I (32M) and my wife (33F) will be going to Japan for the first time between 3 March to 19 March 2024. We will be there 17 days total.
We want to make that we have a decent itinerary planned. Any advice/ideas will be nice and welcome!
We are interested in the Japanese culture, video games, experiences the different cities have to offer and as vegetarians who don’t eat fish or eggs a little concerned about the food options we will have. I have looked at Happy Cow though, so I do know there are a lot of options, but still.
**Day 1, 2, 3 & 5 Tokyo**
*(Arrival at Narita)*
* Arrival at Hotel near Yotsuya station, Shinjuku-ku
– Sensō-ji (Temple)
– Any Park (Senzoku-ike Park/Ueno/Imperial Palace East Gardens)
– Tokyo Skytree
– Teamlabs Planets
– Teamlabs Borderless (Supposed to re-open by Jan 2024)
– Edo-Tokyo Open Architecture
– Ghibli Museum (https://www.ghibli-museum.jp/en/)
– Tokyo Dome + Koishikawa Korakuen + LaQua Onsen
– ~~Go-Karting~~
– KitKat Chocolatory
– Nintendo / Pokemon Cafe
– Sumo wrestling if possible
– Live music if possible
– Last day Send luggages to Osaka hotel
– Akihabara
– Hachiko Square
**Day 4: Oshino Hakkai / Tokyo**
* Benifuji no Yu Onsen
* Kaneyama waterfall
**Day 6: Tokyo / Hakone**
* Transit from Tokyo to Hakone
* Hakone Hot Springs
* Hakone Tozan Railway
* Lake Ashinoko
* Hakone Museum of Art
* Spend the night at Hakone in a hotel with an onsen inside
**Day 7 & 8: Kanazawa**
* Transit to Kanazawa from Hakone
– Staying at Saiwaimachi area
– Ninja Temple
– Ishiura Shrine
– Kenrokuen
– Castle park
– Higashi Chaya district and Lady Baba
**Day 9: Shirakawa-go / Kyoto**
* Transit from Kanazawa to Shirakawa-go (book bus tickets in advance)
– Spend the day here
– Transit to Kyoto
– Staying 750 meters from Gion Shijo Station in Kyoto
**Day 10 & 11: Kyoto**
* Togetsukyo Bridge
– Gion Koishi
– Toei Park
– Philosopher’s Walk
– Gion walk
– Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple
– Ninja Dojo Store
– Mayumara Store (http://www.mayumura.com/)
– Camellia tea ceremony
– Fushimi sake district
**Day 12,13 & 16-17 Osaka**
* Staying first 2 nights in Tennoji Ward, near Ebisucho metro station
– Last 2 nights in Shinsaibashi, 250 meters from Shinsaibashi train station
– No concrete plans as such yet, still figuring out what we like in Osaka
– All the touristy/shopping we need to do
– We were thinking of Universal Studios
**Day 14: Nara**
* Todaiji
– Nara Park / feed the deer
– Kasuga Taisha
– Kofukuji
– Nakatanidou / mochi pounding
**Day 15: Hiroshima**
* No plans, still figuring out
3 comments
I always comment this on these posts but don’t do the go karting. The locals hate it including me, they’re loud, disruptive, and dangerous and I suggest you spend that time doing something else!
Sumo will be in Osaka March 9-23
https://www.sumo.or.jp/EnTicket/year_schedule
This is obviously a personal recommendation, but as you said:
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>We are interested in the Japanese culture, video games, experiences the different cities have to offer
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I would recommend less activities like 2x Teamlabs exhibits, KitKat factory, Go-Karting, etc., and more activities like exploring interesting neighborhoods that will not be packed with other tourists all of the time.