Hey guys, my wife and I are first-timers going to Japan for our honeymoon in May 2024 and we’re looking to get our itinerary lightly roasted to see if there are any issues. Currently, the plan is 8 nights in Tokyo, 1 night in Hakone at a ryokan, 5 nights in Kyoto with day trips to Osaka and Nara, and 1 more night in Tokyo before departing. We have a lot of sightseeing and shopping to do and are worried that some of the days might be too ambitious. Any feedback or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
**Monday May 13th: Arrival in Tokyo**
* Late afternoon: arrive at Narita Airport
* Take Tokyo Skyliner to Ueno
* Check into hotel in Ueno
**Tuesday May 14th – Monday May 20th: 7 full days in Tokyo**
(Days interchangeable depending on when we can get Ghibli Museum and cafe reservations)
* **Day 1: Akihabara**
* Mandarake Complex
* Hard Off
* Animate Akihabara
* Kotobukiya
* Super Potato
* Akihabara Gamers
* UNIQLO Akiba
* Book Off
* **Day 2: Ueno**
* Ueno Park
* Tokyo National Museum
* **Day 3: Setagaya + Shibuya**
* Setagaya
* Gotokuji Temple
* Shibuya
* Shibuya Scramble Crossing
* Hachiko
* Moyai Statue
* Nintendo Tokyo
* Pokemon Center Shibuya
* Shibuya 109
* MEGA Don Quixote
* Tower Records
* **Day 4: Musashino + Nakano**
* Musashino
* Studio Ghibli Museum
* Inokashira Park
* Capyneko Cafe
* Nakano
* Nakano Broadway
* **Day 5: Nihonbashi + Chiyoda**
* Chuo City – Nihonbashi
* Pokemon Center DX
* Pokemon Cafe
* Chiyoda City
* Imperial Palace (tours every day except Sunday and Monday)
* Imperial Palace East Gardens (closed Friday and Monday)
* Chuo City
* UNIQLO Ginza (optional)
* **Day 6: Asakusa + Skytree**
* Asakusa
* Senso-ji
* Tokyo Solamachi (Skytree Mall)
* Donguri Republic (Ghibli Store)
* Pokemon Center Sky Tree Town
* Kirby Cafe
* **Day 7: Ikebukuro + Harajuku**
* Toshima City – Ikebukuro
* Capcom Cafe
* Sunshine City
* Pokemon Center Mega Tokyo
* Donguri Republic (Ghibli Store)
* Harajuku
* Meiji Jingu
* Takeshita Street
* Yoyogi Park
* **Any night(s) that we still have energy: Shinjuku**
* Shinjuku Golden Gai
* Omoide Yokocho
**Tuesday May 21st: Shinkansen to Hakone**
* Shinkansen to Hakone: \~2 hours
* Check into ryokan at 3:00pm
**Wednesday May 22nd: Shinkansen to Kyoto**
* Check out of ryokan by 10:00am
* Shinkansen to Kyoto: \~3 hours
* Check into hotel near Kyoto Station
* Fushimi Inari Shrine
**Thursday May 23rd – Sunday May 26th: 2 Full Days in Kyoto and Day Trips to Nara and Osaka**
(Days interchangeable)
* **Day 1: Higashiyama**
* Kimono rental and take pictures
* Kiyomizudera Temple
* Sannenzaka
* Donguri Republic (Ghibli Store)
* Ninenzaka
* Ninenzaka Starbucks
* Hokan-ji (Yasaka Pagoda)
* Kodaiji Temple
* Maruyama Park
* Yasaka Shrine
* **Day 2: Arashiyama**
* Arashiyama Park
* Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
* Tenryu-ji
* Togetsu Bridge
* Arashiyama Monkey Park
* **Day 3: Nintendo + Day Trip to Nara**
* Uji
* Nintendo Museum (no details yet but theoretically possible)
* Nara
* Nara Park
* Toda-ji
* **Day 4: Day Trip to Osaka**
* Shinkansen to Osaka
* Cup Noodle Museum
* Shinsaibashi-Suji
* Donguri Republic (Ghibli Store) Shinsaibashi
* Dotonbori
* Namba Yasaka Shrine (optional)
**Monday May 27th: Half Day in Kyoto then Head Back to Tokyo**
* Kinkaku-ji
* Shinkansen back to Tokyo
* Check into love hotel near Narita Airport
**Tuesday May 28th: Departure**
* Naritasan Park
* Naritasan Shinsho-ji
* Early evening: Depart from Narita Airport
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1 comment
I’m still in planning mode, so this advice comes from research rather than experience . . . But why go to Hakone for such a short time? What are you planning to do? Getting around there takes time, so unless you’re staying somewhere that’s super-accessible, why not instead spend a night at a ryokan in Kyoto or at one of the onsen towns near Kyoto? Or are you checking out of the Hakone lodging at 10am, but spending most of the day there, only reaching Kyoto in the evening? That would make better sense.