Hi! Planning a trip for a family of 4 (all adults already) this December 12-26. It will be our first time and here’s our current itinerary at the moment:
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**December 12 – Day 1 (Arrival in Osaka)**
* We arrive in Osaka at 1:15PM Japan local time
* Upon arrival we will claim our JR Pass and pocket wifi
* Head straight to Tokyo and check in our Airbnb (few minutes walk to Komagome Station which is part of the Yamanote Line)
* Rest for the night
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**December 13 – Day 2 (Tokyo Disney Sea)**
* Leave at 7:00 AM and get food from convenience stores (since I read that most places are still close this time in the morning)
* Spend the whole day there
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**December 14 – Day 3 (Tsukiji – Team Labs, Odaiba, Asakusa, Ueno, Akihabara)**
* Tsukiji market at 6:30 AM (thinking of skipping this since I read that it’s not that good anymore + expensive. We are also going to Nishiki and Kuromon)
* TeamLabs 9:30-11:30AM
* **LUNCH**
* Odaiba 1:30-2:30PM – This is just a sidetrip for this day. Will take a look at the Rainbow bridge and Statue of Liberty then go
* Asakusa 3:00-5:30PM – Sensoji Temple, Kappabashi Street, Ichiran Ramen
* Ueno (optional)
* Tokyo Character Street & Akihabara 7:00 PM onwards – My brother is a big anime fan while I love arcades and claw machines lol Are arcades open till late at night? Heard that most shops close at 8PM so we plan to just scan the neighborhood and come back another day if we want to check it out
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**December 15 – Day 4 (Mt. Fuji, Roppongi Hills, Harajuku)**
* Catch the earliest Express Train to Kawaguchiko (We have a 7-day JR Pass, I read that this line is covered by the pass but let me know if I got that wrong)
* Spots we plan to visit are Chureito Pagoda, Oshino Hakkai, and the Ropeway
* Catch the 3PM Express Train back to Shinjuku
* Go to Roppongi Hills and see the observatory, Street lights display
* (Optional) Harajuku if things are still open at night, please let me know
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**December 16 – Day 5 (Akihabara, Ginza, Harajuku, Shibuya, Shinjuku)**
* No particular schedule for this day since we would want to allot this for Shopping Day.
* Although Shibuya Sky is a must for us. Put this towards the end of the day to catch the Sunset View from the observatory
* Wanted to end the day in Shinjuku since I read that it is alive at night
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**December 17 – Day 6 (Warner Bros Studio and Yokohama)**
* Harry Potter studio tour at 9AM – we plan to stay here for about 3-4 hours just really want to take a look at everything but not dive in too deep into the deep into the details
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**December 18 – Day 7 (Heading to Kyoto)**
* Catch a train to Kyoto (target arrival time in Kyoto is around 12-1PM)
* Fushimi Inari Shrine
* Stroll in Gion at night (what time does restaurants usually close?)
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**December 19 – Day 8 (Nishiki Market and Temple Hopping around Kyoto)**
* Nishiki Market at around 6:30AM
* We plan to rent a bike to go around the temples and nearby spots around the area
* Tentative route is : Higashiyama > Ninnenzaka > Kiyomizu-dera>Rengeo-in Temple>Gion>Nazen-ji Temple>Path of Philosophy>Ginkakuji>Kyoto Imperial Palace>Nijo Castle
* Do let me know if this is a good idea, what temples can we skip or add as well.
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**December 20 – Day 9 (Arashiyama, Osaka)**
* Leave at 7AM to Arashiyama
* Top things to do are Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Monkey Park (is it worth the hike?), Togetsukyo Bridge, Kimono Forest
* Head to Osaka at around 5PM
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**December 21 – Day 10 (USJ)**
* Spend the whole day at USJ
* Eat in Dotonbori at night (Hotel is 5-min walk to Dotonbori)
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**December 22 – Day 11 (Go around Osaka)**
* Osaka Castle
* Umeda Sky
* Tenjibashi-Suji Street
* Nakanoshima Koen Park
* Nissin Cup Museum
* Korean Town (low priority)
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**December 23 – Day 12 (Nara)**
* Day trip to Nara
* Nara Park
* Todaiji Temple
* Mochi Pounding
* Pokemon Cafe Osaka (if able to get reservation)
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**December 24 – Day 13 (Kobe/Mt Rokko Snowboarding)**
This day is still tentative. We are thinking if we should go Snowboarding. Mt. Rokko is the closest to Osaka. Is this worth the trip? If we do agree to go, we would be spending half the day here
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**December 25 – Day 14 (Shopping day in Osaka)**
* We want to allot a full day of shopping for souvenirs, gifts, etc.
* We would like to pass by Namba Yasaka Shrine and Kuromon Market first
* Shopping places in mind are Donki, Supermarkets (not sure where yet), Amerikamura, Den-den Town, Shinsaibashi
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**December 26 – Day 15 (Flight home)**
* Flight is at 2:15PM, we plan to leave the hotel at 9AM
* Still no idea on how we would move forward with the transportation. Does Limousine Buses accommodate 2 luggages per person?
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Would greatly appreciate comments, feedbacks, and suggestions for this Itinerary. We are all very excited for this trip and thankful I found this group!
5 comments
This is a really nice itinerary and super close to what I’ll be doing one month earlier.
Have you considered doing Osaka -> Himeji -> Hiroshima instead of going to Nara or one of the full days in Osaka?
On day 3, instead of going to the Tsukiji fish market, you could go to the new Toyosu Fish Market. It’s in Odaiba, within walking distance of TeamLabs. Would save some time.
Maybe try to squeeze in fushimi Inari-Taisha in Kyoto? I think its Worth seeing
If you are into history, do Nara first, them Kyoto and then Tokyo. And Osaka last to relax.
In historical context, Japan started as nation with Nara as the first capital, Kyoto 2nd and Tokyo with the Edo period (most recognizable) as last. You see it back in the architecture styles.
Highly recommend plans to 3 things per day. Morning, afternoon & sunset. While the trains are the best and busiest in the world the stations are huge and are 5 stories down. That takes a while to walk and you will get lost a bunch. It’s happens to me still after 30 times to Tokyo. Factor it in. I once got lost in shinjuku station for 45 mins trying to find the correct exit, the building is a stadium sized maze. Expect to walk 15-20000 steps per day with your itinerary, no joke. Bring comfortable shoes and socks.
Also, buy tickets in advance, Shibuya Sky has timed tickets & sunset always sells out I was just there & the lobby was filled with sad people who just showed up at sunset without a ticket. There’s a rooftop lightshow after dark so expect to stay an hour or so after. I think it starts at the top of the hour.
If it’s important buy a ticket or make a reservation.
Nishiki Market is a skip for me. Nothing special, over priced. It’s a cluster f**k of tourists. There’s many covered markets in every neighborhood all over Japan. They all look like nishiki. Nishiki just happens to be between Kyoto station and the palace. Save the stress.
HIGHLY recommend NOT biking in Kyoto. The trains are convenient and stop nearby. I tried biking in Osaka once, it’s inconvenient when you want to go inside, between is sometimes industrial or uphill (hills are the worst). It’s going to be cold when you’re there. Really hope you don’t bike in the city, it’s a real headache.