Itinerary Check: 14 Days First Time in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, with Day Trips Nara, Kobe, and Yokohama

Hi all, my (25M) first time in Japan with my girlfriend. We are going from September 4 – 17 and would like some feedback on how to improve our itinerary. We’re also open to recommendations for attractions, food, etc. that might be missing from our plan.

Day 1 (Mon)

– Arrive at NRT at 3PM

– Pick up JR Pass and Suica

– Head to Osaka (hotel near Osaka Castle) and rest for the night

Day 2 (Tues): Kobe / Osaka

– Kobe Chinatown and Ikuta Shrine in the morning

– Kobe beef lunch and Kobe Animal Kingdom to see capybaras

– Back to Osaka in the late afternoon, head to Hep Five mall for a pop up exhibition and Osaka Castle Park in the evening to look at the castle

Day 3 (Weds): Nara / Osaka

– Move luggage to second hotel in Osaka in Shinsaibashi (our flight changed so we had to book two different hotels which was a bit annoying)

– Nara Park, Todai Ji, and Nakatanidou Mochi for a few hours in the morning/early afternoon

– Head to Osaka in the afternoon, Den Den Town and Dotonbori rest of the day

Day 4 (Thurs): Kyoto

– Arashiyama Monkey Park, Bamboo Grove and Tenryu Ji in the morning/afternoon

– Relax at Yuzanso ryokan in Ogoto for the rest of the day (we will have the Osaka hotel booked so no need to bring luggage to Kyoto)

Day 5 (Fri): Kyoto / Osaka

– Nishiki Market in the AM and Fushimi Inari in the afternoon

– Return to Osaka, shopping in Shinsaibashi (Parco, Daimaru) and hopefully Pokemon Cafe if we can reserve

Day 6 (Sat): Osaka / Tokyo

– Kuromon Market in the morning

– Train to Tokyo in the afternoon, hotel in Asakusa

– Senso Ji, Kaminarimon Gate, and Nakamise Dori in the evening

Day 7 (Mon): Yokohama / Nakano

– Cup Noodle Museum, Red Brick Warehouse, Chinatown, and Gundam Factory in Yokohama in the morning/afternoon

– Nakano Broadway late afternoon/evening

Day 8 (Tues): Shibuya

– Shibuya Crossing, Nintendo Store, Yoyogi Park, Meiji Jingu, and Shibuya Sky

Day 9 (Tues): DisneySea

– spend majority of the day at DisneySea

– Asahi Brewery Tower in Asakusa in the evening

Day 10 (Weds): Shinjuku / Harajuku

– Harajuku in the morning/afternoon: Suga Jinja, Mipig Cafe, Takeshita Street

– Shinjuku late afternoon/evening: Shin Okubo, Godzilla hotel, Kabukicho Tower, Golden Gai, Omoide Yokocho

Day 11 (Thurs): Ginza / Odaiba

– Tsukiji Market in the morning

– Tokyo Station and Ginza (Uniqlo, Muji, Itoya) in the afternoon

– Odaiba Gundam Statue, DiverCity Mall and haunted house for the rest of the day

Day 12 (Fri): Kichijoji / Ikebukuro

– Studio Ghibli Museum (if we can book) and Glanta for ring making

– late afternoon head to Ikebukuro Sunshine City Mall and Animate Store

Day 13 (Sat): Akihabara

– Radio Kaikan, arcades, maid cafe, and shopping for most of the day (we are really into anime and games so figured to allocate a full day to Akiba)

Day 14 (Sun)

– last minute shopping and revisiting in the morning

– flight from NRT at 5PM