[Itinerary Check] 14 Days in March/April 2021 – Tokyo/Kyoto/Hiroshima/Osaka

33 comments

1. Why does everyone’s itinerary have the imperial garden and palace? lol

2. You’re doing way too much tbh. Some of these things will take a chunk of the day and you have 3 or 4 things that day.

   (Also, Skytree is bigger than Tower.)

3. Coincidentally, we are ALSO planning a family trip to Tokyo, Japan for 2021 almost the same time. Taking some of your ideas. Feel free to trade ideas/location/questions that i’m also going through. You already purchase tickets or when are you planning on purchasing tickets for anything?

4. I can answer some of your questions.
   For the flight I’d recommend you book 6 months in advance ! You can find really great deals. Personally I slept in a hostel. It wasn’t as bad as I thought. Everyone was really respectful when night time came around and in the morning not many people were around
   About Tokyo tower IT IS NOT A MUST. It’s not that great.
   As to getting around I really suggest you get a rental car. You can literally get an international drivers permit and rent a car as soon as you land. It’s about 100-200 and it was cheaper and faster (when traveling long distance) than getting around in train.
   I was 21 when I rented the rental car. I know many people don’t suggest 25 & under to rent a car. If you do take my advice on renting a car use waze or google maps and take off the tolls options. Since you will be having a partner around they can guide you since streets are a little tricky. It’s not too difficult to drive out there. I didn’t have to take a course to get my international permit.( you can buy one at AAA for about $40)

5. For the Ghibli Museum, you need to book your tickets through their website on the 10th of the month at 10 am JST before your visit. So if your Ghibli Museum day falls in March, you book your ticket on February 10th, and if your day falls in April, you book your ticket on March 10th.

   I cannot stress this enough: if you are dead set on going to the Ghibli Museum, you need to be on the ticket site the exact moment they go on sale. Right at 10 am JST on the 10th of the month. Be prepared for an extremely frustrating experience. Their server is not built to handle the demand, and they run out of tickets extremely fast. You will get kicked off multiple times, and will need to refresh over and over again. Watch Youtube videos so you know how the site works. Be prepared with multiple backup options for date/time, as you may not get your first choice. I was on the moment they went on sale, and it took me 90 minutes of constant refreshing to get my last choice. It was worth it for me, but it might not be worth it for everyone.

   My tip is to not start out trying to pick a time that will be in high demand. Middle of the day on a weekday is probably your best bet. It is very unlikely you will get the first slot on a weekend, so don’t waste your time trying.

   This is assuming you’re based in the US. If you’re traveling from another country, you may be able to book through JTB, which is much easier. That option isn’t available in the US though.

6. This is a pretty crowded itinerary, and unless both you and your friend are tried and tested go go go-ers while travelling, you are going to be stressed out and exhausted. really try to optimize your days by neighbourhood.

   1) you can combine osaka and kyoto. Stay in one accomodation for all of those days, and it’s 30 odd min shinkansen trip to get from one city to the other.

   2) fushimi Inari is a minimum half day excursion and most people find it less crowded if they go in the early am.

   3)kinkakuji and gion are at opposite ends of kyoto from each other. You might be better off doing fushimi inari, then explore Gion to find dinner.

   Depending on the weather, I recommend kiyomizu dera over kinkakuji. Like, the Golden pavilion is pretty, but you basically are in for 40 minutes of human conveyor belt shuffling to get out of there. We tried and it was a super hot day with no shade Less of an issue in March but ymmv.

   4)studio ghibli sells tickets on their website, but they have currently closed ticket sales due to covid. Normally you purchase them 90 days in advance.

