8 Day Itinerary- First Trip, Are We Being Too Ambitious? Tokyo/Kyoto

33 comments

1. Don’t cut Osaka if you can help it… it’s one of my favorite cities. In general as long as the activities are geographically close you should be okay. We booked a private tour, not that expensive and got to see/do pretty much everything we wanted. Have fun! Japan is one of my absolute favorite places to travel.

2. Forget about the veganism. Just go eat good food.

   Don’t delegate 15 minutes here and 20 minutes there to iconic places, you will just be on a tight schedule and thinking about the next thing all the time

3. If you are going to shrines and temples, start collecting goshuin.

   https://livejapan.com/en/article-a0002402/amp/

4. How were you planning on getting to Kyoto? Because unless you’re on a budget I’d get the Shinkansen – the medium speed one (I think) takes less than 2 hours.

   Also I’d recommend cakes with faces YouTube channel as I cant remember if she’s veggie or vegan but she does have a couple of videos about it and places to eat

5. I’m also going to Japan for the first time next March! I’ve been going through a lot of travel blogs and you should check out [this blog](https://www.neverendingvoyage.com/vegetarian-survival-guide-to-japan/). They’re vegetarian so that might be the information you’re looking for for your girlfriend’s food options.

6. Where are you flying in from? If from Europe or the USa you’re likely to be very jetlagged on arrival.

   Are you arriving at Haneda airport or Narita and how do you plan to get to your hotel? If you fly into Narita an arrive at 5 pm and have to get bags, clear immigration, wait for your train, switch trains to Shinjuku, find exit of Shinjuku station, get taxi to hotel, it will be well after 7 before you check into your hotel. You shouldn’t plan to do anything that day.

   Personally, I would sleep in Osaka and do day trips to Kyoto, but I’m the minority there.

   Whether you choose Kyoto or Osaka, I would strongly recommend that you spend 4 nights in Tokyo on arrival (again, you’ll be jetlagged and the first day is wasted) and then 3 nights in Kyoto/Osaka and travel back to Tokyo on Day 8, rather than the 3-3-1 schedule you have proposed.

   The trains run like clockwork. You don’t have to worry about trains being late/canceled or plan to be back to Tokyo a day early. Checking in and out of hotels and schlepping bags on and off trains is a drag and waste of time.

   Also, hotels in Japan often don’t recognize “late checkout” or “early check in” so if you stayed in Tokyo on night 7 then you’d have to check out of your hotel at noon, store your bags, wander the streets for 6-7 hours, then go to the airport all smelly for you 10 pm flight home. Don’t do that. Use Day 8 as a travel day. Leave Osaka/Kyoto at like 3:30 -4 p.m., which gives you plenty of time to miss a train connection to Narita/Haneda airport.

   Alternatively, fly into Tokyo and immediately get the 3 hour train(s) to Kyoto/Osaka, go to sleep, then spend 3-4 nights in Kyoto/Osaka and 3-4 nights in Tokyo. Either way, only change hotels once, that’s my advice.

7. Just stay in Kyoto and travel back to Tokyo the day of the flight.

   Everyone is different, but I personally loved Kyoto so much more than Tokyo. But I’m from NYC, so perhaps I just felt burnt out of big city life and longed for the temples and gardens of Kyoto.

   Absolutely must do Fushimi Inari. But I’d go very early and beat the crowds. And also the bamboo forest.

   Also, in the event it rains in Kyoto. I can’t tell you how magical Tofuku Ji was in the rain. We originally had day trips planned for Nara and Osaka and it POURED the day we were supposed to go to Osaka. I’m still bummed we didn’t go. But that rainy day in Kyoto is one of my most fond memories.

8. I typically recommend about a full week just for the highlights of Kanto ***OR*** Kansai alone. There really isn’t any way to do both on a trip of this length without rushing and skipping major things that I would ordinarily consider unskippable. For example, my typical starter itinerary for Kansai would be 3 full days in Kyoto, 1 day in Osaka, 1 day in Nara, and (hopefully) 1 day in Himeji+Kobe–again, just for a quick run-through of the highlights.

   Veganism will extremely limit your dining options and be difficult plan around. Even things you wouldn’t normally think would have meat in them will often have a small meat/seafood-based component (e.g., fish-base broth, small bits of pork). If don’t mind cooking or eating from convenience stores, you could check the ingredient lists, though that will require the ability to read Japanese. You could also look up shoujin ryouri, but it’s something you’ll have to seek out.

