Hello beautiful people! I’ve spent a lot of time on this sub reading your itineraries and reports, and wanted to throw my itinerary up to see what everyone here thinks. If anyone has any recommendations/improvements, please let me know! I am going with a buddy of mine, we will be there for 2 weeks.
**Thursday, November 9th**
7pm – Acquire welcome suica or pasmo, pocket wifi, withdraw cash from ATM. Forward bag to Osaka, where we will be on Monday, November 13th.
Monorail, meet friend at hotel in Minato City by Shiba Park (he will be there 5 hours before me). Depending on timing, grab a late dinner at a nearby restaurant or conbini.
**Friday, November 10th** (first full day)
Wake up and head to Tsukiji Outer Market early to avoid the crowd, eat breakfast/stall food. Hoping to hit Sushi Katsura while we’re here. From Tsukiji, head to SMALL WORLDS miniature museum nearby (people recommended this over Teamlabs)
Depending on timing, potentially stop by Masamoto Sohonten north of Tsukiji in the afternoon (there will be other knife stops, so this is not make or break)
Head back to Minato city or go straight down to Shinagawa, grab lunch anywhere we find interesting. Walk around and explore.
In the late afternoon/evening, go to Maxell Aqua Park Shinagawa. Catch one of the LED dolphin shows.
Head back to Minato City, go out and grab dinner/drinks somewhere.
**Saturday, November 11th**
Grab breakfast somewhere in Minato City
Travel to Hakone (includes short Shinkansen ride to Odawara, where we will buy local transit pass for the busses/train/boats/gondala)
Arrive at our Ryokan in Sengokuhara. Depending on timing, go check out Gora park or eat dinner right away, then Onsen. Likely not much else, as I hear most places close kind of early in Hakone.
**Sunday, November 12th**
Hakone activities! Breakfast in Ryokan. Go from Ryokan to entrance of the [Mount Kintoki Hiking Trail](h ttps://hakone-japan.com/discover/national-park/activities/recommended-hiking-trails/mt-kintoki-course/). Hike trail, see mount Fuji etc. Pass by Choanji Temple, as the trail ends nearby.
Take bus south to Gora. Take the ropeway to Togendai, Take the boat from Togendai to Hakone Machi. Eat lunch at Daimasa Honten.
Pass the Hakone checkpoint, walk down the Cedar Avenue, check out Hakone Shrine. Return to Ryokan for dinner and more Onsen.
**Monday, November 13th**
Eat breakfast in Ryokan.
Stop by HOA Museum before we leave Hakone.
Head back to Odawara. Shinkansen from Odawara to Osaka. Eat lunch on train or at station once we arrive. Train down to our Hotel (Spa World).
Explore nearby Osaka. Check out shrines to the northeast including Shitennoji (oldest shrine in Japan)
**Tuesday, November 14th – Thursday November 15th**
For these 3 days, the itineraries will be by the city, and the day we go will be based on the weather.
—**Nara**
In the morning, wake up early and take the train to Nara. Go to Nara park, feed deer and visit shrines around the park (especially Tōdai-ji).
Eat lunch at wakakusa curry. Continue to explore, see shops, potentially visit park again.
Head back to Osaka to hotel.
—**Kobe/Osaka**
Wake up, head to Kobe in the morning via Shinkansen. Arrive at Shin-Kobe station
Take Ropeway up to the herb garden. Explore herb garden and waterfall, take ropeway back down.
(Optional) stop by Takenaka Carpentry Museum next to station
Have delicious Kobe beef lunch
(Optional) Take train to Maikokoen station to see Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge
Walk around and explore, have delicious Kobe Beef Dinner
Head back to Osaka
(OTHER OPTION IS TO SKIP MORNING/DAYTIME IN KOBE, HEAD TO HIMEJI CASTLE, THEN GO TO KOBE IN THE LATE AFTERNOON AND GRAB DINNER)
—**Kyoto**
Primary goals in Kyoto is seeing tons of varied Shrines and walking along the Philosopher’s Path.
Wake up and head to Kyoto, get off at Demachiyanagi station. Walk to Yoshida Shrine.
Head towards Mount Zenki, stop by and see Ginkakuji, pass more temples on our way south towards philosopher’s path.
Have lunch somewhere locally, potentially at café on philosopher’s path
Stop by Reikan-ji temple if they are open the day we are there (only open twice a year, once in november)
Eikan-do Temple > Nanzen-ji Temple > Heian Shrine > Yasaka Shrine > Hanasaki Manjiro for dinner
**Friday, November 17th**
Head back to Tokyo on Shinkansen, hotel for remainder of trip is in Shinjuku
Meet up with other friends who will be in the country.
Explore Shinjuku, probably head south and see Shinjuku National Garden and Suga Jinja Shrine and take Kimi No Na Wa pictures
Continue to explore Shinjuku by our hotel. Dinner, drinks, and hit Don Quijote late in the evening after some drinks to get some fun shopping done (it’s a short walk from our hotel)
**Saturday, November 18th**
Wake up and eat breakfast somewhere locally. Spend a day in Akihabara. Weeb out, get some figurines and/or other merch. Hit some arcades. Fun group activity day
**Sunday, November 19th**
Head to Harajuku and Shibuya, spend the day exploring/shopping/doing fun group activities like Karaoke
Optional, depending on timing or group desire to continue to weeb out, head to Nakano Broadway
**Monday, November 20th**
Back down to me and the original homie, our other friends leave this morning.
Take the train to Asakusa station. Stop by Senso Ji shrine, and then head to Kappabashi to buy knives and other kitchen stuff and souvenirs for family like custom chop sticks. Spend the day doing stuff in Taito City, or potentially head back and do stuff around Shinjuku.
**Tuesday, November 21st**
Friend and head home today. He leaves earlier than me, so I might take the train with him and see him off, then head to the Costco to the south because I am a big fan of Costco, and wouldn’t mind seeing what it’s like in Japan.
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I would love to hear your thoughts on the itinerary. Is any of the stuff I have picked over rated? Would you recommend something instead?
Do you have any specific recommendations in any of the cities we are hitting? (especially Kobe)
Also would love suggestions for fun group activities we could do as a group of 4 in Tokyo in Harajuku/Shibuya (as well as Shinjuku, Akihabara)
Thanks for reading!
Arigato gozaimasu!