####Hello! First time solo travelling to Japan from April 9 to the 28th.
Looking to get the obvious bucket-list items out of the way, but also want to take my time exploring areas around as I love walking around nature and cities and discovering new things. I am staying in Tokyo for 9 days from the 9-18, Hakone for 1 night on the 19, and Osaka from the 20-27. Will also be doing day trips to Kamakura, Yokohama and Nara (maybe more spots if I have the time?).
I’ve tried to keep the itinerary as location-focused as possible so I could spend less time transiting around. That said, I am staying in Osaka for a week but 3 of those days will be spent exploring the Kyoto area (I’ve heard it’s better to keep a single hub since the distance between both cities isn’t that large and Osaka seemed to be the more central of the two). I’d like to consider this itinerary “tentative” since I am staying at hostels and hoping to find other travelers to do cool things with, so there’s always a chance I don’t follow through with a specific day’s plans. 😅 My hobbies are trying out new food, video games (fighting games especially), anime and wandering around cities in general.
Mostly looking for advice on cool extra things to do around the areas I’m exploring, or what to trim away. I’ve also drafted a more granular itinerary with food options on Wanderlog: https://wanderlog.com/view/arojqtmprx/trip-to-tokyo/shared
I would also like recommendations for a yakiniku spot (no particular budget limit) or local specialties!
#Tokyo (April 9th – 18th)
####April 9th
– Arrive to NRT, check in at Imano Tokyo Hostel in Shinjuku. Grab dinner around and explore if not too jet-lagged.
####April 10th – Shinjuku
– Explore Shinjuku, Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, Tokyo Metro Gov Building, Kabukicho. Maybe Omoide Yokocho at night?
####April 11th – Ginza
– Breakfast at Tsukiji Outer Market, Hamarikyu Gardens, check out malls (Tokyu Plaza, Mitsukoshi) and Tokyo Station.
####April 12th – Asakusa/Odaiba
– Asakusa > Senso-ji in the morning, take the cruise from Asakusa to Odaiba, explore Odaiba, TeamLab Planets @ 3 PM
####April 13th – Akasaka/Ikebukuro
– Tokyo Midtown, Hie Shrine in the morning, try for lunch at Nakiryu, then Ikebukuro > Sunshine City in the afternoon. Besides lunch I’m feeling so-so about this day, might be down to replace these for something else.
####April 14th – Shibuya
– Sushi no Midori, Yoyogi Park, Meiji Jingu, Harajuku, Shibuya SKY (will try to get tickets in advance), concert at night
####April 15th – Kamakura Day Trip
– Mostly of the itinerary follows this one: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3121_kamakura_full.html with some extra locations supplemented in between. Starting from Hase station, visiting Kotoku-in and the Giant Buddha, taking the hiking trail up to Engaku-ji, Meigetsu-in, Kencho-ji, and Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu on the way down to Komachi-dori. Not sure if it’s optimistic to aim to hit Komachi-dori before dinner?
####April 16th – Akihabara
– Hunters’ Bar (Monster Hunter bar/cafe?), Yodobashi Camera, Ameyokocho, Ueno Park. Will be shopping around for trinkets probably.
####April 17th – Yokohama Day Trip
– Landmark Tower, Cup Noodles Museum, Cosmo Clock, Red Brick Warehouse, Chinatown, maybe Yamatecho/Sankei-en if I can fit it in? Might opt to skip the Red Brick Warehouse in favor of the later options.
####April 18th – Free day
– Not sure what to do on this day? If I can get a reservation at Chuka Soba Tomita or Iida-Shoten I will definitely aim for those. Otherwise I’m eyeing Shimokitazawa or just taking it easy and exploring. Then, Red Bull Gaming Sphere @ 6PM for a fighting game local.
#Hakone (April 19th – 20th)
####April 19th
– Check out from Imano Tokyo Hostel, send luggage to the hostel in Osaka, check in at Hakone Pax Yoshino. Aiming to check out Hakone Gora Park and the Open-Air Museum, followed by the Botanical Garden and the Sengokuhara Susuki Grass Fields, maybe the Glass Museum if I have time?
