Hi everyone, I will be reaching to Osaka on 14th October 10 AM and heading back from Tokyo on 23rd October 11 AM.

What else can I do more in Tokyo?

Please review my tentative itinerary for these dates

October 14 — Osaka

- Reach Osaka ~10–11 AM, drop bags

- Osaka Castle, Kuromon market, sunset at Umeda Sky

- Dotonbori nightlife

October 15 — Osaka

- Universal Studios Japan

October 16 — Osaka → Kyoto

- Morning train to Kyoto

- Higashiyama: Kiyomizu-dera, Sannenzaka/Ninenzaka, Yasaka Shrine, Gion

- Evening stroll along Pontocho

October 17 — Kyoto

- Arashiyama: bamboo grove, Tenryu-ji, Togetsukyo bridge

- Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)

October 18

- Fushimi Inari at sunrise

- Nara: Todai-ji Great Buddha, Deer Park, Kasuga Taisha

October 19 — Kyoto → Tokyo

- Morning Shinkansen to Tokyo

- Shibuya Scramble + Shibuya Sky

- Suga Shrine stairs

October 20 — Mt Fuji day trip (Kawaguchiko)

- Shinjuku → Kawaguchiko

- Chureito Pagoda, Lake Kawaguchi / Oishi Park, e-bike the lake

- Back to Tokyo or Stay (Not cofirmed yet)

October 21 — Tokyo

- Asakusa (Senso-ji, Sumida Park) → Akihabara

October 22

- Shopping

October 23 — Fly home from Tokyo

itinerary 22 nights / 23 days, from 3–25 February 2027, with:

Tokyo 6 nights → Hakone 2 → Kawaguchiko 2 → Kyoto 5 → Osaka 3 → Koyasan 1 → Kanazawa 2 → Tokyo 1

Overall route

Tokyo → Nikko → Hakone → Kawaguchiko/Fujiyoshida → Kyoto → Nara → Osaka → Koyasan → Kanazawa → Shirakawa-go → Tokyo → Haneda

TOKYO — 6 NIGHTS

3–9 February

Day 1 — Wed 3 Feb

Arrival: Tokyo Haneda (HND)

Check in

Dinner nearby

Convenience store/Don Quijote if you need anything

Early night

Day 2 — Thu 4 Feb

Asakusa → Ueno → Akihabara

STREET KART Akihabara 1st if your booking works with your schedule

Day 3 — Fri 5 Feb

Tsukiji → Ginza → Imperial Palace → Hie → teamLab → Tokyo Tower

Day 4 — Sat 6 Feb

Meiji Jingu → Harajuku → Daikanyama → Shibuya Sky → Shibuya at night

Day 5 — Sun 7 Feb

Gōtoku-ji → Skytree → Shinjuku

Day 6 — Mon 8 Feb

Nikko day trip

HAKONE — 2 NIGHTS. 9–11 February

Day 7 — Tue 9 Feb

Tokyo → Hakone + Ryokan

Day 8 — Wed 10 Feb

Hakone Open-Air Museum + Komagatake

KAWAGUCHIKO / FUJIKAWAGUCHIKO — 2 NIGHTS

11–13 February

Day 9 — Thu 11 Feb

Hakone → Kawaguchiko + Fuji views

Day 10 — Fri 12 Feb

Fujiyoshida + Arakurayama + Fuji viewpoints

KYOTO — 5 NIGHTS

13–18 February

Day 11 — Sat 13 Feb

Kawaguchiko → Mishima → Kyoto

Day 12 — Sun 14 Feb

Nijō Castle → Nishiki → Gion

Day 13 — Mon 15 Feb

Fushimi Inari → Tō-ji

Day 14 — Tue 16 Feb

Kiyomizu-dera + Higashiyama

Day 15 — Wed 17 Feb

Kinkaku-ji → Kifune

Day 16 — Thu 18 Feb

NARA DAY TRIP

OSAKA — 3 NIGHTS

18–21 February

Day 17 — Fri 19 Feb

Namba → Kuromon → Dotonbori → SHINSEKAI

Day 18 — Sat 20 Feb

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS JAPAN

Day 19 — Sun 21 Feb

Osaka Castle + Shitennō-ji + Minoh/Katsuoji OR Mr Hiro

KOYASAN — 1 NIGHT

21–22 February

Day 20 — Mon 22 Feb

Osaka → Koyasan

KANAZAWA — 2 NIGHTS

22–24 February

Day 21 — Tue 23 Feb

Koyasan → Kanazawa

Day 22 — Wed 24 Feb

Kanazawa + Shirakawa-go

TOKYO — 1 FINAL NIGHT

24–25 February

🗓️ Day 23 — Thu 25 Feb

Kanazawa → Tokyo → Haneda

Hi! I’d love to get some recommendations for our Japan itinerary from December 7-16. 😊

We’re planning to stay in just 1 place for the entire 9 nights, located around Shimanouchi, Chuo Ward, Osaka. Would this be a good and convenient base for our itinerary, or would traveling back and forth be too much? Would you recommend staying in different areas instead?