   5) if you are artsy, you need to check out teamlabs borderless and or team labs planets art installations

7. Hello!

   I did a somewhat similar trip last year, except for 3 weeks, we went in June and I had friends living in Osaka and Kagoshima to stay with which cut a lot of my costs. Full disclosure we did a lot of basic touristy stuff. To answer some of your general questions. We stayed mostly in Hostels/AirBnBs while in Tokyo, which were somewhat affordable. One hostel we stayed at had a private room with shared bathrooms and it was very conveniently located. Honestly it was pretty quiet and the only times it was loud was when other tourist come back. I can’t remember the costs but I know we tried to aim for around $30 USD a night per person. I booked my plane tickets about 3 months in advance, but had been watching them for like 3 months before that. I’m not going to pretend like I know when the optimal time is to buy it, I’ll leave that to someone else. I booked the hostels about 1-2 months before we actually we went since I spent most of the time planning the trip after booking the tickets. For Cafe’s and museums that are popular, DEFINITELY book like a month or 2 in advance. We actually bought the JR rail pass since we calculated that it would be worth it, so we just got that a few weeks before we left along with our pocket WiFi (Which I recommend if you don’t have international data).

   For Day 1, near sensoji temple there is a place called kagetsudo that sells really good Melon Pan with Ice cream inside of it. If you like sweets, I would definitely check it out and it also has a bunch of small shops nearby.

   I honestly really liked the Mori towers a lot. Me and my friend just walked to the Tokyo Tower but didn’t go up, because we felt like it wasn’t worth the money. If you can afford it, I imagine it’d be really cool, but me and my friend were satisfied with just the Mori tower.

   Idk if you looked into it, but TeamLab Borderless AND Planets are AMAZING. Borderless is really popular and nice for pictures, but you need to book in advance for sure. TeamLab Planets is just an overall fun experience. You can book in advance, but me and my friend just bought tickets for TeamLab Planets at the door.

   Studio Ghibli, you can to buy from lawsons online. Otherwise you have to pay travel companies an upcharged fee. The Lawsons way is kind of difficult to get. To get to the website you go to the ghibli museum offical website then click tickets and then go to the lawsons link at the bottom. At the bottom, it tells you what dates the ticket will be valid for and when you can buy it. It gives you a range of dates, but they generally sell out in like a matter or hours. The time is also based in local time so you have to figure out what time that would be for you and make sure you can buy it at that time the month before you plan to go. Otherwise, I believe you can just buy from JTB for a specific date, but idk how that process works at all as I just bought through lawsons and frantically kept trying to buy for the first hour or so. Also note, that the Ghibli museum is quite a distance from Tokyo itself.

   Once we left Tokyo, Our friends basically were in charge and we just followed them everywhere at that point. So I can’t tell you much outside of that sorry. We spent more time in Osaka and very little in Kyoto and Hiroshima. I will say, the bowing deer in Nara was really cool if you can spare time for it (like an hour train ride from osaka). Sorry I can’t tell you anything more about the flow of your trip and whatnot as there are some places I didn’t visit on there so idk how it’d work out time wise.

8. Hey, I’m a wiz at capsule hotels – I travel and rate them for a living.. if you let me know what you’re looking for I can give you a few recommendations.

   The studio Ghibli you need to YouTube how to do it.. it’s VERY hard and honestly I’m not sure if it’s worth it I personally went on a tour that was $100 a person.. they took us to the hotel that inspired Spirited away, then an open air museum that the artists go to to get inspired and then the museum.. if I would have just gone to the museum I would have been a tiny bit let down but I guess maybe that’s just me.. a lot of people do like it. But I loved the open air museum.

   I also have never been a robot restaurant fan, out of all the themed places I loved kawaii monster a little more, if you do go I want to let you know you don’t get much food from what I recall so you may need to eat after..

9. How are you getting to Kyoto? You might want to get a JR pass. As a tourist the pass allows you discounted Shinkansen travel. Your trip from Tokyo to Kyoto/Osaka to Hiroshima and back to Tokyo will more than break even if you buy 7 day validity pass. It will also let you take the ferry to Miyajima island when you go to Hiroshima.

