I’m planning a trip for 3 people; Myself, wife and a friend. Neither one is really interested in the planning part and just gave me what they want to do and just said they will stick with what I want to do as long as it involves stuff they like. Here is what they are interested in.
Myself – Sightseeing, food, shopping, SHRINES. Honestly I can’t wait to arrive in Kyoto and stop to just soak it all in.
Wife – She is only going because I am. Really only interested in trying new foods.
Friend – Arcades. This is all he said he was really really wanting to do and then plans to join us on anything else.
With that said if everything settles with Covid19 and Japan allows US citizens in we will be going first week of April 4th -13th (Flight time is 32 hrs). I, like many others, jumped on the $400 tickets. This will be the first time in Japan for all of us.
Right now I’m planning this. 4 days in Tokyo > 3 days in Kyoto (with a day trip to Osaka) > 1 day in Tokyo.
**4th-** Flight begins to Canada. We have a long lay over and plan on spending the night here. We were going to do the more expensive flight to avoid this but my friend wanted to get a Canada stamp on his passport. So yeah…
**5th-** Leave from Canada
**6th-** Arrive in Tokyo. Head to Shibuya to check into hotel. I haven’t planned anything because I don’t know what to expect when arriving, how long it’ll take to get through customs, find hotel, jet lag, etc.. So we will just walk around and just wing it. I’d really like to find a restaurant in a at super tall building so we can get a good view but I’m still googling around for that (any recommendations?).
**7th-** Akihabara. I dedicated a whole day to this. Since my friend wants to just do a day of arcades I figured it would be best to get it done right away and move on tbh. I know a lot of people recommend doing this area a half day and move onto somewhere else but he requested a full day to arcade hop and try as much as possible. Also would like to try a VR arcade. If my wife and I get bored we will just move on somewhere else (still looking into this to see what is around; Any recommendations?)
**8th-** Teamlab Planets/Nakano Broadway.
**9th-** I don’t know what I want to do yet. Maybe hit up Shinjuku and mess around. Looking for any recommendations.
**10th-** Leave and arrive in Kyoto. Check into hotel – head to Osaka to walk around Dontonbori. Eat, drink, eat, drink, head back to Kyoto drunk and explore.
**11th-** Fushimi Inari. We plan on hiking the entire thing (I believe I read it takes about 5 hours). After that we will eat (I’d like to find a nice restaurant which I’m still googling around for. Any recommendations?). Walk along the philosophers walk and just hang out. Hoping to see some Sakura blooms.
**12th-** Shrine hopping. I plan on picking a few and asking my wife and friend which they’d prefer to see. We are going to rent bikes and just ride from one to another. Do some shopping then head back to Tokyo. Check into hotel and just walk around for the renaming day/night.
**13th-** Our flight doesn’t leave til 5:30. I have no idea what we are doing to do since we have to check out by 10 and will have to carry around all our luggage.
So yeah I tried to make this a not so chaotic trip that allows us breathing room and to figure some stuff out as we go. You never know what you’ll find when just walking around and don’t want to miss out on something because we are on a strict schedule. I do have a few questions.
– How much should we pre load on the suica cards? Would $200-250 be enough PP?
– For what I’ve wrote would a JR pass be needed? I’d really like to ride on the bullet train.
– Any good food places we should check out? I keep reading reviews on google but could be missing a lot. Would be awesome for a fluffy pancake recommendation too.
– Should we get multiple pocket wifis? Can we pick this up in the airport so we can use google maps to get to the hotel? I always see people here saying the PW is delivered to hotel.
– Anyone know if [this place allows Tattoos?](https://www.booking.com/hotel/jp/dormy-inn-kawasaki.html?aid=304142;label=gen173bo-1DCA4oggI46AdIM1gDaKACiAEBmAExuAEXyAEM2AED6AEB-AEKiAIBmAIEqAIDuAKcqbL4BcACAdICJDRmNGNhYTUxLWNlMjMtNDA4ZS1iNjIzLTQ4ODM0MDM5MDM4MdgCBOACAQ;sid=db3b89d754c0f2105d74e20a8ea36631)
– Does Yoyogi Park ever close? We will probably drunkenly explore (not acting a fool and being disrespectful) this every night since our hotel is less than a half mile away.
Edit: Can we leave our luggage in Tokyo anywhere and just take a backpack of stuff to Kyoto? How would we go about this?
Edit2: I says I have more comments on here than what it’s showing. Think some of y’all are shadow banned. Sorry if I don’t reply.
Edit3: First world problem maybe but I actually kind of feel stressed planning now lol. I’m debating on skipping on Kyoto and Osaka if I can find a day trip/overnight stay at a Ryokan that has private onsens (tattoo reasons). My biggest thing is making sure everyone in our group (granted it’s only 3 people) has a good time and feels like they got to do what they want. I really appreciate everyones advice so far!!
36 comments
For your Suicas, this is far more than you’ll need, you’ll struggle to top $10 per person per day. Best to load in a couple of thousand yen at a time, rather than put on a bulk load
Also, for the JR Pass, a 7 day pass costs roughly the same a the Shinkansen fare from Tokyo to Kyoto and back, so as long as you are doing the trip out and back within 7 days, there’s no reason not to get it. It’ll cover your Kyoto to Osaka train as well, so will be a modest saving. You’d just need to ensure you don’t activate it until your 3rd or 4th day in so that the travel to Kyoto and back to Tokyo is within the 7 day period
You’ll probably only need 1 pocket WiFi, although if you own a portable phone charger, take that with you. Most will give you 1GB a day, which is plenty for 3 people. The main issue I found with mine is that the battery probably only lasted 8 hours fully charged, which will mean it’ll need charging during the day
Not sure I’d devote a full day to Akihabara arcade hopping. There’s plenty of arcades around Shibuya and Shinjuku open until 2am or so, so quite good to have a late night play
Just a few thoughts:
***10th-*** *Leave and arrive in Kyoto. Check into hotel – head to Osaka to walk around Dontonbori. Eat, drink, eat, drink, head back to Kyoto drunk and explore.*
This feels like a lot of train travel crammed into one day. Unsure if you’ll have time to really experience Osaka, but if you aren’t interested in anything like the castle and just want to eat some food and be there it is doable. Maybe run a sample itinerary through google maps and see how the timing works.
