hi everyone! i’m solo traveling to japan on my 18th birthday in january. i would like some feedback on my itinerary please and thank you!
it looks like i’m doing A LOT, but the days are organized by specific regions so most places are within 5-10 mins of each other.
advice on first time travel and overall hacks and tips are greatly appreciated.
this is still a rough draft however all hotels and flights are booked.
and places i should visit/eat?
(anime lover, not picky but i haven’t developed a taste for raw fish, i like shopping and adventure)
DAY 1 (thursday, january 18)
Land at Narita Airport @10:00 AM
Buy JR pass and pocket wifi*
Go to hotel in Shibuya, Drop off bags
Go to 7/11 get snacks and withdraw cash
Browse Shibuya crossing mall
Go to Cremia Ice cream shop
Stop by Sushiro or Oreyu Shio Ramen
Check into hotel and rest
Yelp Somewhere to eat for dinner
Head back to hometel
DAY 2 (friday, january 19)
Wake up @07:30
Go to Tully’s Coffee for breakfast
Go to 7/11 to get cash and snacks for picnic
Go to the Shinjuku Gyoen
Maybe get McDonalds on the way back
Head to Karaki Mokko- Opens @12:30
Torisei or somewhere else to eat
Explore area
Head to karaoke
Go to Starbucks reserve
Nabezo (grilled meat for din din)
Head back to hometel
DAY 3 (saturday, january 20)
Wake up @08:00
Cafe hop, Afternoon Tea, Love and Table (open at 10), schoolwork
Head to the National Art center
Explore Roppongi area
TsuruTonTan for lunch 😋
Go to Ginza Six Mall
Head to Uniqlo and muji
Yelp dinner
Go back to hometel
DAY 4 (sunday, january 21)
Wake Up @08:00
Yelp for breakfast/ or hotel breakfast
Head to Asakusa, Senso-ji Temple
Go to Tokyo Sky Tree
Go to Akihabara
Lunch at Beef-Professional Akihabara Branch
Walk around the district, go shopping, Mandarake
Head back to hometel, drop off bags rest, nap
Explore Shibuya More
Have dinner at Sushi Uobei
Go back to hometel
DAY 5 (monday, january 22)
Wake Up @08:00
Breakfast at Local Bakery
Go To Disneyland
Come back to hometel, rest
Head to Sunshine 60 Observatory
Explore around area
Yelp for lunch
Head back to hometel, chill
Go back out for dinner
DAY 6 PT 1 (tuesday, january 23)
Wake up @08:00
Yelp for breakfast
Head back to hometel, check out @10:00
Ride Shinkansen to Kyoto
KYOTO, JAPAN / JANUARY 23- JANUARY 25
DAY 6 PT 2 (tuesday, january 23)
Arrive In Kyoto
Head to Sakura Terrace the Atelier, check in, rest
Visit Yagi Cutlery (near nishiki market)
Go to Nishiki Shopping Market
Have dinner at Gyoza Hohei (10 mins away)
Have an after dinner stroll along the river
Head back to hometel
DAY 7 (wednesday, january 24)
Wake Up @08:00
Have breakfast at nearby cafe or restaurant
Go skiing in Biwako valley (1hr train ride)
Come back to hometel, freshen up
Go to convenience store, snacks
Head to the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine
After shrine go to dinner at Aeon Mall Kyoto (restaurant Tajimaya)
Explore the mall
Go back to hometel
DAY 8 PT 1 (thursday, january 25)
Wake Up @07:30
Go to convenience store on the way to nijo-jo
Be on the way to Nijo-Jo by 08:15
Explore Nijo-jo Castle
Come back, check out @10:00
Head to Nara
NARA, JAPAN / JANUARY 25- JANUARY 27
DAY 8 PT 2 (thursday, january 25)
Arrive in Nara
Drop bags off at Hotel Wisteria Nara
Head to Nara Park
Walk to Mahoroba Daibutsu Pudding
Walk to the Isuien Garden
Go back to hometel, check in
Head to the Sanjo-dori shopping street
Yelp for food nearby
Stop by the 7/11 near hometel for snacks
Go back to hometel, rest
Go to dinner at Kasuya (かすうどん加寿屋 JR奈良駅前店 ) OR Menya Ryu (麺屋龍)
Call it a day at hometel
DAY 9 (friday, january 26)
Wake Up @08:00
Go to a nearby cafe, schoolwork, edit
Head to Naramachi shopping district
Browse around the area
Go to the Mochiidono shopping arcade
Head to the Todai-ji Temple
Go to Sobadokoro Kitahara for lunch
Head to the Ukimido park
Go back to hometel, rest
Yelp for dinner
Go to hometel
DAY 10 PT 1 (saturday, january 27)
Wake Up @08:00
Go to a nearby cafe for breakfast