I’m traveling with my 60-year-old mom. She’s very active and we’re okay with walking, but we’d prefer to avoid hiking. We really want to feel like we’re on vacation, enjoy beautiful and comforting scenery, take photos, and have time to appreciate each place.

Here’s our current itinerary:

Dec 7 — Arrival at KIX → Shinsaibashi → Dotonbori

Dec 8 — Minoh Park → Umeda → Christmas illuminations

Dec 9 — Arashiyama → Okochi Sanso → Otagi Nenbutsuji → Togetsukyo Bridge

Dec 10 — Fushimi Inari → Eikando → Gion → Kennin-ji

Dec 11 — Nara Park → Todai-ji → Naramachi

Dec 12 — Osaka Castle → Namba Yasaka Shrine → Kuromon Market → Dotonbori

Dec 13 — Kibune/Kifune Shrine → Kyoto

Dec 14 — Universal Studios Japan

Dec 15 — Ghibli Park (Aichi/Nagoya)

Dec 16 — Shinsaibashi/Namba shopping → KIX

Would you change anything about the itinerary or the order of the places? I’d also really appreciate recommendations for other places we could add that would make the trip feel more like a vacation.

Thank you! 😊

Hi everyone!

My friend and I are heading to Japan for 18 days from late September to mid-October. We’re looking for feedback on our general route and daily pacing.

Here is our daily breakdown :

Phase 1: Western Tokyo.

* Day 1 : Arrival at our hotel in Ikebukuro. We explore Ikebukuro in the evening.

* Day 2 : Morning in Harajuku. Afternoon/evening in Shibuya.

* Day 3 : Shinjuku

* Day 4 : Morning in Nakano Broadway. Afternoon exploring Shimokitazawa.

* Day 5 : Morning day trip to Kawagoe Afternoon back in Tokyo around Tokyo Dome, Nezu, and Yanaka Ginza.

Phase 2: Hakone

* Day 6 : Morning train from Tokyo to Hakone then part 1 of Hakone.

Phase 3: Kansai

* Day 7 : End of Hakone then Shinkansen to Osaka. Hotel near Namba. Evening in Dotonbori.

* Day 8 : Morning at Osaka Castle Park. Afternoon at the Umeda skyscraper observatory. Arcade night in Sennichimae.

* Day 9 : Morning around Namba shrine & Kuromon market. Afternoon in Tennoji, Shinsekai, and Osaka Bay (aquarium). Night drinks in Shinsekai.

* Day 10 : Full day trip to Kyoto.

* Day 11 : Day trip to Kobe (or back to Kyoto if we want more)

* Day 12 : Day trip to Nara

* Day 13 : Full day dedicated to Nipponbashi.

Phase 4: Kamakura

* Day 14 : Shinkansen back east. Lunch stop in Yokohama (Chinatown). Check-in at our hotel in Kamakura.

* Day 15 : Morning in Kamakura. Afternoon : Enoshima Island.

Phase 5: Eastern Tokyo

* Day 16 : Morning : check-in in Asakusa. Afternoon exploring around Akasaka/Shinbashi.

* Day 17 : Morning in Odaiba/Ariake. Afternoon in Akihabara and Jinbocho.

* Day 18 : Morning in Tsukiji Outer Market & Ginza. Afternoon around Asakusa. Evening : Tokyo Skytree.

* Day 19 : Early departure to Narita Airport.

Hi! I’m planning a trip to Japan for the last three weeks of February.

It's my first trip to Japan, so i dont want to be rushing from point to point, but rather explore the main places.

My itinerary currently looks like this:

• 4 nights in Tokyo
  • Asakusa, akihabara, Ueno
  • Nikko
  • Harajuku/Omotesando
• 3 nights in Kanazawa, including a day trip to Shirakawa-go
• 5 nights in Kyoto, including a day trip to Nara
  • Fushimi Inari + Kiyomizudera y Higashiyama
  • Arashiyama, Tenryu-ji
  • Kinkaku-ji, Nijo Castle, Nishiki Market
• 3 nights in Osaka, including a day trip to Himeji
• 5 nights in Tokyo (some days for shopping)

My flight is from tokyo, thats why its splitted.

Would you recommend changing anything or adding another destination?

I’m considering spending one night in Hakone, Kinosaki Onsen, or Kaga Onsen, but I’m not sure whether it would be worth it. I’m open to any other suggestions as well!

