Hi Everyone! My partner and I have had a visit to Japan on our bucket list for a long while and we are finally planning to make that a reality this summer with a 2 week visit between May 15th – May 29th. These dates are not set in stone, but I would like to go earlier in the summer rather than later unless there is a good reason to. We can’t go before May because my partner will still be in school during that semester. (Which is a bit of a same because I would love to see the Cherry blossoms, but hopefully it will be a little less crowded a few months later?)
We are both into experiencing other cultures through their cuisine and we are also both big anime fans, so those two things are a big driver behind our itinerary decisions. That being said we are also excited to experience some other parts of the nature and culture of Japan too where it is convenient or makes sense, (i.e. we aren’t big on wildlife but Nara deer park sounds amazing.)
I tried to minimize travel back and forth (i.e. flying in to tokyo, and out from Osaka), and I also tried to minimize the number of times we change accommodations (Though I broke that rule a bit to get a night in a Ryokan which was something I really wanted to do).
I have some questions about specific days in my itinerary below, but also more broadly I am hoping to get a gut check that everything makes sense. I struggled with finding the balance for only have 14 days, and I am worried about spending too much or too little time in a particular place. (Some days feel too packed and others feel too light). I also tried to build in some free/unplanned days in case we wanted to go re-visit somewhere we didn’t get enough of.
I am curious to get everyone’s thoughts. Let us know if there are any suggestions you have or if there is something we overlooked.
**Day 1: Thursday**
Arrive in Tokyo (NRT)
Get sim and Suica
Train to hotel in Shinjuku
Explore nearby areas of Shinjuku
*Question*: I chose Shinjuku as a base while in Tokyo because I wanted to be close to lots of bars and good places to eat in the evening. Is there other places we should consider staying instead?
**Day 2: Friday**
Explore Shibuya
– *Pokémon Center*
– *Nintendo Store*
– *ect*
Explore Shinjuku
– *Gyoen National Garden*
– *Omoide Yokocho (Piss Alley)*
**Day 3: Saturday**
Tsujiki Fish Market
Teamlab Planets
Gundam Base
*Question*: Is this too much / too spread out for 1 day? I was hoping to hit these together since they are all on the east side of Tokyo. I added Gundam base here because we were originally hoping to see the moving Gundam in Yokohama but I heard it is coming down after March of 2024 🙁
**Day 4: Sunday**
Explore Akihabara
-*Namco Arcade*
-*Mandrake Complex*
-*Animate*
-*ect*
*Question*: Is an entire day too much for Akihabara? Or could we fit in something else such as Senso-ji/Nakamise-dori here as well?
*Question*: I chose to put this Sunday because I understand that the streets in Akihabara are closed to vehicles on that day. Is this necessary or is it pretty easy to get around even with vehicles / street crossings.
**Day 5: Monday**
Ghibli Museum
Edo-Tokyo open air architectural museum
Nakano Broadway
**OR**
Tokyo sky tree
Donguri Republic (Ghibli Store)
Explore Asakusa
-*Senso-Ji*
-*Nakamise-Dori*
-*ect*
*Question*: I have heard that it is very difficult for foreigners to get tickets to the Ghibli museum. So I thought I should plan an alternate day if we can’t get tickets. Even if we do get tickets would Asakusa be worth trying to fit in somewhere else in our itinerary
**Day 6: Tuesday**
Free / Open Day
**Day 7: Wednesday**
Send luggage to hotel in Osaka
Train to Lake Kawaguchiko *OR* Hakone (TBD)
Stay night in Ryoken and relax in the Onsen
*Question*: Is 1 day enough time for the luggage to arrive at our next destination or should I send it a day earlier?
**Day 8: Thursday**
Train to hotel in Osaka
Explore Dontonbori
*Question*: I chose Osaka as our base in the area because I heard that Kyoto tends to have less of a night life. Is this reasonable or is Kyoto still the better city to base out of?
**Day 9: Friday**
*Explore Osaka
-*Koromon Market*
-*Den Den Town*
-*Dotonbori*
**Day 10: Saturday**
*Day trip to Universal Studios Japan
*Question*: I assume I am going to want a whole day for this and not try to plan much else?
*Question*: I am a bit anxious about this one. My partner and I are both rather tall and on the larger side. I would love to see Super Mario World and Hogwarts, but I am not sure how many of the rides we would be able to fit on. Do you think it would be worth the trip given that risk?
**Day 11: Sunday**
Day trip to Nara
– *Nara Deer Park*
– *Todai-Ji*
-*Wander around the gardens and Shrines*
**Day 12: Monday**
Day Trip to Kyoto
Guided 1 day bus tour
– *Klyomizu-dera temple*
– *Sanjusangendo temple*
– *Bamboo forest*
– *Tenyuji temple*
– *Golden Pavilion*
– *Inari Shrine*
*Question*: Someone had recommended to me that Kyoto might be the one pace worth looking into a guided tour if for no other reason than there is so much to see and some of them aren’t particularly close together. Do you agree with that or is it better to try and plan this day ourselves? Could we hit everything in one day on our own?
**Day 13: Tuesday**
Day trip to Kyoto
Explore Gion
– *Nishiki Market*
– *Find some tea houses*
Explore more Shrines and Temples
*Question*: This was originally an unplanned day, but felt that 1 day in Kyoto wouldn’t be enough so I put this here to get some additional time there. Do you think 2 days is enough time here? But I also worry we are trying to do too much without having a 2nd unplanned day in this region. (I don’t want to feel like we are rushing from place to place and not spend time enjoying our surroundings).
**Day 14: Wednesday**
*Depart from Osaka (KIX airport)