**Happy New Year everyone!**
It’s finally 2024, and I’m planning my 10-day itinerary to Japan. I’ve been researching and planning for a few months now, and I wanted to get some opinions on my itinerary. I am traveling with my cousin (both 20F) and its our first time. We want to shop around, thrift, experience Japanese culture, and see the sights. We both like anime and also want to attend a concert, like Bocchi the Rock’s Shelter live house, but I can’t figure out how to get a ticket. I didn’t want to visit Nara and Arashiyama because they didn’t seem worth the limited time we have. I decided not to buy the JR Pass because the price didn’t seem worth it for this trip.
I have some questions:
1. All the concerts I want to go to seem to always use e-plus as their ticketing platform, but I don’t have a Japanese number to buy them. For Shelter’s ticketing, could I go to the door and buy one?
2. Should I reserve a seat for the Shinkansen early for the discount? Or should I reserve seats on the app when we arrive in Japan? I want to sit on the right to see Mt. Fuji and have an area to put our check-in bags. Not sure if anyone would be bothered by putting our check-in bags between the seat and us too even though we lose out the leg space.
3. I know to keep a lookout for places like Takeshita Street, Kinji, 2nd Street, Hareru, and Tampopo House. But do you have any suggestions on where to thrift?
4. Anyone know a place to do a personal color analysis? Personally, I want to do it out of curiosity and looking to do it in Japan. I had a place in mind but its entirely in Japanese with no mention of “welcoming Foreigners”. While I don’t mind them giving me advice in Japanese, I’m worried about if they require me to converse in Japanese.
The trip starts in about a week (Mid-Jan) and I have booked hotels near Shinsaibashi Station, Kyoto Station, and Akasaka Station.
Any feedback and suggestions are welcome!
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**Day 1**
Haneda Airport: Arrive around *2:35PM*
Shingawa Station: Board Nozomi at *5:00PM* to Shin-Osaka Station
Shin-Osaka Station: Arrive around *7:30PM,* take the Midosuji Line to Shinsaibashi Station
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**Day 2: Only Full Day in Osaka**
*8-10AM:* Osaka Castle
*10:30-11:30AM*: Harukas 300
*11:30AM-1PM:* Shin Sekai
*1-3PM:* Dendentown
*3-4PM:* Kuromon Ichiba Market
*4-5PM:* Namba
*5-XPM:* Dotonbori
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**Day 3: Part Osaka – Transfer to Kyoto**
Public bath before *11*
*11AM-1PM:* Amerika-Mura
*1PM-3PM:* Shinsaibashisuji
*3-4PM:* Umeda (shopping then transfer to Kyoto)
*4:30:* Kyoto Hotel
*5-XPM:* Walk to Kyoto Tower and explore
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**Day 4: Full Day in Kyoto**
*8-9:30AM:* Fushimi Inari Taisha
*10:30-2PM:* Uji
*3-6PM:* Kiyomizu-dera
*6-7PM:* Gion
*7-8PM:* Yasaka-jinja Shrine
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**Day 5: Transfer to Tokyo**
(Move Uji to here? + visit Higashi Hongan-ji Temple)
Not sure whether to do more things in Kyoto or transfer to Tokyo to do stuff there
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**Day 6: Full Day in Tokyo**
*9-11AM:* Shinjuku
*11:30-12:30PM:* Meiji Jingu
*1-4PM:* Shibuya
*4:30-5:30PM:* Starbucks Reserve Roastery
*6-9PM:* Omotesando Hills
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**Day 7:**
*10-11AM:* Art Aquarium Museum
*11-12PM:* Ginza
*12-1PM:* Tsukiji Outer Market
Kiyosumi Gardens *(optional)*
Yokojukken-gawa Shinsui Park *(optional)*
Tokyo Skytree
Sumida River Walk
Asakusa
Senso-ji
Asakusa Hanayashiki
Akihabara
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**Day 8:**
*11:30AM:* Tokyo Tower
*12-12:30PM:* Sankeien Garden
*1-2PM:* Gundam Factory Yokohama
*2-3PM:* Cup Noodles Museum
*5-10PM:* Tokyo Disneyland (Weeknight Passport 5PM)
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**Day 9:**
*10-12PM:* Sunshine City
*12:30-1:30PM:* Otsuka
*2-3:30PM:* Ikebukuro
*4-5PM:* Nakano Broadway
*5-6PM:* Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery
*6:30-7:00PM:* Shelter (idk how to buy ticket)
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**Day 10: Outbound to LAX**
Check-out *10 AM*
Check-in at Haneda (Flight at *5:20 P*M)
Anamori Inari Shrine
Souvenir buying