   Around cherry blossom season many temples (especially in Higashiyama) have night openings/illuminations that I think are very worth seeing. Maruyama Park/Yasaka Shrine at night is gorgeous and a popular gather spot at the height of the season. Grab some food from a yatai or bring a bento and enjoy a meal under the blossoms. Kiyamachi and Shirakawa in Gion are also amazing at night during cherry blossom season. The Nanzen-ji/Philospher’s Path area is also particularly beautiful at this time.

9. Hey! March 23 is my trip! I’m considering sun route hotel as well, what made
   You choose it? What were your alternatives?

10. Kyoto has a cool monkey park at the top of a mountain. My wife and I did that both times we went to Kyoto. It’s about a 20 minute hike up a mountain but it has a great view of Kyoto and the monkeys are fun to feed once you’re inside the cage hut. While also in Kyoto, go check out the deer in Nara. It doesn’t take too long to get there. Pretty cool town where deer are just walking around doing deer things.

    If you’re going to Odaiba, check out the Diver City (play on the word Diversity) Mall. That’s home to the 1:1 scale Gundam Unicorn. Try to go around the times in transforms from Unicorn to Destroy Mode. It’s super neat! It wasn’t complete during my last visit (2 weeks early!) so it wasn’t transforming but it was amazing nonetheless. That is if you’re into giant robot/mecha stuff. There’s also a giant Gundam store in that mall called Gundam Base.

11. Lots of people have great advice, but one thing I haven’t seen yet that I try to make a rule whenever I travel: ALWAYS leave wiggle room in your itinerary. A half day here or there, or even an entire day here or there, gives you the flexibility to be in-the-moment and do something you didn’t plan for without worrying about what you’re “giving up” to do so.

12. Maybe look into getting a JR pass. Can save you quite a bit of money in train fees.

    The ghibli museum is pretty cool said a buddy of mine but getting tickets is kind of a pain. You have to get someone in Japan to buy them for you a couple months(?) in advance.

    Also pocket wifi is a great addition. No struggles to get wifi spots to plan your trip. you can just use your smartphone.

13. Is Shibuya crossing worth it… well, I know a lot of people want to see it, I wanted to see it too, but I feel it’s skipable if you plan nothing else in Shibuya. After all it’s just a big crossing with lot of people crossing at the same time.

    Check the time for Shinjuku Gyoen, but pretty sure it close around 5pm. Also not it’s close on Monday, depending when you land.

    I feel it will take all morning to do Asakusa / Sky tree, if not more. (also you noted Odaiba but there is nothing in Odaiba in this list). After Hama Rikyu, the natural thing to check would be Zojo-ji temple with a cool view on Tokyo Tower, even if you do not go to the tower, it’s cool to see it.

    Yes, Tokyo National museum is nice too, so depending on the time, you could stop by Ueno before the garden, but just check for opening time, as I think it would usually close around 5pm.

    Do not do Fushimi inari on the first day, in the middle of the day, wait to do it as early as possible one of the next days, or go later, to avoid the crowd.

    For just 8 days, I would personally just to Kanto (Tokyo area) or Kansai (Kyoto/Osaka), save the other region for a future trip. If you do both now, there is a high chance that next trip you will do the same thing again because there is still a lot you have not seen in both regions.

14. Only advise I can give is that try to instead of round trip flights in and out of Haneda, change it to multi-city flights. Fly into Haneda, Tokyo and fly out of Kansai, Osaka.

15. Hey! Japan is awesome, dont be nervous just be excited. im actually in the middle of planning my 4th trip there. they have a ton of english signs and many places have english menus plus most people can speak some english so you shouldnt have too big an issue getting around. So ive done trips both super detailed (8am be here, 820am be here, 9am be here, etc) and more laid back. I would recommend doing it more laid back unless you absolutely want to see the maximum amoun of things possible. It’s a lot less stressful and you appreciate things more, plus you will still see a ton of stuff unless you stick around in a spot for way too long. I would HIGHLY recommend making a google map and plotting places you want to see in each of the cities youre planning on going to (maybe note the time they open/close and how popular they are to know if they might be busy. good for referencing later). Then when youre in japan you can just open up the map, choose an area with something you really want to see then look at some surrounding stuff. Once youre done go to the next major thing and repeat. The rail system in japan makes doing this super easy.

