Itinerary Advice – 2 weeks in Japan, first timers

Hello all and if you’re looking over this to give me advice, thank you so much! My friends and I, a group of 6, will be travelling to Japan in 3 weeks. We’re super excited and it’s all our first time. I made the below itinerary and have been working on it for months now. I would love advice on whether you think it’s too many “to-dos” or anything I should remove.

​

**Tokyo, Japan: Day 1**
***6:00 PM – 7:30 PM***
Land in Narita Airport & Travel
Pick up checked bags
***7:30 PM – 9:00 PM***
Get to Airbnb (Shinjuku area)

***9:30 PM – 11:30 PM***
Go grab food and drinks in Shinjuku (Omoide Yokochō)

**Day 2: SPEND THE DAY IN SHIBUYA AND HARAJUKU**
**8:00 AM**
Grab breakfast, hop on bus to Tokyo Tower
**10:00 AM**
Tokyo Tower

**12:00 PM**
Famous Shibuya Crossing
Animate Shibuya
Nintendo Tokyo
Don Quijote
Lunch
Meiji Shrine

**5:00 PM**
Shibuya Sky – Reservation at 5:40 PM
Takeshita street
Dinner in Harajuku area
Wander for fun nightlife

**Day 3: SPEND DAY IN SHINJUKU, TEAM LAB, FISH MARKET**
**8:00 AM**
Grab breakfast, take bus to TeamLab for 9:30 time slot

**9:30 AM – 10:30 AM**
TeamLab museum

**11:00 AM to 1:00 PM**
Tsukiji Outer Market
Uniqlo
Lunch at the Fish Market
Wander around

**2:00 PM**
Shinjuku area
Godzilla store
Kabukicho for food
Kitazawa Hachiman Shrine Festival after 5:00PM?

**Day 4: MOUNT FUJI DAY TRIP**
Bull train from Shibuya to Otsuki then switch to bus? Or just bus?
**5:30 AM**
2.5-hour bus to Mt. Fuji (Shimoyoshida)

**8:00 AM**
Go to Shimoyshida town then walk to Chuerito Pagoda
1-hour train to Kawaguchiko lake

**7:00 PM**
Back to Airbnb to rest

**Kyoto, Japan: Day 5**

**6:00 AM**
Checkout from Tokyo, Head to Kyoto (staying in Arashiyama)
**8:30 AM**
Arrive in Kyoto, drop off bags at Airbnb
Look for quick breakfast
Start the “Arashiyama walk”
Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama
Togetsukyo Bridge
Tenryuji Temple Shigetsu
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
Okochi Sanso Garden
Nonomiya-jinja Shrine
Saga Torokko Station (romantic train)

**4:00 PM – 5:00 PM**
Go back to Airbnb to check in and rest

**6:30 PM** Dinner at Arashiyama Sakura?
Get groceries for at-home breakfast?
Free time after for laundry, rest, etc.
**Day 6: 7:00 AM**
Eat breakfast and head to Fushimi Inari Taisha

**8:30 AM**
Arrive at the shrine around this time
Explore the area

**12:00 PM – 4:30 PM**
Kiyomizu-dera
Starbucks Coffee – Kyoto Nineizaka Yasaka Chaya
Nishiki Market for lunch
KIMONO TEA CEREMONY KYOTO MAIKOYA at NISHIKI
Nijō Castle

5:30 PM
Dinner and wander
Check out nightlife
**Day 7:**
**9:00 AM – 3:00ish**
Arrive in Nara
Explore the park & rent a bike
Tōdai-ji
Nakatanidou (mochi)
Kamaiki for Lunch (udon noodles)
Kōfuku-ji Temple

**5:00 PM**
Head back to Kyoto
Enen Japanese BBQ for dinner
Check out surrounding nightlife

**Day 8: Osaka, Japan**

**10 AM**
Head out to Osaka, about 40 min train ride.

**11:00 AM**
Head to our Airbnb to drop off luggage
Walk to Namba Yasaka Jinja
Walk to Shitenno-ji (9 min vs 30 min)
Walk to Shinsekai for lunch

**3:00 PM**
Back to Dotonburi afterward
Wander around

**4:00 PM**
Back to Airbnb, put our stuff away and relax

**6:00 PM**
Wander around – find ramen spot

**8:00 PM**
Bar crawl 🙂
Bar Moonwalk
The Pink
The Giraffe

**Day 9: 7:00 AM**
Rinku Beach (1 hour from Airbnb)
Explore and eat

**12:00 PM – 2:00 PM**
Train/bus back to have lunch at Kuromon Ichiba Market (fresh fish and wagyu)
Head to shopping districts
America-mura and Shinsaibashisuji

**3:00 PM**
Osaka Castle
Explore

**5:00 PM**
Head back to Dotonburi area
Explore for dinner and nightlife afterwards

​

**Day 10: Back to Tokyo (Asakusa Area)**

**7:00 AM**
Back to Tokyo from Osaka
**10:00 AM**
Drop off bags at Airbnb
Cafe Capyba
**12:00 PM**
Sensoji Temple
Nakamise-dori Street
Grab lunch in the area
Ueno Park

**3:00 PM**
Airbnb check-in, head back to rest

**5:30 PM**
Head to Shinjuku area
Tokyu Kabukicho Tower to celebrate Dany’s bday
Do whatever 🙂
**Day 11: Sorta Free day**
Benitsure Pancakes
Ikebukuro city
Pokemon store

**Day 12: Free day (wanted to make sure we had an empty day to go back to areas we loved or just explore, open to any other suggestions!)**

**Day 13: Head home**

Suggustions on what to do the morning we leave? We would need to be at the airport by 3:30 PM.

​

3 comments
  1. Its generally fine, you have a lot on each day so prioritise what you want to see as I don’t think you will get through it all.

  2. I would suggest to try not to plan your trip out so much to the minute/hour unless it’s for specific things like reservations, etc. It’s good to have an idea of a time frame but you’re not accounting for things taking longer than expected, things like bathroom breaks, water breaks, missing a train or taking an incorrect one potentially. Just a piece of advice from someone who lives here 🙂 have fun!

  3. The Mt. Fuji day trip seems like a lot especially when your previous days are jammed pack and the next day you have a super early travel day.

    What about a day trip to Mt. Takao instead? It’s only a 1 hour, straightforward train ride from Shinjuku station and there’s a onsen at the bottom that you can visit afterwards for some relaxation.

Leave a Reply
You May Also Like