Hi, my brother (28M) and I (26M) are travelling to Japan later this week and wanted some advice for our itinerary. It’s our first time going to Japan and we don’t have any specific interests. We generally have a good time immersing ourselves and wandering around and are generally fast travellers.
Monday 13
Land 8am at Narita airport
Staying in koto city
Check-in afternoon
* Asakusa, sensoji temple
* Nakamise-dori street
* Sumida park/river
* Tokyo skytree
* Drop bags off at accommodation in koto city
* Akihabara
If feeling too tired -> just explore surrounding area, visit 7/11 and get an early sleep
Tuesday 14
* Tsukiji outer market
* Ginza shopping
* Ginza art aquarium
* Pokemon center ginza?
* Imperial palace (Can skip if tired)
* Hie shrine? (Can skip if tired)
* Zojo ji temple
* Tokyo tower at night
Wednesday 15
* Yoyogi park
* Meiji jingu
* Shibuya
* Shibuya sky
* Harajuku
Thursday 16 (day trip to Lake kawaguchiko)
* Chureito pagoda
* Walk around lake, hire bikes etc
Any advice on how to book tickets for train/bus or any other advice for this day trip?
Friday 17
* TeamLabs (9am)
* Shinjuku gyoen national garden
* Shinjuku
* Golden gai at night
Saturday 18 (travel to kyoto)
Staying in Shimogyo ward
Check-in
* Kyoto station
* Nishiki market
* Walk around accomodation
Sunday 19
* Arashiyama bamboo grove, monkey park, sancho garden
* Kinkakuji
* Nijo castle on way back if time permitting (can skip)
Monday 20
* Fushimi inari
* Nara deer park, todaiji temple
Tuesday 21
* Kiyomizu-dera
* Yasaka pagoda, hokanji temple
* Ninezaka & Sannenzaka
* Higashima ward
* Yasaka shrine
* Walk to gion
* Hanamikoji street
* Pontocho alley
Wednesday 22 (travel to osaka)
Staying in Nishinari-ku ward
* Nipponbashi den den town
* Shitennō-ji Temple (can skip)
* Shinsekai/Tsūtenkaku at night
* Umeda sky building vs Harukas 300? Still deciding between the two, harukas is closer to shinsekai
Thursday 23
* Namba yasaka jinja
* Osaka castle
* Dotonbori at night
* Hozen-ji temple
* Shinsebaisuji street
Friday 24
* USJ
* Teamlab botanical -> feasible after doing USJ the whole day? (Can skip)
Saturday 25 (travel Osaka -> Himeji -> Hiroshima)
Staying in Hiroshima
* Stop in Himeji to see Himeji castle
* Arrive at Hiroshima afternoon
* Peace memorial park and museum (closes 7pm)
Sunday 26 (travel to tokyo late)
Staying in Taito city
* Ferry -> Miyajima island
* Itsukushima shrine
* Mt misen ropeway
* Sunset around Itsukushima shrine
* Ferry -> hiroshima -> tokyo
Monday 27 and Tuesday 28
* Do things missed from above + places of interest below
Other places to visit for last 2 days in tokyo:
* Shimokitazawa thrifting
* Gotokuji temple
* Ikebukuro, sunshine city
* Nakameguro
* Disneyland/sea?
* Ueno, ueno park, Koishikawa korakuen garden
Wednesday 29
Morning flight back home from Narita
Questions:
1. We have a 14 day JR Pass but when would be the most ideal time to activate it? I’m thinking of activating it from the start of our journey which will mean that we have the pass until 26th when we travel back to Tokyo and we can use IC card for the remaining 3 days?
2. How easy are coin lockers to store luggage bags to find? We’ll be carrying medium-sized luggage bags between cities but hoping to store these on days we travel at train stations? How easy is it to find lockers around stations? I know there are bag services at hotels but we are trying to avoid these to minimise cost
3. Is asakusa and akihabara too ambitious for first day after landing in morning? It will depend on how we feel on the day but wanted to see what others think
4. Is nara in the afternoon possible after doing fushimi inari in the morning? We are mostly just keen on visiting the deer park and maybe todaiji temple if time permitting
5. Any other recommendations for places/activities?
Thanks!!
3 comments
Shipping luggage is pretty cheap, a pelican travel case medium size cost me around 2,000 yen to ship from airport to a city 370km away.
One coin locker cost about 600 yen, you would save a little money with lockers but you will spend that on walking 2-4km out of your way back to get your stuff, first come first serve so you might have to go to a couple locations.
We did Harukas because it was closer to our Airbnb. There’s a free observatory on the 16th floor with a beautifully lit up garden. Worth stopping by on your way up to the top deck. Nice shopping center nearby. But honestly you could do both – start at Nakatsu, go to Sky building, then take the Midosuji line to Yodoyabashi or Honmachi, walk south along Midosuji to Shinsaibashi and see the lights (they have Midosuji lit up with colorful Christmas lights after dark), then get back on the Midosuji line to Tennoji and do Harukas.
Coin lockers can be hit or miss. At bigger stations open ones may be hard to find given the sheer number of travelers. We had luck finding vacant coin lockers that are a little further away from the main ticket gates. This may mean going up or down a few floors, depending on where you are. Leave yourself extra time to locate open lockers.
For the trip to Kawaguchiko. Make sure to book the express tickets in advance or you will be travelling ~2 hours standing both ways. We didn’t know that and learned the hard way. Check the express tickets machines at the stations for Fuji expedition Express trains from shinjuku