Hey all,
My wife and I will be travelling to Japan for the first time next week (sneaking in a trip before she enters the third trimester), and I’d appreciate any thoughts/feedback on the plan!
01/02 – Tokyo:
– Arrive at Haneda 10:25am (pick up pocket WiFi and activate JR Railpass);
– Travel to hotel in Ginza and drop off bags;
– Walk to Tsukiji Outer Market for a browse and lunch;
– Check in at hotel and chill before early dinner at Ginza Katsukami
02/02 – Tokyo:
– Slog to Toyosu for 5am;
– Zojo-ji in late morning;
– Senso-ji after that (or vice versa?);
– Is Toyokawa Inari worth a visit?
– Would like to explore/have lunch in Akasaka but not really sure what/where to aim for;
– Fancy seeing a bit of Roppongi nightlife at dinner but again don’t have the details nailed down so recommendations very welcome!
03/02 – Tokyo:
– Tour of a sumo stable in Ryogoku;
– Late breakfast/early lunch at Kanda Matsuya;
– Explore Akihabara – hit all the usual stops on a quest for weird sofubi/gacha;
– No dinner plans but we’d love to sneak in somewhere for omakase so any recommendations would be well received!
04/02 – Tokyo/Kyoto:
– Check out of Ginza hotel and catch the Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Kyoto – bentos for lunch;
– Check into Ryokan in Gion;
– Stroll around Higashiyama and aim for Kiyomizu-dera at dusk;
– Kaiseki and onsen back at the Ryokan
05/02 – Kyoto:
– Breakfast at Ryokan;
– Check out and transfer to hotel in Shimogyo Ward;
– Nishiki Market for lunch;
– Fushimi Inari & Tofuku-ji in the afternoon;
– Not sure about dinner yet but we’ll try our luck at Gion Matsudaya
06/02 – Kyoto/Osaka:
– Morning at Arashiyama/Togetsukyo;
– Shinkansen to Osaka after lunch;
– Explore Dotonburi and get Okonomiyaki, wander around and get the Shinkansen back to Kyoto after dark
07/02 – Kyoto/Tokyo:
– Shinkansen back to Tokyo;
– Check in to hotel in Shibuya;
– Shibuya Sky/Shibuya Scramble;
– Hit up Donki, Mandarake, and Animate;
– Dinner and karaoke somewhere in Shibuya
08/02 – Tokyo:
– All-day put aside for wandering around Harajuku and Kabukicho;
– Visit Meiji at some stage;
– Dinner in Golden Gai
09/02 – Tokyo:
– Ghibli Museum at 10am;
– Stop by and explore Nakano Broadway in early afternoon;
– Afternoon free for shopping before Izakaya somewhere close to hotel in Shibuya
10/02 – Tokyo:
– Fly out of Haneda in the am for home
Does this all seem viable or have I made any logistical howlers? Any extra things that we should pack into the schedule?
How likely is it that we’ll be able to get into a good omakase place for dinner without a reservation?
Any chance of catching plum blossoms anywhere or still too early?
Any other tips/feedback would be great!