First time coming to Japan in 14 years. Any Advice is much appreciated, especially on:
feasibility
any good food/ onakase to reco
do I need a. JR pass (from calculations thus far I don’t think so?)
Sunday, November 26, 2023
920am: Flight from Singapore to Narita airport
5pm: Arrive in Narita Airport
1.5hr travel time
630pm check in to hotel
7pm Dinner at Ginza Kagari Ramen (20 min walk)
Monday, November 27, 2023
Free and easy
visit Imperial Palace’s eastern gardens
check out the kabukiza Theatre
Tuesday, November 28, 2023
7am wake up early and go to Sensoji temple (20 mins train)
Asakusa Neighborhood exploring
Lunch 12pm
Akihabara afternoon (tokyo national museum if time)
Dinner gyukatsu ichi ni san and back to hotel
Tokyo sky tree
Wednesday, November 29, 2023
5am Toyosu fish market for auction (see mood, will take 1 hour to travel to yoyogi). if not 6am Tsukiji market (will take 40 mins to go to yoyogi)
9am: walk to yoyogi park + Shibuya crossing + Meiji Jingu
12pm: lunch at Ebisu Yoroniku
2pm: \~30 mins travel to Shinjuku gyouen garden
5pm – 20 mins travel to Tokyo Metropolitian Gov Building for sunset
7pm Dinner and home
Thursday, November 30, 2023
8am check out breakfast
10am romancecar/shinkansen to Hakone
2pm check in Hakone Onsen
Friday, December 1, 2023
9am check out breakfast
10am: Shinakansen from Tokyo to Kyoto (estimated 3 hours)
2pm: check in hotel
Dinner at Pontocho Alley
Saturday, December 2, 2023
830am – Nijo Castle
lunch Mendaka ramen
11am – Gion District + Yasaka Shrine + Maruyama Park
Eikando Zenrin-ji Temple +Shinyodo Temple if time
3pm – Higashiyama District
8pm -Kiyomizudera night temple illumination
Sunday, December 3, 2023
9am – ryoanji and Kinkaku ji
Arashiyama full day (8 hours)
monkey park, togetsukyo bridge, tenruyji, bamboo groves
Monday, December 4, 2023
9am – Fushimi Inari
Nishiki Market
1pm – 1 hour travel to Nara (Todaiji , deer, Huerto or kakimase udon )
9pm – return to Kyoto
Tuesday, December 5, 2023
Chill and check out 12pm
Lunch and leave for Mount Koya in afternoon
Wednesday, December 6, 2023
830am: Leave after morning prayers and breakfast (3 hours train)
12pm: check in to osaka accoms
2pm: Osaka Castle
5pm: Umeda Sky Building
Chiyomatsu Dinner
Thursday, December 7, 2023 9am – 1.5 hours trip to Himeji
11am – Himeji castle + garden
2pm – travel to Engyoji Temple (1hr)
5pm- Rikimaru sushi (20 mins from Engyoji)
2 hours travel to Osaka, back eta 8pm
Friday, December 8, 2023 9am – check out
11am- Sumiyoshi Taisha
1pm – travel to Airport
455pm Depart from KIX Osaka airport
11pm back in SG
![[Trip Report] First time solo travelling | June | Tokyo -> Osaka -> Tokyo and Pictures](https://www.lonelyjapan.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/sC0IXJPPJhnouCa89BN7KjDlO78CifmfdOS2eRWPTDI-380x220.jpg)
3 comments
“10am romancecar/shinkansen to Hakone
2pm check in Hakone Onsen
Friday, December 1, 2023
9am check out breakfast
10am: Shinakansen from Tokyo to Kyoto (estimated 3 hours)
2pm: check in hotel”
You seem to be missing the bit where you travel from Hakone to Tokyo…
This is quite difficult to read without proper spacing and punctuation but no, you do not need a JR pass if you are flying into narita and exiting via KIX. I would suggest to book a hayatoku 21 wide reserved shinkansen (cheaper shinkansen tickets bought in advance via the site) or alternatively another cheaper option which is the overnight sleeper bus.
The new cost of JR pass, unless purchased before 31 oct, can barely break even. Just get an IC card, pasmo passport or whichever from narita, and preload it. You can also consider getting the local subway day tickets eg 72 hours which make sense if your accommodation is near a subway line (non-JR) and you would make at least 3-4 trips per day.
Honestly, just 1 night in Hakone (where you check in at 2pm) is a bit a waste of time imo. Depending on where you are, getting from Odawara station to Hakone can take up some time and it might be a bit more of a hassle than you want for 1 night/half a day.
13 days of Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto and Osaka is doable in theory … but you might want to relax a bit more. It might not be enjoyable if you’re constantly on the move.