Thank you so much to the comments I’ve received on prior posts, I’ve taken them on board and adapted my itinerary again.
I am looking to go in Mid November to early December. Going as a small group and we love anime, gaming, history, good food etc.
I would appreciate any feedback on key things we have missed/better way to organise/if the schedule looks too tight. Thanks in advance!
Day 1:
Northern Tokyo (first day = chilled)
Asakusa (3 hours: 10am – 1PM):
Kaminarimon Gate
Sensoji Temple,
Temple Grounds,
Nakamise Shopping Street,
Sumida Park
Melon Pan in Asakusa Kagetsudo
Ueno Park + Tokyo National Museum (2.30PM – 5PM)
Akhibara (5PM – 8PM):
SEGA Akhibara (Open till 11.30PM)
Day 2:
Western Tokyo
9.00am – 12.00PM:
Jingu Gaien Ginkgo Avenue (0.5 hour)
Shinjuku National Gyoen Park – Map (1.5 hour)
Meiji Shrine (1 hour – not open on Thursdays)
Shopping Streets: 1.30PM – 6.00PM:
Takeshita Street – Harajuku (2 hours)
Shibuya (2 hours) – Shibuya Sky *Buy tickets for sunset*, Shibuya scramble crossing
Shinjuku (4 hours: 7:00PM – 11:00PM):
Memory Lane
Godzilla
Kabukicho Tower
Day 3:
Nikko 7am departure:
Travel from Asakusa –> Tobu Nikko
Shinkyo Bridge (15 min walk)
Toshogu Shrine + Gardens (15 min walk)
Ryuzu Falls (20 min bus)
Lake Chuzenji Cruise (55 minutes, 1250 yen – get a 20 min bus to here)
Bus to Kegon Falls and get the elevator (this is the bus to Nikko Station)
Bus to Nikko Station for 40 minutes
Nikko Town then back to Tokyo via train
Return latest 7pm so back by 9pm
Day 4:
Disney Sea
Day 5:
Lake Kawaguchi 7am departure:
Get sightseeing bus pass – Kawaguchiko Sightseeing Bus (1500 yen)
Kachi Kachi Ropeway/Tenjoyama Park (20 min bus)
Arakurayama Sengen Park/Chureito Pagoda (20 min bus)
Oishi Park (20 min bus) – lakeside views of Mount Fuji
Fuji Kawaguchiko Autumn Leaves Festival (20 min bus)
Day 6:
Kamakura 9am depature:
Travel to Kamakura St. then Take Enoden Rail to Hase Station
Diabatsu Great Buddha of Kamakura – Kotoku-in Temple (7m walk)
Hasedera Temple (5m walk)
Take Enoden Rail back to Kamakura
Komachi-dori Street (lunch)
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu (if time – 10m walk back to St)
Kamakura St –> Enoshima island (via Enoden train)
Enoshima Benzaiten Nakamise-dori Street
Sunset at Enoshima Sea Candle
Dinner at Yokohama
Continue to Kyoto
Day 7:
Kyoto day 1: Arashiyama and Northern Kyoto
Arashiyama
– Sagano train 9.30am from Kameoka Torokko (walkable from Umahori)
– Okochi-sanso villa near groves
– Bamboo Groves
– Tenryuji temple
– Togetsukyo Bridge
– Monkey Park” “Northern Kyoto
– Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) £10 taxi
– Halal Kaieski
Day 8:
Kyoto Day 2: Eastern Kyoto
Kimono Wearing Experience
Kiyomizu-dera (Wooden platform) Temple Higashiyama District
Gion, Kyoto’s historic geisha district
Wander along Hanami-Koji Street and keep an eye out for geisha
Pontocho Alley
Look at Samurai/Tea experiences
Day 9:
Kyoto Day 3
Fushimi Inari Taisha
Tofukuji Temple (15 min walk/PT)
Nijo Castle
Consider going back to Gion
Afternoon tea Geisha
Travel to Osaka
Day 10:
Osaka
Umeda Sky Building
Osaka Castle + observation deck
Shitennoji Temple
Abeno Harukas (obeservation deck)
Namba – Tombori river cruise (book tix early)
Dotonburi:
Shinsaibashi shopping arcade
Don Quixote’s unique Ferris wheel
Day 11:
Hiroshima/Himeji 7am –> 8.30am (Umeda –> Himeji Castle)
8:30am 11:00am : Himeji Castle
11:00am –> 12PM (Himeji –> Hiroshima)
1PM – 5PM:
Peace Memorial Park
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
Atomic Bomb Dome
[Hiroshima Castle]
Shukkei-en Garden 5PM – 6PM:
Dinner @ Hiroshima
7PM –> 9PM (Hiroshima –> Osaka)”
Day 12:
Universal studios
Day 13:
Nara
Umeda –> Kintetsu-Nara Station (9am –> 10am)
Kofukuji Temple Hall – Central and Eastern Golden Halls (40 minutes)
Nandaimon Gate + Todaji Temple Hall (1 hour)
Nara Park (1.5h)
Nigatsudo hall (30m)
Kasuga Taisha Shrine (60m)” Back to Tokyo
Day 14:
Tokyo Day 3
11am – 1PM:
Free time
2PM – 5PM:
Odaiba See Gundam
Teamlab
7PM – 8PM:
Roppongi Hills
Day 15:
Tokyo Day 4
10am – 2PM:
Shinjuku/Harajuku? (TBC – Free Time)
3.30PM – 5.30PM:
Rikugien garden (1 hour) – Can store things in lockers
Back to hotel, night flight
3 comments
Haven’t seen the prior posts, but as someone from the US, the time difference makes it very easy to wake up early in the day, but jet lag starts to make me super sleepy between 4 and 6 PM.
Maybe you’re from a different time zone, but ending days late in the evening early on in your trip could be more difficult due to jet lag.
Just so you know, SEGA Akihabara has changed names/owners and is now “GIGO”. Still an arcade with fun games though.
You might actually be tired enough after Ueno to want to skip that one tbh. There is also an Arcade in Ueno “Taito Station Ameyoko”, might have a few less games but still fun and it might save you taking the train. (Of course if you want to see Akihabara anyways, then go ahead).
Tokyo rush hour is from ~8-9 AM, some trains are already packed at 7. Evening it’s around 5 PM. You can still take the trains at these times but it’s not going to be comfortable. Just so you know for your planning.
Day 10: Two observation decks in one day? Like, not judging if you like that but seeing the city from above might get old after an hour.
Day 15: Rikugien garden seems a bit out of the way. Is it close to your hotel. An alternative would be Shinjuku Goyen since you already wrote Shinjuku as possibility.
Do you have any time for gift/snack/souvenir shopping during the last days?
Dont forget the Mario go karts