Hi all,
I’m visiting Tokyo during Golden Week and am trying to plan an itinerary that avoids the worst of the crowds. I’ve finalized the itinerary based off requests from my family but I’m stuck on the planning for two particular days and was hoping to seek some help on this.
**Asakusa, Tokyo Skytree, Ueno – Monday**
* Start the day early at Senso-ji, Kaminari-mon and Nakamise-dori. I’m thinking of reaching Senso-ji at 7.30am, hanging around the temple grounds for 30 minutes and then explore the streets for an hour (8am to 9am).
* By 9am we make our way to the Kameido Tenjin Shrine for the Wisteria Festival and to Tokyo Sky Tree. I imagine we’ll spend about 2 hours, covering the walking distance from Asakusa to Tokyo Sky Tree, and some time to sit down for rest. Again, I am hoping to avoid too heavy crowds at Tokyo Sky Tree.
* From 11am onwards we make our way back to Nakamise street for early lunch, hopefully able to snag a table for tempura.
* At 12pm we head over to Ueno Park. I’m expecting to spend 1.5 hours here; the timing seems short but my family are not keen on the zoo, the temples or the museums, and would just like to see the park itself and maybe the Starbucks.
* By 2pm we should be at Yanaka Ginza for Nezu Shrine and to check out the local shops and cafes. I’m thinking of spending 2-3 hours here? Honestly I’m not sure.
* After Yanaka Ginza we’ll make our way to Ameyoko and hopefully reach at 4.30pm. I’m hoping the crowds will thin out a bit by now. Planning another 2 hours here.
* After Ameyoko we’re planning an early dinner around Ueno and then going back to the hotel to rest.
*Questions:*
1. What is the ideal time to visit Nakamise Dori? I’m concerned most shops won’t be open at 8am but I imagine the crowds will start by 8.30am.
2. Is this too packed a schedule? We’re flexible to leave out the Yanaka Ginza visit and just spend more time at Ameyoko, or to shave time off the Ameyoko visit and spend more time at Yanaka Ginza instead?
3. What would be a good estimate of time to spend at Yanaka Ginza if we want to check out Nezu Shrine, check out the shops and maybe get a bite to eat at a cafe? I’m not certain how much time to spend at Nezu Shrine but I imagine it’s about 30 minutes tops.
4. I put Ameyoko at the end of the Ueno area visit because the shops here close later than Yanaka Ginza’s, but is 4.30pm too late?
5. Should we do the Tokyo Sky Tree in the morning or in the evening? We can also see the Wisteria in the evening for the Kameido Tenjin Shrine Wisteria Festival, so we’re flexible to shuffle the Tokyo sky tree segment around. Or is it worth seeing the sites twice in a day: once in the morning and again in the evening?
**Ashikaga Flower Park – Tuesday**
Taking it easy in the half day after the hectic day above. Planning to leave Tokyo at 3pm to reach Ashikaga Flower Park at 4.30pm. I imagine we’ll spend about 4 hours here (including dinner) to see the Wisterias in the daylight and at night before making our way back to Tokyo.
*Questions:*
1. Would it be too short a notice for us to ask the concierge at our hotel to help us book a licensed private driver for the half day’s journey? We’re planning this Ashikaga Flower Park trip on the 3rd day of our Tokyo trip, but we’re not really comfortable navigating and booking private drivers on our own before the trip itself. We’re also ok with paying OT rates if needed.
2. The 4 hours is an estimate based off how long we spent at Shinjuku Gyoen Park a few years back. I could be very wrong though so I’d just like to check how long you guys would recommend for the Ashikaga Flower Park if we want to see the Wisterias in daylight and night time. We don’t necessarily need to stay at the park for dinner either, so if we allocate more or less time to this place it’s fine by us.
3. We’re visiting in early May: I know the Wisterias will have started to wilt about early May, but would it still be worth the trip out?
This is my first Reddit post here so I hope I’ve formatted everything correctly.
Thanks for reading, and all the best to everyone travelling to Japan during Golden Week!