####April 20th
– Check out from Hakone Pax Yoshino. Ropeway to Owakudani, hoping to do the short walking trail around the volcanic zone. Then take the pleasure boat across the water and check out Hakone shrine on the water. I’m looking to check out Mishima Skywalk, then taking a bus to Mishima Station to head to Osaka for the night, not sure if this will take too long before night though. If it’s too late then I’ll return to Odawara Station and head to Osaka from there instead, then check in to Imano Osaka Shinsaibashi Hostel.
#Kyoto (April 21th – 23rd)
Largely copied/inspired from this itinerary: https://www.insidekyoto.com/kyoto-three-day-itinerary
####April 21st – Higashiyama
– Try to hit Kiyomizudera early in the morning and the surrounding streets (Sannenzaka/Ninenzaka), followed by Maruyama Park, Nishiki Market, Daimaru Basement Food Floor, then Fushimi Inari in the PM. Head back to Gion Station and stroll along the river -> Shirakawa Lane and Hanamikoji after supper.
####April 22nd – Arashiyama
– Early morning Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Okochi Sanso Garden, Giouji and Tenryuji, then the monkey park, then check out Kyoto Station before heading back to Osaka for the night.
####April 23rd – Mt. Kurama day trip
– Day trip to Mt. Kurama, hike up to Kifune Shrine, stop midway for a traditional meal at Hirobun, then Kurama-dera Temple on the way back down. Maybe Philosopher’s Path and Higashiyama Jishoji before the end of the day if I have time?
#Osaka (April 24th – 27th)
####April 24th – Dotonbori/Tsutenkaku
– Shinsaibashi, checking out Dotonbori, then Kuromon Ichiba, Harukas 300 and Tsutenkaku. Will make sure to sample the okonomiyaki here.
####April 25th – Osaka Castle
– Osaka Castle and the surrounding gardens, followed by Dotonbori again maybe? Not sure what else to do here. I’m not entirely sold on the Osaka Aquarium unless there’s enough interesting things around as well.
####April 26th – Nara day trip
– Mostly copying the itinerary from here: https://thenavigatio.com/nara-itinerary-one-day-trip/ Also gonna try to check out the local dudes pounding mochi and local specialties.
####April 27th – Free day
– Not sure what to do here. I was thinking maybe Himeji Castle or Uji south of Kyoto.
####April 28th – Back to Narita
– Check out from the hostel, board the train back to Tokyo and fly back home :’)
##If you’re still reading, thank you. Any additional advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated!
2 comments
The Izu peninsula is south of Hakone (accessible from Atami station) and extremely scenic. It’s definitely more off the beaten path, but I really enjoyed my day there. Maybe the Jogasaki coast? There’s also the Izu Shaboten zoo which I was made to go to so we could see the capybara onsen, heh.
Himeji Castle is very definitely doable as a day trip and has a garden next to it too. It may not be an issue in late April but you may consider bringing warm socks (or sandals if they permit that; I don’t remember). Large sections of the castle have wooden floors and you must remove your shoes to go in.
> Osaka / Kyoto
If it’s not too late to re-book, I really recommend reconsidering the decision to stay in Shinsaibashi while going to Kyoto for three of those days. It will take ~1.5 hours one way on at least two of these days (Arashiyama and Kifune/Kurama are on the northern bit of Kyoto) which can feel like an unpleasantly long commute very quickly, especially since you are aiming for early starts.
What I would do is to sleep in Kyoto for four nights (April 20/21/22/23), finish Kyoto, then do the Nara day trip on the 24th (bring your bags with you and store them at a locker in the train station), then sleep in Osaka for the remaining days. This reduces backtracking and time wasted on commuting.
> April 25
Maybe check out Tenjinbashi? It’s quite close to Osaka Castle and not *too* terribly touristy to people watch and eat/buy random stuff. At the end there’s Soba Takama which is apparently a Michelin bib gourmand.
> April 27
Himeji and Uji are both fun (although Himeji a bit duplicative since you’ll have already seen Osaka Castle), otherwise a Koyasan day trip is pretty nice too.