Hi I’m a 23M from UK going on my first solo-trip to Tokyo and Kansai region from May 16-27th 2024.
I have an initial draft of an itinerary which I plan to use as a guide, I will not be strictly ticking off each thing off the list if it’s not viable. I have a dietary restriction which is halal meat but I am open to eating pescatarian (non-halal) and vegetarian options.
I have made a google maps list of landmarks, cafes, restaurants, activities , parks and general places of interest which caught my eye (on tiktok lol). I will eventually use wanderlog to also fine tune this itinerary once I receive some feedback.
My aim is to basically exhaust myself while I’m there, I know a lot of people mention that you will get burnt out but I feel like I know myself and I want to really squeeze every last drop of my experience for the short time I’m there. Saying that, I have also allotted two “rest days” so if I am feeling particularly tired I can just chill out too.
I’m into fashion, food , arts and briefly into Japanese culture and history ie anime, nintendo, architecture etc. I also want to buy lots of small souvenirs such as skincare and kitchenware for my family, alongside selvedge denim for myself and whatever else tickles my fancy really.
**Days 1 – 5 : Tokyo [May 16 – 20]**
* I land relatively late to Narita at 21:00 on 16/05, so I’m aiming to make one of the last NRT Skyliners (+ subway) to my hotel in Akasaka [Super Hotel Premier] by midnight , as the reception will close. I’ve already contacted the hotel in advance and worst case I will get an entry-code in case of delay.
I will probably just hit up the 7-11 on the ground floor of my hotel for snacks and then hit the hay to beat the jet lag in order to prepare for the rest of the trip!
**17/05 – Shibuya, Shinjuku**
* Take an early train to Shinjuku
* Meiji Jingu Shrine
* Shinjuku Gyoen
* Latte Art Mania
* Shopping in Takeshita Street, Harajuku
* Strawberry Mania
* Shibuya Sky (need to make sunset reservation)
* Shibuya Crossing
* Shinjuku Go Kart (need to book on klook but not sure)
* Golden gai, omoide yokocho
* Kabuchiko
**18/05: Ginza, Chuo City**
* Coffee at Glitch Roasters
* National museum of modern art
* Tokyo Imperial Palace, East Gardens
* Kokyo gaien, Hibiya park
* Kaiseki at Shofukuro
* Hamarikyu Garden
* Ginza shopping GU, Uniqlo, Dover Street Market
* Pokemon Cafe
* Ramen street
* Tsukiji Fish market
* Make reservation at Manten sushi
**19/05: day-trip to Mt Fuji**
* Falls on a Sunday so I imagine it will be busy
* Planning to go to either Lake Kawaguchiko (Oishi Park, Chureito Pagoda) or Lake Motosuko Resort (Shibazakura Festival)
* Take the early train/bus to either location based on Fuji Liveview (also weather dependent)
* Head back to Tokyo for dinner
**20/05 : “Rest Day”**
* Rest day with lighter schedule to recuperate from travelling and long days. Very loose itinerary
* Spending the day in (relatively) local vicinity to hotel
* Chrome Hearts Minato
* Want to visit Mori Art Museum, National Art Centre, teamLab Borderless
* Make reservation for Tsujihan Donburi Akasaka
* Zozoji and Tokyo Tower stroll for night view
**Days 6 – 9 : Kyoto [May 21 – 24]**
* Early bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto on 21/05
* Bake the shop cheese tart (at kyoto stn)
* Check in at Hotel Abeste Hagashiyama
* Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Ninenzaka, Sannenzaka
* Matcha house
* Kyocera Museum Murakami Pop-up
* Nanzen-ji
* Yasaka Jinja shrine evening stroll
* Dinner reservation at Honke Takuma Honten
**22/05 – Arashiyama**
* Arashiyama Bamboo Grove and Tenryu-ji Temple
* Hozagawa boat ride
* Lunch at Yosiya Arashiyama
* Kinkakujii
* Nishiki Market
* Micasadeco cafe
* Tofukuji temple
* Kyoto Imperial Palace, Nijo castle
* Fushimi Inari Taisha
* Unryu-in, Sennyu-ji
* Dinner at Ramen Ayam Ya Karasuka
* Shiatsu massage at Hiyoshido Gion
**23/05 : day-trip to Osaka**
* Take the early bullet train to Osaka
* Umeda sky building
* Samurai jeans
* Osaka Castle
* Shinsaibashi street, Orange street
* Kuromon Market (street shopping)
* Dotonburi ; kukuru takoyaki, tanghulu
* Amerikamura
* LiLo Coffee Roasters
* Den Den Town
* Osaka Tower, Shinsekai
* Dinner anywhere that serves good okonomiyaki
* Late train back to Kyoto
**24/05 : day-trip to Okayama OR Hiroshima**
Need help with this day the most. I’m hearing it’s probably too ambitious to make a day trip from Kyoto to Hiroshima (and miyajima), so I may opt to go to Okayama instead.
* Would plan to get the earliest train possible to either location
* Okayama castle
* Koraku-en park
* Okayama tram
* Momotaro jeans
* Train to kurashiki
* Kurashiki bikan historical quarter
* Kojima jeans street
* Denim ice cream
* Perhaps stop off in Kobe for steak if viable
**Days 10 and 11 : Tokyo [May 25 – 26]**
* Take earliest train from Kyoto back to Tokyo
* Check in at Super Hotel Premier Ueno-Okachimachi
* Iriya plus cafe
* Tokyo national museum
* Ueno park
* Shinobazu no ike pond
* Ameya yokocho
* Take the train to Akihabara
* Gigo arcade
* Imtiaz camera market
* Bookoff
* Akihabara UDX, JDM spotting / car meet
**26/05 : Rest day (Asakusa, Kappabashi)**
* Take the train to Senso-ji
* Nakamise street
* Ichigoza cafe
* Asakusa kagetsudo, imo pippi
* Don quixote
* Walk along sumid river, check out sumida park
* Hyotan pond
* Kappabashi kitchenware shopping
* Dinner at wagyu yakiniku panga , walk from hotel
* Early night in to pack and check-out as flight is at 9am
* Enjoy the guest-only public bath in my hotel
**27/05 – Time to leave :(**
* Check out hotel at roughly 5:15am
* According to NRT Skyliner timetable , Keisei-Ueno first train departs at 5:40 , arriving at NRT 6:30.
Fortunately I thought about the idea of travelling early hence I booked the hotel in walking distance from Keisei-ueno
So all in all, if you actually got to the bottom of my jam-packed itinerary then a big thanks for giving it a read. I fully understand that it will be impossible to go to every single specific bullet point , it’s more of a rough list of memos for things I can explore in each area.
If there are any huge glaring issues that I’ve had an oversight on then please let me know. As far as advanced bookings I can only think of a couple of specific restaurants within Tokyo, and couple of experiences too that I will go ahead and book on Klook in due time.
Thanks!
by yj7__