*How much should we pre load on the suica cards? Would $200-250 be enough PP?*
I didn’t preload, it is easy enough to reload at train stations.
*For what I’ve wrote would a JR pass be needed? I’d really like to ride on the bullet train.*
There are calculators online, but I did a similar trip and the calculator said that a pass wasn’t necessary. You can just buy your shinkansen tickets in the station.
*Any good food places we should check out? I keep reading reviews on google but could be missing a lot. Would be awesome for a fluffy pancake recommendation too.*
If you’re into ramen, I would recommend the Ramen Beast App for Tokyo. It gives you a map of preferred ramen shops and descriptions. We went to A Happy Pancake in Shibuya for our fluffy pancake experience I highly recommend it.
I didn’t have a bad meal in Japan. Two stand outs (if you want to pay a little more) were Kaiseki (do some research to see if you are interested first, it was definitely an adventurous meal) at Sangentya in Kyoto (our hotel made a reservation) and a teppanyaki steak dinner at Steakhouse Juju in Osaka.
*Should we get multiple pocket wifis? Can we pick this up in the airport so we can use google maps to get to the hotel? I always see people here saying the PW is delivered to hotel.*
We were two people and both shared one pocket wifi (went with the unlimited data plan). I picked up at the airport at the Welcome Center. Having Google Maps from the get go was very helpful. The hardest part was finding the place again when we were departing. Hope this helps!
Depending on when and where you lang, it can take 2 to 4 hours from airport to hotel. Jetlag from US it not too bad, I personally try to stay awake when it’s 12 or 1 PM in Japan, get to hotel, have food, maybe walk a bit around and then go to bet around same time I would back home. Next morning you might wake up a bit early, but not too bad on jetlag.
For restaurant on the first day, I would not plan something too fancy, depending on how tired you are, it might end up being snacks from the nearby convenience store. But there is some options I heard of around shibuya, for example [Shibu niwa](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tialXNmboqk)
Close to Akihabara you have Ueno, ameyoko, or actually almost anywhere on the yamanote line would be easy to reach.
Teamlanb and nakano broadway are on opposite side, does not look to be the most efficient combo.
Dotonbori have lot of ambiance late, but if you return late and drunk to Kyoto there won’t be much exploration possible, because a lot of attractions close around 5pm. So maybe plan a bit more in Osaka that day and go to hotel right at the end of your day.
For luggage on the departure day, you can ask hotel to keep them and do something in the area of the hotel for that day, go back to hotel and pick up the bag before going to hotel. Or bring them to a train station and put them in a coin locker. I would probably do the first.
Do not overload the suica. On transport only, you might not spend more than 10$ each day, so for the number of days you have, half might be of to start. Of course it depend how much you use it for convenience store and other stuff. In any case, it’s easy to charge in any station, so don’t put too much on it.
No need for JR Pass. It would cover the Tokyo-Kyoto part, but you would not save any money with the itinerary you have. Just buy individual shinkansen tickets, that will also allow you to take the fastest train (Nozomi) that are not available for JR pass users.
If you plan to not always stay together, yes having more than one wifi can be a good idea. I personally prefer to use sim card because it’s cheaper (and my phone is unlocked, so I have no issue with that). I would probably do 1 wifi for the group (if you stay together all the time) or individual sim (if you can use sim). And just check to get a wifi/sim you can get before landing or that you can pick at the airport, unless you really trust yourself with going to your hotel (public wifi can be hard to get).
Don’t know if that place accept tattoo, but not sure when you would like to stop there, it’s not the most convenient location to stay at when visiting Tokyo. You can just contact them to ask.
I think Yoyogi is always open, it’s also ok to drink in public in Japan, so you can even bring a couple of drinks with you.
Luggage, yes it would be possible to let your luggage in Tokyo, but service to keep luggage are 300 to 500 yen each day (depending on the size) by luggage. So it can get a bit expensive. I would personally ask the hotel to keep it for a couple of days and return at the same place in Tokyo. Would probably ask them before is it’s something the can do. Or just travel light with small luggage and bring it all the way to Kyoto, for example bring cloth for 3-4 days total and do your laundry one or two time. If you plan on shopping in Tokyo, then move more days for Tokyo at the end and buy an extra luggage in Tokyo or bring a duffel bag to bring back the cloth separately if you run out of space.
Sounds like the making of a great trip! A few thoughts:
**7th** – A day is a long time for Akihabara. If you and your wife aren’t into that scene, maybe split up with your friend for the day and go to Asakusa, and Yanaka Ginza. I’m a temple/shrine guy myself, and Asakusa is worth a visit!
**9th** – Hit up Meiji Jingu. This will drop you into Shibuya, giving you easy access to that area, Shinjuku, and Harajuku as well. Good food, drinks, and things to see abound here.
**10th** – This is probably not going to be a very fun day, at least for me. The trip to Kyoto is already a few hours, plus an hour ish to Osaka, then back. You could, instead, spend this day really getting into Kyoto. My biggest regret on my first trip was that I only had 4 days in Kyoto. I could spend a month there and still wish I had twice as much time. I’m of the mind that an express side trek to Osaka won’t be worth the time spent sitting in a train. Your mileage, of course, may vary. Do your thing, but I’d be inclined to spend more quality time in Kyoto!
**11th-12th** – Fushimi Inari is beautiful. There are tons of great places to eat near the temple / on the mountain, too. I don’t recall the full hike taking as long as 5 hours. If you get up and down more quickly, you could easily still have a half day to see some more stuff. Some of my favorite locations: Chorakuji temple, Anyoji temple, etc – check this article for more ideas [temples / parks / historic area](https://www.japanvisitor.com/japan-temples-shrines/anyoji-chorakuji) . Another good one is Nanzen-ji. Heian Shrine is huge and worth seeing if you might pass near it on your way somewhere.
