Thanks in advance for reading & Critiquing my itinerary and any suggestions/tips/recommendations you may give.
Interests: I am taking my parents to Tokyo on Dec 1st week as their anniversary present. All three of us love travelling and fairly active, this will be our first time in Japan and one key requirement is mom dad are strictly vegetarian. I have been following this sub for a week now and have sketched 7 day itinerary and I wanted to ren it by this fine group before I lock down my plan.
– For anniversary night special, I am thinking of traditional Japanese dinner, there are some vegetarian options but bit expensive. So I am exploring an option to stay in Japanese temple and experience temple life as both of them are into meditation / yoga – any suggestions please share
– For myself I plan to play soccer with locals (Meetup Group)and eat the best dessert Tokyo has to offer – suggestions are welcome.
Day 1: Land in HND airport at 7:00 AM and taking express to the city. We are staying in an Airbnb at Sumida-ku, will that be too inconvenient for all the tourist places with in the City ?
Reach Bnb drop bags and go for sushi breakfast in Ueno Park, and roam around. Check in Airbnb Freshen up and rest
PM : Shibuya Crossing , Hachiko Shrine and explore Shinjuku.
Day 2: AM : Historical Tokyo: Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa, Explore Nakamise-dori shopping street. Visit the Tokyo Skytree for panoramic views.
PM : Take a walk along Sumida River, visit the Asakusa Culture and Tourist Information Center for sunset views.
Day 3: AM : Modern Tokyo: Head to Odaiba, Visit TeamLab Borderless, Explore Palette Town and the giant Unicorn Gundam statue.
PM : Enjoy shopping and dining in the area. Return to Odaiba to see the cityscape lit up.
Day 4: AM Day Trip to Nikko: Visit Toshogu Shrine, Kegon Falls, and Lake Chuzenji.
Day 5: Harajuku and Shibuya: Warner Bros. Studio. Visit to Meiji Shrine, Stroll down Takeshita Street.
Enjoy a crepe or street food for lunch.
PM: Head to Shibuya and witness the famous Shibuya Crossing. Explore the shopping and entertainment district.
Day 6: AM : Imperial Palace and Ueno Park. East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. Take a leisurely walk around the Chidorigafuchi moat ( Is this advisable in winters ??
PM: Spend the afternoon at Ueno Park, which houses several museums and a zoo. Ameya-Yokocho Market for shopping and street food.
Day 7: Day Trip to Kamakura, Visit the Great Buddha (Kotoku-in), Hase-dera Temple, and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine.
PM : Explore Enoshima Island if time allows. Return to Tokyo in the evening.
Day 8 : Fly back to home.
I still want to fit a day trip to Kyoto to experience Bullet trains and still looking to experience family friendly Onsen / Ryokan experience or a night in temple for Yoga + Meditation. And where could I make my parents try Kimono. Any suggestions are welcome.
6 comments
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You realistically don’t have time for Kyoto, it’s a 2.5 hour bullet train ride there & back. Kamakura and Nikko will give you a lot of the same experiences to be honest.
There are quite a lot of kimono try-on places around Senso-ji.
Also, for a sushi breakfast the best place is Tsukiji fish market, but I don’t know what vegetarian options they’ll have, unless your parents eat fish.
> strictly vegetarian
Research at least two meal options for each meal (in case one is 臨時休業) every day. Many “vegetables” are seasoned in seafood broth (dashi) or cooked in the same pot as meat etc., and the last thing you need is for the trip to be a memory of hunger and anger, or of munching rice balls and raw fruit / salad.
> try kimono
Lots of rental kimono stores near asakusa.
> yoga
Not sure any temple (even the very commercial minded ones) offer this
> Kegon Falls and lake chuzenji
All the trees are barren branches by now. The day is so short in December, I’d stick to the shrines and temple area and not bother heading up the mountain.
> day 7
Doable for young people, for older folks this is a LOT of walking so late in a very eventful trip. I’d can Enoshima.
Not sure the attraction of Shibuya crossing: not once but twice ?
Teamlab Borderless and Palette Town in Odaiba closed last year. There is Teamlab Planets in nearby Toyosu.
I’m confused for day 5 with the Warner Bros Harry Potter studio tour. It’s not in shibuya but in nerima-ku so it would take a bit longer to get to and it would take up a good part of the day (at least 4 hours) based on my experience.
The yoga and meditation really aren’t a thing at temples. Having done a temple stay it’s more just a hotel with specific food and getting to witness morning prayers. Fun experience, but truly awful food.