   ​

   Also, skip Osaka castle – its completely re constructed and looks like a shopping center on the inside. I highly recommend Himeji castle which is totally worth the time and effort.

10. Don’t feel like you need to eat at expensive restaurants. I find some of the most authentic experiences can come from food stalls, local diners and family run cafes. Go where the locals eat and you won’t be disappointed.

    Generally you will need a whole day for theme parks due to the long lines for rides. Post covid might see shorter lines however but sounds like its your first Japan trip, so I’d give it a miss in favour of a more uniquely Japanese experience. I’d recommend sampling food from stalls around Asakusa if you are in Tokyo. Exploring Odaiba is also very relaxing.

    Make sure you climb all the way to the top of Fushimi Inari. Crowds will thin out halfway up there as most give up. You’ll experience the amazing sceney without the douchey antics of rude foreign tourists.

    Best advice in Japan: do something out of your comfort zone. Go off the beaten path, wander down a small alley, explore, be curious, try to talk to and have a drink with the very friendly locals!

11. To be honest every-time Ive gone to Tokyo I never made a crazy itinerary. Theres always TONS to do and you get lost when you walk around (the fun part!) I know theres tons to see but you don’t want to stress yourself out 🙂

    My top food spots are : Menya Mushashi in shinjuku for best ramen
    Unagi Hashimoto for the best eel I have ever had
    Shirube restaurant in shimokitazawa (also if you have a day to spare I would def go here and wander, its amazing)

12. Sorry to tell you, but the onsen in Odaiba does not allow people with tattoo in. https://daiba.ooedoonsen.jp/en/

13. Capsule hotel is not a place where you look for privacy. Most places are common area, bathroom might be sento style (so everybody naked and showering together) or individual shower, really depend. It’s as noisy as the drunk people who get there late can be noisy, it’s just a curtain that close the pod. If privacy is important to you, go for business hotel. More expensive, but you have your own room/bathroom. I personally prefer hostel for cheap accommodation compared to capsule.

    I see people who say that busier period are more expensive, but a lot of places I’ve seen the webpage that show two price only for hight/low season, with dates. I think it might depend on the place, honestly, but I do not have the impression that it is that much more expensive in sakura season (also it’s hard to predict the exact week). I personally prefer to have everything booked in advance so I have more choice. For airplane ticked, I would usually track price as soon as I decide a date and buy when the price is good. Once my ticket is reserved, I check for hotels and night bus if I have to take one, because it’s possible that the place I want or the date I’ll move will be fully booked. For ryokan, they might not accept reservations more than 3 months in advance.

    ​

    Onsen monogatari no tattoo.

    ​

    You can see Tokyo tower from Mori Towers. Personally I decided to do Mori Towers because it’s higher, you can go on the roof (pretty crazy) and there is also a museum.

    Imperial palace garden, I personally think there is better garden, my favorite is probably Koishikawa korakuen.

    Ghibli museum, ticket online on their website, it should not be hard to find instructions on how to go if you google it.

    Tsukiji there is still the shops in the outer market. If you decide to go, it should be in the morning as most store close after lunch time. I’ve heard people it’s a bit expensive but still nice.

    Would be cheaper to use 7 days JR Pass, take the shinkansen on morning of day 5, do Kyoto day 5-7 Hiroshima 8-9 Osaka 10-11 and return to Tokyo end of day the 11.

    ​

    Other people say there is too much in your itinerary. It might be true. Instead of rushing things, make priorities and be ready to drop things mid day if you see there is too much.

14. Two things about Ghibli:

    You may be able to buy a ticket through a travel agency.

    If you can’t speak or read Japanese, the experience is very limited. There is no English on any exhibit or the short film shown to guests. You can’t even take pictures in the museum.

    Unless you your co-traveler are passionate about Ghibli I would skip.

