Itinerary Check – Solo travel Osaka-Kyoto-Nara-Tokyo

First, thanks to everyone in the sub for posting such detailed info, and those who’ve answered my dumb questions so far 🙂

* I’ll be travelling to Japan solo for a combo work/fun trip (it’s a long flight…might as well make it worth it) and am still working on my loose itinerary.
* The Kyoto days are pretty packed right now, but I think I can alternate with a less intense day between the more busy ones. I bike to/from work 10km (total) a day and tend to do at least one 20-30k step day whenever I do an international trip, I’m not super fit or anything but can handle a few big walking days or would LOVE to rent a bike if I can find that.
* Food-wise I haven’t booked any reservations so that I can shuffle the days around if I’m tired or want an “easier” (idk if any of these days are easy) day. I’m not a huge drinker so will try to get early starts if I can. I’ve marked cafes and lunch spots on my google maps for all of these areas based on reccs from friends/this sub. I like good food but I’m also on a budget.
* Should I spend more time in Osaka proper? This schedule has me on a daytrip every day I’m in Osaka… but most of the shopping areas/street food I think I can fit in at night? The only attractions I can think of I might miss would be Osaka Castle (not as good as Himeji I’ve read) and Cup Noodle Museum which I can go to in Yokohoma. Denden Town, Shinsebai, Dotonbori I think are active enough at night to visit maybe? Not super interested in amerikamura/USJ/teamlabs but I could be missing a must-see attraction?

**DAY 1:**

Arrival in Osaka, pick up ICOCA and maybe snacks and head to hotel. Check-in and wander around the area of hotel (Dotonbori). Haven’t scheduled anything because I’m not sure how I will feel and my flight gets in the early evening.

**DAY 2 (flex):**

Daytrip to Himeji from Osaka. Should be back in Osaka around 2/3 pm at the latest. Spend the rest of this day wandering around Osaka (see the chapel building and highway building, visit a Daiso/Tokyu Hands/Donki for anything I might have forgotten or need). Might move this to later so I can fit anything I missed on the back half of this day.

**DAY 3 (flex):**

Kyoto big walk day! I will probably be completely exhausted of Temples after this day. If I can get a bike this would be a good day for it I imagine!

Train to Kiyomizu-dera, walk past the old starbucks, walk to Kodai-Ji (bamboo forest since I am skipping Arashiyama and this temple is like ten minutes from previous), Nanzen-ji, Okazi-Jinja (maybe, it’s between Nanzen-Ji and Philosopher’s Path so could detour), Philosopher’s Path to Ginkakuji. Wander around Gion and Higashiyama while doing these stops. Go back to Osaka and rest.

**Day 4 (flex):**

Back to Kyoto again. Fushimi Inari (will either go first thing in morning if I’m back in Kyoto before 9am, or aim to do this around sunset/4pm to avoid crowds), Nijo-jo, Kyoto Shibori Museum (tentative class at 10am), then Nishiki Market and window shopping around some fabric/stationary/video game stores in that area. I might try to fit this day onto the day that there’s a flea market but this is already a lot…

**Day 5 (ideally a Saturday for Catship museum but also flex):**

Nara daytrip.

Take the Kintetsu line in from Osaka to Kintetsu-Nara station. Based on opening times might make sense to beeline to Todaiji for 7:30am, then peek at Nara Park, Kasuga taisha, Isuein Garden, Catship, Kofuku-ji and then back to JR station to go to Horyuji (45 min to 1 hr). This will probably be the entire day.

**Day 6:**

I have the morning free, so probably either Sumiyoshi Taisha (unless completely over temples) or cup noodle museum early before work events in afternoon and evening. Depending on time these end will finish any Osaka loose ends in the evening.

**Day 7:**

I need to check out of the hotel this day, do work meetings, then transit to Tokyo so not planning on scheduling too much. I’m not sure about times yet but plan to be in Tokyo by evening.

**Days 8-10:**

Work stuff. Will only really have evenings free. Going to play by ear what I can squeeze in here if anything (museums etc seem to close early in Japan).

**Day 11:**

Hotel switch. Hoping to do **21\_21 design sight** and Roppongi hills, then head to Shinjuku for second hotel and go to Metropolitan Tower to check out the view. Keeping this open. Hotel is near Kabukicho tower, koreatown, and golden gai so I’ll probably do those in the evening (maybe on golden gai, not a big drinker).

I then have 4 full days and a half day before flying out (7pm flight) in Tokyo. I plan to use one on Yokohoma (doll museum, cup noodle museum, chinatown, the witch store) but unsure if that would be the entire day or not.

How many Tokyo districts are do-able in a day? I’ve had a bit of trouble with my Tokyo days as the things I want to see/do don’t always match with trip reports posted here or other itineraries I’ve seen so I’m kind of just looking at maps and grouping things that look close together. I was thinking the following for potential days:

* Asakusa (3 hrs max total and get out before it gets lunch time crowded), Kappabashi, then maybe Ebisu, Daikanyama, Meguro?
* **Oedo antique market**, **Kando Jinbocho**, Akihabara? This will have to be a Sunday (because of Oedo) so I wanted to see Akihabara this day with no cars. I like videogames but I’m not really into anime or into buying gamer merch (plus I’ve heard prices are very inflated) so I’m only going to wander around a bit in Akihabara just to see I think. If time – Ueno Park, cemetary and **Fabric Town** (Fabric Town is a must-do for me so depending on timing might have to go do that then backtrack to Aki which is open later).
* Meiji shrine (…maybe), Harajuku (again not going to shop just wander around), Shibuya, **Bunka Fashion Museum**, Shinjuku. I’ve heard Yoyogi is not worth it in November, just a park?
* I want to fit Ginza in somewhere but not sure where I could, maybe on my last half day? But then if I shop…. repacking might be annoying…
* Shimitokitazawa would be cool to visit but I don’t think there is space for it 🙁
* I’m going to try and fit **Shinjuku Gyeon** in on the Shibuya/Shinjuku day but if not will save for my departure day (will hopefully have forwarded my luggage to airport but if not will use lockers).

**QUESTIONS:**

* Tips on bike rentals? It looks like the Tourist centers seem to have them easily?
* On a scale of too much to way too much, how reasonable is this plan?
* Realisically how many can be done district wise in Tokyo if you are mostly window shopping and wandering around?
* IF there is even a way to add more things is there anything must-see in these areas I am missing? I’ve cut Arashiyama and Kinkaku-ji because of their distance and the short amount of time I have in Kyoto sadly. Tokyo there is just so much…
* Any areas with cool independant shops, vintage, old books etc I might be missing? I think Daikanyama in Tokyo used to have this vibe but unsure if it currently still does?
* I have a list with the cool stores like Maidens shop, BEAMS, Dover street market ginza, N id etc but anything else with that vibe I should know about or may have missed?

Thank you for any insight you may have!