Have fun! This is going to be awesome!
I hit lots of the video arcade areas…
Osaka has a little arcade with classic games. I played the 1980s game for Lone Wolf & Cub… it’s down the street from their touristy tower. If you visit the tower def check out the arcade
Fushimi Inari : GO EARLY … it’s packed by 10am. I got there at 6 and was on my way down when it was getting crazy.
>Myself – Sightseeing, food, shopping, SHRINES. Honestly I can’t wait to arrive in Kyoto and stop to just soak it all in.
If you’re interested in shrines, I highly recommend getting a “goshuincho” on your first day in Japan. These are special books that you take to every shrine and temple. You find the “goshuin” booth, and a monk or worker will stamp it and note the date with calligraphy. It serves as a proof of pilgrimage for all of the shrines and temples you visit on your trip. There are very specific books that you have to purchase for this—you can’t just hand them any old notebook. These books are available at department stores like Tokyu Hands and most major shrines/temples. They only cost about $10-15. The shrines/temples will usually have a goshuincho that’s unique to them, and some of the designs are really beautiful!
>**7th-** Akihabara. I dedicated a whole day to this. Since my friend wants to just do a day of arcades I figured it would be best to get it done right away and move on tbh. I know a lot of people recommend doing this area a half day and move onto somewhere else but he requested a full day to arcade hop and try as much as possible. Also would like to try a VR arcade. If my wife and I get bored we will just move on somewhere else (still looking into this to see what is around; Any recommendations?)
Fortunately, Akihabara is pretty close (<10 minutes) to many other interesting things that aren’t already on your itinerary. There’s Ueno, where you can visit Ueno Park, home of the Tokyo National Museum. Right next to Ueno is Ameya Yokocho, a small district with some great Japanese candy stores.
Akihabara is also close to Asakusa. There you could visit Senso-ji, which is probably the most famous temple in Tokyo. It’s at the end of a street lined with shopping stalls, which can get super crowded and tourist-y during the day, but that can be part of the fun. If you want a quieter experience, go before the shops open at 10 am.
You’re also less than 10 minutes away from the Edo-Tokyo Museum, which has some really cool recreations/artifacts from the Edo period and great info in English.
In Akihabara itself, there is the Kanda Myojin shrine, which has become somewhat famous due to its inclusion in a popular anime (I didn’t know anything about the anime and still thought it was lovely).
>**9th-** I don’t know what I want to do yet. Maybe hit up Shinjuku and mess around. Looking for any recommendations.
Have you thought about visiting Meiji Shrine? It is probably the most famous shrine in Tokyo. It’s right next to Takeshita Street in Harajuku, so if your wife and friend aren’t interested there’s plenty to do nearby while you explore.
Pro tip, domestic flights in Japan are really cheap. I don’t know if you’ll be able to book them now but one ways between Tokyo and Kansai are way cheaper than JR passes. Unless you really want to ride the Shinkansen then I suggest you save the money and spend it somewhere else.
>6th- Arrive in Tokyo. Head to Shibuya to check into hotel. I haven’t planned anything because I don’t know what to expect when arriving, how long it’ll take to get through customs, find hotel, jet lag, etc.. So we will just walk around and just wing it. I’d really like to find a restaurant in a at super tall building so we can get a good view but I’m still googling around for that (any recommendations?).
Shouldn’t take too long… for your first meal there’s an Ichiran in Shibuya. That was my friend and I’s first meal ever our first time in Japan and it was awesome. There’s a lot of restaurants in Shibuya, I don’t know what time you arrive. There’s a new mall called Shibuya Sky which has an observation deck at the top.
>7th- Akihabara. I dedicated a whole day to this. Since my friend wants to just do a day of arcades I figured it would be best to get it done right away and move on tbh. I know a lot of people recommend doing this area a half day and move onto somewhere else but he requested a full day to arcade hop and try as much as possible. Also would like to try a VR arcade. If my wife and I get bored we will just move on somewhere else (still looking into this to see what is around; Any recommendations?)
Yeah no, prepare to be bored. There’s not a whole lot in Akihabara unless you’re super into anime and stuff. Just stores. I’d suggest you leave your friend and go somewhere else.
>8th- Teamlab Planets/Nakano Broadway.
>9th- I don’t know what I want to do yet. Maybe hit up Shinjuku and mess around. Looking for any recommendations.
Suggest you fill out these days more. I’m not super familiar with Tokyo compared to Kansai but Odaiba was nice.
>10th- Leave and arrive in Kyoto. Check into hotel – head to Osaka to walk around Dontonbori. Eat, drink, eat, drink, head back to Kyoto drunk and explore.
If you arrive in the morning / early afternoon you’ll want to do things other than Dotonbori. I suggest you go at night time and find something to eat. During the day you can check out Osaka Castle, the Aquarium if you’re into it, your friend would probably be interested in Dendentown which is like Osaka’s Akihabara.
>11th- Fushimi Inari. We plan on hiking the entire thing (I believe I read it takes about 5 hours). After that we will eat (I’d like to find a nice restaurant which I’m still googling around for. Any recommendations?). Walk along the philosophers walk and just hang out. Hoping to see some Sakura blooms.
What type of food do you guys like? In nothern Kyoto there’s a street full of ramen shops known as the ‘Ramen battlegrounds’ which you can google, they have some of the best ramen you can find in Japan.
>12th- Shrine hopping. I plan on picking a few and asking my wife and friend which they’d prefer to see. We are going to rent bikes and just ride from one to another. Do some shopping then head back to Tokyo. Check into hotel and just walk around for the renaming day/night.
In this day I’d recommend Arashiyama (bamboo forest, monkey park) as well as Kinkakuji as they’re pretty close to eachother.
I suggest you plan out your food. Don’t end up eating too much convenience store food or at average restaurants, take the opportunity to try things you have never tried.
