I’d appreciate any last feedback on my itinerary! Can’t believe it’s so soon. Trying to decide if I should plan out or reserve at least a couple of meals. Note that the nights in Tokyo aren’t that solidified, I’ll be looking at the local music that’s happening and rearranging some things likely.
Please let me know if there’s anything on here you would rearrange or add or get rid of!
​
**11/11 – Tokyo, Shinjuku (landing time 3:20 PM)**
* Currency Exchange
* Take airport limousine bus to hotel 30-45 min, our hotel is a direct stop
* Check in
* Tokyo Metropolitan Building
* Don Quijote on the way to Kabukicho Tower
* Kabukicho Tower
**11/12 – Tokyo, Shinjuku & Shibuya**
* Meiji Jinju Shrine
* Cat Street (Cafe Reissue, B-Side Label, Design Festa, Big Love Records)
* Shibuya Scramble/ Station/ Hachiko
* Shibuya Sky Tower
* Tokyo Romantic Flea Market if time allows
* Shopping in the area (Center Gai, Paco, Loft, Tower Records)
* Artnia Square Enix Cafe (only to browse store not sit at cafe)
* Golden Gai (Maybe Bar Albatross, Bar Nightingale – reservations?)
* Omoide Yokocho
**11/13 – Tokyo – Tsukiji, Asakusa, Roppongi**
* Tsukiji Market and next door Ichifuji
* Walk down the same street to see Namiyoke Shrine (lion statues)
* Tsukiji Hongan-ji Temple
* The Old Shimbashi Station Railway History Exhibition Hall & Shimbashi Station
* Toyokawa Inari Tokyo Betsuin Temple
* Photo outside Asakasa Palace
* Fuji Film Square
* Roppongi Hills (Mamon (spider statue), Mori Tower/Tokyo City View)
* maybe Ebisu Yokocho
**Tue 11/14: Tokyo to Fujikawaguchiko**
* Checkout hotel
* 8:55 AM Highway bus to Shimoyoshida (abt. 1 hr 30)
Arakurayama Sengen Park/Pagoda
* Train from Shimoyoshida Station to Kawaguchiko Station (abt. 40 min)
* Lunch/browsing around at Lake Fujikawaguchiko area
* Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway
* 3 PM: Check in and reserve spot for private onsent
* about 25 min by bus Check out the Autumn Leaves Festival (event runs 4PM – 10 PM)
**Wed 11/15: Fujikawaguchiko to Kyoto**
* Express Bus to Mishima (45 min), then Shinkansen to Kyoto (2 hours)
* Check in hotel
* Wander through historic & shopping areas in central Kyoto
* Nishiki Market if still open (closes at 6)
* Daimaru Market
* Try to catch cultural show at Gion corner (one at 6, one at 7)
* Hanami-koji Street & side alleys (most popular street, pricey restaurants)
* Shirakawa Area along the canal
* Yasaka Shrine
* Time/Energy depending: Kodaiji Temple Lightscape at night (5-9:30 PM)
**Thur 11/16: Kyoto**
* Nanzenji Temple/Tenjuan Temple Gardens (opens 8:40) (1.5 hours)
* Nanzenji’s central temple grounds are open to the public free of charge, but separate fees apply for entering temple buildings and subtemples. Will definitely do Tenjuan for 500 yen, not sure about others
* Eikan-do Zenrin-ji Temple (1-1.5 hrs)
* Stop for lunch
* Shinshō Gokuraku-ji (Shinnyo-dō) Temple
* Honen-in Temple
* Higashiyama Jisho-ji
* \~30 min bus Back to Hotel (or 17 min taxi)
* Kodaiji Temple Lighscape if did not get to the night before or either Daigo-ji Temple or Chion-in Temple illuminations (haven’t decided yet)
**Fri 11/17: Kyoto – Arashiyama**
Get up as early as possible
* Nonomiya-jinja Shrine & Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
* Tenryuji Temple
* Hogon-in Temple & Garden
* Walk through Kameyama Park & Okochi Sanso Garden
* Gioji Temple
* Adashino Nenbutsu-ji Temple
* Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple
* ***is this day too packed since the last 3 temples are a trek? Which would you get rid of?***
**Sat 11/18: Kyoto**
* Heian Shrine
* Tofuku-ji Temple & Kōmyō-in sub-Temple
* Higashiyama District
