubey at 5 PM.
* There was still a lot of time left after eating so we went to the Imperial Palace (It was closed so only saw it from the outside) and went to the Tokyo Tower.
* I’d definitely recommend going at night since the tower looks amazing when it’s lit up.

Day 4 (Kamakura + Enoshima):

* This was my favourite day on the trip and I’ll forever vouch for this place for people to go and see.
* In Kamakura we went to Kotoku-in, Hasedera, and walked around Komachi-dori. There was amazing food (I loved Miyoshi Udon), great views of the ocean, and you get to see the Great Buddha.
* In the afternoon we headed over to Enoshima, unfortunately, it started raining but if you had an umbrella it wasn’t bad at all + had the bonus of less people. We walked around Enoshima Shrine and visited the Sea Candle.
* There are a lot less tourists here and I found it to be very calm and peaceful compared to other major areas.

Day 5 (Akihabara):

* Spent the day walking around, going to arcades, and shopping at the many famous stores in Akihabara.
* Spent the evening at Sensoji temple, Sanja Matsuri was during this time so there was a lot of stuff going on (Food, Games, Parades).
* This was a 3 day festival so we caught glimpses of it on all days since our Airbnb was in the same area. If your trip overlaps with a festival you should definitely make some time to check it out.

**KYOTO**

Day 6 (Tokyo to Kyoto):

* Used Yamato Transport to send my luggage to Kyoto Airbnb (30 CAD) + Activated our JR Pass.
* Went to Yasaka Shrine and walked around the park, many temples in the area so went to a few of those as well.
* Went to Kiyomizu-dera, the main streets were busy but still worth going for the stores and food stalls, there were a lot of great souvenirs here.

Day 7 (Fushimi Inari Hike):

* We hiked Fushimi Inari Taisha, we got there around 7:30 AM and it was pretty empty. I’d recommend going as early as you can because the crowds get there fast. There’s always a lot of school trips and guided tours and when they start to roll in + the tourists it gets packed. When we got back down around 10:30ish AM the place was packed, we saw a lot of people going up as well (Doing the whole hike).
* We went back to our Airbnb to freshen up and relax a little bit and ended up going back to Kiyomizu-dera in the afternoon.

Day 8 (Nara):

* Took a day trip to Nara, spent majority of our time at the park and the surrounding areas (Kofuku-ji temple, Todai-ji temple).
* Spent time on Higashimuki Shopping Street before heading back to Kyoto.

Day 9 (Arashiyama):

* Woke up early and went to Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, we got there around 7:30 AM and it was very easy to take nice pictures, around 8:30 – 9 AM the place starts to get busy so definitely go before that to beat the crowds.
* It’s a beautiful area so I just ended up walking around the neighbourhoods. Went to a couple smaller temples as well that were in the area / on the way (Such as Gioji Temple). A lot of smaller food stalls as well that I ended up trying out.
* Went to Tenryuji temple and to the food stalls + stores on the main street.
* Went to Kinkakuji Pavilion.

Day 10 (Uji):

* Went to Uji for a day trip, another underrated city that people should definitely go to if they have time.
* Went to Byodoin Temple (The temple on the 10 yen coin) and to the Phoenix Hall.
* Leading up to the temple there are a lot of stores / food stalls selling everything related to Green tea so I bought a couple bags to bring back home.
* Went to Kosho-Ji Temple.
* Went to Ujigami Shrine.

**OSAKA**

Day 11 (Kyoto to Osaka):

* Used Yamato Transport to ship my luggage to Hiroshima (25 CAD).
* Trip was covered with JR Pass
* Went to Umeda Sky Building + Observation Deck.
* Our Airbnb was right on the edge of Dotonbori so we spent our evening walking around the main areas there seeing the famous landmarks.
* In the future I don’t think I’d get a place to stay that close to Dotonbori, it was great for accessibility since we could walk wherever we wanted but it was always very loud making it harder to sleep.

Day 12 (Kobe):

* Took a day trip to Kobe, starting off at Ikuta Shrine.
* Trip was covered with JR Pass
* Went to the Herb Gardens and spent majority of our time here.
* Ate a very late lunch at Royal Mouriya.