>How much should we pre load on the suica cards? Would $200-250 be enough PP?
More than enough. I’d say around $20 to start.
>For what I’ve wrote would a JR pass be needed? I’d really like to ride on the bullet train.
Answered this at the start, no. I wouldn’t recommend anyone purchasing JR passes when domestic flights are so cheap but if money is no object, then by all means.
>Any good food places we should check out? I keep reading reviews on google but could be missing a lot. Would be awesome for a fluffy pancake recommendation too.
Ramen – in particular Tsukemen which is very underappreciated overseas. Ichiran for the experience.
Other things to check out… conveyer belt sushi, curry…
>Should we get multiple pocket wifis? Can we pick this up in the airport so we can use google maps to get to the hotel? I always see people here saying the PW is delivered to hotel.
Easier way is to get data SIMs off Amazon. I’ve found they’re cheaper than portable wi-fi’s and more flexible.
>**7th-** Akihabara. I dedicated a whole day to this.
You mentioned you’re interested in shrines, so don’t miss out on visiting [Kanda Myojin](https://matcha-jp.com/en/1911). It’s pretty unique, and the shrine itself has a decent amount of anime collaborations on official religious tokens, like wooden placards for leaving wishes (ema) that feature popular anime.
​
>**9th-** I don’t know what I want to do yet. Maybe hit up Shinjuku and mess around. Looking for any recommendations.
If you’re thinking of going to Shinjuku, the [metropolotin government building](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3011_tocho.html) offers **free observation decks** that give absolutely stunning panoramic views of the city. I recommend going here first thing in the morning as the lines can queue up quite a bit, but its completely worth it.
​
>**11th-** Fushimi Inari. We plan on hiking the entire thing (I believe I read it takes about 5 hours). After that we will eat (I’d like to find a nice restaurant which I’m still googling around for. Any recommendations?). Walk along the philosophers walk and just hang out. Hoping to see some Sakura blooms.
Fushimi Inari, from my experience, only took around 2-3 hours, even after stopping and taking a boatload of pictures. What level of “nice” are you looking for? If you are looking for just like good food after a hike, there are a handful of udon/noodle places around fushimi inari that serve kitsune udon (kitsune is like “fox” so I think it’s nice to eat after personally haha). I found a list that might be helpful [here](https://www.tsunagujapan.com/6-recommended-places-to-dine-around-the-fushimi-inari-area-in-kyoto/). But since fushimi inari does tend to attract a large concentration of tourists, I’ve found that most places have had waiting lines, so you might be better finding a different area of Kyoto to eat.
​
>Any good food places we should check out? I keep reading reviews on google but could be missing a lot. Would be awesome for a fluffy pancake recommendation too.
In Kyoto, I highly recommend visiting [Nishiki Market](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3931.html). It’s just a street with a long line of stores selling but food ready to eat, but also a lot of fresh ingredients for locals to use in their own cooking. Nearby, there are also fluffy pancake stores.
I see you plan on eating a lot of ramen, great idea – that’s what we did. But outside of ramen, I highly recommend some gyuktsu and tonkatsu.
For food in Osaka, I can’t recommend Gyukatsu Motomura enough. It’s right in Dotombori, there may be a line, but it was very worth it. In Tokyo, I feel the same way about Tonkatsu Marugo. Kyoto, my favorite thing to do was walk along Nashiki market and graze (best uni I ever had).
There are lockers everywhere in Japan. If I was you, I’d take advantage of the luggage forwarding service, have it sent from Tokyo to Kyoto and that way you can skip the early check in and back on the train to osaka. Just have your luggage meet you in Kyoto. We did that (for a multi-way trek) and it cost us less than $20usd.
We only put $40 each on our suicas and we still had left over, but mainly because when you have a JR pass you can also use it for certain subways. I think it was called the circle line- been a couple years. It was worth it to get a JR pass to Kyoto and back RT was a better price than buying separate tickets. Plus- you are also going to Osaka- worth the pass IMO.
We had plenty of good restaurants ramen and amazing sushi around the Shimbashi area. Places that we wandered in and were AMAZING. We used 1 pocket WiFi for 4 people and had no trouble. Pick up at airport and we actually reserved it through the JR rail site when we bought our JR pass. Hotel should have no problem holding your luggage at check out time for the day. As far as holding it for 2+ days, just ask them. (I have had JW Marriotts offer to extend hold bags in both Seoul and Singapore with no prompting). Hope it helps!
For a trip that is really only 6 full days, I ***STRONGLY*** recommend picking either Kanto or Kansai, not both. Between the two my preference and recommendation would be Kansai (especially in cherry blossom season), but honestly both regions on their own have ***WAY*** more than enough to do for the time you have. For reference, I usually recommend ***AT LEAST 6 full days as a STARTING POINT just for the highlights of Kansai***. There is absolutely no way to do both regions in this amount of time without rushing things to the extreme and skipping tons.
>Myself – Sightseeing, food, shopping, SHRINES. Honestly I can’t wait to arrive in Kyoto and stop to just soak it all in.
Then prepare to be disappointed because you’re rushing Kyoto so much. I generally recommend 3 full days just for the highlights–more if you can afford it, especially if you want to take time to explore and “soak it all in.”
>With that said if everything settles with Covid19 and Japan allows US citizens in we will be going first week of April 4th -13th (Flight time is 32 hrs). I, like many others, jumped on the $400 tickets. This will be the first time in Japan for all of us.
Depending on the weather, it is very possible that the cherry blossoms will be past peak by the time you get to Kyoto. Some places like Ninna-ji and Kurama bloom a bit later, but you’re probably on the early side for them (especially for Kurama).
>4th- Flight begins to Canada. We have a long lay over and plan on spending the night here. We were going to do the more expensive flight to avoid this but my friend wanted to get a Canada stamp on his passport. So yeah…
Flying the long route to save money is one thing, but doing it just for a passport stamp is dumb. If it’s so important to your friend to be able to say that they’ve been to Canada, they might as well just lie–it’s basically the same thing, since transiting through an airport isn’t really being in the country anyway.
