Hello!
I will be going to Tokyo and Kyoto mid-end of March this year and was wondering what people thought. This is my first solo trip anywhere, so I am both pretty nervous and excited!
Please critique away and/or provide suggestions! I put the TLDR at the top for your ease of access 😁. Also I very much apologize for formatting (currently on mobile).
TLDR:
March 14-18 – Tokyo
March 14th – Arrive + wander
March 15th – Ueno Park, Ameyoko, Akihabara
March 16th – Ginza and area around Imperial Palace
March 17th – Shibuya Area
March 18th – Shinjuku Area
March 19-22 – Kyoto
March 19th – Arrive + Kiyomizu-dera
March 20th – Fushimi Inari Taisha + Nara
March 21st – Higashiyama Jishoji -> Palace -> Kinkaku-ji
March 22nd – Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
March 22-24 – Tokyo
March 22nd – Arrive + somewhere?
March 23rd – Free day + souvenirs
March 24th – Airport
What I’m doing
– Bringing one backpack that I’m leaving at the hostels and a small day-pouch for wandering
– Looking to eat good food, wander the classic tourist areas, and visit a few bars in the evenings
– Basically due to the length of the trip, I want to do the main tourist things as I plan to go back very soon
– I am 23/M who is happy to do lots of walking about, so while I’ll be taking the subway initially to get to destinations, I do want to walk lots as well
– I plan to utilize free walking tours, so days may move around depending on when/where tours are available
Pre-Trip
Buy JR PASS (will do next week)
Complete pre-arrival check
Book TeamLabs (week before departure)
Day 0 – Tuesday, March 14
Land in Narita around 3:30
Check into hostel (Jimbocho)
Wander Jimbocho
– Akihabara?
Day 1 – Wednesday, March 15
Train to Sky Tree Station
Senso-ji
Asakusa visitor Center
Ueno park (and museum?)
Ameyoko -> Akihabara walk
Day 2 – Thursday, March 16
Tsujiki fish market
Teamlabs
Wander Ginza
Imperial Palace
Yasukuni shrine?
Day 3 – Friday, March 17
Hie Shrine
Shibuya -> Meiji Jingu
– stop in at Jingumae
Day 4 – Saturday, March 18
Shinjuku garden
Tokyo Metropolitan
Shinjuku wander
Day 5 – Sunday, March 19
Kyoto travel – JR PASS
Check into hostel (Kawaramachi)
Kiyomizu-dera
Wander over to Yasaka shrine
Day 6 – Monday, March 20
Wake up early for Fushimi Inari Taisha
Toji Tower
Train down to Nara – JR PASS
– Nara park
– Todai-ji
– Mount Wakakusa
Day 7 – Tuesday, March 21
Philosophers path
Higashiyama jisho-ji
Kyoto Palace
Kinkaku-ji
Day 8 – Wednesday, March 22
Wake up early for Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
Return to Tokyo – JR PASS
Check into hostel (Shinjuku)
Wander somewhere
Day 9 – Thursday, March 23
Return to wherever
Buy souvenirs
Sleep early (or party all night)
Day 10 – Friday, March 24
Return to airport early morning – JR PASS
Main Questions:
Anything blatantly wrong with my planning? Something big that I am missing, don’t know about, or underestimating?
What is the optimum way to do JR PASS pickup + purchase?
Anyone want to get drinks if they are in the vicinity? Really want to do some drinking and karaoke with people 🙂
3 comments
Might wanna fix your formatting a little.
Reminder that you need to hit enter *twice* to form a new line on reddit 🙂
>visit a few bars in the evenings
Visit Omoide Yokocho, in Shinjuku. Specifically a bar called Bar Albatross.
>I am 23/M who is happy to do lots of walking about
I highly suggest to set some new walking shoes/insoles if you’re able, and start breaking them in now. And find some good onsen or public bath to soak in once or twice while you’re there. You’re young and will likely be fine but it is still a ton.
>What is the optimum way to do JR PASS pickup + purchase?
JRPass.com but also you may not need to get one. Using a JR Pass calculator, you’re not really getting your money’s worth just going to Kyoto, Nara, and back to Tokyo. So I’m tempted to say “don’t” and just load cash onto a suica card when you land
>Anyone want to get drinks if they are in the vicinity? Really want to do some drinking and karaoke with people 🙂
When March hits, look at this sub for a stickied Meet Up thread.
Edit:
>Wake up early for Fushimi Inari
Wanting to do this and then taking a train to do Nara is a lot. Fushimi Inari can take a solid couple of hours. And then stacked with all the other stuff feels like a massive rush for your day. Let’s say you get at Fushimi Inari by 8:00. 2-3 hours later, it’s now 11. About an hour to get to To-ji (if you walk). Then an hour train ride to Nara. It’s already early afternoon, and you’ve already hiked for upwards of 4 hours before immediately sitting on a train for over an hour. All the Nara stuff *is* together, and maybe this is just my 30s speaking but doing all that sounds way too exhausting to then get back on a train for another hour.
Optimal day for JR pass… never, there is little to no savings to be made for you, just buy two Shinkansen tickets and ride the faster Nozomi. And if you plan to return soon, I would focus this trip around Tokyo and the next one around Kansai.