Final itinerary check

9 comments

1. I’m surprised to see Dotonbori first on your list. Normally, it’s a place people go in the evening in order to see all the lights.

2. Why would you go all the way to Yokohama from Kyoto for a concert on the 26th when you should stay in Tokyo to make it easier to go to back after? You should rearrange your travel days and spend less time in Tokyo at the beginning so you can attend this concert in Yokohama. Some of your Tokyo days are kinda empty like Sensoji is in Asakusa. I would try to take some day trips to Kamakura, Mt. Takao, etc.

3. Too much Tokyo time !!!

4. For Tokyo, you’ve got a relatively light schedule: Todoroki ‘Valley’ (a small ravine) is about 300 meters long. It might take a little while to get there, but you’re likely to have a lot of free time before or after unless you’re planning to, for example, sketch or paint there.

   We live near Todoroki and sometimes stop by there, but visiting it is usually a matter of hopping off our bicycles for 30 minutes on the way to another place.

   If you go there early in the morning (say, at 9 AM), you can easily get to Shimokitazawa, for example, before most of the shops there open, or you could make your way to the [Japan Open-Air Folk House Museum](https://www.nihonminkaen.jp/index_english.html) (in Kawasaki) to see old houses from throughout Japan.

   Nishiogikubo is a nice enough place, but most people choose instead to visit Kichijoji (the next station to the west), which has a big shopping district to the north and a large park, zoo, and aquarium and sculpture museum to the south.

   Odaiba and Nakameguro are on opposite sides of the city, and Sensoji is in Asakusa: it seems as if you’re doing a lot of needless travel.

5. I would cut 2 Tokyo days in exchange for Hiroshima and Miyajima tbh. Your Tokyo days seem a bit light, and 6 days total for Tokyo is more than enough for a trip this size

6. 24, 25, 27 be prepared for lots of crowd. You are hitting into autumn peak and you are looking to hit a lot of spots.

   Note, shorenin doesn’t have night time illumination this year. Probably a good idea to space out your temple visit to keep 1 or 2 for night autumn illumination. Probably kodaiji.

   26 is a mystery to me but i assume you are doing this purely for concert. Prepare for a lot of time spent on shinkansen. Do ensure you check the timetable for the last train from yokohama to kyoto.

7. You’ll get temple burnout in Kyoto and Osaka

8. The Harajuku / Meji Jingu day. Takeshita shops don’t really open till 11am. Get there early and do Meji Jingu. It’s a LONG walk from the entrance to the actual shrine, and I recommend doing the Emperor’s Well side area. I was caught off guard by how long the walk back was, as all the video’s I watched before going just said, it’s five minutes from the train station. Yeah, technically that’s true, the entrance is right there, but again, it’s like a mile walk back to the shrine proper. There is a rest area about half way, with some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had, near the sake barrels.

9. Since you’re planning to spend the 25th in the east part of Kyoto, I just wanted to mention that at the 25th of each month there is a big market held at the [Kitano Tenmagu Shrine](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3939.html) (walking distance to/from Kinkaku-ji). It’s basically like a flea market, lots of food and so many different vendors with all kinds of stuff to sell (clothing items, decorations, kitchen ware etc.) We thought it was pretty fun, and supposedly the garden of the shrine looks great in Autumn. If you like markets this might be for you (could be crowed though).