15. Check out business hotels like Dormy Inn, Toyoko, Tokyu Stay, and APA. The rooms are compact, but many of them offer a free, high quality breakfast and have laundry, which will come in handy. If you go this route double check the bed type before booking – definitely get a 2 twin room. Japanese double beds are teeny and not meant for 2 regular sized humans.

    Try to pack light – a carry on suitcase, backpack/personal item and a packable bag for souvenirs is really all you need. It makes the train and all the subway stairs much more manageable.

    Check out Airbnb experiences – there are tons of interesting experiences hosted by locals at all kinds of price points.

    I’ll be there at the same time and it’s my 3rd trip. I learned after the first time to plan very little. Exploring is the best part! When in Tokyo I enjoy staying at the Grand Hyatt in Roppongi and walking around Azabujuban – one of my favorite neighborhoods! If you can, get a reservation at Savoy – absolutely incredible pizza. If you can’t get a res just try and go a bit before they open.

16. I think that if you’re going to do Universal Studios you should try to dedicate an entire day for it. By next summer Super Nintendo World will be open there so that’s definitely something I’d check out.

    Also, I don’t think it’d be the smartest thing to go back to Tokyo towards the end of your trip. If possible, you should land in Narita/Haneda, stay in Tokyo, make your way down to Osaka (dedicate maybe a day trip or two to Kyoto and nearby areas), and finally go down to Hiroshima. From there you should take your flight out of Japan. Since you’re planning on visiting multiple cities I’d recommend the JR pass (it’ll save you LOTS and you can travel on specific Shinkansen trains as much as you want and local JR trains as well).

    Capsule hotels are pretty good for budget travelers but NOT for people that care about privacy and space. For example, my boyfriend and I are planning a trip to Japan and as much as we want to save up, we know our limits and we know we wouldn’t survive in capsule hotels lol. I recommend Booking.com and Airbnb to find affordable stays (bf and I found a 7-day Airbnb in Osaka for only $140 and it was an entire apartment).

17. Too tide schedule for me.

18. As others have suggested I would consider cutting out some things, I would probably take twice as long to do everything you want to do.

    ​

    Other people have made heaps of good comments but I just wanted to comment about Universal Studio.

    We did that over 2 days which is not necessary, but the lines are really long. So if you want to do everything in one day I would say it probably is not possible, but it depends on how important it is going on every ride and also being able to enjoy other aspects of the park. I also paid extra for fast passes, but they were really expensive from memory. This will definitely not be a cheap day, but I really do recommend going. The Flying Dinosaur has to be one of the best rides I have ever been on. I used a fast pass for it, the line for it was always around an hour when I went, sometimes up to 2 hours.

    ​

    edit: forgot to add that you can get on rides faster if you choose to go solo, it just means you may not be sitting with your friend.

19. > Capsule Hotels are the best choice if you want to have some sort of privacy, want it less noisy and also not too expensive or is there another option that I just haven’t thought about?

    Capsule hotels are notoriously terrible when it comes to noise (but I imagine it depends a bit on the setup of the hotel). Considering the only thing private is your bed, I wouldn’t say privacy is that great either. And you have to pack up for each day. Just find a hostel with 2-bed room. They usually cost the same as capsule hotels anyway.

    Since you mentioned Senshoji on your first day, will you be staying in Asakusa? I enjoyed my stay in Taito Ryokan (basically a chap hostel with Japanese style rooms/bedding, which was pretty cool), which is pretty close to the temple and metro stations.

    > Is it a whole lot cheaper to buy a week before/after? How many weeks/months in advance do you guys recommend to book hotels/flight/nightbus/etc.?

    I’m paranoid so I got tickets 6 months in advance and hotels 3 months in advance. Honestly, it didn’t see much differed had I done it all 1 month in advance. I know a guy who flew in on some cheap last minute ticket and got all accommodation 2 days in advance.

    > Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shrine

    Just a heads up, if you want to climb all the way up, it’s easily 5 hours trip. If you want to take nice photos without million people in them, go on weekday, either early morning or in the evening. Imo evening is better because it’s all lit up, but your mileage may vary. If it rains a little, even better, it will be essentially empty.