    for things to do in tokyo I would recommend you def see the imperial palace/gardens/tokyo station area. station has a large underground shopping street. Asakusa Shrine. Skytree has arguably the best view in tokyo. would recommend going at night and you have to pay twice to get to the very top floor. I will mention they keep lights on so there is a glare if you want to take photos. Meji Shrine (i saw a traditional wedding there once, it was pretty awesome). Shibuya crossings is very iconic and you can get a good view above from the surrounding builidings (recommend going when its busy for obvious reasons). Then i like anime stuff so akihabara was pretty neat for me (its super touristy) and nakano broadway. Then i also had to see the giant gundam statue in odaiba but thats a little out of the way. I will warn you about studio ghibli, it is VERY isolated and pretty far from the city. expect it to take the whole day. plus you need tickets in advance and they sell out fast. I had trouble getting them but lucked out because i have a friend in japan who managed to purchase them for me. Now for things i would recommend seeing in kyoto i would see Fushimi Inari Taisha (prob the most iconic shrine in japan), Higashiyama Jisho-ji (silver palace), Kinkaku-ji (gold palace), Arashiyama (bamboo forest), Nijō Castle (last time it was under construction but should be done by now), Nishiki Market/Pontocho Alley/Hanamikoji Street(gion), Kiyomizu-dera (better in the fall for the foliage). if you enjoy a little hiking id take the rail up to mount kurama. its nothing super strenuous. as for a day trip to osaka, if youre more into historical shrines and temples I would recommend you go to nara instead. its 45 min on train and offers a lot more historical things. Osaka is awesome but def more of a shopping/food area vs historical.

16. **Vegan Food**

    From what I’ve gathered, veganism is uncommon but a growing dietary choice in Japan so she’ll have options. You would just have to actually plan the restaurants and meals. You should also be comfortable asking explicitly about ingredients as it’s not 100% common knowledge what veganism is (ie., have a card to ask if there’s animal milk, eggs, fish/shellfish, or honey etc in the food). Off the top of my head, I know that Afuri in Tokyo is quite famous for their vegan ramen. CoCo Curry does have a vegetarian menu but I’m unsure if it is vegan.

    Other options might include shabu shabu, Kushiya Monogatarai (DIY kushikatsu – there’s veggies at the bar though I’m not 100% sure what’s in the batter), and even conveyor belt sushi as they do have veggie options. Udon or soba would be a good too as often they can be served with just a shoyu dipping sauce. Onigiri is a good option too and there’s some places that specialize in onigri with very interesting vegetable fillings. Temple food is a good option too because it’s usually vegetarian, though not necessarily vegan.

    Be careful with tempura – traditionally, the batter doesn’t have eggs but some places do use it so double-check. You might even find vegan okonomiyaki because some batters don’t have egg in it.

    You’re in luck in Kyoto because one of their regional specialties is yuba (tofu skin), which I highly recommend. There’s lots of restaurants that serve it but I would look over the menu to decide if it’s the best option as it sometimes is served in dashi (fish broth).

    For food vlogs, Sharla in Japan is vegetarian and did some vegan videos. Tokidoki Traveler also did a few vegetarian/vegan videos.

    **Kyoto**

    Personally, I loved Kyoto and would choose that over Osaka. With only 8 days, I think I would just stick to two major cities rather than do too much traveling.

    I highly recommend getting up early to arrive at Fushimi Inari at around 7sih to do the entire hike to the peak. Lots and lots of stairs but it’s quiet, serene, and nearly private at that time.

17. I find it odd that you’d want to travel to Kyoto, then the very next day take a trip to Osaka. Why not just stick to Kyoto and move Osaka as a destination city before returning to Tokyo? Personally, I find acclimating to a city part of the experience and familiarizing yourself with local landmarks and routes comes to your advantage.

    On the shopping topic, even though the two of you might not be big shoppers, I implore you to at least go to one huge shopping department store to see how they do it in Japan. It is an experience all it’s own (imagine seeing 20 different vaccuum cleaners on display, plugged in and ready to try). Same thing with electronics, etc.

18. Lots of amazing suggestions above that a fully agree with. Not sure if it’s already been mentioned but a few top tips from my personal experience:

    1) Book your pocket WiFi in advance, you can have it delivered to the airport and collect it when you arrive so that you have instant access to the Web via your smart phone. I usually use JapanWireless but there’s lots of options available.