Day 13 (Amerikamura + Shinsekai):

* Took the day easy and spent majority of our time shopping at Amerika Mura and the surrounding areas.
* Went to Shinsekai at night to walk around, play some arcade games, and have dinner.

Day 14 (Free Day):

* Ended up walking around Dotonbori and going shopping again.
* In our original plan we weren’t too big on USJ but looking back that was a mistake, it would’ve given us another thing to do and it has a lot of exhibits that are unique to Japan. It’s definitely something I’m going to add to the list for next time.

**HIROSHIMA**

Day 15 (Osaka to Hiroshima):

* Went to Shukukeien Garden
* Went to Hiroshima Castle
* Went to the Atomic Bomb Dome
* Went to the Peace Memorial Museum
* A very powerful and emotional museum, and again, if people have the time they should go to Hiroshima for a night or for a day trip.

Day 16 (Miyajima Island):

* We took the JR Ferry to Miyajima Island (We got to the island around 10 AM)
* Covered with JR Pass
* Went straight to the famous Itsukushima Jinja but decided the wait wasn’t worth it as it was a very long line so we skipped that. We just took pictures without actually entering the area and were still very happy with how they turned out.
* Went to Momijidani Park.
* Took the Ropeway up to Mount Misen.
* Walked around Omotesando Street.
* Visited the Five Storied Pagoda.
* Left Miyajima around 4 PM
* Walked around Hondori Street in Hiroshima.

**HAKONE**

Day 17 (Hakone):

* Went to Hakone and bought the Hakone Free Pass (50 CAD)
* The first day was clear but we didn’t have enough time to go to the ropeway. The second day there was heavy rain + winds so the ropeway was closed. The Free Pass definitely wasn’t worth it for us but it happens, I’ll add viewing Fuji for the next trip (Unfortunately our accommodations were already booked so we couldn’t change to a nicer time).
* Spent most of the evening at an Onsen relaxing and recovering from all of our travelling.

Day 18 (Hakone Loop):

* Although it was raining hard, part of the Loop was still functioning so I did as much as I could (Going to Gora Station). It was still a fun experience going up the mountain on the twisting train with a beautiful view.
* Walked around the Hakone Open Air Museum.

**TOKYO**

Day 19 (Hakone to Tokyo):

* Unfortunately, a lot of the JR Trains were down due to the storm so we took local trains to our Airbnb in Tokyo (Staying in Nakano City this time)
* Our JR Pass ended this day as well
* Went to Shinjuku Gyoen.
* There was a lot to do around Shinjuku Station so I spent my time there scoping out different stores and stuff I’d want to buy.

Day 20 (Shibuya + Shinjuku):

* Spent the whole day shopping. There are many malls at Shinjuku station so I spent a lot of time there.
* Started heading towards Shibuya crossing and spent time at the stores along the main streets there.
* Went to the Shibuya crossing Starbucks for a view of the crossing and then left. Ended up going to a couple more stores around the crossing.

Day 21 (Akihabara + Asakusa):

* Went back to Akihabara to do some more shopping + arcades.
* Went back to Sensoji Temple to get more souvenirs.

Day 22 (Free Day):

* Spent my time in Shibuya + Shinjuku again walking around the malls that I might have missed before.
* Walked to ShimoKitazawa and spent time there.

Day 23 (Heading Back):

* Checked out of our hotel and spent some more time walking around Shinjuku before we had to head to the airport.

**TOTAL COST BREAKDOWN:**

* Flight = 1400 CAD
* Accommodations = 1000 CAD / Person
* Transport
* JR Pass = 550 CAD
* Other Train Passes (Suica) = 275 CAD
* Luggage = 55 CAD
* E-SIM = 25 CAD for 13 GB

It’s a bit harder to break down how much I spent daily on food but here’s a total of how much I spent without including the above costs:

* 120 000 JPY Cash used (About 1300 CAD)
* Used 1000 CAD to 1500 CAD on Amex
* I never had trouble with my Amex being accepted, but for some reason I did with my TD card

I already had high expectations for Japan and it honestly exceeded my expectations – The people are very kind, the food is delicious, they have rich history and culture, and they have a functioning public transport system. There were a lot of things I missed in the cities I was in and there’s so much of the country I still haven’t seen – praying I’m lucky enough to go again.