Hi everyone! I’m thankful for this community, it is so helpful!
My husband (30M) and I (28F) will be in Japan from March 4-March 21. We are coming from Canada and it will be our first time in Japan. We wanted to see if anyone has any tips or recommendations on what we have planned so far! It will be our honeymoon, so we are not worried about money for this trip and we both love eating/trying new foods.
**March 4:** **SATURDAY** \- Arrive to Narita airport at 4:30PM
* Cab from Airport to hotel with 2 carry-ons and 2 large suitcases
* Dinner: Sushi near hotel
**March 5: SUNDAY – Tokyo**
* Go to Tsukiji market & get street food for breakfast/lunch (9AM-12PM)
* Rest at hotel (1PM-2PM)
* Penguin Bar Ikebukuro (2PM-4PM)
* Go back to hotel and get ready for dinner (4PM-7PM)
* Sushi dinner at another sushi spot nearby (7PM-9PM)
**March 6: MONDAY – Tokyo -** Akihabara Day
* Train to Akihabara (11AM)
* Lunch – Kanda Tamagoken Akihabara Store
Possible stores to check out while walking around:
1. Yodobashi Camera Akihabara
2. AKIHABARA Gamers Main Store
3. Don Quijote Akihabara
4. Akihabara UDX
5. Akihabara Gachapon Kaikan
6. CHABARA AKI-OKA MARCHE
7. AKIBA CULTURES ZONE
* Owl Cafe Akiba Fukurou Tokyo
* Motenashi Kuroki for dinner
* Visit Kanda Myojin Shrine before leaving after dinner
* Back to hotel to rest
**March 7: TUESDAY – Tokyo**
Flex day
* Visit pokemon stores
**March 8: WEDNESDAY – Tokyo -** Harajuku Day
* Crêpes for breakfast
Stores to check out:
1. Furoshiki store
2. Atmos Pink
3. Cosme
4. Daiso 100 Yen store
* Walk down Takeshita Street and find the Purikura photo booth/take pics
* Tamawarai (go here for some early soba noodles)
* Meiji Shrine & Inner Garden (cool big wood torii gate)
* Harajuku Gyoza Lou (late afternoon snack)
* Karaoke Kan (Quick karaoke stop for afternoon drinks)
* Gyukatsu Motomura Harajuku for dinner
* Train back to hotel
**March 9: THURSDAY – HAKONE**
* Brunch at hotel & checkout
* Train to Odawara Station
* Pickup rental car
* Walk the bamboo forest path
* Go to hotel and check in around 3PM
* Drive to see Hakone Shrine & Ashi lake
* Drive back to hotel for dinner
* Spend night relaxing (we want to keep activities down this day to enjoy the hotel)
**March 10: FRIDAY – KYOTO**
* Breakfast at hotel & checkout at 11AM
* Drive around Hakone/see anything we missed
* Drop rental car off at Odawara Station
* Grab bento box at station for lunch & eat on train
* Take train from Odawara to Kyoto \~2.5 hours
* Check into hotel and get ready
* Dinner at hotel restaurant
* Cab to Philosophers walk (7 min drive)
* Walk back to hotel
**March 11: SATURDAY – NARA**
* Wake early and get room service
* Get train to Nara by 9:30AM (around 1.5-hour trip)
* Mochi at Nakatanidou
* Nara Park and feed deer
* Visit Kasugataisha Shrine
* Visit Todaiji Temple and Isuien Gardens
* Grab lunch at Kamameshi Shizuka Kouen-ten
* Soba-dokoro Kitahara by park for dinner (drink sake)
* Ohnoji Temple (open until 9PM, go later)
* Train back to hotel in Kyoto
**March 12:** **SUNDAY – KYOTO**
* Spend morning switching hotels
* Go to Fushimi Inari Shrine late afternoon
* Omakase dinner
* Bar for drinks
**March 13: Kyoto – MONDAY**
* Cab to Golden Temple & get fortunes from vending machines (far from hotel)
* Kyoto International Manga Museum
* Walk neighborhood around manga museum
* Get ready at hotel
* Fancy sushi for dinner
**March 14: TUESDAY – OSAKA**
* Check out of hotel at noon
* Eat lunch at hotel, or somewhere nearby
* Cab to Kyoto Kawaramachi Station from hotel
* Get train to Osaka 12-2PM
* Check into new hotel
* Check out Umeda Sky Building
* Tanmiya for dinner
**March 15: WEDNESDAY – KOBE**
* Train to Kobe from Osaka (1 hour)
* Kobe steak at restaurant Mouriya Lin
* Take a cable car up Mount Rokko & take in the Kobe views
* Do a tour or something if we have time
* Dinner in Kobe at Japanese Restaurant Hanasato KOBE
* Train back to Osaka
* Relax at hotel for the night
**March 16: THURSDAY – HIROSHIMA**
* Sleep in
* Train to Hiroshima (1.5 hours from Osaka)
* Go to Nagataya for Okonomiyaki for lunch
* Walk around Hiroshima
* Train back to Osaka
* Sushi for dinner
**March 17: FRIDAY – NAOSHIMA ISLAND**
\****Considering dropping this or Hiroshima\****
Used this link for guidance if we do go with Naoshima Island
[https://www.neverendingvoyage.com/naoshima-island/](https://www.neverendingvoyage.com/naoshima-island/)
**March 18: SATURDAY – Osaka**
* Wake Early
* Cab to Kuromon Ichiba Market
* Walk around market, eat lots of food for breakfast/lunch (9:30-12:30)
* Bus to Sakaisuji Hommachi Station from market
* Train from Sakaisuji Hommachi Station to Osakako Station
* Walk to the Aquarium
* Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
* Dinner nearby before 8PM
* Tempozan Ferris Wheel
* Cab home
**March 19: SUNDAY – TOKYO**
* Go to nearby 7/11 and pick up a bunch of snacks for day
* Check out of Hotel at 12 noon
* Bullet train back to Tokyo (3 hours)
* Check into Tokyo Hotel around 3PM
* Get a massage at hotel spa
* Go to dinner for sushi near hotel
* Cab to Shinjuku to check out Tokyo nightlife
**March 20: MONDAY – Tokyo**
Flex day
**March 21: TUESDAY – Tokyo**
Departure day
2 comments
For Hakone, you didn’t want to get the Free Pass? I think it’ll be more relaxing for you guys to not be driving around unless you really want to. Esp when the road there is the opposite of how we drive in Canada. The attractions are also easy to get to if you do the Hakone Loop. If you’re worried about luggages, just send them over using takuhaibin! So you won’t have to take them everywhere.
Why are you renting a car for Hakone?
Have you considered reducing your luggage? 2 checked bags + 2 carry ons are going to be a hassle to lug around the trains. Also, you should research the new luggage restrictions on the shinkansen.
I recommend doing Fushimi Inari on the way to Nara – I did both comfortably in a day. Then, on March 12th, you could visit Kiyomizudera, Gion, and the surrounding area.
One last question, why are you switching hotels in Kyoto?