Edit: oops, forgot to add in the title that this is a 15-day itinerary (although day 15 will just be going to Haneda to leave.) I also forgot the day trips…
Hello!
I was originally planning my first Japan trip with friends this spring, but a family medical emergency the day before I was supposed to leave forced a last-second cancelation. (Everything thankfully worked out well with that.)
I am now planning a solo trip in November, arriving in Tokyo on November 11th and leaving Tokyo November 25th. This is the first draft of my itinerary.
A bit of information about me to explain my priorities:
* This is my first time planning a big trip like this. My eyes may be bigger than my legs. Does all of this look manageable? I am very open to changes. Also, I don’t really intend any day to be set in stone and expect to be flexible while I’m there, this is basically just a priority list spread across the days. The only exception is I would prefer not to make major alterations to my lodging plans, most of the hotels are already booked, but they are all cancelable if necessary.
* Some of the locations may make this obvious, but I am a huge otaku/anime fan and would love to spend some time exploring that culture and doing some shopping. I recently got into figure collecting and would really enjoy looking through shops for that.
* I am a big history nerd. My the main focus of my formal history education was the 20th century, so I am much more familiar with modern Japanese (Meiji Restoration onward) history than earlier, but would be excited for opportunities to learn more.
* I’m also a bit of a transit nerd.
* I have begun studying Japanese, but don’t have a ton of free time because work has been crazy lately. I am hoping to have some confidence in basic conversations before the trip.
I’ve been researching travel times using Navitime to plan routes. I chose lodging in Tokyo and Kyoto based on station access, so both are less than five minutes walk to their closest station.
I really like what little I’ve tried of Japanese food (there is very little Japanese food available where I live), so if you have some “must-try” foods or specific restaurants, I’d love to hear them!
**Day 1 | Tokyo – Arrival**
* Arrival at Haneda 3:30PM
* Check-In to Hotel near Shimbashi Station
* Explore Shimbashi/Yurakucho – Explore the general area around hotel if I have energy/time.
* Grab Dinner
* Japan Sake and Shōchū Information Center – Close to Hotel – Could Fit in Elsewhere
**Day 2 | Tokyo – North**
* Nakamise-dori Street Toei Asakasa Line to Asakasa Station – Breakfast
* Sensō-ji
* Ueno Park
* Tokyo National Museum
* National Museum of Nature and Science
* Ameyoko Shopping District – Exploring and Shopping
* Akihabara – Exploring and Shopping
**Day 3 | Tokyo – West**
* Meiji Jingu – Opens Early
* Yoyogi Park – Maybe if Time
* Harajuku – Exploring and Shopping – Check out Cafes
* Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building – Only South Observatory Open
* Shinjuku Gyeon National Garden – Maybe if Time
* Shin-Okubo Koreatown – Exploring and Shopping
* Shinjuku – Exploring and Shopping
* Golden Gai
**Day 4 | Tokyo – East**
* Tsukiji Outer Market – Breakfast
* Hamarikyu Gardens
* teamLab Planets
* Tokyo Skytree
**Day 5 | Tokyo – West**
* Kokyo Gaien National Garden – Maybe – Depends on Wake Time
* Ikebukuro – Exploring and Shopping
* Sunshine City – Shopping
* Nakano Broadway – Exploring and Shopping
* Shibuya Sky – Aim for Sunset if Possible
* Shibuya – Exploring and Shopping
* Shibuya Scramble
**Day 6 | Tokyo – Central / Flex**
* Kokyo Gaien National Garden – If not done already
* Tokyo Station Area
* Nezu Museum
* Akihabara – Exploring and Shopping
* Shinjuku – Exploring and Shopping
**Day 7 | Kawaguchiko**
* Tokyo Metro to Shinjuku (\~30m)
* Fuji Excursion Train to Kawaguchiko (\~2h)
* Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway – If Weather Clear
* Oshino Hakkai – Depending on Time
* Maple Corridor
* Walk along lake
* Dinner and Onsen at Hotel
**Day 8 | Kyoto – Arrival and East**
* Express bus to Mishima and Hikari to Kyoto (\~4h 30m)
* Subway to hotel near Kyoto-Kawaramachi Station (30m)
* Yasaka-jinja Shrine – Maybe Depending on Energy
* Kōdai-ji Temple – Maybe Depending on Energy
* Nineizaka – Maybe Depending on Energy
* Nanneizaka – Maybe Depending on Energy
* Kiyomizu-dera – Maybe Depending on Energy
* Nishiki Market – Exploring Areas Near Hotel
* Pontocho Alley – Exploring Areas Near Hotel
* Hanamikoji Street – Exploring Areas Near Hotel
**Day 9 | Kyoto – Northwest (Japan-Guide North and Arashiyama Half Days)**
* Kinkaku-ji
* Ryōan-ji
* Ninna-ji Temple
* Tenryu-ji
* Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
* Arashiyama Monkey Park
**Day 10 | Kyoto – East (Japan-Guide East Kyoto Full Day)**
* Higashiyama Jisho-ji
* Hōnen-in Temple
* Philosopher’s Path
* Nanzen-ji Temple
* Heian-jingū Shrine
* Yasaka-jinja Shrine – If not already visited
* Kōdai-ji Temple – If not already visited
* Nineizaka – If not already visited
* Sanneizaka – If not already visited
* Kiyomizu-dera – If not already visited
