Hi, everyone. I’ll be going back to Japan to visit my mom and relatives next month (June 2024), it’s been 5 years since my last visit. I’ll be flying from California with my husband and it’ll be his first time visiting Japan. We’re only spending 14 days in the country and we intend to spend as much time with family in Chiba as possible so we’re only visiting Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara for 3 days, and then 4 days in Tokyo. We’ll land in Narita on June 1st and our trip to Osaka won’t be until June 4th so I think we’ll have acclimatized by then so jet lag won’t be a problem. Below is the itinerary I put together for us (just me and my husband (both in our mid-20s, fairly active), and my mom (in her 40s)) and I’m hoping to get anyone’s input/suggestions/tips, i.e., whether the days are packed or can be made more eventful, things to look out for, etc. If it’s gonna rain, anything to consider or look out for?
Also, I’m going to get us eSIMs in advance and I think we’re just going to use Suica via Apple Pay/Wallet for train and bus rides, rather than get rail passes as I’ve kept seeing posts that those aren’t worth it anymore for short travels. Google Maps is what we’re gonna use as a guide for our commutes.
**June 4, Tuesday: Osaka**
* We’ll be flying in from Narita via JetStar and shall land at KIX around 9:35AM. Any suggestions on which mode of transport we should take on the way to Osaka? Our hotel’s gonna be Osaka Teikoku, which I was happy to see is close to the Dotonbori area. We can grab food there that morning when necessary.
* From the hotel (if we’re leaving our bags prior to check-in time), 15-min walk to **Namba Shrine**.
* **Osaka Castle**. We don’t intend to enter the museum, just stroll around the garden and take in the views of the castle.
* I was thinking about going to the **Umeda Sky Building** but based on early weather forecasts for June, it might be rainy that day so I’m not sure if it’s gonna be worth getting tickets for.
* **Dotonbori** and **Shinsaibashi** for the rest of the day. Does this also lead to the Kuromon Ichiba Market and is it worth checking out?
* Maybe grab snacks at nearby 7-11 for breakfast the next day.
**June 5, Wednesday: Kyoto**
* **Fushimi-Inari**. I’m hoping I can convince my mom to get up early so we can leave the hotel 7AM at the latest lol. If it’s gonna be rainy that morning, does anybody have inputs about this stop?
* **Kiyomizu-dera**.
* **Starbucks Yasaka Ninenzaka**. Just an 11-min walk from Kiyomizu-dera and if by the lines it looks impossible to get into, it’s totally okay for us to skip and just pass by.
* **Gion District** for lunch and some shopping for souvenirs.
* **Kodai-ji** **Temple and Bamboo Garden**. I’m totally okay with us just going here for the bamboo grove, that’s why there is no Arashiyama Bamboo Forest in our itinerary. (I just think it’s too far and may not be worth spending a lot of time to travel to since we only got a day in Kyoto.)
* **Yasaka-jinja Shrine**. Another 10-min walk from Kodai-ji.
* About an hour to **Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)** via bus?
* And then back to Osaka, 1h50m travel time, maybe just go around Dotonbori again in the evening.
**June 6, Thursday: Nara**
* We’re checking out early, probably should leave by 7:30AM, so we can make the most of the day before our 6:30PM flight back to Narita from KIX.
* Catch the mochi-making at **Nakatanidou**.
* From there, walk to **Kofuku-ji Pagoda**.
* And then to **Yoshikien Gardens**.
* And then to **Todai-ji Temple**.
* Lastly, **Nara Park** for the deer.
* I think we should be on our way to the airport by 2PM as it’s almost 2 hours to KIX from Nara and our flight’s 6:30PM.
Question for this Osaka trip: are the Osaka Metro Pass, Kansai Mini Pass, or other passes from Klook worth getting for our 3-day trip? Although my mom is a Japan permanent resident so I don’t think we can get one for her online as only I and my husband are the tourists. Also, my husband is really looking forward to trying out A5 wagyu, even if just in skewers, where can we best get them? He also wants to try Japanese omurice, but I think we’re better off trying it somewhere that’s not Kichi Kichi because of mixed reviews I read here.
I’m sorry if this is looking to be a long post, but here’s our 4-day itinerary in Tokyo. I got us a hotel in Shinjuku, Tokyo Plaza Hotel. I was thinking that we could take the 8:29AM Keisei Skyliner from Narita Airport Terminal 1 to get to Nippori around 9:16AM (based on time table on their website) and then transfer to JR Yamanote for Shin-Okubo station. Our hotel also agreed to take in our bags prior to check-in time so we can go around the city without them.
**June 9, Sunday: Narita – Shinjuku – Harajuku – Shibuya – Meguro – Shinjuku**
* Drop off our bags at our hotel in Shinjuku.
* **Harajuku**
* **Meiji Jingu**
* **Takeshita Dori** for some cremia ice cream and to look around.
* Get to **Tokyu Plaza Omotesando**.
* **Shibuya** (will adjust the order to accommodate Shibuya Sky reservation which I hope to get when it opens 30 days before this date)
* **Shibuya Square, Hachiko, and Scramble.**
* **Shibuya Sky**
* **Meguro** for Starbucks Reserve Roastery, which closes late at 10PM.
* Back to **Shinjuku** at night. If still up for it, check out:
* **Shinjuku no Nekomae**
* **Omoide Yokocho**
* Pass by **Kabukicho Ichiban-gai**, see the red LED sign.
* Back to hotel.
**June 10, Monday: Tsukiji Market – Ginza – Akihabara – Roppongi – Shinjuku**
* Get up early to go to **Tsukiji Fish Market** for A5 wagyu skewers (if we weren’t able to get them in Kyoto) and other snacks to check out.
* **Ginza**
* **Akihabara**
* Maybe eat at the Gyukatsu Motomura there.
* **Roppongi**
* I’m still on the fence on whether we should go to **TeamLab Borderless** and about how much time of our day we’re going to spend in there. I‘m thinking it’s a choice between TeamLab or **Mori Tower** for views of the Tokyo Tower and for sunset. Although if it’s raining on that day, is the skyline worth paying Mori Tower tickets for?
* Back to **Shinjuku** or maybe **Shibuya** if the previous day’s time wasn’t enough.
**June 11, Tuesday: Asakusa – Kappabashi – Ueno – Shinjuku**
* **Asakusa** for **Senso-ji Temple,** **Nakamise Street,** and view from the **Tourist Info Centre**.
* **Kappabashi** to shop for kitchen knives.
* **Ueno**
* **Ueno Park** and **Ueno Zoo**
* **Ameyoko Street**
* Back to **Shinjuku**. Probably gonna check out the **Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building** at nighttime.
**June 12, Wednesday: Warner Bros. Harry Potter – Shinjuku – back to Narita**
* The hotel allowed us to leave our bags there until 3PM of that day, so we can head to **The Making of Harry Potter** without them.
* Should be back at the hotel to pick up our bags before 3PM. And then do some shopping at a **Don Quijote** nearby.
* Catch the Keisei Skyliner back to Narita Airport Terminal 1.
I originally planned a day trip to Lake Kawaguchiko for views of Mt. Fuji, but I don’t think the trip’s gonna be worth it because I read online that June is probably not a good time to see a clear view of Mt. Fuji.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read all this and in advance for your comments!
by Longjumping-Cow7514
