My wife (34F) and I (34M) have been to Japan once, in 2013. This time we are bringing our daughter (13) and son (9). I feel like we have a mix of everything – theme parks, shopping, temples, etc. My wife got a little worn out after a few days last trip, so she is worried about herself and the kids not having the stamina this trip. I believe there is plenty of time throughout the day to rest, especially on trains and buses. Our itinerary keeps us busy throughout the day (I’d rather have something planned, than not know what to do with our time), but it is flexible, such as leaving an activity early or late, dropping an activity due to time or fatigue, etc.
Unless otherwise stated, breakfast to begin the day (usually from the convenience store), snacks for throughout the day from the convenience store, and dinner and a trip to the convenience store for next days snacks when we get back to the hotel.
**Sunday**
1. Haneda Airport + get snacks
2. Tokyo Tower
**Monday**
1. Ghibli Park + lunch
2. Kyoto Station + dinner
**Tuesday**
1. Arashiyama Monkey Park
2. Footbath of Arashiyama Station + lunch
3. Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
4. Ninenzaka, Sannenzaka, Kiyomizu-dera
**Wednesday**
1. Sanjusangendo
2. Fushimi Inari Taisha + snacks
3. Kinkaku-ji
4. Nijo Castle
5. Dinner
6. Kyoto Tower
**Thursday**
1. Todai-ji
2. Nara Park
3. Kasuga-taisha
4. The Osaka Museum of Housing and Living
5. Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan + lunch
6. Umeda Sky Building
**Friday**
1. Super Nintendo World + lunch
2. Shinkansen
**Saturday**
1. Ueno Zoo + lunch
2. National Museum of Nature and Science
3. Yanaka Cemetery
**Sunday**
1. Tokyo Dome City Attractions
2. Akihabara
**Monday**
1. teamLab Planets
2. The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation
3. Tokyo Joypolis
4. Odaiba Beach
**Tuesday**
1. Pokemon Center Mega Tokyo
2. Kaminariumon Gate + Nakamise-dori + lunch
3. Akihabara
**Wednesday**
1. Ghibli Museum
2. Nakano Broadway + lunch
3. Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
4. Tokyo Station + dinner
5. Tokyo Character Street
**Thursday**
1. The East Gardens of the Imperial Palace
2. Meguro Parasitological Museum
3. Takeshita-dori + lunch
4. Shibuya Scramble Crossing + Hachiko
5. Shibuya Tokyu Food Show + dinner
**Friday**
1. Snario Puroland + lunch
2. teamLab Borderless (hopefully open)
**Saturday**
1. Nasu Animal Kingdom (get to and from via car rental) + lunch
2. Oedo Onsen Monogatari Urayasu
**Sunday**
1. Return home
A couple questions. Is it redundant to go to Ghibli Museum after Ghibli Park? Not that I’ll expect that we’ll have enough time, but do you need separate tickets to each park at USJ? Can you sleep at Oedo Onsen Monogatari Urayasu without a reserved room like you used to be able to at the Odaiba location?
6 comments
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Lunch before going to Nakano Broadway: most shops don’t open until 11 or later. Your final Thursday looks a little tough: the Imperial Palace gardens and the other things are not close together, and the (wonderful) Parasitological Museum is rather a hike from the station.
TeamLab Borderless is supposed to reopen some time in January.
Doing both Nara and Osaka in a day isn’t a good idea. The park is quite big, as is the aquarium and you will be on your feet walking a lot. Ive been to Osaka aquarium and it is outstanding – worth half a day or a good few hours on its own imo. The museum of housing and living also deserves a longer stay without feeling rushed to appreciate the incredibly detailed miniature houses and diorama exhibit.
It sounds like you and wife might have different stamina levels and maybe different ideas of leisure. And obviously different things you/she/kids might be more interested.
I suggest trying out solo time or split time. I love gardens but my wife could care less so if there is a garden I want to see I will always make sure there is some nice cafe or shopping street near by she might enjoy. She sometimes joins me, but I feel totally fine just saying let’s meet back in two hours
I feel like forcing everyone to always be together kinda sucks. Some of my best memories are when I had one on one time with just one parent on a trip. Since your kids are older and Japan is very safe I think it makes sense to add a little more flexibility.
It’s good you’re planning to make the trip go easier for your wife since she got tired last time. I might suggest taking preventative breaks instead of after you’re already tired it makes a huge difference.
Both your wed/Thursday and second Monday looks like a bit much. I’d make a priority list on those days and be willing to drop 1-2 things. Also since your wife got tired last time and if she is comfortable I might book her a half day spa/onsen day or something low energy to give her a rest mid trip, and you take the kids. Akihabara is a good day since unless you love that area it is an okay to skip place.
Eeee your ghibli park day is going to be pretty tiring I think. Coming from Tokyo, it’ll take you a minimum of 3 hours (if you’re staying right by Tokyo station), and then from there 2.5 more hours to Kyoto from the ghibli park. Doable, but I wouldn’t want to do it!
USJ is just one park. To get into Nintendo works you need a standby pass unless you get in right away in the morning or buy an express pass. Standby passes are free. I just went on Halloween weekend. The park opened at 8:00, I was scanned in by 8:15 and got standby for 12:30! So very doable!
When are you going? What month/season?
Your Wednesday in Kyoto sounds exhausting.
Relatively central-south Sanjusangendo to eastern Fushimi Inari. If you only climb to the top of the red gates it will take about 1 hour up and down or even longer, depending on the crowds.
Then up to NW Kyoto for Kinkakuji, which no matter what the maps say will take about 1 hour one way.
Then back down to Nijo Castle before dinner. If it were me, I’d go to Nijo Castle after dinner, when it’s lit up by floodlights. Depending on when you’re going, there may be some kind of lights exhibition inside the castle grounds.
I’d do Kyoto Tower as a day-time event instead.
And you’re in *Kyoto* – get some traditional sweets or a kaiseki meal, see the cormorants on the Kammo River. Gander the pretty geisha and maiko on the streets, get your wife and kids (yourself, too!) a kimono rental and spend the afternoon taking a hired rickshaw to some of the sights where you can get pics taken in kimono.
There are so many beautiful temples in the area of Fushimi Inari and a little to the north. I’d recommend half a day just in that area.
And on Thursday you’re going to go to Nara’s Todaiji, Nara Park, Kasuga-taisha, the Osaka Museum of Housing and Living and the Aquarium… all before lunch? Do you plan on spending more than 10 minutes at any of these places?
In a whole day it would be busy but doable, but in half a day wouldn’t be fun at all.
The places you are going seem like a good mix, I’m not knocking you for that, but it just seems like you’ll see the places, but not *experience* them.