20. I am Japanese and have visited all cities you listed. So I hope my advice helpful.

    Overall: Book as early as possible when it is available but with a flexible date and free cancellation policy. Usually, transport (trains and shinkansen) does not offer an early booking discount, while airways/buses do.
    **Japan Rail Pass** is convenient if you travel with JR lines often. You can take as many JR trains and shinkansen you want to within the specified dates (for 7,14 or 21days [https://japanrailpass.net/en/](https://japanrailpass.net/en/) ) For shinkansen, **Nozomi** (fastest, stops only major cities) cannot be used. But you can still take **Hikari** (2nd fastest. Stops at all major cities + some minor stations). Please note this only applies to JR operated trains and not to private railway companies or subways.
    You can not stay just at capsule hotels for the whole your journey. You may get sick due to a lack of sleep and fatigue.
    You cannot enter public baths with tattoos basically. If you want to have a Japanese style bath, please consider staying at a ryokan (traditional inns) which have a private bathtub in your room. It is hard to find it in Tokyo though, there are many in Kyoto with cheaper options without dinner/breakfast service.

    ​

    As for **TOKYO**; For drinking or nightlife, Marunouchi is a business district and it is usually not much touristic although the streets and buildings are really neat and may be worth visiting. **Tokyo Station** is in this area and the **Imperial Palace** is a stone’s throw away. I recommend you go Shinjuku or Shibuya if you are fond of hustle and bustle. Nakameguro, Ebisu or Ginza for a more sedate place to eat and drink. If you would like to see **Tokyo Tower**, you may want to try Sky Lounge Stellar Garden atop [The Prince Park Tower Tokyo](https://www.princehotels.com/parktower/restaurants/sky-lounge-stellar-garden/) hotel. **Meiji-Jingu** shrines opening hour differs depending on sunrise and sunset, so please be careful. Ghibli currently only opens for the local citizens due to COVID-19. Please check the latest information by the official website [Ghibli Museum](http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/en/). If your visit is in the spring time, **Ueno Park** is great to see cherry blossoms.

    For **KYOTO**; You should visit places in the same area on the same day as Kyoto has not efficient transports compared to Tokyo and Osaka. Mainly you have to take some buses with transit resulting in wasting time.
    **Rokuon-ji** (aka Kinkaku-ji), **Ryoan-ji** are in the North-West. **Tenryu-ji**, **Togetsu-Kyo** Bridge and **Bamboo Forest** are in Arashiyama area (Westernmost).

    You should visit **Kiyomizu-dera** Temple in the East ([Kiyomizu-Dera](https://www.kiyomizudera.or.jp/en/)[ Temple](https://www.kiyomizudera.or.jp/en/)). While visiting East Kyoto, you can walk historic alleyways like **Sannei-zaka** and **Ninen-zaka** with a beautiful view of **Yasaka-no-Toh** (Tower of Yasaka). These streets leads to **Yasaka Shrine** and **Gion** area, then you can get to the City Centre (**Kawaramachi** area).
    If you are planning to visit in exactly the end of March to the beginning of April, you should consider enjoying Hanami (Cherryblossoms watching). After sunset, “Night light-up” for cherry blossoms will be held by many temples around the city. One of its highlights is Kiyomizu-dera temple. [Special Night Viewing](http://www.kiyomizudera.or.jp/en/visit/special_night_viewing/)

    **Fushimi Inari Taisha** Shrine is distant from Central Kyoto, and if you mind tourists congested in narrow torii gates, you may have to arrive as early in the morning as possible. From Kyoto city centre, it is easy to access by taking the JR line or Keihan Railway.
    You may miss some important temples and shrines. But I don’t know your liking. So please look into more about your visit. Many likes to visit **Nijo-jo Castle** (Central West), **Kifune-shrine** (Northernmost), **Kyoto Imperial Palace** for example.
    [http://www.kyototourism.org/en/](http://www.kyototourism.org/en/)
    [https://www.lonelyplanet.com/japan/kansai/kyoto](https://www.lonelyplanet.com/japan/kansai/kyoto)