>6th- Arrive in Tokyo. Head to Shibuya to check into hotel. I haven’t planned anything because I don’t know what to expect when arriving, how long it’ll take to get through customs, find hotel, jet lag, etc.. So we will just walk around and just wing it. I’d really like to find a restaurant in a at super tall building so we can get a good view but I’m still googling around for that (any recommendations?).
If you’re choosing between Shibuya and Shinjuku (both busy, dense urban areas) I would go with Shinjuku. Shibuya is great and all, but Shinjuku is even busier, even denser, and has more variety.
>7th- Akihabara. I dedicated a whole day to this. Since my friend wants to just do a day of arcades I figured it would be best to get it done right away and move on tbh. I know a lot of people recommend doing this area a half day and move onto somewhere else but he requested a full day to arcade hop and try as much as possible. Also would like to try a VR arcade. If my wife and I get bored we will just move on somewhere else (still looking into this to see what is around; Any recommendations?)
You have very limited time and this is a full sixth of your trip. Go ahead and play a few arcade games, but do you really want to be spending a full day doing it? Really?
>8th- Teamlab Planets/Nakano Broadway.
These things are nowhere near each other and honestly I would skip both of them on a trip this short. If Teamlab Planets is an extremely high priority for you then go ahead and do it, but Nakano Broadway I feel is definitely a waste of time.
>10th- Leave and arrive in Kyoto. Check into hotel – head to Osaka to walk around Dontonbori. Eat, drink, eat, drink, head back to Kyoto drunk and explore.
Honestly if you’re going to spend this little time in Kansai, I would just skip it entirely and do a day trip (or spend a night) in Kamakura instead. The idea of doing Kansai in basically 1 full day and 2 half days is absolutely ludicrous. Again, just pick whether you want to do Kansai or Kanto on this trip and stick with one.
To clarify: Dotonbori is an area that really comes alive in the evening, and most of the sights in Kyoto close down in the day. Now, Kyoto does have some really cool areas to explore at night (e.g., Pontocho, Gion, Higashiyama, Fushimi Inari) and there may be some night openings/illuminations at the time of year you’re going (e.g., at Kodai-ji), but if you stay out all night and wake up late the next morning, you’re going to be really cutting into your already extremely limited time in Kyoto. A seasonal option that I highly recommend would be going to Maruyama Park/Yasaka Shrine at night for food and drinks under the blossoms. Again, you’re a bit on the late side for cherry blossoms in Kyoto, but depending on the weather there probably will still be a lot of activity, and I imagine most of the food stalls will still be opening.
Note also: Osaka is a city the size of New York–it also deserves more than a single evening. Yet another reason I recommend picking one region or the other.
>11th- Fushimi Inari. We plan on hiking the entire thing (I believe I read it takes about 5 hours). After that we will eat (I’d like to find a nice restaurant which I’m still googling around for. Any recommendations?). Walk along the philosophers walk and just hang out. Hoping to see some Sakura blooms.
For Fushimi Inari the absolute best time to go is at least an hour before dawn when it’s still completely dark. You have the place almost literally to yourself and the early morning light is gorgeous. Going well before dawn gives you the advantage of seeing it both at night (it’s illuminated) and during the day. If not before dawn, then I recommend going in the late afternoon so you can be there around sunset (for much the same reasons). “Hiking the entire thing” can take hours, but it’s important that you realize “the whole thing” can have multiple meanings. The main loop can be done in maybe 3 hours or so at a normal pace, but there are numerous side trails, and some of them go through to Yamashina or connect to the Kyoto Loop trail, which goes all the way around the city and can take days.
The Philospher’s Path is nowhere near Fushimi Inari and is in the middle of numerous other things. It’s also in the are of the city I consider easiest and perhaps most fun on bicycle, so if you’re renting bikes at some point, do this then. Something like the Imperial Palace–>Demachi Masugata Shotengai–>Shimogamo–>Ginkaku-ji–>Philosopher’s Path–Nanzen-ji–>Heian Jingu–>Gion can be very enjoyable. Also note that the 11th is already on the late side for cherry blossoms most years. They
>12th- Shrine hopping. I plan on picking a few and asking my wife and friend which they’d prefer to see. We are going to rent bikes and just ride from one to another. Do some shopping then head back to Tokyo. Check into hotel and just walk around for the renaming day/night.
Pick one general area and do it on foot or bicycle as much as possible. Don’t spend the whole day hopping on and off busses.
>How much should we pre load on the suica cards? Would $200-250 be enough PP?
Way too much unless you’re using them at convenience stores all the time and maybe also using them for the Shinkansen tickets (can you even do this?).
>For what I’ve wrote would a JR pass be needed? I’d really like to ride on the bullet train.
No. A 7 day pass might barely pay off if you use it for getting to or from the airport on one end, but even then it would be just barely paying off. If you just stick to Kanto (or if you change and fly in and out of Kansai), absolutely do not get one.
>Any good food places we should check out? I keep reading reviews on google but could be missing a lot. Would be awesome for a fluffy pancake recommendation too.
Food is so generally high quality in Japan that I do not recommend going out of your way to eat at specific restaurants. If there’s something that interests you really close to an area you’re in, then sure, go for it, but otherwise I would just look around for things that look appetizing. That said, I am a big fan of food-oriented markets like Kuromon Market in Osaka, Nishiki Market in Kyoto, and Ameya Yokocho in Tokyo.
>Should we get multiple pocket wifis? Can we pick this up in the airport so we can use google maps to get to the hotel? I always see people here saying the PW is delivered to hotel.
I recommend getting data SIMs. They might be slightly more expensive, but they allow you to stay in contact if you get separated and it’s one less thing to charge every evening and carry around with you. And yes, it is common to get them delivered to the hotel or the airport.
>Anyone know if this place allows Tattoos?
If it’s a public bath and it doesn’t explicitely say that tattoos are allowed, it’s safe to assume that they don’t allow tattoos.
