**EDIT: I have adjusted and reorganized some stuff on the itinerary thanks to your suggestions. I would still appreciate any helpful critiques to the schedule/organization of things. We also need suggestions for the 21st.**
Hey all! My partner and I are going to Japan this October leaving US on the 9th and coming back on the 24th. We have a pretty big list of things we want to do, see and visit but I am struggling to organize the bare-bones of the itinerary.
I’m a little erratic when it comes to traveling and this is my very first international trip so I would greatly appreciate any advice or tips or critiquing of the itinerary I have so far.
**Mon-Tues 9 – 10th Tokyo:** travel, arrive in Tokyo at 4:35PM on 10th. (Getting through customs may take up to 2 hours), take train/bus to Okachimachi station, check into hotel
**Wed 11th Tokyo Asakusa & Akihabara:** Senso-ji Temple, Nakamise-dori Street, Final Fantasy Eorzea Cafe
**Thurs 12th Tokyo Ginza:** TeamLab Planets, Sanrio store, Tokyo Tower, Hie Shrine
**Fri 13th Tokyo>Osaka:** Check out of hotel, breakfast, take bullet train to osaka, check into hotel, Namba Yasaka shrine, Don Quijote, Kuromon Ichiba market, Shinsaibashi Suji, Dotonburi
**Sat 14th Osaka:** Osaka castle, Pokemon Center
**Sun 15th Osaka > Nara:** Take a train to Nara, Kofukuji temple, Nara park, Kasuga Taisha, Mochi at Nakatanido, Naramachi, travel back to Osaka.
**Mon 16th Osaka:** Universal Studios
**Tues 17th Osaka > Kyoto:** Check out, breakfast, train to Kyoto, check into hotel, nishiki market
**Wed 18th Kyoto:** Arashiyama Bamboo grove, Rilakuma Tea House, monkey park, Arashiyama Miffy Sakura Kitchen
**Thurs 19th Kyoto:** Fushimi Inari Taisha, Nishiki Market
**Fri 20th Kyoto > Tokyo Shibuya:** Check out of hotel, take bullet train back to tokyo, check into hotel, Ghibli Museum (if we can get tickets), Gotokuji Temple, Cream puff factory, Nerds Record Store, Katsudon-ya zuicho
**Sat 21st Tokyo Shibuya:** Shibuya Parco
**Sun 22nd Tokyo Harajuku:** Pompom Purin cafe, Takeshita Dori street
**Mon 23rd Tokyo Shinjuku:** No.13 Cafe, Samurai museum (if it reopens)
**Tues 24th Tokyo > US:** Plane leaves at 6:25pm
**\*\*Edited** Were not married to this plan but are pretty set with going to Universal on Monday the 16th and Ghibli museum on the 20th. I’m worried the 20th might be a bit packed but all of those things are sort of in the same general area. I suppose I could break this day up and put some things on the 21st, but I’m not sure if we will even be able to get tickets to the Ghibli museum yet. And even if we do, I don’t imagine it being a whole day thing. Please let me know what you all think <3
Were also very interested in staying at a Ryoken for at least one night of the trip but unsure if we should look for one in Kyoto or Osaka or if we need to change the itinerary to include a trip to another city specifically for a Ryoken.
One last thing that I just thought of, based on this itinerary, will it be worth it for us to get the JR rail pass? I know the price is increasing significantly in October, but if we buy it in advanced will it be okay?
Thanks so much everyone!
9 comments
A Ryokan in Kyoto would be my suggestion. No need to pick a new location. Due to the price, many people do it for a night or two for the experience and then go back to regular hotels for the rest of their time in Kyoto.
For Tokyo, you have a day planned for the 23rd for Harajuku, which is closest to Shibuya and Shinjuku so it might make more sense to stay somewhere around those areas for the end of the trip. Grouping Akihabara, Asakusa and Ginza together at the start would work pretty well since they are also relatively close together. Just thinking of limiting travel time for visiting these areas.
