Hello everyone,
This is just a outline so that it will be easier to go forward and refine it later after (maybe even before) buying airbnbs/hotels so please don’t criticize me too much haha.
So I’m planning a trip with 5 other friends from March 29-April 13 and we decided it’s finally time to start on our itinerary. We are young 20s and it will be all of our first times in Japan. We will be going to Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto/Hakone and maybe Nara. For each day we’ve tried to add at least 3 main places to visit and then the remaining part of the day is time to explore and really take in the surrounding sights. We would love your guys’ input on the itinerary and it some days look too packed or some days do not make sense in terms of travel time, etc.
Also side note, we have just started looking for airbnbs and hotels so we’re still unsure about that. Any recommendation in a specific area would be nice but not needed. We were planning to stay in a capsule hotel first day since we wanted to experience that and then airbnb near akihabara area for the rest of the days in tokyo. For osaka it’ll just be airbnb then ryokan in Hakone.
Questions we have:
Looking at our itinerary would a locker be the smart move? Maybe we could move our capsule hotel day to another day.
For some of the days are we starting it too early?
Is there a recommended website for capsule hotels? I don’t know how to begin and like what to trust.
We’re planning on 7 day JR pass would we activate it on April 4 or April 5?
**March 29**: Rest chill day
1:40-2:00 P.M arrive in HND airport
get cash/grab suica card/pocket wifi/jr pass
check in capsule hotel (unsure but probably near akihabara)
grab food
rest/explore/prep for next day
dinner
**March 30: Akihabara day**
Check out capsule hotel
go to akihabara and put luggage in locker
explore manga/cafes/arcades etc
check in airbnb
explore more
**March 31:**
8:00 am Train to ashikaga flower park
explore ashikaga flower park
12:00 pm Train to kotori cafe
1:30-2:00 pm kotori cafe
nezu shrine
rikugian garden
4:00-6:30 pm free rn
dinner
akihabara
**April 1:**
8:15 am Train to tokyo tower
tokyo tower
buy food for picnic
picnic at chidorigafuchi moat under cherry blossoms
1:30 pm imperial palace
explore ginza area until dinner
**April 2:**
8:00 am train to sunshine city
9:30 am sunshine aquarium
12:00 pm lunch
explore sunshine city pokemon center
3:30 pm train to shimokitzawa
explore shimokitzawa (thrift shopping)
dinner
**April 3:**
8:00 am train to shibuya
9:30 am shibuya crossing/shibuya sky
10:45 am travelers factory
11:30 am yoyogi park
12:30 pm meiji jingu
1:30 pm Explore and shop at Cat Street, Omotesando, Takeshita Street
**April 4:**
8:00-9:00 am walk/public transit to sensoji temple
10:00 am train to ghibli museum
11:00 am ghibli museum
1:30 pm lunch
2:30 pm public transit to shinjuku
3:30 pm explore shinjuku
drinking nightlife
**April 5:**
7:00 – 8:00 am check out airbnb
8:00 am – 12:00 pm tokyo to osaka
lunch
check in airbnb
2:30 – 5:00 pm explore
5:00 pm dotonbori
**April 6:**
8:00 am Train to universal studios
9:00 am – 9:00pm/10:00 pm Universal
**April 7:**
9:00 am train to kyoto
10 am – 12 pm fushimi inari taisha
lunch
train back to osaka
explore osaka
**April 8**:
9:00 am train to kyoto station
bamboo forest
public transit to tenryuji temple
1:00 pm lunch
2:00 pm monkey park
3:00 pm train to potocho district
explore
dinner
8 pm train to osaka
**April 9:**
9:00 am train to kyoto
rent kimono
tea ceremony
lunch
kiyomizu dera
return kimono travel to nishiki market
explore nishiki market
dinner
8 pm train back to osaka
**April 10: Still unsure about nara we just don’t know what we’d replace this day with they want some form of nature.**
9:00 am train to nara
nara koen park feed deer
lunch
free
8:00 pm train back to osaka
**April 11:**
7:00 am check out
train to hakone
lunch
check in ryokan
1:00-3:00 pm hakone open air museum
free
6:30 pm dinner
onsen
**April 12:**
cable car ropeway from togendai to owakudani
10:30 – 2:00 pm explore
free
6:30 pm dinner
onsen
**April 13:**
Train Hakone ->Tokyo HND airport
Fly home
1 comment
Check opening time of stuff to make sure you do not get too early. In general, avoid shopping area like Shibuya in the morning as store open at 10-11am, instead, do things like Yoyogi park and Meiji jingu at the start of the day as they open much earlier.
Really important to check opening time…. Ghibli museum there is no 11am tickets, it’s 10am 12. An Asakusa in on the other side of Tokyo, it’s not the best combo in a day.
JR Pass have to be from day 5, because you want to use it to reach Odawara. So use day 5 to 11. If you do 4 to 10, you will have to pay out of pocket for the shinkansen ticket to Odawara.
That is if you even get it… Actually, I would say don’t get the JR Pass. You are likely not going to save much money if you even save any. Instead, just use whatever train is the most convenient, like from Osaka, Keihan or Hankyu direct to Arashiyama/Higashiyama instead of doing a detour via Kyoto station. Use Kintetsu to Nara to be closer to the park and get on the Nozomi from Tokyo to Osaka. All that for about the same price as the JR Pass and it will be more convenient.
The 8, skip Pontocho, it will be a bothersome detour. Do Nishiki market for lunch and Pontocho for dinner, the next day as they are in the same area.