    For **OSAKA**; Train is the best way to get to Osaka as you plan. Please take the JR Special Rapid Services (no extra fee) and 30 minutes ride. Another option is to take the Hankyu Railway from the city centre. Visiting Universal Studio Japan (USJ) and Osaka castle on the same day is too much. You should make a day for USJ exclusively. Repeatedly mentioned, for Cherryblossoms, but you may like
    Sidenote: As I have lived in Kobe, which is 30 mins from Osaka, I am happy if you visit.
    the view from **Mount Maya** is one of the best locations throughout Japan for a night view.　[https://www.feel-kobe.jp/area-guide/rokko-maya/](https://www.feel-kobe.jp/area-guide/rokko-maya/)

    For **HIROSHIMA**; You just forgot to write, I assume, but you have to see **Atomic Bomb Dome** and **Peace Memorial Park** as well as Peace Museum. From this September, the **Peace Museum** will require visitors an online booking BEFORE your visit at ( [http://hpmmuseum.jp/?lang=eng](http://hpmmuseum.jp/?lang=eng) ).
    It is right to use the whole day for Itsukushima shrine and its mountain. They are a bit far from the city. Plus, if you want to see the Torii gate floating in the sea, you have to check the time of high tide wave and have to wait for along time. Please note that Shrine is currently under refurbishment and will still affect your visit next year.
    [http://www.itsukushimajinja.jp/construction.html](http://www.itsukushimajinja.jp/construction.html)
    Please comment if you would like further advice. I hope we will welcome you next year after this strange situation changed.

21. I would look into business hotels if you want privacy and it may be cheaper if there are two people sharing the cost compared to two capsules. Also, if you’re planning on staying out late and drinking you should book your accommodations near you night time activities or somewhere central. Trains and buses stop running around midnight and taxis can be expensive in Japan.

    You should look into a JR Rail pass. Usually if you take a roundtrip Shinkansen trip from tokyo to Kyoto/Osaka it’ll be worth it. It’s faster/more comfortable than a night bus and less of a hassle than going through the airport. Plus the Shinkansen stations are more centrally located than the airports.

    Tokyo tower is not a must but if you’re going to Mori tower, you should see what exhibitions are currently at the Mori Art museum.

    You should also check out Teamlab Borderless or Planet. It is easier to get tickets to Teamlab planet and you book a specific time frame so if you are on a time crunch it may be better. Also it takes less time to explore Planet (~1hr) than Borderless.

    For the Robot restaurant, if you’re on a budget look online for discounts and pick a non peak time show. Those are generally cheaper.

    There are a few ways to get Ghibli tickets. One way is online but you have to do that way in advance. You can also try to get it at a convenience store like Lawson but you have to go right when its released or it sells out. A third option is booking a tour. If you do get tickets, I recommend walking there or walking back once and taking the “cat bus” the other way. Ghibli Museum is a bit outside of the main parts of Tokyo but if you’re in the area, you should check out the Kichijoji area.

    I recommend Kiyomizudera for Kyoto. Kinkakuji is beautiful but it was out of the way and so crowded when I went. Also don’t forget to check hours of operations for the temples and if they are under renovation. Go to Fushimi Inari taisha in the early morning if you want to avoid the crowds.

    Universal Studios maybe be an all day thing. Not sure how the lines are with COVID but when I went there were lots of long lines.

    Going inside Osaka castle is good if you like to learn more about the history. If you have no interest in that or crowds, you should just take a picture from the outside.

    I loved the PC and retro bar in Osaka. You should def go there if you like retro games. You can walk there from Dontonburi.