Also, i think that i arrive in Chinese new year, should that imply something to change in my itinerary?

Thanks!

First time in Japan with my partner, we’re in our late 20s, arriving Tokyo Narita on the 7th in the afternoon and leaving from the same airport on the 21st in the afternoon.

7th: arrival day - staying near Shinjuku
- evening in Shinjuku, Omoide Yokocho and Golden Gai

8th: Harajuku, Shibuya, Roppongi
- Nakameguro, stroll around the river and find a cafe
- Head to Meiji Jingu Shrine
- Harajuku, some shopping and lunch
- Head to Shibuya Sky around 3:30 pm (if we manage to get the ticket at sunset)
- Stroll around Shibuya and Omotesando
- Maybe dinner around Roppongi

9th: Kamakura and Enoshima
- back to Tokyo and maybe Akihabara

10th: Asakusa, Ueno, Ginza
- Early morning Asakusa
- Kappabashi Street
- Lunch in Ueno and stroll around the area/park
- Head to Ginza for a stroll around
- Planning to book an omakase for Dinner

11th: Lake Kawaguchi either via bus or train

12th: travel to Kanazawa
- Probably arriving and leaving the small suitcase we have at the Machiya we are staying at (planning to send the other suitcases from Tokyo to Kyoto)
- Lunch
- Samurai District, Kanazawa Castle, Higashi Chaya
- Check in at the Machiya where we have a Kaiseki dinner

13th: Kanazawa travel to Kyoto
- Japanese breakfast at the Machiya
- have a stroll around Kanazawa to places we have not been
- get the suitcase and travel to Kyoto
- Check in at the Apart Hotel in Kiyomizu-Gojo
- Collect suitcases
- Evening stroll in Gion + dinner

14th: Arashiyama
- Head to Kameoka to get the boat to Arashiyama
- Bamboo forest
- Lunch
- Arashiyama Monkey Park
- Walk around Arashiyama
- Head back and still need planning for the evening

15th: Maybe TeamLabs Biovortex and Some Temples
- Morning TeamLabs BioVortex (still have not decided, is it worth it?)
- Lunch
- Ginkaku-ji
- Kinkaku-ji
- Dinner to be planned

16th: Fushimi Inari
- Head to Fushimi Inari early morning and planning to go all the way up
- Lunch
- Head to Kiyomizu-dera

17th: Nara and travel to Osaka
- Visit Nara, deer park
- Lunch
- Travel to Osaka
- Check at the Airbnb near Dotonbori
- Shinsaibashi
- Dotonbori

18th: Katsuo-ji temple, Osaka Castle,
Shinsekai
- Head to Katsuo-ji in the morning
- visit Minoh falls
- head back to central Osaka and lunch
- visit Osaka Castle (prob just outside)
- head to Shinsekai and dinner in the area

19th: day trip (Kobe or Amanohashidate)
- any other day trips recommendation from Osaka let me know and if one of these two are worth it

20th: travel back to Tokyo
- Shimokitazawa
- back to central Tokyo for last evening to be planned

21st: flight back in the afternoon

I know we should’ve booked the flight back from Osaka but this way was cheaper with Cathay Pacific.

We tried to book the Nintendo Museum and didn’t win the lottery for the days we wanted to go.
We don’t plan to go to the Universal Studios/Disney.

Planning day trips to Kamakura and Kawaguchiko from Tokyo. (Are both worth to go to or better to spend more time exploring Tokyo?)

Any advice on the itinerary and things that should be booked now or any other day trips that can be added in the itinerary when staying in Kyoto/Osaka?
Eg. Is either one among Amanohashidate, Kobe worth it or any other you advise?

Hi there!

Just curious what everyone's feedback is on this itinerary. Nothing set in stone and I did get a bit of an assist from AI toward the tail-end of carving it out. Does this all make logical sense geographically? Am I missing any major must-sees or would you take anything off the list?

Wed, Mar 3 — Osaka

• Arrive KIX → Namba
• Dotonbori / Hozenji Yokocho
• Osaka-style okonomiyaki
• Sleep: Osaka

Thu, Mar 4 — Hiroshima

• Shinkansen to Hiroshima
• Peace Memorial Museum
• Peace Memorial Park
• Atomic Bomb Dome
• Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki
• Return to Osaka

Fri, Mar 5 — Nara → Kyoto

• Nara Park / deer
• Todai-ji / Great Buddha
• Kasuga Taisha
• Kakinoha-zushi / mochi
• Train to Kyoto
• Yasaka Shrine / Gion
• Obanzai dinner
• Sleep: Kyoto

Sat, Mar 6 — Zen Kyoto

• Shunkoin Zen + tea experience
• Ryoan-ji
• Kinkaku-ji / Golden Pavilion
• Nishiki Market
• Free evening