* \* Photo op: Yasaka Pagoda
* Shinbashi street
* Shijo Street
* Maruyama Park
* Kiyomizudera Temple sunset/night illumination (a little torn on this, might move to AM because I’m sure this time will have a crazy line)
* ***Alternately to any of the above, if too sick of the crowds may switch things out with any of the following: Uji City, Shodenji Temple, Daitokuji Temple***
**Sun 11/19: Kyoto/Nara to Osaka**
* 6 ish AM leave hotel to Fushimi Inari Shrine
* Tentative – short walk through Fukakusa Cemetery to Hotoji Temple
* Train to Kintetsu Nara Station (about 40 min -1 hr)
* Higashimuki shopping street
* Kofukuji Temple (probably just outside photo)
* Nara Park/deer feeding
* Todai-ji Temple
* Kasuga Taisha Shrine & Garden
* Harushika Sake Brewery
* Train to Osaka (45 min – 1 hour)
* Check in at Hotel
* Dotonbori area
* ***Is this day too packed? what would you skip?***
**Mon 11/20: Osaka**
* walk to nearby Namba Yasaka Jinja Shrine (free, 24/7)
* Namba Parks
* DenDen town
* Kuromon Ichiba Market
* Hozenji Yokocho
* Stop at the hotel for a short break before dinner time
* ShinSaibashi shopping street
* Mittera Kaiken
**Tue 11/21: Osaka Daytrip – Himeji**
* Leave by 9 AM to take the train about 1.5 to Himeji Castle & Kokoen Garden
* Arrive by 11 AM to Kimono inn Utakata for Kimono rental reservation
* ***Considering a few options for the afternoon – thoughts?***
* ***Options – Kobe, Minoo Park, back to Osaka Umeda & Nakazakicho***
**Wed 11/22: Ghibli Park, Nagoya to Tokyo**
* Check out Osaka
* About 2 hr. train to Nagoya for Ghibli Park (warehouse/monoke vil res 12 PM; Hill fo youth 4PM)
* Grab something to eat at Nagoya Station, maybe Misokatsu Pork Cutlets at Misokatsu Yabaton
* Shinkansen to Tokyo (2.5 -3 hrs)
* Hotel check in & early night
**Thur 11/23: Tokyo – Asakusa & Odaiba**
* Breakfast at Benitsuru for souffle pancakes
* Sensoji Temple
* Sensōji Chingodō (tanuki shrine)
* Nakamise Shopping Street & Shin-Nakamise Shopping Street
* Asakusa Underground Street
* Take the water bus to Odaiba via the Asakusa-Odaiba Direct Line (50 minutes)
* ‘Daiba Itchome Shotengai’ on the 4th floor of Odaiba Decks Tokyo Beach
* Yamashiroya anime goods
* Obligatory Gundam statue photo
* Photo of the giant Ghibli Clock on the NTV headquarters building and the weird statues in the plaza
* Maybe Hama Rikyu (or do this first, get boat from Asakusa and then transfer from here to Odaiba boat)
* Boat back to Asakusa
* Tori No Ichi
**Fri 11/24: Tokyo – Ueno/Yanaka**
* Ueno Park
* Hanazono Inari Shrine
* Ueno Toshogu shrine
* Bentendo Temple
* Yanaka Ginza shopping street
* Takeya Shopping Mall
* Ameyoko Shopping District
* Yanaka Cemetery
* Night – Shimokitazawa for live music
**Sat 11/25 – Kichijoji, Koenji, Asagaya**
* Walk through Nishi-Ogikubo Station area
* Kichijoji Sunroad Shopping Street
* Harmonica Yokocho
* Sometime (open noon – 11 PM, can eat there for lunch if there in the day, probably no live music at that time but cool ambiance)
* Take Chūō-Sōbu Line 15 minutes to Nakano Station
* Nakano Broadway
* Koenji
* Look Shopping Street
* 8 minute train to Asagaya
* Star Road area
* Icho Koji street
* ***This seems too chaotic, maybe rearrange some to do on last two days***
**Sun 11/26 – Tokyo – Akihabara**
* Visit at least one GiGo arcade (hubby will choose)
* Taito Station
* Volks Hobby Paradise
* Hitachino Brewing Lab
* Akihabara Gachapon Kaikan
* AnimateMon
* Mandarake Complex
* Super Potato
* (may not go to all of above will prioritize/narrow down)
* Walk around Shinbashi at night OR go to somewhere with live music
**Monday, 11/27 – Tokyo**
* Go to places we weren’t able to fit in on other days or
* Walk around Sangenjaya?