>Does Yoyogi Park ever close? We will probably drunkenly explore (not acting a fool and being disrespectful) this every night since our hotel is less than a half mile away.
It is open 24 hours and if the piles of trash there every morning are any indication, drunken exploration is what the park is primarily used for.
>Edit: Can we leave our luggage in Tokyo anywhere and just take a backpack of stuff to Kyoto? How would we go about this?
There are numerous ways to go about this, but if the contents of your luggage are so unimportant that you can be without them for half the trip, why do you even need them?
Is this a first Japan trip for all three of you? I’d suggest choosing Tokyo and surrounding area OR Osaka/Kyoto and surrounding area. 8 days between the two is a bit much, from my experience. When I did the two regions over 14 days last year, I felt like I cut both areas short (luckily I’d been to Tokyo before, bit I still wanted more time there.)
I wouldn’t get a JR pass if you’re only visiting 3 cities. You’ll have a lot more flexibility and save $$ in getting onto any train and you can go on the shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto – very easy. No matter what food recommendations you receive, you will be inundated with choices in all three of these major cities. I would chose maybe one upscale restaurant in Tokyo but otherwise, go where there’s crowds. I’ve been to Japan 3x (from the US), I usually have 1 additional lunch or dinner meal each day because of the amount of selection. It will be very hard to say no to a bowl of ramen at 11pm on the way back to the hotel.
​
If I were you, I would perhaps break up your Tokyo nights and do half in beginning, half at end. I’d easily carve out two last nights in Tokyo so you can do some shopping and load up the luggage instead of having to carry it around the entire duration. FYI, Japan offers a huge tax free incentive for tourists, carry your passports with you for proof. If there is any big ticket items you’ve been considering, Tokyo will have it aplenty.
On day 7th, you shouldn’t stay late in Akihabara, maybe go to Asakusa in the evening, lots of great restaurants and Senso-ji is spectacular at night.
Day 9, Shinjuku is great, be sure to visit Kabukicho.
Dormy Inn chains do not allow tattoos. [Here are some spots in Kawasaki that do](https://tattoo-friendly.jp/advanced-search/?keyword=kawasaki&state=&location=&status=&type=&min-price=%C2%A50&max-price=%C2%A5100%2C000), and that site is good for finding sentos nearby, in case you want to stop in and your accommodation does not have a bath. First Cabin is owned by Dormy Inn, and while their signs in the bath area say no tattoos, I have found that is is never enforced because it is a much more foreigner-focused chain.
SIM rentals are typically the easiest bet for three folks. Less to have to carry around, better reception, you won’t have to have another device to charge, and you can be apart from one another without leaving someone in the lurch. If your phones are unlocked and you can follow simple directions, I’d definitely opt for three SIM rentals over one or two pocket wifi, and it is usually cheaper. If you’re staying in places with wifi, you really are using minimal data during the day (google maps, instagram, whatever). [CD Japan](https://rental.cdjapan.co.jp/index_en_jpy.html) has good rates and great service. You can pick up at post office in the airport and mail from there on the way out. They also have pocket wifi, too.
Overall, your trip looks great. I would just suggest *at least* one day where you all split up and do your own thing, especially if you are comfortable navigating on your own. It is nice to explore the area you are staying in, get food that looks good when you are hungry, go into shops and shrines and take your time and not feel pressure from others. And it is great to get together later in the day and share what you did! I think you would really love [Jindaiji](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRC0H30C6_A) ([and here is a newer video of more food from there](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbrw725kQxU) for your wife’s consideration), especially if you had more time in Tokyo (maybe next time! or if you end up changing your itinerary on this one). It is a great area to walk around and relax. There’s a nice paint your own ceramics shop and that sort of stuff, too. 🙂
What time do you arrive in Tokyo? Akihabara might be a good choice for the first day since you’re probably going to be tired from the flight and it will involve little walking.
When I went there I arrived in the morning after a flight as long as yours which meant we were really tired and since Akihabara was relatively close to the hotel we just spent the day there. If you’re staying in Shibuya you can just take the Yamanote line from there to Akihabara (shouldn’t take more than 20 mins)
If you don’t do that definitely don’t use more than half a day for Akihabara, and go to Asakusa and Ueno afterwards, I went there in winter so I can’t say for sure, but I imagine Ueno park during sakura season is quite the view.
I’d highly recommend getting an overnight bus between Tokyo and Kyoto, I did and it ensured I didn’t lose s day to travel. Also, if you get an early start, 2 days is enough to see most of Kyoto. I only did 1 and saw most of the hotspots and that included traveling in the train from Osaka where I stayed.
I wouldn’t recommend preloading a load of cash. Just do like ¥5k at a time cos the travel was generally cheap.
If I may ask, why are you going to the most touristy places and not any other places? The Shikoku islands, Tōhoku, Niigata / Nagano, Kyushu, far less crowded and more beautiful
If you are dead set on staying to the tourist cities, I would recommend staying in one of them for your short trip. It will give you more time to see more and enjoy more instead of it being very rushed and missing out on a lot
Not related to Japan.
Last time I went to Canada
via flight, they did not stamp my passport. You might want to double check before booking your flight.
Please delete if this is not appropriate
https://borderless.teamlab.art/ best experience I had in Tokyo!!!!! You have to go.
May I suggest teamlab borderless instead of planets? Much better. Go as soon as they open as it does get quite crowded (though not sure how it will be given the current times we are living in). As for your luggage, that’s no problem…major train stations, even small ones, have lockers and there are large lockers big enough for your big luggage. Make sure to keep the receipt or key to pick it up afterwards ( I accidentally threw away the receipt needed to open my locker, luckily I took a picture of the locker and the attendant was able to help me open it once I verified what was in it…all this before I had to take the train to haneda airport to check in for my flight).
Day 10 is kinda packed. Shinkansen to kyoto from Tokyo is roughly 3 hours…then you gotta check in, refresh, take another train to osaka, then trains to dotonbori area (namba ward)…it just seems very packed. Maybe stay in Kyoto that day and if you can dedicate day 12 to osaka? I did osaka kyoto and nara a day each first time I went.