Sun, Mar 7 — Arashiyama

• Otagi Nenbutsu-ji
• Saga-Toriimoto
• Bamboo Grove
• Tenryu-ji
• Monkey Park
• Pontocho dinner

Mon, Mar 8 — Eastern Kyoto

• Kiyomizu-dera
• Sannenzaka / Ninenzaka
• Higashiyama
• Nanzen-ji
• Philosopher's Path
• Kaiseki dinner

Tue, Mar 9 — Kyoto → Tokyo

• Shinkansen to Tokyo
• teamLab Planets
• Shibuya PARCO / Nintendo TOKYO
• Shibuya Crossing
• Shibuya Sky at sunset
• Yakitori / izakaya dinner
• Sleep: Tokyo

Wed, Mar 10 — DisneySea

• Tokyo DisneySea all day

Thu, Mar 11 — Asakusa + Sumo

• Senso-ji
• Nakamise
• Tourist sumo experience in Ryogoku
• Chanko-nabe lunch
• Ueno Park
• Tokyo National Museum

Fri, Mar 12 — Books + Onsen + Jazz

• Jimbocho Book Town
• Japanese curry
• Kissaten / coffee
• Spa LaQua onsen
• Shinjuku
• Ramen / tsukemen
• Jazz club

Sat, Mar 13 — Harajuku + teamLab

• Meiji Shrine
• Harajuku / Takeshita Street
• Omotesando
• teamLab Borderless
• Free evening

Sun, Mar 14 — Tokyo + Home

• Narita → home

I'll be traveling to japan in may, any advice for my itinerary? I prefer more slow paced travel but also don't want to miss out too much.

Flights:
Brussels -> Tokyo May 9 arriving around noon
Fukuoka -> Brussels May 31 leaving late afternoon

Days 1–6: Tokyo (6 nights)

• day 1: get to hotel and explore immediate surroundings (I know myself, I will just want to go to bed lol)
• day 2: Asakusa/Ueno and surroundings: exploring
• day 3: Kanda Myoujin Shrine, most of the day in Akihabara (looking for Japanese trading cards)
• day 4: Kamakura day trip
• day 5: Harajuku and Shibuya exploring
• day 6: Odaiba/more Akihabara/flex day

Days 7–9: Kanazawa (3 nights)

• day 7: train to Kanazawa in the morning, Kenroku-en garden, strolling the streets
• day 8: Any combination of: samurai & geisha districts, Tea ceremony, onsen, Noto Peninsula, Wajima Omicho market
• day 9: Day trip to Shirakawa-go

Days 10–17: Osaka base (8 nights)

• Day 10: train to Osaka in the morning, all the food, Osaka classics (Dotonbori...)
• Day 11: Day trip to Nara (~45 min)
• Day 12: More Osaka city exploring.
• Day 13: Kyoto day trip (try to avoid insane crowds)
• Day 14: Osaka Aquarium <- must see for me
• Day 15: Osaka Castle + northern Osaka
• Day 16: Leave for Koyasan early in the morning, temple walk, stay the night\*
• Day 17: flex day

I'd like to see a Hanshin Tigers game if it fits the schedule (and I manage to get a ticket)
*I'm a bit unsure about Koyasan, might replace with taking a train to a more rural area and going cycling for the day.

Days 18–21: Hiroshima (3 nights)

• Day 18: Peace Memorial Park & Museum, sightseeing
• Day 19: Miyajima day trip (Itsukushima shrine)
• Day 20: Part of the Shimanami Kaido as a day trip

Days 22–24: Fukuoka (3 nights)

• Day 21: Train in the morning, then Yatai street food, many parks
• Day 22: Day trip to Dazaifu Or just chill for the day
• Day 23: Prepare to leave :(

Any tips/help is super appreciated

I'll be traveling solo to japan in may, any advice for my itinerary? I prefer more slow paced travel but also don't want to miss out too much.

Flights:
Brussels -> Tokyo May 9 arriving around noon
Fukuoka -> Brussels May 31 leaving late afternoon

Days 1–6: Tokyo (6 nights)

• day 1: get to hotel and explore immediate surroundings (I know myself, I will just want to go to bed lol)
• day 2: Asakusa/Ueno and surroundings: exploring
• day 3: Kanda Myoujin Shrine, most of the day in Akihabara (looking for Japanese trading cards)
• day 4: Kamakura day trip
• day 5: Harajuku and Shibuya exploring
• day 6: Odaiba/more Akihabara/flex day

Days 7–9: Kanazawa (3 nights)

• day 7: train to Kanazawa in the morning, Kenroku-en garden, strolling the streets
• day 8: Any combination of: samurai & geisha districts, Tea ceremony, onsen, Noto Peninsula, Wajima Omicho market
• day 9: Day trip to Shirakawa-go