    Also since you’re going around March/ April depending where you are in Japan, it’s about the end of Plum blossoms and the beginning of cherry blossoms. There may be festivals as well although they may be cancelled due to covid.

    If you’re on a budget but also planning on eating at some expensive places, try looking their lunch menus and reservations. It may be a better deal.

22. If possible, see if you can fly out of Osaka instead of returning to Tokyo. It will be cheaper. I took a nightbus from Tokyo to Kyoto and then used a 5 day JR West Kansai area pass to go to Hiroshima/Osaka. The Kansai pass was much cheaper than the regular JR pass. https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/ticket/pass/

23. You can put “Ginza – buy sushi” with Day 3. Marunouchi/Imperial Palace Area and Ginza are quite close.

    As a Tokyo local, Tsukiji seemed like a tourist trap for exotic food. The streets are narrow and hard to navigate, let alone the limited availability since most restaurants close by lunch hours. You can still get quality food & sushi outside of Tsukiji Market.

    No, Tokyo Tower is not a must visit. Roppongi’s Mori Tower is a better view for sure. Chris Broad recommens this view more than anywhere else.

    If you miss out on tickets to Ghibli Museum, hopefully you can get your fix of Ghibli at Acorn Republic. The store at the base of Tokyo Skytree is perhaps the most comprehensive, but if that’s out of the way, they have other locations as well.

    The Osaka Castle grounds is a nice place for a walk, but many advise against visiting this place… I guess this depends on what you’re looking for though – want to know all about the history? or just see the aesthetics of the exterior? Imo not worth going out of the way for this place, especially with your packed schedule.

    I don’t blame you for trying to fit everything in and if you’re okay with spending time on trains a lot, it’s an okay itinerary. I’m honestly this type of traveler as well (as a railfan). Otherwise, if you choose to spend more time in Tokyo and cut out the other cities, there are nice daytrips to areas with nice temples/shrines (Kamakura, Nikko, to name a few) that are as impressive as the ones you see in Kyoto. Also, a nice night in a Ryokan (worth spending the bucks here) instead of Oedo Onsen Mongatari (perhaps in Hakone) would be the best experience.

24. Don’t take the nightbus – if you’re splurging on a trip to Japan, just bite the bullet (ha!) and take the bullet train. The nightbus arrives at about 6am, before anything opens, so you’ll spend a miserable 3 hours sat in a coffee shop waiting for anything to open, then spend a miserable day being tired because those things are impossible to sleep on…the seats are not as comfy as they look, and the busses stop every now and again and put the lights on and make an announcement on the speakers to wake people up at the rest stations they stop at.

25. For views the free Metro office building was fine for me.

    Philosopher’s Path in Kyoto was pretty meh. Lots of other things to spend time on. Kiyomizu-dera for example.

    I still liked Tsukiji outer market for grazing. Same with Nishiki Market although I liked it less.

    I’d look at a half-day trip to Nara from either Kyoto or Osaka.

    If you’re flying back from Hiroshima JR pass doesn’t make sense.

    Fugu is tasteless and tough.

26. Hey, good luck with your trip! I’ll address everything in bold in order, but firstly I agree with most of the feedback that you’ve over booked yourself.

    * Don’t sleep on AirBnB for cheap booking with privacy. I booked through it on my last trip almost exclusively, and I didn’t see another person in any of my arrangements.

    * This will also solve your booking in advanced issue. I missed my connection and lost a day on my last trip…had to switch from Nagasaki to Nagoya on my itinerary. Took me all of 10 minutes to cancel and find a new place to stay.

    * Not sure on if tattoos being OK, but I will say you are going to be wiped day 1 and TBH I highly recommend keeping it light.

    * I don’t think visiting Tokyo Tower is a *must do*. I will highly recommend Shibuya Sky if you’re looking for an [amazing, uninterrupted view of Tokyo](https://i.imgur.com/kQJkbf2.jpg). That’ll save you the trip to Roppongi

    * If you’re trying to play it cheap, food/drink will be your biggest expense…however it’s really easy to eat really well for cheap. If your budget is tight, I’d avoid any overly expensive spots.