Dang im literally going with friends on the same day! but we will be there 14 days. Hopefully travel is opened back up by then
$400 tickets?
I’m a lurker here because we were supposed to have our honeymoon in Japan but luckily covid hit right before I started planning. Managed to get married right before covid shut everything down though.
Oof , the travel burnout is gonna spoil the travel fun for you, bet. Make sure to give yourself plenty of time for recovery!!
If you DO decide to do Kyoto, I’ll leave my recs below. But in all honesty, I once spent 12 days in Tokyo alone and it was an absolute blast but also EXTREMELY exhausting. You might be better off focusing your energy on one city and then taking on the other major ones on a future trip. I truly believe you won’t enjoy yourself if you’re constantly pushing to move from one spot to the next.
If possible (and if you haven’t already been yet), add Sky Tree to your Tokyo itinerary. You can knock out three things in one go there–Sky Tree, Sensoji, and Asakusa. IMO, it’s worth going up Sky Tree at least once (but not a second time) but if you elect to pass on it, the Sky Tree shopping mall alone is pretty fun to explore. Then you can walk across the bridge and check out Sensoji + Asakusa. The Nakamise shopping street leading up to Sensoji is actual hell on earth though, be ready for crowds (if the travel bans are even lifted by next April.) I particularly enjoy the shopping arcades more and just stuffing my face from one food stall to the next.
I live in Kyoto right now–shrine hopping ain’t what it’s cut out to be. Fushimi is a definite must, but be prepared for the packed-like-sardines-crowd at the entrance of the senbon torii. I would stick to one or two shrines you wanna visit. Kinkaku-ji is a popular choice, followed by Kiyomizu-dera, but they’re both on the opposite sides of the city. My personal favorite is Jonangu shrine, which is a few stations south of Kyoto City (nearest station is Takeda on the Kintetsu line.) It boasts a small but impressive garden with cherry blossoms blooming in spring. Be careful though, the sakura peaked around late March this year in Kyoto.
If you wanna hash out shopping and food in one go, Shijo and Kawaramachi are major spots for both. Kawaramachi also runs parallel to the Kamo River, and it’s always refreshing to walk along it if you’re willing to make the short walk to it!
I don’t know if you are able to change your tickets at this point but I HIGHLY recommend flying into Osaka and out of Tokyo if possible, or vice versa. It gave us a lot of extra time in the cities to do this. I took a trip similar to what you are planning, last October. My advice is write all of the things you are considering doing on a chart. You won’t get through all of them because time goes by SO quickly but this will help you prioritize the “must sees”. Good luck and have fun. Appa hotels are your friends. They are cheap and conveniently located. You may want to choose hotels close to train stations.
For 8 days, I think you’ll really maximize your experience by foregoing Osaka and focusing on Tokyo and Kyoto. There’s always more in Kyoto than people think. It’s stunning. The people are wonderful. The art, shrines, and history are incredible. The castles. Allow some time to just explore both cities with no itinerary. That’s usually when the magic happens.
Pocket WiFi’s and pocket charges for everyone. A must. There is almost no public WiFi.
In no particular order, a couple recs:
Kuumba du falafel: the best falafel you will ever have. It’s a spiritual falafel experience. It’s really hard to find because it’s basically on a weird highway and there’s no sign but not too far of a walk from shibuya station. I sometimes daydream about this falafel.
Asakusa (Tokyo) is amazing and has some of the best okanamiyaki and yakisoba in town.
Hit up harajuku for crepes, and Meiji jingu temple.
I know what I said about day trips, but if you do one, consider Hakone. It’s a gorgeous town with tons of ryokan and Onsen. Not sure about the tattoos as last time I went I didn’t have any.
If you are a fan of ghibli, the museum is amazing. A bit of a hike from Tokyo but so worth it. Gotta get tickets WELL in advance though, trust me.
There are sweets everywhere and they are all *chefs kiss*. I’m not overly fond of sugar, and Japanese baked goods are so, so good.
If you find an onsen that accepts tatts, mind updating? It’s never been an issue for me before, but next time I travel there will be my first time there with ink.
Hmm. On the museum. I mean, I enjoyed it thoroughly and at the time I went I can’t remember how much Japanese I spoke. But I DID go with a Japanese friend, so this may have influenced the experience.
Reading your interests, I’d definitely consider cutting Tokyo and just going to Kyoto/Osaka instead.
Tokyo has tall structures you can go up for a view though I’m not sure about a restaurant in one.
We got Japanese SIM cards for our phones. Unlimited data throughout the stay. Dotonbori looks better than it is in reality. The JR rail pass is great. You don’t need green car and don’t need to reserve seats. The reserved carriages are busier than the regular. Tokyo and Kyoto are a solid 10 and Osaka is in my opinion a 7.
For Kyoto, I highly recommend Teppan Tavern Tenamonya. It’s not too expensive, but we had our best meal there, including Waygu Beef. It’s incredibly delicious and the place is run by this charming chef who is cooking everything at the bar. My friend and I got a seat at the bar and got to see how he made all these dishes super up close. It was awesome.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g298564-d3884813-Reviews-Teppan_Tavern_Gion_Tenamonya-Kyoto_Kyoto_Prefecture_Kinki.html
In $US, JR Pass is $278 and round trip Shinkansen Tokyo-Kyoto is $259. Add in any side trip to Osaka or elsewhere, or Yamamoto loop in Tokyo or to/from Haneda, I think you’d find the pass worthwhile for convenience.
It’s easy to load the Suica at any station, so no need to put a lot on it at the start,
If neither your wife nor friend want to go to Fushimi Inari, you can likely hike to the top and back in a couple of hours. Going very early or in the evening will have fewer crowds, and the higher you go the fewer the people on the trail. Get a guidebook and make a list of shrines and temples that appeal, then locate them on a map to decide what makes sense. There are special bus routes in Kyoto that cover many of the major ones.
