Hello wonderful, helpful people! I’ve been inspired by all of you to make a brief itinerary for my upcoming trip at end of October/early November. I’ve tried to keep it from being too packed/expecting to do too much but I still want to make sure I’m not doing anything crazy. Looking for any advice/any suggestions, especially for my days in Tokyo and my day trips from Kyoto (Himeji, Nara, Universal/Osaka).
\[Staying in Tokyo Days 1-6\]
Day 1: Arrive at Haneda, bus to hotel near Disney and chill out, explore Ikspiari OR DisneySea evening ticket
How long can I expect to spend in customs/to get from the airport to Disney? Wondering if I would have enough time for an evening ticket to a park.
Day 2: Tokyo Disneyland
Booked tickets, will likely be buying Premier Access for the big rides (Beauty and the Beast)
Day 3: Tokyo DisneySea
Booked tickets, will likely be buying Premier Access for the nighttime show
Day 4: Move to Shinjuku hotel, explore Shinjuku
Would a big bus tour be a good idea to get the lay of the land? What else could we do for a half day around Shinjuku?
Day 5: Shibuya, TBD
We are interested in going to some arcades and video game stores, is there a way to spend a whole day doing this with maybe a stop at Meiji Jingu in the middle to chill?
Day 6: Ginza shopping, Imperial Palace, Hokusai Museum
Do I need tickets ahead of time for the Imperial Palace or the Hokusai Museum?
\[Staying near Fuji-Q\]
Day 7: Bus to Fujiyoshida, afternoon pass to Fuji-Q
Day 8: Guided tour of Fuji area (Chureito Pagoda and Oshino Hakkai)
We are using ToursByLocals to see some sights around Fujiyoshida. Our tour does not include transportation- is public transit good enough to see both things on our itinerary easily? Are we missing out by not doing Lake Kawaguchi? (should we rent bikes and ride around it?)
\[Staying in Kyoto Days 9-14\]
Day 9: Train to Kyoto, explore Gion and Yasaka Shrine
We will be activating a 7-day JR Pass this day to make use of trains to/from Kyoto for the latter half of our trip. Travel day, so we do not have much planned other than walking around the streets of Gion. Are there any must-sees or must-dos?
Day 10: Move hotels, Imperial Palace & Nijo Castle
Another pretty open day for now. We will be staying near Nijo Castle this night, so think it would be good to see the things up here. Would I have time to add Kinkaku-Ji this day too?
Day 11: Fushimi Inara in the morning, Arashiyama in the afternoon
This will be our last full day dedicated to Kyoto- are these two possible in the same day? Are we missing anything big?
Day 12: Nara Trip
Taking a morning train to Nara and an early evening train back to Kyoto. Not many plans while in Nara- would we need to book anything ahead of time?
Day 13: Himeji Castle Trip
Similar to above- taking a morning train to Himeji. Do we need to book a castle tour ahead of time? Is a guided tour recommended? Should we stay in Himeji all day or go to Osaka for dinner before going back to Kyoto?
Day 14: Universal/Osaka Trip
Plan to get to the park early and stay there all day. Will either head straight back to Kyoto or stay in Osaka for dinner if we didn’t have time the day before.
\[Tokyo\]
Day 15: Train to Tokyo, shopping
Are there any activities/neighborhoods in Tokyo that will be low-key and nice to walk around casually for our last day before leaving?
Day 16: Get to the airport early and fly home!