Can you check our itinerary and find holes or possible issues?
We are a couple travelling with 5 & 3 y/o. Jetlag isn’t an issue, we only have 1hr time difference from Japan. Our main goal is to keep the itinerary kid friendly while still ticking our bucket list of eating good japanese food and shopping for anime merch and quirky japanese stuff. We will not be getting JR Pass and would just get suica/pasmo because we would probably use taxi on nights/afternoons that the kids are tired.
Please let us know tips on how to travel, we will be bringing a stroller, bugaboo donkey with wheeled board at the back for my 5yo. Can this fit in a taxi or local trains? We’re thinking if the stroller or terrain becomes an issue, then my kids could hop off and my husband can carry the stroller to get through (stairs/escalator/rough/narrow terrain) but better to bring it just in case the kids get tired.
Dec9: flight arrives at Haneda 8PM, check in at Disney hotel (still trying to book this and will get their free shuttle from Haneda to the resort)
Dec 10, 11 and 12 – Disney Resort 3 full days
Dec 12 – after Disney Theme Park, travel and check in at Shinjuku. Close to Godzilla -our aim is close to transport and busy streets of shinjuku. Maybe get some dinner there somewhere and short night walk of the area
Dec 13 – shinjuku/shibuya shops: kabukicho, nintendo, pokemon, arcade, jump shop, food halls, mega don q, kiddy land, shibuya parco, shibuya sky, harajuku, takeshita street
We wanted to eat at a michelin starred restaurant (omakase/fine sashimi) (Harutaka, atelier morimoto, sushi shin, Makimura) but the trouble is that kids aren’t welcome. Do you know a way to work around this? Like maybe plead with them, book a private table or message them in advance? Are there child care services like a playland where we can leave the kids while we are having dinner?
Dec 14- san rio puro land then Ropponggi for a nice dinner. My husband has kindly agreed that if we really can’t find child care then I can eat by myself on these omakase michelin restaurants and he will stay with the kids and eat somewhere kid friendly nearby but ofcourse my preference is to eat with the whole family..
Dec 15- Ginza shopping then Odaiba for that Gundam statue and Joypolis. Then back to Ropponggi or Ginza to eat somewhere nice again.
Dec 16- asakusa for sensoji temple and the nakamise street then Akihabara – super potato, Bic Camera, animate, sega shop, gachapon shops, claw machine shops
Dec 17 – Shop at Tokyo Station then shinkansen and check in at Kyoto
Kyoto downtown, Nishiki Market. Gion Alley at night
Dec 18 – Fushimi Inari, Gion during the day, Ninenzaka at Sannenzaka, yasaka pagoda, we will rent kimonos on this day.
Try and eat at Higashiyama Ogata Omakase
Dec 19 – Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Sagano Romance Train, Kinkakuji, Try and eat at Yoshikawa Inn tempura
Dec 20 – shinkansen to Osaka, check in at Namba near Dotonbori, roam around Dotonbori during the day, go to Umeda Sky at Night if time permits go back to Dotonbori for Matsusaka Beef booking
Dec 21 and 22 Universal Studios Japan and Universal City Walk. Western food for a change
Dec 23 – Umeda Sky, Shinsaibashi, Namba, Dotonbori, Kuromon Market
Dec 24 – Hankyu Bus to Arima Onsen – ryokan at kobe kaiseki for Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning
Dec 25- this is where i need help most, we think it is doable so give us your thoughts. We will check out from the Ryokan at 11 and travel straight back to Haneda Airport for our 10PM flight. We plan to so this either through hankyu to Osaka then shinkansen or we could also do Domestic ANA flight from Kansai Aiport? It is risky like if there was a snowstorm or weather event or force majeur but if that’s the case, it is what is. But on a regular day, it should be alright right? Even though it’s Christmas day? Christmas is a regular day in Japan right? Plus it’s a Monday this year so should be a regular working week? What do u guys think? Am i convincing myself it’s alright? Lol
Open for suggestions. Ps. We are not into animals and zoos, really just your regular capitalist sheep, crazy for shops, merch, theme parks and food.
Thanks all!