    2) If you are wanting to visit Tokyo, the surrounding areas, Kyoto and Osaka – I highly recommend getting a JR Pass. It will save you a couple of hundred dollars in travel.

    3) JR Pass does not cover your travel from Tokyo to Odaiba as this is a different line, so you’ll just need to get a seperate ticket to travel there and back. Its only a few hundred yen in total.

    4) For train travel and to avoid confusion on the spaghetti junction that is the Tokyo train line, I always use Hyperdia app. It’ll tell you what train you need, the line and colour it is on and times etc.

    5) Don’t rely on debit cards – A lot of the smaller shops, especially in shrines, are still very reliant on cash purchases.

    6) Regarding your wife’s dietary requirements – Good suggestion above about printing out some prompt cards that ask if there are certain ingredients in food. A lot of restaraunts have vegetarian options, but not being vegan myself I can’t comment on that exactly. There are some Vegan Ramen shops, I believe there is one in Tokyo Station!

    7) Take good, comfortable shoes!! The amount of walking I did the first time around almost made my trotters fall off 😂

    8) Plan a bit more time for Tokyo Skytree – If you go at a busy point, you could be waiting 20 minutes to even get to the top! I’d say allow 1 hour, possibly 1 hour 30.

    9) Definitely don’t cut out Osaka! It’s a totally different vibe, really relaxed and friendly. They also have some of the best street food I’ve ever had!

    10) Have an amazing time! When we first went, we only went for 1 week and have since been very lucky to go back a further 4 times.. But for 2 – 3 weeks as there is SO much to see. Don’t be disappointed if you don’t get around to everything, plot your MUST See items and then work the rest around the time you have.

    Hope some of that helps! If it hasn’t already been mentioned by someone else above!

    ✈ 🇯🇵 🍜 🍥 🍱🍡

19. There’s a really good food app you can download that shows you all Vegan options in the area you are in. It’s called “Happy Cow”

    Did a quick search and there seems to be a good few options for vegan food in and around Tokyo!!🌱

20. Give Tokyo Skytree more time; the queue will likely be over 30 mins. I’d go 2 hours and really soak in the view

21. I’ve been to Japan about a dozen times. I can never sleep on planes and am always exchausted when I land. I would suggest that you take the first night easy. Go to an izakaya, eat and drink, then have a great sleep.

    You only allocated an hour for Golden Gai. I would suggest having dinner and then heading there in the evening for drinks. You’ll most likely spend a few hours there. 😅

    Don’t make your schedule too packed so you can get lost and maybe see something you might not have planned. Overall, just enjoy yourself!

22. Day 2 is a little too ambitious. I would remove some of those places if you can. The crossing is just a place you stumble upon and go on your way. There’s lots of cool things in Shibuya so if you want to explore that area, that would be my focus and the crossing is just a neat thing to see since you’re there anyway.

    Definitely try to do a day trip to osaka, possibly two days? If you’re a foodie, Osaka is a great place. Kuromon market is amazing.

    I think your wife will enjoy Kyoto a lot as a vegan. I found that Kyoto had more vegan places. They have a really neat place, super old, serving amazing dishes based on tofu. Mike Chen did a video on it I think. I can pm it to you if you would like.

    Studio Ghibli is my recommendation. Just remember to reserve your ticket in advance. We were dumb not to do that. Plus with covid I have no idea how they are doing that.

23. Day 1 – will probably be too late to get to Pokemon Center DX and have enough time to shop. Regardless, I suggest you visit the Shibuya Parco Pokemon store since that also has a Nintendo Store next door. You can consolidate some of your interest into that one visit. As for bars, not as familiar with the Shinjuku area, but here are a couple ones I have on a list I keep.

    * [Bar BenFiddich](https://ameblo.jp/kayama0927/) Highly regarded bar, great cocktails.
    * [Kurand Sake Market](https://sakemarket.kurand.jp/en/) All you can drink sake bar couple outpost throughout the city

    Day 2 – You can probably skip Takeshita street just a bunch of shops and it is generally crowded. There are two nice ways to get to scramble crossing. From Yoyogi park if you go straight across to the western side of the park and head south you’ll end up in Shubuya. There is a shopping street that you can walk through that has some interesting stores. Otherwise if you backtrack to Meji Jingu you can head up the main street you’ll walk through parts of Omotesando. There a bunch of interesting Buildings you might want to see all the way up to Aoyama’s Prada building. There is also a farmers market nearby at UN University that happens on weekends. From UN University if you keep heading down the main road that is own you’ll end up in Shibuya. If you don’t want to head up to Aoyama you can take Cat Street, the good thing about this is you’ll go by Miyashita Park which is a new complex that opened up last year with a large rooftop park you can check out. As for if the crossing I think it is an iconic image of Japan for many people if this is one of the things that comes to mind when you hear Tokyo or Japan then it’s probably worth your time to see it in person otherwise you can skip this as well.