Rest in hotel until time for check out
Check out @10:00
Head to Osaka
OSAKA, JAPAN / JANUARY 27- JANUARY 31
DAY 10 PT 2 (saturday, january 27)
Arrive in Osaka by 11:15
Drop bags off at Hotel Sunplaza 2 Annex
Head to Osaka Castle and explore
Explore the Castle garden (osakajo koen)
Walk to get Lunch at ぺこぺこうどん
Head back to hometel, check in
Explore nearby area
Go to Umeda food hall
Come back to hometel and call it a day
DAY 11 (sunday, january 28)
Wake Up @08:00
Go to 7/11 for breakfast
Explore nearby area
Make way to 1-chōme-17-20 Kitahorie, Nishi Ward, Osaka, 550-0014, Japan (bento class) by 10:50
Head to the Shinsaibashi PARCO (mall)
Go to the Dotonbori district
Eat your way through Kuromon Market
Go back to hometel, rest
Head to the Tsūtenkaku observation tower
Explore the area below, visit tower knives osaka
Have dinner at Kura Sushi
Go back to hometel
DAY 12 (monday, january 29)
Wake Up @08:00
Go to nearby cafe, schoolwork,edit
Head to Universal
Go to the tempozan ferris wheel
Walk around the harbor village
Lunch at Ganko Tempozan
Walk around the LegoLand discovery center
Visit the Osaka Aquarium
Head back to hometel,rest
Go for dinner at Hokuto Gems Namba
Go back home
DAY 13 (tuesday, january 30)
Wake Up @08:00
Yelp for breakfast
Spa world
Head back to the hotel, change, rest/nap
Visit Daiso
Go to the Haruka 300 observatory
Visit the umeda sky building
Have an om nom nom inside the umeda building, do schoolwork
Walk around Lucua Osaka mall
Go back to hometel for the night
Head to 7/11 for late night snacks if hungry
DAY 14 PT 1 (wednesday, january 31)
Wake Up @08:00
Find a cafe for breakfast
Go to nearby 7/11, get snacks for 5hr train ride
Go back to hometel, get stuff together, check out
Ride shinkansen to Narita
NARITA, JAPAN / JANUARY 31- FEBRUARY 1
DAY 14 PT 2 (wednesday, january 31)
Arrive in Narita
Check into Hotel Mystays Premier Narita, rest
Head out to eat at Azuma
After dinner visit AEON MALL
Head back to hotel
Yelp for dinner if hungry again
Go mimis bc flight tomorrow
DAY 15 (thursday, february 1)
Wake Up @07:00
Get things together, check out
Head to the airport
Skiddaddle and Scram back home
4 comments
i had it listed but it didn’t paste well, so no punctuation. sorry 🙁
Super exciting, and sounds like an awesome thing to do for your 18th!
In terms of schedule, I think you’re really underestimating the time it takes to explore places or get around.
* **Day 4** – Going from a hotel in Shibuya, having breakfast, then Senso-ji temple, Tokyo Skytree, AND Akihabara before lunch means you’d barely see anything. Maybe snap a couple photos then back onto the subway.
* **Day 5** – I’d recommended dropping Disneyland. It takes almost an hour to get there from Shibuya, and then you already want to head out before lunch. It’d be a waste of money to buy a Disney ticket, even if it’s a lot cheaper than the US parks.
* **Day 7** – If you’re going to enjoy the skiing, it’ll likely be too dark to visit Fushimi Inari by the time you get back, although doable.
* **Day 12** – Same issue as Day 5. USJ is known for having some *really* long lines. It’s not worth spending money on the ticket if you’re barely there.
Logistically, I don’t think you need to withdraw cash twice one days 1 and 2. Also, Yelp isn’t really a thing in Japan. Tabelog or even Google Maps reviews are better.
thank you so much! what should i do instead of disneyland? ur right about usj, i’ll consider a fast pass or give it more time.
A rail pass is really not going to be worth it. The price goes up in October and at 50,000 yen you’re not even close to covering that as your only expensive trip is the roundtrip from Tokyo to Kansai.
I mean if you have money to burn, that’s fine, but paying 8000 yen to spend a few hours in Disney and another 8000 yen to spend a few hours in USJ seems like a waste to me. I would drop them or plan on giving them both a lot more time.
You’re not going into Nijo Castle until 8:45 cause that is when it opens.