Hi all, I am planning a trip to Japan in May, I’ve posted an itinerary before and got feedback. Since then I did more research and updated my itinerary. I love anime and photography, so some of my destinations are for photography purposes. But I also want to experience Japanese history and food.
Day 1: Land in Haneda at 7 pm. Get to hotel and sleep (booked hotel near Shinjuku Station). I believe I can get the e-Sim card shipped to hotel and get the IC card at airport.
Day 2 : Asakusa & Sensoji (morning), Roppongi Hills and Mori Art Museum for rest of the day. Heard TeamLab Borderless opening in Roppongi Area in 2023 but no exact date.
Day 3: Shinjuku Gyoen, spend afternoon checking out bookstores and anime stores in Shibuya, Niku Yokocho, and Shibuya Crossing (Skip Shibuya Sky since I’m already going to Roppongi).
Day 4: Thinking of doing a day trip to Lake Yamanaka if weather is clear, or go to Hakone if visibility is less than ideal.
Day 5: Train to Kyoto. Check into hotel in Gion. Pontocho, Gion and Yasaka Shrine.
Day 6: Thinking of doing a day trip to either Koya-san or Nara.
Day 7: Fushimi Inari (morning), Sannen-zaka, Ninnen-zaka, Kiyomezu-dera.
Day 8: Forward luggage to Onomichi or use lockers. Stop by Himeji Castle, end the day in Onomichi.
Day 9: Shimanami Kaido bike until Omishima island.
Day 10: Bike to Imabari, transit to Hiroshima.
Day 11: Peace Park & Itsukushima Island.
Day 12: Detour to Ube-Shinkawa station (EVA) from Shin-Hiroshima. Then Hiroshima -> Tokyo.
Day 13: Ueno Park or Sunshine City.
Day 14: Aki, flight at 10 pm.
Couple concerns:
\-I was looking into the JR pass, I assumed the JR pass covers all JR in Japan so I can use it on the Shinkansen between Hiroshima, Tokyo, and Kyoto. But on the JR site they split it into regions? Please explain. I’m thinking of starting JR 7 day pass on Day 6.
\-I’ve budgeted roughly 15$ CAD per meal (lunch and dinner) except for sushi days. Is this realistic with Japan prices. Too low? Too high?
\-How worth is it to get higher-end (60$-100$) sushi near Tsukiji market versus a conveyor belt store like Genki Sushi? I want to try out a large variety of fish/seafood; idk if I can taste the difference between high vs low-end preparation.
\-On Day 8 would it be too busy to add a lunch stop at Kobe before going to Himeji? Want to try wagyu.
\-Seems like transit costs add up. If there is any passes / ways to optimize savings on this itinerary, please let me know.
Thanks!!
1 comment
>I believe I can get the e-Sim card shipped to hotel
You can also just pick this up at the airport in most cases. It will definitely make getting to the hotel easier, otherwise you’ll be navigating Tokyo without data which can be…a little overwhelming.
>Heard TeamLab Borderless opening in Roppongi Area in 2023 but no exact date.
Correct. There is no set date yet. Planets is currently the only TeamLabs exhibit open.
>anime stores in Shibuya
While there are a couple of “chain” stores in Shibuya (Mandarake and Animate which both have multiple locations all over)…why not go to Akihabara? It’s otaku central for a reason and since you like anime, it feels like a real “cannot miss” kind of neighborhood. It has the big stores, like Animate, but also a great deal of smaller shops, collector stores, second hand stores, etc.
>Forward luggage to Onomichi or use lockers.
How much luggage are you bringing? You could easily do this out of a carryon sized case depending on how much shopping you intend to do. Laundry is fairly easy to do while in Japan.
>Day 12: Detour to Ube-Shinkawa station (EVA) from Shin-Hiroshima. Then Hiroshima -> Tokyo.
This is a 5 and 1/2 hour trip, and you’ve added about 2 hours (4 hours total) to see the train station. So really it’s an almost 8 hour train day. I’m sure you know that. Just wanted to stress that HOO BOY this is a rough one. I would almost suggest moving the Onomichi/Hiroshima stuff ahead of Kyoto in your itinerary, and then stopping by and doing Kyoto on the way back just so you can break up this specific day of travel. There’s definitely got to be a more economical way to use your time.
>Day 14: Aki, flight at 10 pm.
Okay, I was typing this live while reading your post and should have waited for my Akihabara rec, sorry.
>But on the JR site they split it into regions? Please explain. I’m thinking of starting JR 7 day pass on Day 6.
There is the JR Pass, and then there are *also* regional passes. The JR Pass covers everything. I just did the calculator, and you could even get a 14 day pass and activate it on your first day, and it would still cover your big trips (and some smaller trains) and save you a pretty chunk of yen.
>I’ve budgeted roughly 15$ CAD per meal (lunch and dinner)
Definitely doable, as long as you’re sticking to small places and conbini, and not getting drinks or alcohol.
>How worth is it to get higher-end (60$-100$) sushi near Tsukiji market versus a conveyor belt store like Genki Sushi?
There is certainly a difference, but I found them both to be great. Last time I went to Japan I did both. I’m returning to Japan on a solo trip in a couple of weeks, and I’m definitely getting kaitenzushi, and I only intend to get omakase sushi if I stumble upon it. So take that for what you will. Most of the really “high end” sushi places you need to reserve months out, anyway.
>On Day 8 would it be too busy to add a lunch stop at Kobe before going to Himeji? Want to try wagyu.
You don’t need to go to Kobe to try wagyu.
>Seems like transit costs add up. If there is any passes / ways to optimize savings on this itinerary
JR Pass, but otherwise, it is what it is. Paying for local transit (buses and trains) is always worth it in my eyes.
Now, outside of all of this, I am curious again what your baggage situation is. Mostly because I have a bit of (possibly crazy) rec. If you plan on doing a lot of shopping (like, in Akihabara), travel with just a carry on and do laundry during your trip, and then when you get back to Tokyo, go to Tokyu Hands and buy a nice big suitcase to pack all of your spoils in. Their suitcases are great, relatively cheap, and then you don’t have to lug stuff around your whole trip.