Hello! I’m visiting Japan for the first time with my boyfriend. We’ve been wanting to go for years so this trip is really exciting for us! We have limited time unfortunately but still wanted to squeeze in a lot without making it too rushed. I’m worried that I’m underestimating travel time and how big these cities are. What do you guys think?
The other thing I’m unsure of is what to do on Day 3, which I currently have as a day trip to Hakone. Not sure if I should go to Hakone, another onsen town, Nara, or do an extra day in Tokyo. Would love to hear your feedback. Any food suggestions (or tourist traps to avoid) would be appreciated too. Thank you!!
**Day 0 (Saturday) – Tokyo**
* Land in Tokyo at night, travel to hotel and check in and chill
**Day 1 (Sunday) – Tokyo**
* 10am: Explore and eat at Tsukiji Market
* \~12:30pm: TeamLabs
* 2-6pm: Explore Akihabara, have lunch, dinner and snacks
* 7pm: Asakusa (Nakamise dori, Senso-ji)
**Day 2 (Monday) – Tokyo**
* 10am: Gyoen Garden
* 2pm: Waho-An to relax after yesterday’s walking
* 4pm: Explore Shibuya, go to Shibuya Sky at sunset \~5:30pm
* Get dinner and go bar hopping the rest of night. Do you guys think staying in Shibuya would be a better time or going to Golden Gai (which I’ve heard is a tourist trap)?
**Day 3 (Tuesday) – Travel (Hakone and Kyoto)**
* Morning: Train from Tokyo to Hakone
* 12 – 3pm: Visit a private open-air onsen; Explore Lake Ashinoko
* 3pm – 6pm: Train to Kyoto
* 6pm: Dinner, explore Gion area (Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka)
**Day 4 (Wednesday) – Kyoto**
* 8 – 10am: Fushimi Inari
* 10am – 12pm: Go back to hotel to rest haha
* Explore temples, Bamboo forest, etc. At night take the train to Osaka
**Day 5 (Thursday) – Osaka**
* 10am: Get food at Kuromon Ichiba Market
* 12pm: Katana lesson at Last Samurai
* 1pm – 4pm: ?? explore, I guess? Some possibilities are cafes, tea making, sumiyoshi taisha. Suggestions appreciated!
* \~4pm onwards: Dotombori District, Amerikamura, Shinsekai, fish your own food restaurant
**Day 6 (Friday) – Osaka**
* 9am – 11am: Osaka Aquarium
* 12pm onwards: Universal Studios. Do you think it’s doable to fit the Aquarium and Universal in 1 day, or would it be better to move the aquarium to the day before? I wanted to do them together to minimize travel time since they’re both at the same area, but unsure if it would be too tiring.
**Day 7 (Saturday): Flight**
2 comments
From what I read about USJ, I don’t think it’s a good idea to go after 12pm – it’d be better to prioritize going early to try to avoid the even longer lines that’ll form later
That’s a very rushed itinerary.
Day 3. Depending on where this onsen is, it’s likely not achievable in just 3 hours. Hakone does have a local train, but that doesn’t go to the lake. You have to take the local bus.
Day 4. Not practical either. Kyoto is a spread out city and mainly relies on buses rather than trains. You probably won’t get your rest either. Since you’re not staying in Kyoto that night, check out is typically 11 am.
Leaving Hakone off completely and having an extra day on Kyoto make it slightly better. But tbh with only 6 days, a much more pleasant itinerary would be to spend the entire trip either in Tokyo or Kyoto/Osaka areas… both those regions have more than enough to occupy you for at least a couple of weeks.