**Day 11 | Nara Day Trip**
* Kōfuku-ji Temple
* Nara National Museum
* Tōdai-ji Nandaimon
* Tōdai-ji Museum
* Tōdai-ji
* Tōdai-ji Urasando
* Tōdai-ji Nigatsudo
* Kasuga Taisha Shrine
**Day 12 | Osaka Day Trip**
* Himeji Castle – Either here or on way to Hiroshima
* Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
* Denden Town
* Osaka History Museum (Cut if going to Himeji)
* Osaka Castle (Cut if going to Himeji)
* Dotonbori
**Day 13 | Hiroshima**
* Hikari to Hiroshima (or if stopping at Himeji – Transfer to Sakura there)
* Himeji Castle Either here or on Osaka Day
* Miyajima
* Okanomiyaki Dinner Near Hotel
**Day 14 | Hiroshima/Tokyo**
* Peace Memorial Park
* Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
* Atomic Bomb Dome
* Hondori
* Sakura to Osaka – Hirkari to Tokyo
**Day 15 | Tokyo – Departure**
* Depart from Haneda 10:40AM
I doubt I have time, but these are some other activities I was considering:
**Tokyo**
* Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum
* Rikugien Gardens
* Koishikawa Botanical Garden
* Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens
**Kansai**
* Fushimi Inari Taisha
* Uji
**Questions**
* I’ve been debating changing the Kawaguchiko side trip to Hakone to save some travel time. I initially fell in love with the idea of a hotel room with a Fuji view, but I’m now debating Hakone to gain back 2 hours or so of travel time.
* Is Miyajima possible in a half day? I know a full day would probably be better…
* If I stop in Himeji on the way to Hiroshima, what is the difference between Hikari and Sakura Service from there to Hiroshima? They look identical from a time standpoint.
* Some travel in Kyoto (to Northern temples) and Hiroshima (between hotel and station) would be via bus. Can I count on that being as easy/reliable as rail transit? I assume most take IC cards?Where I’m from busses are an absolute mess so I have concerns on that regard. I imagine Japanese buses are much better, but just seeking some confirmation. Would short taxi trips be better for these locations?
* Is luggage shipping fairly easy/reliable? I was thinking of shipping my bags from Tokyo to Kyoto and back, and only bringing my backpack to Kawaguchiko and Hiroshima. I plan to do some shopping so I was considering bringing a checked bag for that, so the idea of shipping that is very appealing.
* The Kyoto days are fairly heavy on temples. Should I maybe move the Osaka day trip in between some of those to break it up? Do you get tired of temples seeing that many in a few days?
3 comments
* Tokyo Sky tree is pretty much right next to Asakusa, and probably works better together.
* Fushimi Inari Taisha definitely should be on there. Probably best placed on the same day as Nara, and visited enroute.
* Byodoin is… just another temple, but the general Uji area is where Kyoani is based, and many anime scenes (particularly Hibike Euphonium) can be found there.
* IMO, Kawaguchiko > Hakone. Especially if you already have a ryokan locked in.
* Miyajima is kinda in two parts. The Itsukushima shrine, which can be done in half a day; and the rest of the island, which probably is another half day.
* Buses are inherently less punctual time-wise, but that’s to be expected. In general they follow their timetables rather closely, but they can be late *or early*. Ideally take a bus that is so frequent that you don’t fret over missing one bus. IC acceptance is far from universal, though the farebox is usually quite a feat in and of itself. Some take bills directly and dispense change, others have built-in exchage that lets you split up a bill. How to pay for a bus is really not at all universal and depends on the operator of the bus line.
* It does… seem like a lot of temples. I’d recommend focusing on fall colors when prioritizing which ones to go to.
We did Kawaguchiko to Kyoto and would not recommend it as there aren’t many transportation options. We were there back in May, maybe things would have changed but there were only 3 bus per day from Kawaguchiko to Mishima. We went to the station at 9am to buy tickets for 12pm and they were already sold out. The clerk suggested we take the local bus to Shin-Fuji station to take the Shinkansen there (skipping Mishima station). This local bus also comes infrequently and is first come first serve. We basically lined up for more than 1hr to secure our spots. We luckily got in but it was crammed to the maximum (like us, this might have been the only option for many other tourists as well). A lot of people were standing the whole time for about 2hrs.
Loved both areas, but had I knew about this, I would have chosen to go back to Tokyo and going to Kyoto from there.
You might like FujiQ Highlands in Kawaguchiko, there’s a Naruto section. Entrance to the park is free and then you pay per ride (or get an all days pass but probably not worth it for you). Based on what another commenter said about busses towards Kyoto, it might work well to go to FujiQ the morning of day 8, then taking the train to Tokyo (train station right by FujiQ) and shinkansen to Kyoto from there.