Itinerary Check for May 10-May30: Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Hiroshima

My boyfriend and I (both 23), will be going to Japan for the first time in May. This is our first big trip together and I’m hoping to hit all the first-timer biggies and dive into both our interests: the culture, architecture, food, anime, manga. As a note, I do not drink but my boyfriend does, so having suggestions that are friendly to both of us would be great. We’re not doing extreme budgeting, but we aren’t trying to break the bank either. All lodgings are booked, so the number of nights in any city cannot be changed. There are some specific questions at the end, but I also would appreciate any general comments about the itinerary!

## 5/11, Thur

* Land at Haneda in the afternoon
* Check in to lodging (edge of Shinjuku and Bunkyo)
* Get dinner somewhere and just wander

## 5/12, Fri

* Get up early (7:30)
* See the Senso-Ji Temple
* Walk down Nakamise-dori
* Visit the Tokyo National Museum
* Visit Ueno Park and surrounding area
* Go to Akihabara and spent the late afternoon-evening exploring

## 5/13, Sat

* Tour Imperial Palace at 10
* Tsukiji Market for lunch (I realize it’s only open until 2)
* MUJI store
* Yasukuni

## 5/14, Sun

* Shinjuku Garden at 9
* Head to Ghibli Museum by 11:30
* Nakano Broadway on the way back for shopping
* Tokyo Metropolitan Building around sunset time
* Explore Shinjuku in the evening hours

## 5/15, Mon

This is an extra day to do anything we missed or didn’t have enough time for

* Kabuki performance
* Koishikawa Korakuen garden
* Meiji shrine
* Explore Shibuya

## 5/16, Tues

* Travel to Hakone (staying near Gora station)
* Open air museum
* Cable Car/Ropeway to Lake Ashi and back
* Dinner and Onsen

## 5/17, Wed

* Sightseeing Cruise and then get back to Odawara station
* Travel to Kyoto (staying in Shimogyo Ward)
* Hang out, walking streets, exploring
* Nishiki Market
* Go walk Fushimi Inari shrine in the late afternoon/evening
* Dinner and explore

## 5/18, Thurs

* Head to Kiyomizu Temple by 9
* Explore sannenzaka and ninenzaka
* Hokan-ji/Yasaka Pagoda
* Explore Gion: Shirakawa, Yasaka shrine, Tatsumi Bridge, Shinbashi Dori at nighttime

## 5/19, Fri

* Head over Iwatayama Monkey Park arrive @ 9
* Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
* Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple area
* Spend the day exploring the west side of Kyoto

## 5/20, Sat

* Golden Pavilion in the morning
* Daitoku-ji Temple
* Head back to Nijo castle
* Could go to National Museum or just wander the city some more
* Toji temple

## 5/21, Sun

* Head to Nara
* Explore Nara park and the various temples in the area

## 5/22, Mon

* Head to Osaka
* Visit the Railway Forgotten market
* Osaka Castle
* Drop Bags at hotel (near Fukushima station)
* Head to Teamlabs botanical garden after 6pm

## 5/23, Tues

* Aquarium at 10a
* Round1 Stadium and Hozenji Yokocho
* Super potato Retrokan and Animate Osaka
* Dotonburi
* Ghibli Store

## 5/24, Wed

* Universal Studios with a fast pass if it’s not high season pricing

## 5/25, Thur

* Cup Noodles Museum
* Minoh Park/Falls in the afternoon

## 5/26, Fri

* Head to Himeji on the way to Hiroshima
* Go to Miyajima and stay on the island for the night
* Daisho-in temple
* Visit Itsukushima Shrine
* Go up Mount Misen?
* Wander the city at night

## 5/27, Sat

* Go back to Hiroshima
* Visit Shukkeien Garden
* Hiroshima Castle
* Peace Memorial

## 5/28, Sun

* Travel back to Tokyo

## 5/29, Mon

* Meiji Shrine
* Teamlabs planets
* Whatever else we want to revisit

## 5/30, Tues

* Fly out of Haneda in the afternoon

Questions:

1. Is there anything packed too closely together/are we being overoptimistic about how much can be done in a day?
2. Any budget friendly food recommendations in the mentioned locations? Boyfriend is not big on raw seafood/meat 🙁
3. Any obvious missed attractions?
4. **Big question is whether we should do a two week JR pass starting on our last day in Tokyo before heading to Hakone and then buying the Hakone free pass at Odawara station or should we pay for our train to Hakone, get the Hakone free pass at Odawara station, pay for our train to Kyoto, have the Kansai thru pass for three of the days we’re in the region, and then have the one week JR pass starting in Osaka? The cost ends up being nearly identical (not factoring in local transit that would shift the price a couple dollars here and there), but we don’t know which would be more convenient.**