As the title states, it would be the first time my family and I will be travelling to Japan. We will be travelling to Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, Kawaguchiko and Tokyo in November (during Autumn) for 12 days. Any suggestions/comments will be much appreciated! Things/food to try out, hidden gems, things to take note of, or order of visits to attractions, anything!
**Day 1 (Fri) – Osaka**
• Morning: Touch down in Osaka and check-in to your hotel.
• Afternoon: Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street
• Late Afternoon to Evening: Umeda
**Day 2 (Sat) – Osaka**
• Morning: Shitennoji Temple
• Late Morning: Kuromon Market
• Afternoon: Den Den Town and Amerikamura
• Late Afternoon: Shinsekai and Tsutenkaku Tower
• Evening: Dotonbori
**Day 3 (Sun) – Osaka –> Nara –> Kyoto**
• Early Morning: Osaka Castle
• Late Morning: Travel to Nara. Visit the following places in Nara:
o Kofuku-ji Temple:
o Yoshikien Garden (Optional):
o Todai-ji Temple and Nandaimon Gate:
o Nara Park:
o Kasuga Taisha Shrine (closes 5:30pm):
o Higashimuki Shopping Street and Mochiidono Arcade
**Day 4 (Mon) – Kyoto**
• Early morning (before 9am): Arashiyama district, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Tenryuji Temple, Togetsukyo Bridge, Iwatayama Monkey Park
• Rest of the day: Relax and explore Gion District
**Day 5 (Tue) – Kyoto**
• Early morning: Fushimi Inari Shrine
• Afternoon: Tofukuji Shrine, known for its stunning autumn foliage
• Evening: Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka streets. View the Hokan-ji Temple near Ninenzaka
• Kiyomizudera for night illumination viewing.
\[Because the day visitors of Kiyomizu temple must all leave before the night viewing, by getting the timing just right, you could be the first ones allowed inside the temple grounds once the night viewing starts.\]
**Day 6 (Wed) – Kyoto**
• Morning: Philosopher’s Path
• Afternoon to Evening: Nishiki Market, Teramachi and Shinmachi shopping arcades, Pontocho and the rest of Gion district if time permits.
**Day 7 (Thu) – Kyoto –> Kawaguchiko**
Morning: Depart for Kawaguchiko
• Early Afternoon:
Arrive at Kawaguchiko: Check-in to your hotel
• Afternoon:
Mt Tenjo Ropeway
• Evening:
o Free and Easy: Explore the town, relax
o Onsen
o Dinner: Try local specialties like houtou noodles.
**Day 8 (Fri) – Kawaguchiko**
• Early Morning:
Chureito Pagoda in Arakurayama Sengen Park
• Late Morning/Afternoon:
o Cycling around the Lake and Visits:
 Momiji Corridor
 Oishi Park
 Kawaguchiko Natural Living Center
 Visit any attractions along the way
o If time permits, visit Lake Yamanaka and cycle around the lake. \[Bus is required to reach Lake Yamanaka from Kawaguchiko station and takes around 30 mins. Cycling around Lake Yamanaka takes approximately 1.5h\]
**Day 9 (Sat) – Kawaguchiko –> Tokyo**
• Morning:
Departure to Tokyo
• Late Morning/Afternoon:
o Meiji Jingu Gaien near Harajuku.
o Yoyogi Park
• Evening:
Shibuya
**Day 10 (Sun) – Tokyo**
• Morning:
o Asakusa, Sensoji Temple and Nakamise Dori
o Ueno Park and its museums, including the Tokyo National Museum (admission fee: 500 JPY).
• Afternoon:
o Shinjuku, including iconic spots like Cross Shinjuku Vision and the Godzilla Statue.
o Optional: Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Observatory (free admission).
• Evening:
Continue enjoying the autumn atmosphere in Yoyogi Park or explore nearby Takeshita Street in Harajuku for shopping and street food.
**Day 11 (Mon) – Tokyo**
• Morning:
o Odaiba and visit the Odaiba Gundam Statue, DiverCity Tokyo Plaza.
o Tokyo Bay and Rainbow Bridge.
o Palette Town in Odaiba, where you can visit the Toyota Mega Web (free admission) and the VenusFort shopping mall.
o Optional: Miraikan (National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation) in Odaiba (admission fee: 700 JPY).
• Late afternoon:
Akihabara
• Evening:
Return to hotel
**Day 12 (Tue) – Tokyo**
• Morning:
Ginza
• Afternoon/evening:
Free and easy, do some last-minute shopping
**Day 13 (Wed)**
• Morning: Fly back to home
2 comments
Just to let you know, we are expecting high heat through October. So there may be no autumnal stuff. And Osaka castle is a sad joke.
I’m sad to inform you that the Toyota Mega Web is closed since late 2021. The theme park at Palette Town is also closed. [[https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/news/palette-town-in-odaiba-to-close-facilities-from-december-for-major-redevelopment-072621](https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/news/palette-town-in-odaiba-to-close-facilities-from-december-for-major-redevelopment-072621)]
Worst still: The Oedo Onsen that was in Odaiba has also closed around the same time.
So, as it stands, you can still go to Odaiba but I recommend you consider instead Small Worlds Tokyo which is close by (if you still plan to go to odaiba) [[https://smallworlds.jp/en/](https://smallworlds.jp/en/)]
You can also consider a day trip to Yokohama to check the second giant gundam there (assuming the gundam is one of your main reasons to check Odaiba) [[https://gundam-factory.net/en/]](https://gundam-factory.net/en/%5D)