Or, at the beginning, stay near Akihabara and Asakusa, do those two, and for the end stay in Shinjuku, do Shinjuku on the 20th, Ginza/Shibuya on the 21st/22nd, and Harajuku the 23rd. That makes sense also.
I don’t know a ton about things to do or places to stay in those areas but trying to group closer things together will save some on travel time, and every hour spent exploring, sight-seeing and eating is better than an hour spent on trains and in stations.
For Kyoto, just make sure you get up and get to your destinations on the 18th as early as possible. Start with Fushimi Inari first thing in the morning, as that gets very crowded very quickly. The Pokemon Center in Kyoto is quite small so you’ll have plenty of time for other things on the 19th.
The Keikyu line does not go to Akasaka. Do you mean Asakusa? That also make no sense with what you say later about hotel location.
Day trip to Nara is about the same from Kyoto or Osaka. Hotel location might make a small difference on which is the easiest.
The organization is pretty typical, there is nothing special in this plan. Some people would stay only in Kyoto or Osaka, not both. But the two options are absolutely valid.
Honestly, the train/subway in Tokyo is super good and it’s really easy to go on the other side of the city to visit. So while not essential to stay on the east side to visit places in the east side, then visit west side when you stay west. Hey, it’s really not a bad idea, but don’t stress too much if you decide to do something on the other side of Tokyo one day. Also maybe try to put the area where you think there will be the most shopping at the end of the trip.
Ryokan not Ryoken. Id anything you have more chance to find one in Kyoto than in Osaka. But technically there is ryokan in Osaka or even in Tokyo too.
Unless there are two, the rilakkuma tea house is in Arashiyama, which you have planned on a different day. If you haven’t already done this, save all the places you would like to visit as pins on google maps so you can see what should logically be done together.
I‘m currently in Ikebukuro preparing for my last day here in Japan (Ghibli Museum, yay!) and our itinerary was very similar to yours as it was our first Japan trip. I‘ll try to address some of your questions based on my very fresh impressions of this trip:
1. We stayed in two hotels in Tokyo — one near Ueno before leaving for Kyoto and then in Ikebukuro for the last leg of our trip. Both hotels were near the Yamanote line. If I could do it all over again, I would probably just return to the same hotel near Ueno because it was close to a very small station (Uguisudani) and the area was very chill at night. You could walk to Ueno Park and just relax. We also walked to Asakusa very early in the morning and it was lovely! Akihabara was two stops away and the keihin-Tohoku line brought us straight to Ginza. All without the hassle of navigating a big station on our way back.
Ikebukuro Station has 40 exits. I still enjoyed Ikebukuro (more than Akihabara tbh) but a few hours there and a post-rush hour trip back on the Yamanote line would have been enough for me.
2. I loved Kyoto and could have just stayed there for another week! The vibe is so different from Tokyo and the contrast between the old and the new just made everything an adventure. We stayed in a small guest house with amazing breakfast and had a blast. It‘s located in a more residential area and I loved just strolling around without taking public transport all the time.
We only did a daytrip to Osaka (which ended up being on a Saturday due to weather) and it was nice but Kyoto was much more my speed.
3. Nara was absolutely lovely and Todaiji Temple was my favorite temple of the whole trip. The day trip from Kyoto was a breeze. It‘s a direct train ride from Kyoto station. I think from Osaka you have to change trains once it‘s honestly not that big of a deal since trains are so frequent and so punctual.
Can‘t speak on Ryokans as we didn’t choose to stay at one but it seems like a lovely experience!