    Day 3 – I assume you’re going to take the ferry from Asakusa to get to Odaiba. There are a few museums on Odaiba which you can checkout. Other than that you can take the Yurikamome to Shiodome station. From there you check head to the Nippon TV tower which has a cool Ghibli clock you can check out. Then you can walk to Ginza from there. There is a passageway through a office building you can take that will take you the the Old Shimbashi Station which is a museum that is a reconstruction of Tokyo’s first train station. From Ginza you can walk to the imperial palace and check out the grounds there. There are bunch of good restaurants and bars in Ginza that you can probably check out if you wanted too as well.

    Day 4 – Kyoto is really spread out so you really wont find a hotel that is close to everything. Pick something that is close to a subway/train station. If you’re really tight on time use taxis to get around to the different sights. It will be a pricey but its probably one of the faster ways to get around, especially if you want to go to different places across town in the same day.

    Day 5 – You can probably cut out Osaka it’ll be much like Tokyo eg huge dense built up metropolis. You may be more interested in checking out Nara, or Himeji Castle instead.

    edit: words

24. >Day 3: (I could honestly use help here): Explore Asakusa and Odaiba
    >
    >- Kaminarimon Gate = 15 minutes
    >
    >- Nakamise Dori = 30 minutes
    >
    >- Sensoji Temple = 30 minutes
    >
    >- Explore around the Temple = 30 minutes
    >
    >- Tokyo Skytree = 30 minutes
    >
    >- Hama Rikyu Garden = 1 hour

    This does seem ambitious in some cases. Personally, I wouldn’t break things up to this level of detail so I don’t feel forced to follow it :).

    Nakamise Dori, Kaminarimon, and Sensoji are all in the same area, and you could probably get through it in an hour (depending on the crowds), but you’d be rushing if you want to actually visit any of the shops and/or get some street food.

    Tokyo Skytree in 30 minutes (including travel) is very rushed (probably impossible if there are lines), especially if you want to check anything else in Sky City. There’s lots of stores and attractions around.

    Some thoughts:

    Spend the morning and maybe lunch in Asakusa and surrounds. Then walk to Ueno and check out what’s there (The museums, Ame-yokocho, etc) in the early to late afternoon. I enjoy walking through the back streets and neighbourhoods in Tokyo. From Ueno you can decide to spend the evening in Akihabara, if you want.

    Another idea is to take the Water Bus from Asakusa, to Hama-rikyu gardens, and eventually to Odaiba (lots to do there). It’s a nice boat ride, where you can go under the Rainbow Bridge.

25. Is Japan going to be open to tourists by then?

26. I don’t think it’s necessarily too ambitious, but I agree with the advice to just take the shinkansen back to Tokyo the day of your flight home. There are occasionally service disruptions that could make that an issue, but they’re often things like…earthquakes. Which would potentially upset your travel plans anyway. And then you save yourself a hotel switch.

    **Tokyo:** I thought the Shibuya crossing was….fine? It’s a big intersection. I have more vivid memories of getting lunch at Genki Sushi nearby and making my husband take purikura photos with me. On the western side of the city, I genuinely enjoyed visiting Meiji Jingu early in the morning while we were still jetlagged, skipped the parks entirely, enjoyed getting a crepe in Takeshita street but hated the area once the crowds arrived for the day, and found Omotesando overrated. Even if you aren’t big shoppers, it can be fun to just walk around and see how things are different in other places, and I feel like fancy department store food halls are worth the effort, and everyone’s got their other favorites (I am partial to Loft, and I will always stop in a Yodobashi Camera to look for gachapon). Everyone always recommends Don Quijote but they just feel cramped and poorly curated to me. Check the weather before you go to the observation deck because on a clear day you might see Mt. Fuji and on a crummy day you’ll barely see the nearest buildings.

