Hello, I’ve been lurking on here for the past couple of months to plan our October 21-day trip to Japan with my partner and wanted to know your thoughts about this rough draft itinerary. We plan on staying in Tokyo for 11 days, 2 day in Hakone, 7 days in Kyoto, and 6 days in Seoul to end the trip. We feel like some days are more balance than others, especially in the beginning days of our trip versus the latter parts of our stay in Tokyo.
- Day 1 (Tues): Arrive in Tokyo around 1pm, Meidi-ya Kyobashi Store/7-11 to stock up on stuff as we will be staying in the same hotel for 11 days, and then get dinner (Sake Ryoma, Yakitori Alley, Rokurinsha, or Tokyo Ramen Street)
- Day 2 (Wed): Pokémon Café, Nakamise-dori Street, Senso Ji Temple, walk around Hoppy Street and get foods, and Tokyo Skytree (if it’s not too late).
- Day 3 (Thurs): Yayoi Kusama Museum or Mori Art Museum and Shinjuku Golden Gai in the evening for food/drinks. This day feels a light, so we are thinking of either adding Tokyu Kabukicho Tower/Godzilla Head or Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden.
- Day 4 (Fri): Teamlab Planets (early morning), Tsukiji Outer Market for food, and in the evening head to Shibuya Scramble Crossing, Shibuya Sky, and karaoke/bar
- Day 5 (Sat): Meiji Jingu Shrine, Hirajuku (as early as possible to beat the crowds), Reissue for Coffee, Yoyogi Park, and Takeshita Street. Dinner reservations for ShushiYuu. Also thinking about checking out ZEROTOKYO after.
- Day 6 (Sun): Art Aquarium or check out Ginza? Akihabara from 1-5pm, no plans yet for that night, so any recommendations nearby are welcome!
- Day 7 (Mon): Day trip to Nikko for some hiking and exploring.
- Day 8 (Tues): Kabukiza Theater and Yakitori Alley. We plan on watching a play at the theater, but not sure if we should do a 1-hour vs 4-hour one? Would we be able to leave early if we decided to get tickets for the 4-hour show?
- Day 9 (Wed): Arashio-beya Sumo Table and Tokyo Dome City. We also have Ueno Park or Kyosumi Park as options to add for this day.
- Day 10 (Thurs): Japan Open-Air Folk House and Shimokitzawa
- Day 11 (Fri): Koffee Mameya Kakera, Edo-Tokyo Museum, and Street Kart Tokyo Bay (not sure if this is overrated or not).
- Day 12 (Sat): Travel from Tokyo to Hakone as we plan on staying in a ryokan for the halfway point of our trip.
Any and all recommendations are welcomed! Places to remove? Must see attractions, museum, shops, restaurants, etc.? Any inside on places? We want to make sure we are balancing this trip, and I know that a big mistake first time travelers make is over doing their itinerary.
Thank you in advance and I can answer any specific questions about our trip like cost (USD), exact locations we are visiting, etc. We will be there all of October, so if anyone wants to meet up, let me know!
by dinerosaur