Hi! I’m traveling to Japan for the first time with my sibling in October. Will be there for 10 days and am currently running through a first draft itinerary. I know that it currently reads as pretty overcrowded so I’d love any feedback on what to cut/keep as well as overall feasibility!
**Sat, Day 1 – Land at Haneda Airport at 3:30 PM**
* Take train and check in to Airbnb (Shinjuku, about 10 mins from Okubo Station). Have dinner and spend evening in Shinjuku
**Sun, Day 2**
* Shinjuku Gyoen
* Meiji Shrine
* Yoyogi Park
* Shibuya Crossing/Sky
**Mon, Day 3**
* Ueno Park
* National Museum
* Asakusa/Senso-ji
* Tokyo Skytree
**Tue, Day 4**
* Tsukiji Outer Market
* Ginza
* TeamLab Planets
**Wed, Day 5 – early morning train to Kyoto (active JR Pass)**
* check in luggage to coin lockers at station
* Philosopher’s Path
* Kiyomizu-dera
* check into Airbnb (about 10 mins walk from Fushimi-Inari
**Thurs, Day 6**
* Day trip to Nara
* Deer Park
* Todai-ji Temple
* Isui-en Garden
OR
* Day trip to Osaka
* Osaka Castle
* Shinsekai
* Osaka Aquarium
* Dotonbori
**Fri, Day 7**
* Fushimi-Inari hike
* Gion
* Nishiki Market
**Sat, Day 8**
* Day trip to Hiroshima
* Miyajima Island
* Memorial Peace Park/Museum
**Sun, Day 9**
* Arashiyama (including Bamboo Grove)
* Kinkaku-ji
**Mon, Day 10 – Morning train back to Tokyo**
* Airbnb location TBD
* Spend day visiting places previously missed
* Another museum in Ueno Park?
* Akihabara?
**Tue, Day 11**
* Relaxing morning, maybe visit one place
* Lunch
* Head to Haneda for 3:30 PM flight
As you can see it’s a bit of a rough sketch so far, but I’ve tried to group things (particularly in Tokyo) in a way that could be feasible based on city layout. Ultimately I don’t want to waste time traveling around so much. Also am aware that it’s very tourist-y but as a first time visitor I don’t mind much, although I’d certainly take any recommendations for must-sees that I’ve missed!
1 comment
it’s a good rough draft i think! based on your energy, you might not be able to fit everything so it might be good to have a few starred places (must visit), and a few extra if you feel up to it.
do note that some of the spots (teamlab, shibuya sky, etc) you should get reservations ahead of time!
the day trip to osaka seems a bit busy… castle + aquarium + dotonbori might be a bit much depending on how in depth you want to look at each spot. but it’s doable! just depends how much energy you have 🙂
lmk if you have any questions i’ll try to answer!