    On the eastern side of the city, I feel that the Tokyo Edo Museum is the one museum you should visit if you go to ANY of them, and that is the hill I am willing to die on. It is extremely well-presented and was a great way to start our visit in Japan. Senso-ji is better earlier in the day because it gets CROWDED in Nakamise Dori but make sure you build in time for nearby snacking. And visit the tourist center nearby for a view from above. I’ve never been up the Skytree, but the mall at the base has some okay food places and is good for unique souvenirs to bring people. Odaiba’s a schlep from Asakusa, but if you’re looking for some otaku culture, maybe consider Akihabara? It’s super cliche, but we had fun looking around Super Potato and looking for gachapon in Yodobashi Camera and then you can say you’ve been. And in that neighborhood is Kanda Shrine, which is both a big and lovely shrine in its own right, and you can buy lucky charms for your personal technology. Especially if you wind up cutting Osaka, I think getting to see somewhere else that’s got that lit-signs-all-the-way-up-all-the-buildings vibe, like Akihabara or Shinjuku, is nice.

    **Kyoto:** Definitely stop at the Ekibenya Matsuri store in Tokyo Station for lunch during the shinkansen trip! But build in time to find it and navigate it because it’s been wildly busy every time I’ve visited. The shinkansen trip itself is a fun experience, especially if you like trains even a little tiny bit. I wouldn’t visit Fushimi Inari that day unless you go closer to sunset to avoid the crowds, but do definitely make sure it’s in your itinerary somewhere. We spent much longer there than expected because it was such a neat area to explore with tons of nooks and crannies, and my husband developed a real taste for the touristy food stalls outside of big shrines and temples. Kinkakuji is another thing that makes those “overrated” lists all the time, and I disagree, but also we visited in like the last hour they were open on a kind of drizzly day, so it wasn’t as crowded. Kiyomizu-dera wasn’t my favorite temple we visited, BUT I enjoyed the time we spent in that general area – we had tea and sweets on the grounds, did all of the various luck-generating activities, and then wandered downhill through the old streets and poked into shops. Nijo Castle was kind of underwhelming, especially because we visited Himeji Castle on the same trip. Do some digging into other temples in Kyoto, because there are SO MANY and depending on what you are interested in (pretty gardens, goshuin collecting, unique ema/omikuji, you name it) you could easily pick out a handful of less-crowded ones that get you off the beaten path and leave you with some wonderful memories. I did feel like the Arashiyama bamboo grove path was overrated, but Okochi Sanso was my favorite garden and I just happened to visit Tenryu-ji because it was right there and enjoyed it.

    **Tea** – There’s a key culinary cultural experience that is vegan friendly – tea! A bunch of the temples and gardens offer matcha and sweet sets – I know Kiyomizu-dera has that in the vicinity, I’ve also had tea at Kinkakuji and in Okochi Sanso garden in Kyoto, and in Tokyo there’s a bunch of gardens with tea houses. I also took a “cooking” class to make wagashi in Tokyo that I LOVED – we made nerikiri and strawberry daifuku and then had it with matcha that we mixed ourselves and it was such a fantastic use of time and delicious to boot. But I really, really like red bean so there is basically no amount of it that would be too much for me. And you can get matcha flavored ANYTHING in Kyoto.

    **Side Trips** – It sounds like you want to visit Osaka from Kyoto, so you might be set, but if you change your mind on that, I really enjoyed visiting Himeji and also the Yamazaki Suntory distillery (if you drink whisky, obviously). Both were half-day visits from Kyoto. If you like whisky at all, the distillery tour and visit to the tasting room after are amazing value for the time and cost, because they may be the only way you’ll ever get affordable tastes of some of Suntory’s rarer whiskies.

27. Make some time to visit an onsen. Bathing is an important aspect in Japanese culture. And it will relax your body and mind. The only downside for you as a traveling couple, man and woman are seperated.

