My friends and I are going to Japan this winter, during our winter break–fortunately or unfortunately, it’s right in the middle of the holidays, but it’s the only time that works for us. We’ll be there from December 29th, 2023 through January 9th, 2024. Other than our flight tickets, we haven’t booked anything yet, which is one of the reasons I’m posting–advice about where to stay and when to book **hostels** would be much appreciated. We’re trying to keep costs down, but we’re also willing to splurge here and there for a significantly better experience.
* Tokyo – 6 days
Friday the 29th: We land at NRT airport at 5:30 pm. We’ll take a bus or train to wherever our hostel ends up being (hopefully **Shinjuku** or **Shibuya**). Places we’re looking at at the moment include UNPLAN Shinjuku, Tokyo House Inn, Imano Tokyo Hostel, Wise Owl Hostel, and Guesthouse Tokyo Azabu. Dinner will be something small from a convenience store.
Saturday the 30th: We’ll spend the morning at the Meiji Jingu and the surrounding area, and the afternoon and evening wandering around Shibuya and Harajuku,
Sunday the 31st: We’re planning to spend the day taking transport out to and hiking Mount Takao. We’d like to get a reservation at a decent restaurant, although I know that may be difficult.
Monday the 1st: We’ll try to visit a shrine in the morning, and visit the Metropolitan Government Building in the afternoon for sightseeing.
Tuesday the 2nd: A visit to the Tokyo National Museum and the Ueno zoo
Wednesday the 3rd: A free day–maybe we’ll visit Tokyo Tower or the imperial palace, or revisit another place that we enjoyed a lot. In the evening, we’ll take an overnight bus to **Kyoto**.
* Kyoto – 4 1/2 days
Thursday the 4th: Gion. In the evening, we’re thinking of booking a one-night stay in a non-budget ryokan, for roughly $200 per person. If there are particular ryokan I should be looking at or staying away from, I’d love to hear it!
Friday the 5th: We’ll spend the day in Nara. I’d love to see the deer park, if the deer are still out and about at this time of year.
Saturday the 6th: Kinkaku-ji in the morning, Arashiyama/snow monkey park in the afternoon.
Sunday the 7th: In the morning, we’ll go to the Fushimi sake district, and spend the afternoon either there or at the Kyoto Railway Museum.
Monday the 8th: We’ll see the Kyoto Imperial Palace in the morning, then take the bullet train back to Tokyo.
* Tokyo – 1 1/2 days
Monday the 8th: After returning from Kyoto, we’ll see teamLab Planets in the late afternoon.
Tuesday the 9th: Our flight leaves in the evening, so we’ve left the day free for us to do whatever we feel like.
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Let me know what y’all think! Anything that should be on there that isn’t, or that is on there that shouldn’t be? In particular, some recommendations for good hostels in Tokyo/Kyoto and a ryokan in Kyoto would be great. Additionally, I am vegetarian–is there anything in particular that I should know about a Japan trip with regards to that?
2 comments
Nara 0.5 days and Himeji 0.5 days
Both are about 45 minutes range from Kyoto via Shinkansen or Limited Express.
Go to Osaka – close enough to Kyoto