Itinerary check: 10 days across Tokyo, Naoshima, Kyoto, Fuji

Hello! We are a couple in our early 30s doing a 10 day trip to Japan. I went before, in 2018, but it’s my partner’s first time.

The thing that makes this trip cramped is certainly Naoshima (6h and 4h travel legs), but my partner feels very strongly about it. She’s an experienced solo traveler, too, and plans packed itineraries. Worst case, if I’m very tired from the long travel, I will just hang out while she binges the museums there.

Most of the itinerary focuses on her interest in art/museums, but we are also both interested in anime and gaming. And I am a HUGE foodie. But I don’t really like long lines. So I probably need to think about places that will usually have open tables/walk in space, for meals where making a reservation is impossible or inconvenient. The current food plan is a little ambitious…

For the below list of stuff, lodging is already booked, but we haven’t bought tickets or made reservations for anything on specific days. So I’m wondering if folks have any advice to minimize travel within individual days or move things around. Particularly in Tokyo/Kyoto.

**1 – Tokyo**

* 2:30 PM – Flight arrives in Tokyo
* Check into lodging in Shinjuku (5-6p)
* Shibuya crosswalk and Shibuya Sky, Scramble Square mall
* Dinner ideas – Torikatsu Chicken, RUBIA, Jidoriya Tsukada, Pork Vindaloo, Tare-Katsu Shibuya. Or just hit up the ramen street in shibuya station
* Nighttime ideas if we have energy – Booze – Ishinohana, Dessert – Shiroichi

**2 – Tokyo**

* Breakfast – Tsumugi or Ginza Choshoku Lab
* Morning: Imperial palace (maybe tour, maybe not)
* Lunch – Tempura Abe or lunch sets at Iwa or Tokami
* Afternoon: Teamlab planets – budget 2 hours
* Afterwards, go back north. Muji ginza flagship store… Sanrio store… Henri Charpentier Ginza Store
* Dinner – Snack at vampire cafe. Sushi Katsura might be good for dinner. Or ramen (Ginzasa, Genraku)
* Evening ideas – A Happy Pancake, Bar High Five, Tír na nÓg

**3 – Tokyo**

* Breakfast ideas – eggcellent, World Breakfast Allday, eggs n things, ivy place
* Morning – Mori and National Art Center
* Lunch ideas – either Butagumi or something in Harajuku. Kaitensushi Ginza Onodera
* Afternoon – Harajuku (shopping, yoyogi park, and desserts)
* Dinner – Any of the options previously listed in Shibuya or Shinjuku
* Golden Gai, Kabukicho

**4 – Tokyo – Sunday**

* Breakfast – Fuglen asakusa
* Morning – Senso-ji
* Lunch – either nearby street food or eat in akiba (Gyukatsu Ichi Ni San, Tonkatsu Marugo, Unatoto, Tempura Hisago, a lot of ramen places nearby.)
* Afternoon – Akihabara. Animate (girls station?), kotobukiya, mandarake, lashinbang, Beep, Hirose entertainment yard, Kanda shrine, Tokyo Video Gamers
* Dinner – see lunch list.
* Night – flex, likely either ginza or shinjuku

**5 – Tokyo – Naoshima**

* Breakfast – grab and go, acquire snacks or lunch for train ride also
* Get 7 day JR pass
* Travel to Naoshima – approx 6 hours (arrive btw 4 & 5 PM)
* Get dinner and snacks in port
* Bus to hotel
* Benesse House Museum

**6 – Naoshima – Kyoto (TUESDAY)**

* Breakfast – Terrace restaurant
* Pumpkin/walk around
* Hiroshi Sugimoto Gallery opens 11a
* Lee Ufan Museum opens 10a
* Chichu Art Museum / Lunch at Chichu cafe
* Benesse House Museum – valley
* Travel to Kyoto (4h – likely arriving 7-8p)
* Check into lodging
* Dinner ideas – Men-ya Inoichi Hanare or unnamed ramen (or whatever seems easy)

**7 – Kyoto**

* Breakfast – Cafe roji-isagi
* 20 min walk to kiyomizu-dera
* Walk to Gion, shop around. Kagizen Yoshifusa – traditional tea and sweets
* Lunch – Mishina (reservation needed) or Canton Shunsai Ikki in Gion (1130-130). Or just whatever we see while walking
* Walk north to modern art museum, KYOCERA. There are temples on the walk up and a park. Dessert Cafe Chourakukan is in the park
* Dinner – pontocho alley? Walk around for snacks and drinks and hang out on canal
* Drinks ideas – Bar Rocking Chair, Bees Knees, Gion Kappa

**8 – Kyoto**

* Wake up around 7, grab quick breakfast/coffee
* 40 min subway to Fushimi inari taisha. Walk around afterward
* Nishiki market?
* Lunch back up north – could do Madame Koran, otherwise, open slot here – curry, le 14e
* Raku museum
* Dinner – giro giro hitoshina (rez needed) or something less formal near lodging

**9 – Kyoto to Fuji**

* Breakfast – Takagi Coffee
* train to Fuji approx 5 hours, eat lunch on train or something
* Drop bags off at the hotel.
* Dinner at hotel
* Chureito Pagoda?
* Onsen

**10 – Fuji to Tokyo**

* Breakfast at hotel
* Mt Fuji Panoramic Ropeway
* Oishi National Park
* Fuji sengen shrine?
* Lunch
* Train to Tokyo approx 2.5 hours
* Dinner – Tokyo (open slot)

**11 – Tokyo**

* Breakfast – open
* Sampo museum
* Lunch – something easy
* Subway to NRT (or cab if lazy)
* 5:00 PM – Flight Home