    * The outer retail market is still open at Tsukiji. Eat your Sushi here if you plan on going…Ginza is literally the most expensive place in Japan, avoid eating here if you’re on that budget.

    * Personally, I don’t see the appeal in traveling to somewhere as far as Japan and going to theme parks. Just not worth the time or money to me, *unless* theme parks are absolutely your shit.

    Hope this helps, feel free to DM if you have any specific questions.

27. I agree it’s too packed, but I don’t see teamLab Borderless here, and it’s a must see, especially if you’re into “artsy stuff”. Absolutely do not skip it. Buy tickets online in advance.

    For Ghibli, we had to use a 3rd party site that purchased the tickets for us to pick up at the airport because it’s not really geared towards foreigners.

28. Skip the robot restaurant. There’s a lot of better things to do.

29. Nishiki markets closes in the afternoon. There are restaurants around but to enjoy the market experience better go in the Morning before other activities.

30. I really liked the Mori Tower when I was in Tokyo. I wanted to go up a tower for the view, but didn’t really want to pay just for that (like with Sky Tree or Tokyo Tower). In the Mori Tower you can buy a ticket for the Mori Art Museum (which is a contemporary art gallery, which seems like it could be your thing based on other things you’ve said) which is on the 53rd and 54th floor, so you get the art and the view all in one.

    If you decide to do Universal Studios, you can get a cheaper ticket if you go in after 3pm. It’s not really advertised on the English language site. If you decide to do that, I’d recomend moving your days around so that you do the aquarium that morning. Outside the aquarium you can get a boat that will take you across the harbour to Universal (I think the boat runs hourly, but I’m sure you can find the schedule online).

    Ghibli Museum tickets are a pain in the ass to get. They’re released 90 days in advance, and you need to get them that day as soon as they go on sale or they’ll probably sell out. It took me hours (very early in the AM) of refreshing their site to get a ticket. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed with the museum. It was cute, but small, and I don’t think it was worth the effort i went to for a ticket. It’s also not really near any of the other sites so you have to make a special trip out to it. Plenty on here would disagree with me about it, but I wouldn’t go again.

    If you like theme parks, then Disney Sea in Tokyo is worth considering as well. It’s probably the best theme park I’ve ever been to (if you were going to do one theme park, I’d definitely say do this over Universal in Osaka).

31. You are doing heaps in the day. A great example is trying to squeeze Dontonbori, Osaka Castle, and universal all in one day. I recommend you pick Dontonbori and Osaka Castle or universal. Remember you will be on your feet heaps so you are going to want to have a break after a few days, and trains don’t count as most of the time you will be standing, especially in Osaka.

    It looks like you aren’t taking into account the time it takes to get to places, a train journey may be 30mins but then you need to navigate through the station and that can be a 30-minute exercise, and more if you mess up your exits (rumor has it there is a class of people who were all once tourists that are still in Shinjuku station that have started a small civilization doomed to forever roam the underground searching for an exit).

    I hope you get to go, I’d plan for a bit more time to explore (if budget is an issue I’d drop universal as its pretty expensive), and don’t plan on much when you arrive. Make it up as you go on that day with the main goal of getting to accommodation as the flight will knock you around. Look for a local Onsen or Sento and just ask if your tattoo is ok (worst they can say is no right?) it will be much more authentic and will give you a spot to relax and soak those feet after all the walking. Also, do whatever you can to go to the Ghibli museum 😀

32. Perfect itinerary!!

33. > Pub Cardinal Marunouchi / Shin Marunouchi to get drunk

    Go to Yokohama Tanmachi instead 🙂 Much more open people, cheaper, amazing climate of a real Japanese non-tourist area with very homey feeling to it. Some places here make Japanese forget their tatemae and be 100% open and honest with you.