I will be traveling next month to Japan with my family (4 adults). I don’t want to pack each day/follow a strict schedule (except for the full day in Hakone) so below is a loose itinerary that we currently have. I do some have questions with transportation and appreciate any other suggestions you guys have. I have bolded my questions so it’s easier to see. Thanks in advance!
Day 1 \[Monday\] – Arrive in Tokyo Haneda Airport
* Check esim (purchase and activate before flying) is working properly upon arrival around 5AM. Get our luggage, exchange some USD for JPY and then buy transportation cards to take trains to our hotel MIMARU TOKYO UENO OKACHIMACHI. Looking at Google Maps, we are considering taking the Keikyū Airport Line to Shinagawa Station and then transferring to Yamanote Line to get off at Okachimachi Station. **Considering we will have 4 luggages and hopefully on our first train by 6:30AM, will the whole commute on the trains be too packed? If so, is there a private transport you recommend using?**
* Since we booked the previous day as well for the hotel, we will check in early (hopefully by 8AM) and rest up/unpack and then spend the afternoon and evening around Ueno.
Day 2 \[Tuesday\] – Explore Asakusa
* Get breakfast from nearby 7/11 or another restaurant if it’s opened by 8AM
* Meet with tour guide at our hotel at 10AM and then take train to Asakusa. Tour guide will be with us for 3 hours. We will definitively visit Sensō-ji and then grab lunch nearby. We’re interested in some shopping, especially Kappabashi Shopping Street for Japanese knifes and homeware.
\*\*\*Activities in Days 3 through 6 are not set, so we can still switch things up\*\*\*
Day 3 \[Wednesday\] – Shibuya, and maybe Shinjuku (not into night life so might skip Shinjuku)
Day 4 \[Thursday\] – Tokyo Station, Imperial Palace
Day 5 \[Friday\] – Tsukiji, Ginza
Day 6 \[Saturday\] – Free day, not sure what we’ll do yet. Maybe a day trip to Yokohama?
Day 7 \[ Sunday\] – Travel to Hakone
* During hotel checkout, we will ask front desk to help us with luggage forwarding service to send 3 out of our 4 suitcases to our Kyoto hotel.
* According to Google Maps, the fastest route from our Tokyo hotel is to take Keihin-Tōhoku Line to Tokyo Station then take a Shinkasen to Odawara Station. From there we will ask a station agent to help us call the Ryokan HAKONE GORA BYAKUDAN to request their free shuttle to some bus station (still need to verify what station the shuttle goes to). **Do you suggest we book Shinkasen before flying to Japan or it’s fine to book after we arrive? I read online there’s also a Romance car but that departs from Shinjuku so we wouldn’t need Romance car ticket correct?**
* **We will also purchase the Hakone Free Pass (2 days, one-way trip). Again, we should purchase Odawara Station since we are not departing from Shinjuku in Tokyo correct?**
* After we check in to Ryokan, we will just be relaxing and eating the dinner provided by the Ryokan.
Day 8 \[Monday\] Hakone Full Day
* Breakfast at Ryokan
* Cable Car and Ropeway to Owakudani
* Ropeway to Togendai
* Pirate Ship Cruise Across Lake Ashi
* Hakone Checkpoint on the Tokaido Road (Hakone Sekisho)
* Old Tokaido Road to Moto-Hakone-ko
* Lunch near the Moto-Hakone pier
* Hakone Jinja Shrine (possible skip)
* Stone-Paved Road of the Old Hakone Highway
* Amasake Teahouse
* Travel back to ryokan for 6PM dinner – not sure on the logistics of the route back yet
* Enjoy onsen for the rest of the night
Day 9 \[Tuesday\] – Travel to Kyoto
* Breakfast at Ryokan
* Use onsen one more time before checking out of Ryokan 11AM
* Travel to our hotel in Kyoto, MIMARU SUITES KYOTO SHIJO. According to Google Maps, the fastest route is to take a bus from Ryokan to Odawara station, then take Shinkansen to Nagoya Station. From Nagoya Station take another Shinkansen to Kyoto Station. Finally, take Kyoto Eki mae bus to Karasuma Matsubara and walk to hotel. **This route looks like it’ll cost almost $100USD (¥13,720) per person. Is there another cheaper (but not significantly longer) route I should consider instead?**
* Purchase Icoca card to use in Kyoto
* Check in to hotel at 3PM and rest a bit before exploring the area
* Dinner at Ramen Sen-no-Kaze
\*\*\*Activities in Days 10 through 12 are not set, so we can still switch things up\*\*\*
Day 10 \[Wednesday\] – Philosopher’s Path, Nanzen-ji- Tenju-an
Day 11 \[Thursday\] – Fushimi Inari, Takase River, Gion
Day 12 \[Friday\] – Free day, not sure what we’ll do yet. Maybe a day trip to Kobe?
Day 13 \[Saturday\] – Flying back home from KIX
* Check out of hotel by 11am and leave luggage in storage
* Get lunch and stroll around until we retrieve luggage from hotel
* Take bus to Kyoto Station and then take JR Haruka to Kansai Airport Station. **A cheaper alternative that’s about an extra 10 minutes is to take the Limited Express Osaka-Umeda train from Karasuma Station to Osaka Station. Then Kansai Airport Limousine Bus to KIX. Should I go with the first or second route? Looking for the easiest commute with 4 luggages.**
* **How early should I get to the KIX airport? Not sure if it matters but from KIX, I will have a layover at HND. I’m thinking to arrive 2 hours early at KIX.**
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