Going to Japan from March 7 – March 18th. Should I spend more days in Kyoto or will I cover it enough with the days I have? Any suggestions on certain places to eat for lunch and dinner? Any overall feedback on this itinerary would be appreciated. It’s my first time traveling alone at all internationally, so very nervous, but excited!
**March 7 – Day 0**
Travel
**March 8 – Day 1 (Tokyo – Arrival)**
Arrival to Tokyo
Get IC Card and Check-In
Rest
Dinner at TBD / Walking Around Shinjuku / Shopping
**March 9 – Day 2 (Tokyo – Shinjuku)**
More walking around Shinjuku / Shopping / Lunch
Picnic at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
Dinner at TBD
Bar Hopping / Nightlife / Goldengai?
**March 10 – Day 3 (Tokyo – Shibuya)**
Nezu Museum
Lunch at TBD
Yoyogi Park
Meiji Jingu Shrine
Walk around Harajuku
Night View from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
Dinner at TBD
**March 11 – Day 4 (Tokyo – Akayasa)**
Sensoji Temple / Walk Around
Lunch at TBD
Walk around Akihabara
Rest
Dinner at TBD
**March 12 – Day 5 (Kyoto – Guion District)**
Take bullet train to Kyoto
Lunch at Guion District
Rest
Walk around Guion District at night
**March 13 – Day 6 (Kyoto)**
Fushimi Inari Taisha (early morning)
More Shrines – Kiyomizu Dera, Nijo Castle, Heian jingu shrine,
Lunch at TBD / Nishiki Market?
Rest
Kyoto Imperial Palace Park / Biking in evening
Dinner TBD
**March 14 – Day 7 (Kyoto – Arashiyama)**
Hozugawa River Boat Ride to Arashiyama
Bamboo Forest
Monkey Park
Togetsukyo Bridge
Temples
Lunch TBD
Kinkakuji Temple and Ryoan Ji and other temples nearby
Travel back to Kyoto (Sagano Romantic Train?)
Rest
Dinner at TBD
**March 15 – Day 7 (Day Trip – Nara)**
Take train to Nara
Todai-ji Temple, Nara Park, and Kasuga Taisha Shrine
Travel back to Kyoto
Onsen?
**March 16 – Day 8 (Day Trip – Uji)**
Bike along Uji River
Bydoin Temple
Walk around tea houses and try tea
Travel back to Kyoto
Kamo River at Night
**March 17 – Day 9 (Tokyo)**
Travel back to Tokyo
Rest and last day shopping / sight seeing
**March 18 – Day 10 (Travel)**
2 comments
Hi! I’m Japanese here. Try these restos in Kyoto.
Yugen (matcha cafe)
Lorimer Kyoto (breakfast)
Awomb (sushi lunch)
Men-ya Yukou (ramen)
If you are interested in a small cute village near Kyoto, “Ohara” is super nice.
> Any suggestions on certain places to eat for lunch and dinner?
You can walk around basically anywhere and find places to eat, so no need to worry about it in advance. I do recommend the French Toast Factory on top of Yodobashi Akiba if you’re in Akihabara though. It has fluffy pancakes with no lines. You can also get fluffy pancakes at Flippers in Shibuya, but you’ll have long lines there.
> Fushimi Inari Taisha (early morning)
> More Shrines – Kiyomizu Dera, Nijo Castle, Heian jingu shrine,
> Lunch at TBD / Nishiki Market?
Doing all of those in one morning seems *really* ambitious, even if you get up early. I spent several hours at Nijo Castle alone. Same for Fushimi if you want to hike all around it.