28. Travelling seems so surreal now

29. Pokemon list:

    * Two Pokemon vending machines at Haneda Airport. You may want to visit when you depart (you’ll have Japanese coins to spend) instead of arrive (unless you have plenty room in your luggage). Exclusive Pilot and Flight Attendant Pikachu!
    * Pokemon vending machine at Odaiba. Odaiba also has teamLab Borderless and the Gundam Unicorn.
    * Pokemon Center Tokyo DX. Each Pokemon Center will have something unique, but most of the merchandise is the same throughout. Don’t know what the DX exclusive is, but right next door is…
    * Pokemon Cafe. Google says there are vegetarian options. There are some exclusive merchandise at the cafe, like plates / cups that come with some food / drinks. And some exclusives that you can only get when you make a reservation. Highlight: Meet Pikachu!
    * Pokemon Center Shibuya + Nintendo Shop. The newest Pokemon Center is closest to Shinjuku where you’re staying.
    * Pokemon Center Mega Tokyo + Pikachu Sweets by Pokemon Cafe. Not sure what else there is to do in Ikebukuro, but Pikachu Sweets looks too cute!
    * Pokemon Center Skytree. You’re already visiting Skytree.
    * Magikarp Taiyaki in Akihabara!
    * Character Street at Tokyo Station will have Pokemon as well as other anime characters. Stop by on your way to or from Kyoto.
    * Pokemon Center Kyoto. This is the only one you have to visit. Has the cutest Kimono Pikachu!

30. Vegetarian living in Japan here. It’s definitely very hard to be veg/vegan in but it’s getting a lot better! There’s a lot of great Facebook pages with information about what foods are vegan from supermarkets, convenience stores, restaurant etc. this is not a country known for accommodating you to take things out of orders or customizing orders ex: removing the bacon in pasta (the bane of my existence) so it would be vegan.

    Shinjuku has a few veg friendly places but harajuku seems to have the most. There’s a great chain of vegan ramen places called T’s Tantan the closest one to shinjuku is in a Tokyo station. Asakusa has a vegan convenience store (assuming it survives the pandemic) The area is pretty touristy so it should have a thorough number of options. If memory serves me correctly there’s also a vegan friendly okonomiyaki restaurant near shinjuku too.

    You’re just going to have to assume that Dashi (fish broth/powder) is in everything you eat (outside of your own cooking/vegan restaurants) and be really careful when buying things in the supermarket because even soy sauce tends to have fish in it.

    If you don’t read Japanese very well now is the time to learn to read for “beaf” “pork” “fish” “egg” “milk” “crab” “ gelatin”

    Outside of that some places now offer vegan foods:

    – Doutor coffee shop has a soy meat burger (vegan). Don’t go in blindly be sure to check the menu before hand some locations can change.

    – mos burger has a green burger (vegan but not at every location)

    – cocos curry has a vegetarian (vegan) menu at a lot of their locations.

    – Kaiten sushi (be wary of the soy sauce) have kappa maki (cucumber roll), gourd and natto rolls. Some may have more options too.

    – Soup stock always has a vegan soup/curry options (labeled vegetarian)

    – Indian restaurants! No matter where you are there always seems to be an Indian restaurant. The staff are usually from India or Nepal so can speak both English and Japanese. Of course they are quite familiar with the idea of not eating meat so would be able to tell you what things on their menu can be adapted or are already vegan.

    Check out
    [is it vegan](https://isitveganjapan.com) for the stuff that you’ll see in supermarkets and conbinis.

    [Happy Cow](https://www.happycow.net) and app (maybe you’ll get lucky and they’ll be a place near you)

    [Vegwel](https://vegewel.com/en/) sometimes happy cow can be a little bit too strict on restaurants this also lists restaurants with vegan menus.

31. your day 2 is way too ambitious to say at least

    if you are flying in from europe or north america you will be so jet lagged that 8pm feels like 4am, plus this is hanami time so the parks will be filled to the brim with people, i doubt you will be able to move from one end of yoyogi park to the other end in 1 hour in peak hanami crowd

    since you are going to be in Kyoto too my suggestion is to do cheery blossom in Kyoto, it will still be crowded but will be much more manageable than Tokyo

32. When we went in 2019 the Ghibli museum tickets need to be bought from Lawson (popular convenience store chain). I think they have an overseas site, but we just had them picked up through govoyagin.com

    With that much travel, I’d highly suggest packing very lightly(backpacks…for the love of God no roller-bags).

    JR rail pass will pay for itself just with the Shinkansen trips.

    Have fun!

33. Day 3 does seem too ambitious in the Asakusa area. If you have time in Odaiba, you should definitely check out the Teamlab borderless and the Toyosu fish market (replacement of the Tsukiji market).

    For Day 8, studio ghibli is in Western Tokyo, completely in the opposite direction of both airports, and would be a giant waste of time. You should instead spent another day in Kyoto and use it for a day trip to Nara.