Hi all! I’m planning a trip with my partner in May and this is our second time in Japan! We’re looking to see if our itinerary makes sense in terms of planning and timing, and also looking for suggestions for things/food we shouldn’t miss if we’re in the area! Last time we spent 4 days in Tokyo, 2 days in Osaka, and 1 day in Kyoto, but it was super rushed and we didn’t get to enjoy the areas and explore as much as we wanted to.
**Day 0: Tokyo – Arrival/Shinjuku flex**
* Arrive @ HND at 12pm
* Check into Shinjuku Hotel
* Spend day in Shinjuku, or train somewhere nearby and explore and eat dinner
**Day 1: Tokyo – Shinjuku/Ikebukuro**
* Afternoon in Ikebukuro
* Sunshine City
* Shinjuku
* Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
* Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (low priority)
* Kabukicho at night
**Day 2: Tokyo – Harajuku/Shimokitazawa/Shibuya**
* Meiji Jingu/Yoyogi Park in morning depending on how we feel or if we feel we have enough time in the day (low priority, might skip)
* General shopping day
* Thrift shopping
* Shibuya 109/Mayashita Park
* Planning to spend the night in Shibuya
* Try to snag a sunset Shibuya Sky slot (we have been before, but couldn’t get sunset)
* Should we start in Shimokitazawa or Harajuku? Do shops/cafes/restaurants usually open around the same time?
* Can also move Shimokitazawa to another day if Harajuku/Shibuya is already a lot
**Day 3: Yokohama day trip**
* Minatomirai + Yamashita Park
* Chinatown – Better to visit here for lunch or dinner?
* Cup Noodle Museum
* Sankeien Garden (low priority)
**Day 4: Tokyo – DisneySea**
* Spend whole day at DisneySea
* Dinner at Golden Gai or Omoide Yokocho
**Day 5: Tokyo – Akihabara/Ueno/Asakusa**
* Morning in Asakusa
* Sensoji Temple
* Nakamise Shopping Street
* Ueno
* Anime shops + arcades in Akihabara
**Day 6: Tokyo – Ginza/Tokyo Station/Roppongi**
* Start at Tsukiji Market early morning
* Shopping in Ginza
* Explore around Tokyo Station
* Explore Roppongi
* Azabudai Hills
* Roppongi Hills
* TeamLabs Borderless
**Day 7: Hakone**
* Leave Shinjuku early morning for Hakone w/ Romancecar to Hakone-Yumoto station
* Get Hakone Freepass, is the morning okay to grab these?
* Will be using Yamato Transfer to transfer bags from Tokyo to Osaka and only bring a small bag/luggage to Hakone
* Drop off bags at Ryokan 10 min walk from Hakone-Yumoto Station
* Option 1 — Do Hakone Loop
* Will we have enough time to start and enjoy whole loop early morning and make it back to Ryokan for dinner?
* Does it matter if we do it clockwise or counter-clockwise if our accommodation is near Hakone-Yumoto station?
* Option 2 — Do loop early morning on Day 8 after we check out, then head to Osaka after the loop
* Relax + dinner at Ryokan
**Day 8: Osaka – Arrival/Flex**
* Head to Odawara station using freepass, then shinkansen from there to Osaka
* Check into hotel in Shinsaibashi
* Depending on option 1/2 in Hakone, TBD depending on how much time we have
* Explore Shinsaibashi + Dotonbori
**Day 9: Osaka**
* Explore Namba and Kuromon market for lunch
* Abeno Harukas views
* Shinsekai at night
**Day 10: Osaka**
* Shinsaibashi
* Osaka Castle
* better to move this to Day 9?
* Orange Street Shopping
* Amerika-mura
* Dotonbori at night
**Day 11: Kyoto**
* Kiyomizu-dera early morning
* Ninnenzaka and Sannanzaka street
* Yasaka Jinja Shrine
* Kodaiji Temple
* Gion
* Pontocho Alley at night
**Day 12: Kyoto – Flex**
* Might check out one of Arashiyama or Fushimi Inari shrine
* Low priority and also open to other suggestions since we have both been on our last trip
* Nishiki Market
* Looking to bike along the river
* Open to suggestions for places to check to rent a bike for an hour or two!
**Day 13:** **Last day in Japan – Nara + Flex**
* Spend half day at Nara
* Deer Park
* Great Temple of Todai’ji
* Kasuga-Taisha (low priority)
* TBD, spend last half of day in either Kyoto or Osaka
by JDee55