* Day trip to Yokohama?
**Tuesday, 11/28 – Tokyo**
* Revisit favorite places
* Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden for illumination (entries from 6PM – 9 PM)
**Wednesday 11/29 – Go Home :(**
6 comments
The 19th looks like a LOT of walking. Are you planning to walk to the top of Fushimi Inari? It’s steep and not an easy climb. I would personally find a couple of must-dos on that day and rearrange things around those.
Just returned from my trip and have a couple notes:
Nishiki market doesn’t strictly close at 6, perhaps some specific shops, but no where near all.
Arashiyama – Probably worth skipping this if you’re concerned about time. The bamboo forest is really nothing.
With spare time in Tokyo, I’d recommend Enoshima over Yokohama 100%.
Your schedule feels insanely packed, but if you are a seasoned traveller and won’t have issues with a lot of walking (~20k+ steps/day I’d guess), then I envy you!
The Tokyo Metropolitan Building closes at 5 PM. The The Old Shimbashi Station Railway History Exhibition Hall is closed on Mondays.
Note that Shimokitazawa is on the other side of the city from the Ueno area. It might be better to combine an afternoon in Sangenjaya and an evening in Shimokitazawa. You can walk from one place to the other in 30 to 45 minutes anyway. (There’s a bus, too.)
Except for the music, I can’t think of any reason to go to Sometime. (I’ve been there six or seven times in the evenings, but I never even knew it served food.) Kichijoji’s Harmonica alley is only about 50 meters long. You can take any train (Chuo Line [orange], Chuo Sobu Line [yellow], or the Tozai Line [blue]) heading east from Kichijoji to Nakano. Be aware that most places in Nakano Broadway open at 11 AM or later.
Speaking from experience a few years back in roughly the same time frame for Kansai portion of OP ‘s trip here.
11/16 night: Chion-in as back up for Kodaiji is better, as Daigo-ji is closer to Uji and way south, while the other two is in the same neighbourhood.
11/17: speaking of Arashiyama, your day is pretty jammed, and unless you are really into it, both Nenbutsu-jis could be dropped to free up the day. Also, Nonomiya Shrine is small and had not much to see, unlike Tenryuji. It has great history in Shinto-ism, but hardly worth making a detour there, along with the Bamboo Grove on the same path. And if you free up enough time, you can try going to the Daikakuji light up, which opens on the 17th this year. Osawa-no-ike Pond inside is the oldest manmade pond in Japan, and at night it is a wonderful thing to experience.
Just stayed in Kawaguchiko. FYI the local buses are pretty hit and miss and the timetables are mostly only available as laminated bit of paper stuck to the side of the bus stop. So make sure you allow a bit of time incase you miss one.
Also book seats for the Mishima express bus, it was full when we used it so some people missed out that hadn’t reserved seats.
FYI for festival at lake kawaguchiko, the food stalls and live music were already started when I arrived around 12:30 pm. Where did you get the 4-10 pm time?