Just got back from our first trip to Japan and LOVED it. I’ve lurked on this subreddit for itinerary help and recos so wanted to pay it forward and share our itinerary 🙂 We went for 2 weeks in mid-September and it was HOT HOT HOT but so much fun.
**General tips:**
* **Suica.**. if you have an iPhone, download the Suica app (load money to use for trains and konbini etc) vs waiting in the long airport line for a physical card. We waited bc I wanted a physical card as a keepsake but we had trouble getting it to accept 6 different credit cards (master card and Amex since we read visa was a tough go) and had to get cash out of the atm. The Suica app was so easy and convenient to use the rest of the trip
* **JR pass**. I know there’s a lot of talk on if it’s worth it. It was worth it to us (esp before the upcoming price hike) bc we had to track one pass, unlimited use and didn’t have to wait in line at train stations to figure out which ticket / line to get (there was never not a line at the store front or ticket machines). If you do get the JR pass online, do NOT wait in line at the airport to pick up the physical pass. You can exchange at any JR station (we did ours at Shinjuku station where our hotel was) and the line was significantly shorter. If you do ride the Shinkansen, do reserve your seats ahead of the trip. On our Tokyo to Kyoto leg, we used the unreserved cars and it was a zoo. We were able to nab seats but sat apart in middle seats but there were others who stood most of the 2.5 hr trip. We reserved seats on the way back and it was such a different experience.
* **airport limousine bus.** To and from Haneda, we used the airport limo bus instead of hauling our luggage through the trains or using (expensive) Uber and it was super convenient and cheap – like $8 pp. bought these tickets off Klook and had zero issues.
* **phone / data**. I have T-Mobile and added an international pass to mine and it worked fine. We were able to search, navigate, translate on the go and it was awesome and worked out to be like $3/ day.
* took Japanese in HS so was doing Duolingo to freshen up. I found that many people appreciated my effort in saying the basic phrases – hi, where is…, how much is…, thank you, etc. so would highly recommend you learn some key phrases as you would any other country you visit.
* **google maps**. Super useful in navigating you (which trains, which exit, which train car to board for quickest exit etc) but if you’re navigating to places, double check the address to see what floor it’s on. Several instances where something I was looking for was in the basement or on the 9th floor and directions don’t explicitly note it so we’d circle the area confused. Just check!
* **tax free shopping** \- we packed tax free shopping in our checked bags (liquids etc) and it was not a big deal. Told the woman while checking in and she said it wasn’t a problem. No extra steps needed.
**Itinerary:**
Tokyo day 1:
* landed at Haneda at 4 PM and got to our Shinjuku hotel a little after 6 PM.
* checked out Omoide Yokocho (piss alley) for dinner and had some skewers
* did a quick stroll of Golden Gai
* picked up snacks and water at nearby konbini and got to bed early since neither of us slept well on the flight
Tokyo day 2:
* Toyosu fish market (got there 6ish since we were jet lagged), got there early to check out the fish auction and did 2 omakase – breakfast at sushi Daiwa and lunch at Sushi Dai
* team Labs. Bought our tickets ahead of time on Klook so was part of the first group in. Huge lines and tons of ppl but it didn’t feel crowded at all once we got in. I wasn’t especially excited about doing this bc it felt so kitschy and touristy but we had a lot of fun!
* Tsukiji outer market – still fun to check out even though most of the fish stalls moved to Toyosu. Took the bus right outside team labs across the bridge here. Tons of stalls so we just walked and snacked.
