Hi !
We’ve just got ourselves plane tickets to Japan and we’re in the middle of sorting out our plans together. For the past week, we’ve been digging through this subreddit and collecting info from travel guidebooks. This trip is basically our way of bouncing back after some tough times lately and dealing with our frustration with our job.
About us : M32 and F33, no interest in manga or anime. We are into exploring food, local culture/architecture and nature/scenery. Initially, we were thinking of an extended adventure in the Japan Alps, but we’ve ended up leaning towards a more “classic” trip with extra days in Tokyo and Kyoto.
We’re not really the type to meticulously plan out our vacations, so there’s this concern that we might have gone a bit overboard with our plans this time (even though we did set aside some extra days just in case). Any pointers or advice would be super welcome and appreciated!
**Thursday 8/31 – Tokyo**
* Arrive at Haneda at 6
* Imperial Palace & Kokyo-gaien
* Meal and walk through Roppongi District (sightseing : Tokyo Tower, Tokyo National Art Center)
* Museum at Mori Tower + Observatory at dawn
* Go early to hotel
**Friday 9/01 – Tokyo**
* Get up early & Meiji-jingu
* Yoyogi-koen
* Meal + Hachiko + Shibuya crossing (from Q Front)
* Walk through Shibuya (Center Gai)
**Saturday 9/02 – Tokyo**
* Tosho-gu and Ueno Park
* Tokyo National Museum
* Yanaka & Nezu-jinja
* Rikugi-en
**Sunday 9/03 – Tokyo**
* Senso-ji (Asakusa sanctuary and five-story pagoda)
* Akihabara/Jimbocho (GF wants to see Sanseido books)
* Hongo hill
**Monday 9/04 – Tokyo**
* Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
* Shinjuku Gyoen
* Omoide Yokocho
* Golden Gai
**Tuesday 9/05 – Daytrip to Kawaguchico**
We’ve contemplated all the different solution to get to see Mt. Fuji (Hakone/Kawaguchico daytrip or overnight) and given that we have a limited interest in the other activities at these locations, we’ve determined that we should go for a Kawaguchico daytrip and save our time for an additionnal day in Kyoto.
This daytrip might take place any day during our Tokyo stay, to maximize our chances for a nice, clear day.
* Wake up super-early & Bus (probably) or train to Kawaguchico
* Rent bikes and go around the lake
* Find a restaurant
* Drop bikes and possibly check the famous pagoda view (if times permits, maybe not a good idea as Mt. Fuji often seems to be in the fog in the afternoon)
* Ride back to Tokyo
**Wednesday 9/06 – Daytrip to Kamakura (JR Pass Day 1)**
Same as Kawaguchico, this trip might be any other day but if we can do it on the 6th, we will to get it into our JR Pass.
* Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu
* Kotoku-in + Hase-dera
* Eno-Shima
**Thursday 9/07 – Nikko**
* Get up early and ride to Nikko
* Kegon-no-taki
* Chuzenji Lake
* Hangetsuyama Bus Stop (might not be feasible we have to check this part as buses are rare).
**Friday 9/08 – Nikko**
* Toshogu (and Rinno-ji ; Futarasan-jinja ; Taiyuin)
* Shinkyo Bridge
* Kanman Path & Kanmangafuchi Abyss
* Ride back to Tokyo
**Saturday 9/09 – Kyoto**
* Get up early and ride to Kyoto
* To-ji
* Nijo-jo (& Imperial Palace Gardens if possible)
* Sanjusangen-do (heard conflicting trip reports, will probably only take a quick look)
* Kyoto tower and observatory at dusk
**Sunday 9/10 – Kyoto**
* Ginkaku-ji
* Philopher’s Path (+Honen-in)
* Nanzen-ji
* Chion-in
* Evening in Gion
**Monday 9/11 – Kyoto**
* Fushimi Inari Taisha (at dawn)
* Tofuku-ji
* Nishikidori/Pontocho/Teramachi-dori & Shinkyogoku (around noon)
* Kiyomizu-dera
* Evening in Gion
**Tuesday 9/12 – Kyoto**
* Ryoan-ji – 8:00
* Kinkaku-ji – 9:30
* Daitoku-ji
* Gio-ji
* Okochi Sanso & Bamboo Garden
**Wednesday 9/13 – Kyoto**
Free day in Kyoto: we can catch up on anything we missed the past days (there’s bound to be something), or simply take it easy with a leisurely stroll around the city.