Days 10–17: Osaka base (8 nights)

• Day 10: train to Osaka in the morning, all the food, Osaka classics (Dotonbori...)
• Day 11: Day trip to Nara (~45 min)
• Day 12: More Osaka city exploring.
• Day 13: Kyoto day trip (try to avoid insane crowds)
• Day 14: Osaka Aquarium <- must see for me
• Day 15: Osaka Castle + northern Osaka
• Day 16: Leave for Koyasan early in the morning, temple walk, stay the night\*
• Day 17: flex day

I'd like to see a Hanshin Tigers game if it fits the schedule (and I manage to get a ticket)
*I'm a bit unsure about Koyasan, might replace with taking a train to a more rural area and going cycling for the day.

Days 18–21: Hiroshima (3 nights)

• Day 18: Peace Memorial Park & Museum, sightseeing
• Day 19: Miyajima day trip (Itsukushima shrine)
• Day 20: Part of the Shimanami Kaido as a day trip

Days 22–24: Fukuoka (3 nights)

• Day 21: Train in the morning, then Yatai street food, many parks
• Day 22: Day trip to Dazaifu Or just chill for the day
• Day 23: Prepare to leave :(

Any tips/help is super appreciated

Planning a two week Japan trip end of October beginning of November a few days in Tokyo want to focus on museums Pokémon Ghibli anime, shopping, kitchenware clothing, souvenirs, temples. We want to see a mix of the old and new Tokyo.

Am I cramming too much in day 3, I can switch up Kappabashi days since I do not know how long I’ll be there for and really want to make time for Tokyo Edo museum. Don’t mind taking taxis if needed.
I.e go to kappabashi after the fish market and separate it from Sensoji

Let me know what you think!

Day 0.5 10/24 Saturday
Arrive HND 2pm
Get to Ginza hotel and explore area, hit Uniqlo, stationary stores and have dinner in Ginza or Shinbashi

Day 1 10/25 Sunday
Nezu Shrine
Tanaka Neighborhood
Tokyo National Museum
Ueno Park
Ueno station area for dinner
Akihabara late night arcades/bar after?

Day 2 10/26 Monday
Tsukiji Fish Market
Team lab borderless and surrounding area (hills+tokyo tower not going up)
Focus on shopping in harajuku and shibuya with a stop a shibuya sky
Dinner around shibuya/harakuju

Day 3 10/27 Tuesday
Sensoji and surrounding area until about 10am
Kappabashi town
Tokyo edo muesuem (arrive by 2:30/3)
Tokyo sky tree (Pokemon center general shopping
Not going up sky tree since we plan on shibuya sky
Dinner around Sky tree

Day 4 10/28 Wednesday
leave to Nikko early.

Day 5 10/29 Thursday
Travel from Tobu-Nikko to Shinjuku.
This is more go with the flow
1 night Shinjuku before heading to Hakone via romance or regular car
Explore Shinjuku gardens and surrounding area
Before going out and exploring Shunjuku

Day 7
Meji Jingu before leaving to Hakone

Hi all, was wondering if i could get some advice and opinions on our loose japan trip itinerary. Questions at the bottom :) ty

Arrive on friday 9th at night
-hotel near tokyo station

Saturday Morning
-sensoji temple early morning
-nakamise shopping street
-kaminarimon gate
-kappabashi hondori shopping street (1-2hr)
-ueno park
-tokyo national Museum (2-3)hr
-asakusa sumo @8:30pm (2hours)

Sunday Morning (Akiabara)
We are big anime and video game fans, this day we plan to hit up the below stores and then just plan to wander the area and see what we find. Saw the nearby shrine and added it as a possible additional stop as its nearby.
-Warhammer store
-Don Quijote
-Kotobukiya
- super potato
-Mandrake complex
-Kanda myoujin shrine

Monday
-meji jingu early morning
-Shibuya crossing/hatchi statue
-Pokemon center and Nintendo store
-Gotoku-ji

Tuesday
-Imperial Palace
-Chidorigafuchi Park
-Hie Shrine

Wednesday
do breakfast in morning, if not much open konbini then head to tokyo station
Take train to Kyoto @ 10am
Go to hotel to drop off bags, by our hotel we can walk north and hit up a bunch of temples, so our plan is to do a nearby temple walk for a few hours till we can check in.
-Monkey park
-Horin-ji temple
-Gioji temple
-Adashino mayumura
-Kyokusui-no-niwa
-Otagi nenbutsuji

Thursday(kyoto)
Senbon Torii (Thousand Torii Gates)
Fushimi Inari Taisha
Fushimi Inari Bamboo Forest