Enjoy your trip!
highly recommend The Gate Hotel in Asakusa. Directly across from Sensoji temple. If you can make it out of bed and across the street to hear the monks for sunrise it is super cool. then walk along the Sumida river and see a little local life. Asakusa is gorgeous at night. We stayed there only one night then in Shinjuku for 6. Kyoto– stay in/near Gion if you can. looks like a movie set. many sights within a short walk. we stayed in an airbnb that was traditional japanese style and felt like we were stepping back in time. We based ourself there and did side trips to Osaka and Nara. So close and less time checking in/out and lugging bags. Do an onsen if you can. It’s about as local an experience as it gets. The outdoor baths (rotemburo) are amazing. Highly recommend learning some key phrases in Japanese. So much more fun than just relying on google translate. Opens the door to amazing encounters with the locals and they absolutely light up when you try to speak Japanese, even if you butcher it like I probably did. Give yourself plenty of time to get your Shinkansen tickets from Tokyo to Kyoto and to buy a bento box for the trip. Its an experience. don’t try to fit everything into an exhausting checklist itinerary… try to find time to wander and get lost and happen upon unexpected things… those were some of my favorite parts of my 5 weeks there. have fun!
If you have an iPhone, you can get a digital Suica card & reload via Apple Pay. Japan is very much a cash based society so definitely exchange $ when you get there, or bring your physical credit card (Tokyo is more accepting of credit card, but elsewhere is definitely cash based) . If you’re into figurines, check out Den den town in Osaka. For Fushimi Inari, try to get there by 7 and start your trek up. 8 is when it starts getting packed.
I’d recommend doing a ryokan towards the latter half of either Kyoto/Osaka. There’s also a pokemon centre in both Kyoto & Osaka.
Definitely bring 1 good pair of runners and you can buy some Lion cooling leg patches to alleviate your tired legs. Don’t pack 4 pairs of shoes as you most likely won’t wear them; save your luggage space.
It’s definitely overwhelming and if you don’t get to everything in your itinerary, it’s okay. You will want to go back. Leave a floater day for each large area / wandering time.
Kyoto
Nishi market (especially if you are already doing osaka food exploration) and Arashityama is very underwhelming and touristy and Iwould strongly skip both imho.
Go see this temple- Sanjusangendo is a Buddhist temple originally named Rengeo-in located in Higashiyama ward in Kyoto. Amazing 1000 gold statues.
Nara
+ 1 to Nara. Do a day trip to Nara to see the Tōdai-ji temple. Must must see! Get there when it opens at 8am and take an early train to explore Nara between 6am and 8am- you’ll have the town to yourself.
Overnight off the beaten path
(if you can squeeze in)
If you want to stay in a ryokan for one night and get small town onsen experience take the limited express train from Kyoto to kinosaki on JR line (pay for ryokan with included dinner and breakfast). It’s only 2.5 hour train ride each way from Kyoto station and I believe Osaka, easy walkable town with great people watching. You’ll get a kimono robe to walk around town (bars, shops, restaurants) and onsen bath hop,
https://visitkinosaki.com/
Congrats on your first international trip! It’s daunting, and Japan especially can be overwhelming. You’ve done great so far! I took a similar trip in Nov 2019 (same cities, same amount of time), so these are my suggestions based on that experience:
I don’t think there’s any need to go to Nishiki Market twice. I recommend allotting your first afternoon in Kyoto to aimlessly wandering the Gion/Higashiyama area. Get some matcha soft serve, wander into some shops and shrines, and soak up the atmosphere!
I think you’re right that the 20th is a bit packed, but it’s just going to depend on which day you can get your Ghibli tickets. Unless something has changed since 2019, getting tickets is a nightmare, and I ended up with my last choice. I loved my visit, but be prepared for a headache and backup options when you’re purchasing your ticket.
You can pretty easily combine the 21st and the 22nd into one day, as Shibuya and Harajuku are quite close to each other. Meiji Shrine is also in the vicinity, which is a really famous site that’s popular for visitors. If you’re not sure what else to do in Tokyo, I do recommend adding another day in Kyoto for a ryokan stay. I don’t know if you have time to cram in another city. I’m a broken record on this sub at this point, but I cannot recommend the Momijiya Bekkan Kawa no Iori ryokan in Kyoto enough. For any ryokan though, you’re going to want to look at booking ASAP. A lot of options may unfortunately be booked already.
If that happens, I wouldn’t worry too much about filling in the 21st right away. It’s not a bad idea to leave a “free day” near the end as a catch-all to anything you didn’t get to on the first Tokyo leg. Also a good day to grab souvenirs 🙂