10 day Itinerary Help: Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto

5 comments

1. Hi. I’m part Japanese and have spent a lot of time there as well as traveled all around so I’d love to give some tips. What is your plan on 9/13?

   For 9/13, in Kyoto, Kinkakuji and Kiyomizu-dera are two neat sights to see. Kiyomizu-dera is quite close to Nishiki market I believe, so doing those north of Kyoto station on the same day might be ideal. The subway lines and bus lines have fairly cheap day passes that can be purchased at the station.

   I also would highly recommend seeing Nara, south of Fushimi Inari if at all possible, as it has some of the oldest history in Japan as well as deer.

   Himeji is just south of Osaka, but it is an iconic castle if you get the chance.

2. This seems like a lot of shopping time in Tokyo. That may be what you want and Tokyo is an amazing shopping city but you may also want to consider food and other experiences. I’m a novice but I loved the sakurai tea experience if you like tea ($$), and there are markets in Asakusa for food cheaper than Tsujiki. If shopping is your jam, I loved the Ginza Uniqlo and bought more than I should have :).

   Shibuya crossing is best at night and I think you can just experience it as you walk to a late dinner or snack in the area! The rest of the itinerary looks good for a first trip. Have a blast – lots of cheap excellent food, I think lots of $$$ meals not worth it unless you are looking for something very specific for your palate or a fiend for a particular food you want to see done to the utmost. That said, an omakase is usually pricey but also a wonderful experience.

3. I would check out the Art Aquarium while you’re in Ginza. It’s in a shopping mall and a nice reprieve from the business of the city. It also doesn’t take very long if you’re worried about the time.

   Sunshine Mall has a planetarium and aquarium attached. I haven’t heard good things about the aquarium but I enjoyed the planetarium. Again, it was only about an hour, there was English audio available, and it’s just a nice moment away from the hustle and bustle. There’s also a rooftop garden (not the Solarium) that you can spend a few minutes in.

   For 9/13, some people say that the Arashiyama Bamboo forest is overrated, but I liked it a lot when I went. You can also check out the Kimono Forest, the Sagano Romance train, and the train station area. There is also a kimono shop next to the Kimono Forest installation in case you don’t do it the day you planned.

   I hope you have a lot of fun!

4. As others have said, see if you can get to Nara – it’s wonderful. It has the stunning Todai-Ji temple and the deer are pretty cool, it’s just a lovely place in general. It’s very easily accessible from Osaka or Kyoto, a bit quicker from the former IIRC.

5. From my recent trip to Japan including Hakone it’s hard to get a private onsen with mountain views without booking a night at the hotel/ryokan.

   They were pretty darn expensive and we were making a one day stop on our way from Osaka to Tokyo. We arrived late and were doing the Hakone loop so we ended up looking for the cheapest accomodation.

   We booked a private onsen at Hakone yuryo onsen, I have a medium sized thigh tattoo and it was fine. I’m sure they might have an issue if it visible at the reception.

   But it was pretty special, and then after the onsen we continued onto the train to Tokyo.

   It was a pretty overcast and foggy day so we didn’t get much of a view of fuji but it’s still a really nice area.

   We booked the onsen for two and were rushing the Hakone loop that make it.