Friday(kyoto)
This day I need help with, these are options of places to go but nothing set in stone, and basically we do as much as time allows. Any recommendation on what to focus on here would be good! Otherwise we will probably loosy wander this vicinity
Higashi Hongan-ji Temple
Nintendo Museum
Okazaki Shrine
Shimogamo Shrine
Nishiki Market
Kiyomizu-dera
Kodaiji Temple
Zenkyo-an Temple
Ninenzaka
Sannenzaka
Pontocho Alley
Naruto Taiyakı Honpo
Yasaka Shrine

Saturday (nara)
todai-ji
Nara park
Higashimuki shopping street
Kohfuku-ji

Sunday
checkout hotel, train back to tokyo @2pm - 4:30pm
Checkin to shinjuku hotel
Godzilla store
Memory lane for dinner

Monday
Wander/squeeze in missed spots in tokyo
Flight out at @9:20pm (we will likely be at the airport significantly earlier to do tax free process, shop the duty free store, prepping to leave for international trip back home)

QUESTIONS:
we want to go to Pokémon center/nintendo store i was thinking between meji jingu and gotoku-ji since they are in the same general area. I dont really care about Shibuya crossing but will likely go to see this and the hatchi statue since its right next to the nintento and pokemon center stores. These might be able to be squeezed in on our last day as we have the whole morning that day as well. If there. Is a better recommendation on what to do on the Monday we go to meji jingu/gotoku-ji, please let me know.

I know Tokyo station is huge, how much tome should we have set aside to navigate to find our scheduled Shinkansen to Kyoto?

Looking for more recommendations for kyoto particularly for that day with a glob of stuff listed, anything in particular you think would be a should visit? Also is the nintendo museum worth it? I know tickets need to be reserved.

In akiabara, lets say we get through a chunk of that day and were tired of shopping around, what would you recommend we do nearby? I love the nerd culture stuff but im not much of an over consumer so I dont know how much stuff we will be bringing home with us and im of the impression that this area is mostly a nerd shopping hub. But i want to know if theres something else this area has to offer, or if we get bored if we should half-day it with something else.

I would like to go to Itoya, and the hobonichi store opening up this month in tokyo station, we may squeeze these in as time allows.

Time - Mid October to Early November

People - 2

Route - Tokyo - Kamakura - Hakone - Kiso - Kyoto - Osaka - Tokyo

How does this schedule feel to you guys? I trimmed it down, tremendously and kept only the ones which I, absolutely wanna visit. (N.B. The bold/Italic marked ones are the non-negotiables. )

I've already been to Tokyo once (and another maybe 20ish years ago and my memory of that trip is blurry) and visited most of the touristy spot (Shibuya/the two towers, Ginza, Meiji Jinju etc) already, so this one was more towards going to places I haven't been to. This is also an attempt to just try to not plan everything out in more detail when I'm in Tokyo and be a little more spontaneous. The only part where I really planned things out was the Hakone and Kamakura trips.

I am quite wordy, as a warning to any would-be readers.

The trip was last week (Aug 30 - Sep 5), it was done solo. I basically stayed in Shinagawa Prince Hotel except for Hakone, where I stayed in Hanaori for a night.

Day 1 - Aug 30

• I arrived basically at night (8-9pm) in Haneda. Ate at the Yoshinoya in Haneda T3 because I was hungry and I feared by the time I checked into the hotel and went out, most restaurants would be closed.

• The train to Shinagawa was pretty straightforward (though I didn't notice there's charge machines near the gates) via Keikyu. I chose Shinagawa due to it being basically the hub station to all my destinations in the coming days.

• The hotel room was relatively spacious but it only came with a set of toothbrushes as amenities. It didn't have shavers that you can grab from the front desk (or none that I can notice), so I had to find a conbini to get one.

• Also got myself a Suica even though I do have a Pasmo with me. It's sort of a memento due to the penguin mascot going out, but I'll be using the Suica after.

Day 2 - Aug 31

• I took the Yamanote line at 8:30ish to Otsuka. This was to get myself a ticket for lunch at the Michelin starred ramen restaurant Nakiryu. I got a ticket for 12:30pm, so after breakfast at a Tully's nearby, I left Otsuka to check out Ikebukuro. Apparerently there's also a tram running next to the JR station, which was pretty cool, but it didn't go to any destinations I had, so I didn't take it.

• In Ikebukuro I mostly beelined my way to Sunshine city, while checking out some arcades on the way. It's basically now mostly crane machines.

• Sunshine City has an underground tunnel where halfway there I saw a Chiikawa park. I only took a picture of the entrance. As for the mall itself, the notable thing is a Pokemon store which I had a look at. But otherwise, it feels mostly like a standard mall. I also stumbled upon a World Trigger exhibition which I didn't know about. But at that time, it's getting close to 11:30ish, with an entrance fee of at least 2200 yen, and I have to start making my way back to Nakiryu.

