Hello Japan Travel! First, Thank you for all of the hot tips to help us plan our 3-week trip to Japan. We are hoping we put all of the advice and suggestions to good use while building our itinerary. A little about us – We are a couple in our early 40s, no kids, celebrating our 20th anniversary. We are all about gaming (Nintendo and Zelda especially), going to live shows, rock and punk music, vinyl records. Not foodies, but looking forward to trying all that Japan has to offer.
I am posting our plan here for the community to review and comment and help to perfect it. We are going from September 20th – October 8th: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, then back to Tokyo for the last couple of days to fly back home after buying everything we didn’t want to lug around with us 🙂
**Here is what I was hoping for from you all -**
1. Overall observations of the itinerary and any suggestions, a reality check if you will
2. Tokyo (1st leg) – on Sunday and Monday sight-seeing/fit it all in days – does it sound like too many things? do you have particular shops, things to do and see in the areas we listed? Any logistics strategy to make it all happen?
3. Mt Fuji – any suggestions on things to do, logistics on order or tickets or traveling around the area?
4. Kyoto – we have a lot of “Plan stuff” – maybe suggest specific things here
5. Osaka – lots of suggestions to help fill in
**Total Trip Length -** **Weds Sept 20th – Sun October 8th**
**Tokyo (Shinjuku) -** Thurs 9/21 – Tues 9/26 (5 nights/6 days) – **BOOKED AIRBNB in Shinjuku** **(3min walk from Higashi-Shinjuku Station)**
**\* Thursday 9/21 -** get in to Tokyo, go to AirBNB and explore our neighborhood in the evening (maybe piss alley) until we fall over from being tired
**\* Friday 9/22 -** National Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan (3/4 to all day) 10am – 6pm – **BOOKED TICKETS**
**\* Saturday 9/23 -** Tokyo Game Show (TGS) 2023 at Makuhari Messe (1/2 day to 3/4 day)10am – 5pm **- BOOKED TICKETS**
**\* Sunday 9/24 -** Ueno Park area – Tokyo museum and area, booktown, just shop and eat around east side of central Tokyo really, Akihabara maybe
**\* Monday 9/25 -** Studio Ghibli Museum – **BOOKED FOR 10AM START**, explore Koenjikita (punk area), Nakano Broadway, Harajuku, Shibuya (scramble of course), Nintendo store, Taito stations, maybe Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu (Kill Bill restaurant)
**\* Tuesday 9/26 -** Travel to Mt Fuji (Kawaguchi Lake Area) – depending on when we leave, maybe last minute sightseeing?
**Lake Kawaguchiko (Mt. Fuji Area)Fuji -**
Stay Tues 9/26 – Thurs 9/28 (2 nights/3 days) – **BOOKED at Nishimiyasou – (cottage with private bathroom)**
**\* Tuesday 9/26 -** 2.5 hrs trip from Tokyo to (if we stay there) – maybe take the skylight thing up Mt Fuji? Ride bikes around
**\* Wednesday 9/27 -** Hike around Aokigahara Forest, Narusawa Ice Cave, Fuji Fugaku Wind Cave
**\* Thursday 9/28 -** 5.5 hrs to travel to Kyoto
**Kyoto -**
Stay Thurs 9/28 -Sun 10/1 (3 nights/4 days) – **BOOKED Hotel COGO (near Nishi Market)**
**\* Thursday 9/28 -** 1/2 day travel from Mt Fuji (get there around 3-4pm)/ 1/2 day hitting walk around miscellaneous stuff; PLAN SOMETHING MAYBE or walk around Nishi Market
**\* Friday 9/29 -** Fushimi Inari Taisha (Temple – fox mccloud), Walk to and take a picture infront of Nintendo corporate building, and find a bunch of little stuff and more to do here
**\* Saturday 9/30 -** Samurai museum, **KAISEKI-BOOKED AT NOON,** philosophers path area, need to plan more?
**\* Sunday 10/1 -** Travel to Osaka – as early as possible
**Osaka -**
Stay Sun 10/1 – Fri 10/6 (5 nights/6 days) – **BOOKED AIRBNB (5 min walk from JR Namba station)**
**\* Sunday 10/1 -** Travel from Kyoto (15 min bullet train); Orix Buffaloes game at Kyocera Stadium **BOOKED – START TIME – 2PM** ; Rest at AirBNB or plan something?
**\* Monday 10/2 -** Shop and eat around Dontonbori area, dendentown, maybe ZAUO (catch our own fish restaurant)
**\* Tuesday 10/3 -** Day trip to Nara in the morning – Need More Here?
**\* Wednesday 10/4 -** Universal Studios Japan (Super Nintendo World) **BOOKED TIX**
**\* Thursday 10/5 -** Osaka Castle and some town stuff (cap com building is near by); Maybe do Castle and like Umeda, North area, Nintendo Store, record shops ; Concert is DMBQ/DOMICO at CLUB QUATTRO IN UMEDA 6:45pm Doors/7:30pm Start – **BOOKED TIX**
**\* Friday 10/6 -** Travel to Tokyo (3.5 hrs)
**Tokyo -**
Stay Fri 10/6 – Sun 10/8 (2 nights/3 days) **BOOKED Hotel Resol STAY in Akihabara**
**\* Friday 10/6 -** 1/2 day travel, 1/2 day walking around Akihabara, playing arcades, Taito stations
**\* Saturday 10/7 -** Last minute shopping more of sightseeing around the area; CONCERT – TOKYO MX presents Genso Suikoden II 25th Anniversary Concert at Tokyo Metropolitan Concert Hall 5:30pm Doors/6pm Start **-BOOKED TIX**
**\* Sunday 10/8 -** Leave for Airport around 11am