Hello all,
My spouse and I are going to Japan this fall with GoAhead tours. I know that guided tours are kind of debated on this sub as unnecessary/overpriced, but we love how this took 90% of the planning off our shoulders. I also figured it’d be nice to have on this subreddit’s history since others may book the same trip in the future and use it as a resource. 🙂
We are hitting up most of the main tourist attractions in Tokyo>Mt. Fuji region>Kyoto/Nara>Osaka>Hiroshima. We’re looking for advice on how to spend our free time, especially in Tokyo since they have us booked at a hotel located in Odaiba. Most of our afternoons and evenings are free, but some are more free than others. Our itinerary is as follows, with the pieces we’re seeking advice **bolded**:
Day 1-Tokyo: Shibuya crossing, Yoyogi Park, Meiji Shrine (Inner Garden and Kiyomasa’s Well), Harajuku, Asakusa Kannon, Nakamise. We are also taking a cooking class this evening.
**DAY 2-FREE DAY IN TOKYO: Since we are staying in Odaiba, we are trying to figure out if we should stick to the island or travel back into the city. If we go back into the city, we are thinking of going to the Aquarium Art Museum, Shinjuku Gyoen garden, and the Pokemon Center DX. Are these all reasonable to see in a day? Again, if it would be better to stick with our hotel area, we are ok with that since Odaiba does seem pretty fun on its own!**
Day 3- Tokyo and Mt. Fuji region: Imperial Palace, Metropolitan Building, travel to the Mt. Fuji region, photo stop at Fuji.
Day 4- Mount Komagatake, Ashinoko, travel to Kyoto: Ropeway ride to the top of Mount Komagatake, cruise on Ashinoko, Hakone Open Air Museum, arrive in Kyoto
Day 5- Kyoto: Nijo Castle, Golden Pavilion. **Very free afternoon. We are staying in Higashiyama and are SO EXICTED. Should we try to get to Otowanotaki and Fushimi Inari? Our hotel is about a 30 minute walk from Otowanotaki**
Day 6- Nara, Kyoto: Travel to Nara, Todaiji Temple, Kasuga-taisha, Nara Park, travel back for a **very free evening in Kyoto. Any spots we should make sure to visit that aren’t listed on Day 7?**
Day 7- Kyoto: Arashiyama, Tenryu-ji Temple, Hozu River and Togetsukyo Bridge, Nishiki Market
Day 8- Osaka: Osaka Castle, Kuromon Ichiba Market. **We would really like to go see the Osaka Aquarium. We are staying around Nipponbashi and are about 15 minute walk away from Dotonbori/Shisekai. Would it be worth it to try for the aquarium today and end our tour with Dotonbori/Shisekai? (see day 10).**
Day 9- Hiroshima: Peace Memorial Museum, ferry to Miyajima Island. **Another very free afternoon/evening. We are open to any and all ideas for Hiroshima.**
Day 10-Back to Osaka: Himeji Castle, Otemon Gate, Koko-en Garden. **FINAL NIGHT OF TRIP.**
Day 11- Travel home
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1 comment
Hi!
I hope this is OK to post.
I think there is nothing wrong with doing a tour. I think a lot of people either enjoy the planning and/or don’t want to pay for it. If you don’t enjoy the planning and want the support and can afford it, then there is nothing you should feel bad about. I don’t do a tour, because I really like planning things out and I am super neurotic.
For Day 2, I think it depends on your interests? Odaiba has a good science museum and some shopping, but it’s only so interesting? I admit, I’ve mostly gone there in the past to go to events at Big Sight. While Odaiba is a little pricey to leave (expect to pay around 500 yen each direction) it’s 100% possible. The Yurikamome Line and Rinkai line run fairly often.
You don’t really say your interests so it is harder to recommend things? I think you could definitely get Shinjuku Gyoen, the Pokemon Center and the Art Aquarium to work. I really like Shinjukiu Gyoen, but do look to see what will be seasonal while you are there. Some gardens are definitely better depending on the time of year. A lot of people like Kenrokuen the best of the big 3, but it’s not that interesting in late June when nothing is in bloom. There are a lot of Pokemon Centers. If possible on Day 1 you might want to see about visiting the one in Skytree, They all have slightly different merch and stock can vary across stores, even within one trip. (I have a daughter who is into Pokemon.)
For Kyoto you could visit: Kodaiji, Chion-in, Sanjusangendo, Nanzenji. I would do it based on where it is easy to walk to. Eikando is pretty cool too. There is a Pokemon Center near Shijo Station on the subway line and there is a lot of shopping outside Nishiki Market, though perhaps you are already doing that?
On day 9, I think you are going to end up with less time in the evening than you think. You have to get from where ever you are staying to a shinkansen station, then get to Hiroshima, then get to the Peace Memorial Museum, I expect you will also want to walk around the Peace Park, then you need to get back to the Station and go to Miyajima and then you might want to see more than just the shrine itself. By the time you get back it will probably be after 5, which just limits what is open outside of shopping. Of course there is shopping and again there is a Hiroshima Pokemon Center if you are really into Pokemon. (no judgement here because again, I’ve been to a lot of Pokemon Centers, sometimes multiple times in one trip.)
I really liked Koko-en.
I hope you enjoy your trip!