In your shoes I’d cut the friend loose to do his thing, and just meet up for dinner. If he gets satiated he can join you later in the week for other activities.
Pocket Wifi vs SIM is a personal preference. I used the pocket wifi myself as I have T-Mobile and don’t need a SIM for texts.
Food choices are unlimited in both Tokyo and Kyoto. Do some research on what you like. Tabelog is a reliable rating site.
For views of Tokyo it’s hard to beat the Metro government building, which is free. The others charge a fair bit. If you want a sit down meal with a view, the Conrad and Park Hyatt hotels have restaurants/bars on the top floors.
April 11th is Sunday and I would be very very careful about vising one of the most popular tourist destinations in the whole Japan on a weekend.
It’s crazy packed on Friday afternoon and on Saturday. I don’t expect Sunday to be any different. Personally, I would recommend
Personally I always recommend going on a weekday and in the evening. I understand you want to climb it but you can still do that in the evening and imo, it’s much cooler. It’s definitely no a day trip anyway.
—-
Since you are not interested in Akihabara much, I second going to Asakusa. Sensho-ji is awesome (though again, great in the evening with less people there). The stalls are just tourist traps anyway. The Kitchen-ware street is close by and can be great source of practical souvenirs. Or go to the Edo-Tokyo museum.
Can I ask how you got 400$ tickets? I’m still seeing 1000$ round trips from canada. Also, do you have a cancellation warranty?
I personally think it’s worth spending time in one place rather than fitting in as much as possible in a week. I spent two weeks in Tokyo and enjoyed really getting to explore the different districts of the city. Each district has it’s own personality, and I think I would have missed that if I was only there for 3 days
Sorry for the wall of text 😀
​
First the obligatory: 8 days will be quite tight to see both Tokyo and Kyoto (and Osaka). It’s still very well doable, but do accept that it means you’ll only get a surface scratch & will be quite busy. That said, my first trip to Japan was very similar (10 days spent in Osaka, Kyoto & Tokyo), so one could say it’s kind of a ritual for first-timers 😀
​
Comments by day:
​
6th: have you three considered what type of hotel you want, and do you want relaxing or busy area of the city? For example, on separate trips me and my friend absolutely loathed a hotel in Shinjuku, since it’s a business / night-time area and thus pretty noisy. Neither of us is a big fan of night-life, so we’ve both since preferred areas like Asakusa, Ikebukuro (still has night-life, but less “loud”) and Nezu.
​
Definitely a good idea to not make solid plans for the first day. Jetlag can be a b*tch, and it’s usually the first day that defines how quickly it’ll pass. Learned that the hard way myself on my first trip to Japan.
​
If a bar is okay, I personally love the bar at the top of Park Hyatt Tokyo in Shinjuku (admittedly, might be a bit too far from your location). It’s a bit of a cliche due to Lost in Translation, but it’s still a nice bar with gorgeous views, and your traveling companions might recognize it from the film?
​
7th: Reserving a day for Akihabara is fine, IMO. If you feel like you could do something else too, there are places relatively close that are easy to check out (Asakusa & Senso-Ji, Sky Tree, Ueno, Ginza).
​
8th: Both are nice places. Do take note though, that they’re not really very close to each other, so you’ll have to consider traveling times etc. Maybe this would be easier to combine with locations around Shinjuku / Shibuya?
​
​
7th: Reserving a day for Akihabara is fine, IMO. If you feel like you could do something else too, there are places relatively close that are easy to check out (Asakusa & Senso-Ji, Sky Tree, Ueno, Ginza).
​
9th: Ghibli Museum? Odaiba (which would be easiest to do at the same day as Teamlab Planets though)? Yoyogi Park & Meiji Jingu? Spa experience (for example Shinuku has several nice, large ones. Odaiba has Oedo Onsen Monogatari, Tokyo Dome City has Spa LaQua. These are modern spa complexes which offer a modern, all-inclusive experience)
​
10th: if you’re looking for night life, Osaka generally beats Kyoto hands down 😀 That said, do check whether there are any night illuminations in Kyoto this day. Those can be gorgeous and an unforgettable experience.
​
11th & 12th: nothing particular to comment here. Sounds good to me 🙂
​
12th: depending on which airport & which train station you’re leaving from, you could consider dropping your luggage at the train station in the morning until you leave for airport. If your hotel is nearby the train station in question, you may also be able to leave the luggage there.
​
​
General comments:
​
Suica: these are easy to reload at train stations. I generally don’t bother loading more than about Y5000 at a time.
​
JR Pass: return tickets from Tokyo to Kyoto should cost about the same as JR Passes. So considering the ease they offer for use of other JR trains (like Tokyo’s Yamanote Line), they’re probably just about worth it.
​
Pocket wifi is great if you’re mostly traveling as a group. If you’re planning to explore by yourselves a lot, prepaid data SIMs might be handier. Most people I know order theirs for a pickup (and drop-off) at airports. Personally I’ve usually used prepaid data SIMs and bought those from stores like Bic Camera or Yodobashi. In this case you should be aware of what type of SIM you have, and know that you’ll need a wifi to activate the SIM.
​
Luggage: if you’re using the same hotel at the both times in Tokyo, you can probably leave your luggage there while you’re in Kyoto. This would probably be the easiest option. If you have two different hotels, you might want to inquire the second hotel whether you can leave your luggage there to wait for your return and schlep it there before leaving for Kyoto. Some train stations & luggage services will also offer luggage storage for a few days.
​
Edit3: I would actually personally go for this option: stay at Tokyo area with an overnight trip or a couple daytrips. You’d save the cost of JR Pass too. Easy & nice daytrips include Kamakura, Yokohama & Nikko. An overnight in Hakone is also a great option, and there are several tattoo-friendly onsens & ryokans there. If you like (easy-ish) hiking, I personally loved Ito Peninsula (especially K’s House Ito Onsen, which is a hostel located in a gorgeous historical wood building).