**Thursday 9/14 – Daytrip to Nara**
**Friday 9/15 – Osaka**
* Ride to Osaka
* Walk through the city
* Kuromon Ichiba
* Hozenji Yokocho
* Dotombori & Umeda Sky Building (at night)
**Saturday 9/16 – Himeji**
* Ride to Himeji
* Himeji-jo
* Koko-en
* Ride to Hiroshima
**Sunday 9/17 – Hiroshima**
We plan on the typical itinerary in the guides around the historical center.
**Monday 9/18 – Daytrip to Miyajima**
* Itsukushima Jinja Otorii
* Mount Misen
**Tuesday 9/19 – Hiroshima and ride back to Tokyo (JR Pass Day 14 – Final day)**
Either take the Shinkansen early and do something in Tokyo, or later and spend a little bit more time in Hiroshima. Either way, slow day.
**Wednesday** **9/20 – Tokyo**
* Tsukiji market (get there early)
* Catch up on anything we missed, otherwise walk through Odaiba/Ginza:
* Team lab Planet
* Odaiba sightseeing : Fuji TV building, Rainbow Bridge
* Ginza sightseeing : Kabuki-za Theater, Art Aquarium Museum Building, Hermes Building
**Friday 9/21 – Flight back from Haneda**
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7 comments
If you want local culture, why don’t you squeeze Kakunodate Festival (Sept 7-9) into your plans? You can book a flight from Haneda to Akita on Japan Airline’s Explorer Pass at special tourist rates including baggage (just like how the JR Pass is discounted for tourists). You can also explore Kakunodate itself.
[https://www.jal.co.jp/world/en/world/japan_explorer_pass/ar/reservation/](https://www.jal.co.jp/world/en/world/japan_explorer_pass/ar/reservation/)
See you there if you go!
Edit: I’m a big proponent of Tokyo days near the end of the trip, as opposed to the start, in case you go shopping and therefore won’t have to lug the purchases around the entire trip.
This looks really well-balanced to me! Your Kyoto days are a little crowded, but I’m not worried about them since you have that spare day to catch anything you didn’t get to. It’s also never a bad idea to aimlessly wander around Kyoto—I spent one rainy afternoon looking for small shrines and temples nearby on Google Maps and wandering in. I saw some really cool stuff that wasn’t on any tourism itineraries!
I personally really liked Sanjusangendo, and it only takes about half an hour to see anyway.
If you like museums, I highly recommend the Edo Tokyo Museum. It’s a great museum with life size recreations of Edo-era buildings and architecture. All exhibits are in Japanese and English. If you’re interested in art, I also recommend the Ota Memorial Museum. It’s a small museum with a rotating collection of beautiful Japanese woodblock prints. It’s really close to Harajuku Station and only takes about 45 minutes to get through (they rotate the collection because the pieces are so delicate).
Your Nikko days are very similar to my own when I went in March. It was a very pleasant time.
Your plan looks pretty good tbh. Good research!
Rather than going up Tokyo tower/Kyoto tower/umeda sky, I recommend Shibuya Sky instead and skip the rest. Highly recommend u go to Hakone instead of Kawaguchiko. I found the view of Mount Fuji at Hakone much prettier than at Kawaguchiko, plus you get the volcanic experience, cable car, and boat trip too.
Wow, we also recently and impulsively bought tickets to Japan due to birthdays and also frustration with work LOL.
We will be there from Sept 1-16 and have a similar itinerary. I’ve been freaking out trying to narrow down an itinerary and feel way better seeing yours as well.
We are looking into mainly doing Tokyo-Nikko-Kamakura-Kanazawa-Kyoto-Osaka-Nara-Tokyo with our shorter timeframe.
Really wish we could have the extra time like you guys, so jealous. Are you worried about weather? I’m praying we don’t get another typhoon while we are out there lol but it won’t stop us! This is a once in a lifetime trip for us.
If you need a friend while you’re out there feel free to reach out.
For miyajima, I recommend doing the misen hike/ropeway first since the last cable car down is at 4:30. You then get to visit itsukushima at golden hour, with no queue (my experience last week).