Itinerary Check: 16 Days in November with Kids

Been lurking on this subreddit for a few months now trying to put together a family vacation this November, and I think it’s finally at a point where I’m ready for an Itinerary check!

We will be in Japan for 16 days from November 12 – 27. It will be my (37F) fourth visit to Japan, and my spouse’s (40M– celebrating his birthday on this trip!) third visit. Our kids will be 8 and nearly 6 during our trip– the last time we were in Japan was when our oldest was a baby, so it’s been a while.

Our previous trips had plenty of time in Hiroshima and Kyoto, which is why they’re not in this itinerary. Fukuoka was chosen in hopes that my spouse will be able to get tickets to the Sumo tournament in November. We also explored Odaiba quite a bit on previous trips, so I decided to leave it off this time.

While our accommodations are booked, they are fully refundable so if anyone has better suggestions, I’m open to them! We did a mixture of Airbnbs and Hotels– our kids will definitely sleep better in their own rooms, so we went the Airbnb route for longer stays to give everyone a bit of a break from each other.

(Edited for formatting)

**November 12 – Tokyo (Sun)**

* Arrive at Haneda Airport 5pm.
* Head to Airbnb in Asakusa.
* Grab some quick food at convenience store or grocery store

**November 13 – Tokyo (Mon)**

* Sensoji Temple (early am)
* Akihabara for Eorzea Square Enix Cafe, Video Game Shopping
* Anticipating an early night due to jet lag

**November 14 – Tokyo (Tue)**

* Harajuku/Meiji Shrine
* Afternoon Karaoke break
* Shinjuku (just to explore a bit, no particular plan)
* Back to Asakusa for supper

**November 15 – Tokyo (Wed)**

* TeamLabs Planets (am)
* Small Worlds
* Tsukiji Outer Market
* Tokyo Tower

**November 16 – Tokyo (Thu)**

* Tokyo Disneyland: Kids have never been to any Disney Park before, and I’ve been to Disney Sea.

**November 17 – Tokyo (Fri)**

* Extra day in Tokyo (Ikebukuro or Nakano Broadway or Somewhere new)

**November 18 – Hakone (Sat)**

* Tokyo to Hakone (send large suitcase onto Osaka hotel). Pick up Hakone Free Pass.
* Check into Airbnb near Gora Park
* Hakone – Open Air Museum,
* Family-friendly onsen. I’m thinking Yunessen because it looks like something the kids would enjoy. Suggestions welcome!

**November 19 – Hakone (Sun)**

* Hakone Loop
* Gora Park

**November 20 – Nara (Mon)**

* Hakone to Oji Station (train)
* Oji Station to Shigisan Gyokuzōin Temple (taxi)
* Spend evening exploring around temple area

**November 21 – Osaka (Tue)**

* Shigisan Gyokuzōin Temple to Nara (taxi + train)
* Quick visit at Nara Deer Park
* Nara to Osaka
* Check into hotel: Toyoko Inn Osaka JR-noda-ekimae
* Pokemon Café (lunch, presuming I can get reservations)
* Denden Town for more video game shopping
* Dotonbori (Supper)

**November 22 – Osaka (Wed)**

* USJ: Super Nintendo World (with Express Passes to avoid disappointment)

**November 23 – Awaji Island (Thu)**

* Dragon Quest Island (Awaji Island)
* Send large luggage onto Haneda Airport
* Osaka – Beppu Sunflower overnight ferry (departs 6:45pm)

**November 24 – Fukuoka (Fri)**

* Arrive in Beppu via overnight ferry
* Beppu hot springs (am)
* Beppu to Fukuoka (train)
* Check into hotel: Daiwa Roynet Hotel (Fukuoka Nishinakasu)
* Explore Fukuoka around hotel, grab some supper and relax
*Possible first day of Sumo for spouse (he’s going to try and get tickets for Friday, Saturday and Sunday– if he can get tickets, I’ll be solo with kids. Any days he’s free he’ll join us)*

**November 25 – Fukuoka (Sat)**

* Ohori Park
* Hakata

**November 26 – Fukuoka (Sun)**

* Itoshima (no particular plans once we get there– the pictures just look beautiful, so I’m happy to just explore)

**November 27 – Fukuoka (Mon)**

* Flight from Fukuoka – Haneda airport.
* Flight home (8pm)

**Overall notes:**

* Spouse and I are pretty good at walking long distances. Kids can comfortably handle a 4km hike with minimal complaints, but anything longer will require breaks.
* Kids are not at all fussy with food (but can’t handle much spice), I’m vegetarian. We’re probably not going to be able to go anywhere with a long wait for a table, so we’ll just play meals by ear and hit up convenience stores often.
* I typically pack every vacation so full of activities that no one has a chance to breathe. I’m actively trying to avoid doing that this time around, but know there are a couple days that might be a bit busy.
* The whole family loves video games, so that’s clearly a running theme on this trip. If there’s anywhere else video-game-related that we should be adding to our itinerary, please suggest it!

Thanks for reading! And thanks to everyone who posts their itineraries, suggestions and trip reports, it’s been so helpful to have this subreddit to refer to!