Hi there, I’ll be travelling solo to Japan during the end of September till the beginning of October. This is my first time travelling to a foreign country so I really don’t know what to expect and I was hoping to get some feedback for my itinerary. Right now this is my draft for the trip:
Day 0:
Land at Haneda International Airport around 11pm, will stay the night at the airport by booking a capsule hotel called First Cabin.
Day 1 Tokyo (Shibuya) :
Depart to Shibuya Station -> Yogoyi Park -> Meiji Jingu -> Shibuya Crossing – > Shibuya Sky
Day 2 Tokyo (Shinjuku) :
Shinjuku Goyen National Garden -> Kabukicho -> Golden Gai
Day 3 Tokyo (Random places) :
Sensoji, Nakamise-dori, Akihabara, Ginza, Tokyo Tower
Day 4 Kawaguchiko (1 day trip):
Depart from Tokyo to Kawaguchiko -> Mt Fuji Panoramic Ropeway, Lake Kawaguchiko, Chureito Pagoda -> Return to Tokyo
Day 5 Hakone:
Depart from Tokyo to Hakone (Activate 7day JR Rail pass) -> Lake Ashi, Hakone Shrine, Narukawa Art Museum
Day 6 Hakone to Kyoto:
Depart from Hakone to Kyoto -> Gion, Nazenji Temple, Nishiki Market, Yasaka Shrine, Pontocho
Day 7 Kyoto
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove + Monkey Park, Tenryuji Temple, Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kiyomizu-Dera
Day 8 Kyoto to Nara to Osaka
Depart from Kyoto to Nara -> Nara Park, Todaiji. Follow up by departing form Nara to Osaka -> Dotonbori
Day 9 Osaka to Himeji (1/2 day trip)
Depart from Osaka to Himeji -> Himeji Castle. Follow up by return to Osaka -> Kaiyukan Aquarium and Shinsekai.
Day 10 Osaka to Tokyo
Osaka Castle -> Depart to Tokyo -> Harajuku + Yokohama
Day 11 Tokyo
teamLAB Planets Tokyo + free and easy, depart to airport at 6pm to catch 10pm flight
So here’s my draft itinerary above. I noticed some of the days can be rushed especially day 3 Tokyo and day 7 Kyoto etc. So any input on how to streamline my itinerary such as trimming down some places or adding some must go places would be welcomed!
2 comments
For day 3 i think it can depend on what you plan to buy. Akihabara can easily take up half a day if not the entire day. So maybe move to to its own day or something.
For Tokyo tower i would recommend binoculars or a monocular. I brought one for my second visit and it was really neat seeing everything with my own ocular device. They do have viewing devices, but they are few and far between with a ton of people possibly using them.
Day 7 might be a little iffy. The trip i had was also packed on the Fushimi Inari day we had planned and it was at the end of a laundry list of 6-7 other things, but we had . We got there by 8pm, it was empty but also kinda creepy. They had warning signs of local monkeys that can attack. Some of the trains are also slower and not like the big city ones if that makes sense, waited maybe 10-15 minutes for one in Kyoto.
I read an account on one of the japan subreddits about Golden Gai, basically someone claiming they got beat up after trying to warn someone about the touts around that area. There will be people trying to get you to go to their shop or bar, its best to ignore them and mind your own business.
Take care of your feet, if you aren’t used to walking good shoes will be good here. Use bandages to protect blisters and to prevent them from forming. Moleskin is nice here too.
I bought Salonpas, Bandages, and Ibuprofen for this.
Just check that the JR pass will work for you, have you used the calculator to see if your trips pay off the cost of the pass? You have some busy days, Arishiyama bamboo forest and Inari are on opposite sides of Kyoto. Not impossible to do but also be aware of any luggage you may have as you’re doing such short trips everywhere.
Not the rule but at least during my 3 weeks here I’ve noticed hotels ask for a check out at 11am and a check in at or after 3 however they hold on to your bags if you arrive earlier. That said if you’re going to Airbnbs or some of the smaller hotels then that might not be possible.