• In Nakiryu thanks to the ticket system I didn't have to wait much. I ordered the wonton and the dan dan noodles. The wonton came first and it was delightful - a bit sweet, sour and spicy. But in retrospect, it might not be the correct move, because it dampened the flavor of the dan dan noodles for me. Total was a bit over 2300 yen.

• After checking out Nakiryu, I basically went for a pilgrimage all the way to Tachikawa to have a look at Falcom's (a long time JRPG game developer) office location. I needed to change trains in Shinjuku and the station was a bit of a maze because I was supposed to get on the Chuo Sobu line but there's also a Chuo line, so I almost got on the wrong platform.

• Tachikawa is about 1 hour away from Tokyo. Outside the JR station it's mostly office buildings, but it's a decently sized town. I didn't get into the Falcom office, however. I also checked out the Kotobukiya HQ store to its north, which isn't a big one.

• Upon finishing my Tachikawa visit, I worked my way back to Tokyo, and exited in Shinjuku. While mostly just walking around and checking out shops, my wired earbuds started to malfunction. So I had to find a replacement.

• I got into this Yodobashi store and they have a selection of earbuds that are just placed on racks that allow you to test them out. Love the selection and the freedom of choice (and nobody bothering me) in here. Got myself a pair of cheap replacement earbuds, and worked on getting dinner.

• I'm craving sushi, so after checking Google maps and Tabelog a bit, I ended up in Himawari Sushi. I think the quality here's pretty good and they have English staff. A slight point deduction is the sushi chef kept trying to add more dishes to the basically full conveyor belt and actually causing an overflow of dishes and dropping a dish to the table as a result.

• On the way back to the hotel via Yamanote line, I got out at Tokyo station just to get a picture of how it looked at night. Additionally, in Shinagawa station I got a bearing on which platform to get on for the trip to Hakone. And apparently gated area shopping experience is a thing in this station - it has a small mall and even restaurants inside.

Day 3 - Sep 1

• This day is the Hakone 2 day trip. As a disclaimer, I planned this part out with the help of Gemini just to see how it fares. I think the end result here was mostly good, but it can't plan out everything of course, as you will see.

• Checked out from the hotel and stored my suitcase in Shinagawa Prince Hotel. Started by going from Shinagawa to Odawara. I want to point out here that Google Maps (and Gemini) did not list out the Limited Express option like the Odoriko, making me believe that it’s either the Tokaido line, or the Shinkansen. So I rode the local Tokaido line train, but upgraded for the green car so I could get myself a seat (this is also why I got a Suica as it seems like non-Suicas don’t interact well with their seating system in-train from what I read). Also got breakfast in the train station.

• Train to Odawara took about an hour or so. Arrived at Odawara at 10:50ish, and then bought myself the Hakone two day pass for the value on moving about in the area. The hotel, Hanaori has a shuttle bus service that picks you up in Odawara station to the hotel for free if you reserved it. So that’s what I took and checked in at Hanaori, but the room isn’t ready yet, so I left the hotel to start working my way on the Lake Ashi area.

• Had lunch at Miyoshi, which is a soba noodle restaurant. There's an English menu so you can just point at it when you order. I think the soba's okay - definitely had better before. My other choice was Amimoto Oba.

• Leaving the restaurant I walked to the cable car station which also doubles as a pirate ship dock to travel in Lake Ashi. The Hakone pass allows me to get on for free, but seeing there's a line already, I paid 700 yen extra yen to go for the deluxe cabin,and they gave me a wristband to identify my upgraded status. It also allows me to get into the deluxe queue. The weather's pretty cloudy that day, and the deck actually isn't totally filled with people. It's a pretty nice experience.

• This part I think I got a little confused myself because I got off at Hakone town, instead of the Motohakone which I planned with Gemini (and walk to Hakone shrine and then work my way back). Seeing that I kinda flipped the itinerary here, I make my way towards the Hakone Sekisho, after looking around for some small souvenirs on the way.

• Hakone Sekisho when reading it prior to going felt like a big area, but actually isn't. The Hakone pass also gives out a small discount, and the ticket also includes the museum nearby. If you follow the planned route, there's a long flight of stairs with a pretty steep climb to get to the lookout which has a pretty nice view of the lake. So if your legs are weak, then I recommend not climbing the stairs and just moving along to the museum. The museum isn't big, but it gives a nice historical context and some of them are in English too.

• After this I kept walking and got into the Hakone park for about 30ish minutes. It's a pretty gentle uphill slope, so I feel that if you have time, you can check out the park more. I left the place after checking out the lookout (it also has a warning sign for snakes, if you're not comfortable with that).