* bar B&F. Tried to do bar Ben fiddich (9th floor) but they were booked solid so we headed down to their offshoot B&F (2nd floor) and had a blast. Tell him your liquor base and he’ll make you a cocktail… there’s no menu. Similar concept to Ben fiddich and I suspect these are his apprentices…
Tokyo day 3:
* shinjuku Gyoen national garden
* Meiji shrine
* Shibuya scramble (got a window table at L’occitane cafe to people watch)
* Katusdon ya-Zuicho for amazing tonkatsu
* Oslo brewing down the street for Japanese and Norwegian brews
Tokyo day 4:
* Senso-Ji temple – it was super crowded bc of a race, super humid so we didn’t stay long
* hoppy street for lunch. Fine felt kinda touristy and several places turned us away
* go-kart racing – I know this may get downvoted but we had a LOT of fun doing this and would do it again. Didn’t notice dirty looks (as noted by this sub) but got some waves, fist pumps and pics from passerby’s. Would do it again especially to wear costumes (it was way too hot when we went)
* Genki taishou halal – halal wagyu and was super delish. Pricey but worth it and they upgraded some of our cuts of meat
* golden gai for drinks. Came upon a bar down the way from Story Book, which turned us away. Super fun and a had a great whisky collection
Tokyo day 5:
* Ueno park – super fun and huge campus. We checked out the zoo
* standing sushi bar in Shinjuku – cannot recommend enough. The chotoru was AMAZING as was other cuts like the hotate and uni
* Fuunji ramen – did the tsukemon dipping noodles and it was just ok. I think I’m old school and just prefer a hot bowl of ramen
Travel day / Kyoto day 1
* Shinkansen to Kyoto. Activated our JR pass so took the Yamamoto line to Shinagawa and caught the Shinkansen. As mentioned above, we didn’t reserve seats and it was a pretty packed train ( we walked through two cars before finding middle seats available).
* our hotel was 3 blocks south of Kyoto station and super convenient
* took the bus to Pontocho alley, had some tako balls, walked to Gion district
* dinner at Kappa Sushi (good but not comparable to what we just had in Tokyo)
Kyoto day 2
* fushimi inari – per sub recommendations, we got there a little before 7 AM and climbed to the top and did the loop which was amazing. As we descended, we ran into the crowds who were going up single file for awhile. Go early, really worth it!
* discovered the wonders of Don Quijote – amazing!
* Ginjo ramen kubota for lunch – amazing ramen. So good we went twice more during our stay in Kyoto
* yebisu bar – grabbed some beers and people watched after we couldn’t get into Kyoto tower bee garden
* Kitada, a clam based ramen spot for dinner – unlike any ramen we’ve ever had. Women owned and operated and broth was clam based and so much umami. Followed the recs and got a side of rice to eat with the broth and it was amazing
Kyoto day 3 / Day Trip to Osaka
* Train was about 35 mins and can use your JR pass
* dotombouri for lunch. All the of okonomiyake places I pinned had huge lines. We eventually just stayed in line at chibu okonomiyake and it was just ok.
* Osaka castle – pre book your tickets to not wait in line. Super cool aerial views of Osaka and cool exhibits as you make your way down
Kyoto day 4:
* sake museum in the sake district. Took a train south of our hotel. Cool experience and got tokens to try the different sake they made. Highly recommend the melon, the exclusive and#7 I think. Hitoshi was our sake guide and he was amazing!
* fushimi sake village for lunch and sake flights. Really good bang for your buck and a 10 minute from the sake museum. Nice bites and sake flights were filled to the brim!
* Kyoto tower – pre bought tix off Klook and super seamless experience. Glad we did this later in our stay bc we were able to identify sites we’d been to which was super cool!
* Wagyu takiniku waya – wagyu for dinner. Melt in your mouth wagyu but service was kinda off. Still highly recommend and good bang for your buck.
Kyoto day 5 / day trip to Nara!
* express train to Nara – you can use your JR pass BUT you also need to book a separate express ticket (can do at kiosks near the tracks or use the QR code in the seat back pocket).
* had lunch at hole in the wall mom and pop shop, Maguro Koya. Fresh tuna bowls and good bang for your buck.
* Nara park – buy the biscuit packets. Deer bit hubby in the butt bc he wasn’t giving them out fast enough
* toda-ji temple – buy the tickets to go in. Worth it and the architecture is beautiful. Biggest bronze Buddha in Japan.
* Ginjo ramen Kubota for dinner. Closer to an hour wait but still worth it. Stopped by cha cha stand for fried quail eggs and dumplings, good spot for small bites.
Travel day back to Tokyo
* checked in at hotel century tower in Shinjuku – super convenient location to the station
* standing sushi bar for late lunch. Apparently we ate so much a week ago that they remembered us on sight… almost a week later!
* piazza da peppe – hubby is a big pizza lover and this was like #25 best pizza in the world. Get the Don salvo!
* Tokyo tower
Such a great time and already thinking about going back!