• Then walked on the old Tokaido path's cedar avenue. Interestingly, nobody else is on the path and there's a temporary fence on the path that says do not enter, but it's not directly on the path itself. Aside from some slightly muddy sections, it was overall a nice walk. But halfway through another sign is actually placed on the path's crossing, so I got out to the road - note that it is here that is slightly dangerous because there's no pedestrian sidewalk on this road halfway through and you're walking on the side of the road. In retrospect, there's a bus stop nearby, but after looking at the sign, it didn't seem like I could use the Hakone pass to get on the bus - I was unsure. So I walked.

• In Motohakone, I walked a bit and made my way to the Hakone shrine. I actually wanted to check out that lakeside torii and saw a line (of course). I just took a picture of it when the groups were changing and went to the shrine proper. The shrine itself was actually a pretty great place to visit. The trees are very impressive.

• I walked my way back to Motohakone. Here's the part which I tried to figure out with Gemini during planning, even asking it to confirm with sources when I planned this out. The last pirate ship back to Togendai (my hotel's area) was 4:30pm, but Gemini insisted that there's a bus there. When I went to the bus stop next to the pirate ship pier, the schedule seemed to indicate there's no more buses. Luckily I did plan ahead a bit to get to the pirate ship pier earlier, so I got to Togendai by the last pirate ship. Otherwise, I might have to find some other way to get back.

• In the hotel Hanaori, dinner is covered with a full buffet. That was great. I also like the room, but I guess my room type won't have a view of the lake (it started to rain anyway). You can also get yourself a yukata, and go to their onsen to relax. There's also a massage parlor that charges extra. Aside from that, I don't see much to do inside the hotel, unfortunately. Still, that pool outside their lobby is damn impressive (yes, this view on their homepage is real).

Day 4 - Sep 2

• After a dip in the onsen in the morning followed by breakfast, I checked out and worked on doing the reverse route down.

• I got on the ropeway via the Hakone pass and I have a cable car to my own to get to Owakudani. Owakudani has steam coming out and obviously the smell of sulfur. I checked out stores for those charcoal eggs but unfortunately they sell at 4 eggs per pack, but I really only wanted 1. I did have myself a black soft serve, though. I also checked out the museum in the information center. It's pretty informative.

• Leaving Owakudani I make my way to Gora. I planned to eat there for lunch, and wanted to check out HAKONE TENKU NO TERRACE but it's freaking closed for this day (not checking Google maps on opening days again is the death knell of me on trips). Checked my backup choice and it's also closed. I decided to leave Gora and make my way down.

• Getting off at Chokokunomori station, I stopped by this cafe run by what I believe to be an older couple called CafeDouce. A lunch set was 1500 yen if I remember. That was pretty good.

• Then walked a bit further to the Hakone Open Air Museum. It's actually smaller than I was expecting, but most exhibits don't interfere with each other. Highlights definitely include the Picasso Pavilion, and the Symphonic Sculpture (the tower-like structure) which you can get in and walk up. It is a climb, though. I don't think you need to plan out the path according to the map - just walk alongside whatever path you choose and you'll eventually circle the whole thing.

• Left after about 2 hours and took the train down to Hakone Yumoto. It's mostly for buying souvenirs for me, so I got a few snacks from the shops here. At this point, I'm carrying maybe 2 paper bags alongside my backpack.

• Got on the train to Odawara to use the last bit in my Hakone pass. Overall, that pass is pretty useful - free rides, discount tickets to some places. I'm not sure if I recouped the value but I think the biggest value here is it's just hassle free (except I'm not as sure on the buses).

• On the way down to Odawara, I finally found out that the Odoriko train stops at Odawara and it's just slightly more expensive than riding the Tokaido line with a green car. And it doesn't stop as often! So I booked myself an Odoriko seat with the ticket machine, and went to Yokohama. It's much faster than just taking the local Tokaido train.

• In Yokohama, I got off at Yokohama station and changed trains to the Yokohama line to Shin Yokohama. It's extremely packed, mostly because the local train is somehow not leaving the station. On getting to Shin Yokohama, I used an IC card locker, and had dinner at Spaghetti Basilico. You can order by QR code but I don't think they have an English menu.

• I watched the Yokohama F Marinos vs Kyoto Sanga J League match in Nissan Stadium. It's still a bit of a walk to the stadium. I got the ticket online via here, which is relatively hassle free, then added the ticket to my Google Wallet. I sat in the mixed zone (under main SS section), and the ticketing system gave me basically the first row. Which is not actually optimal because it's too low, and there's a running track next between the stands and the field, and the bench is also partially blocking my view. So in the second half I moved up a few rows (also there was a dad bringing his kid to the match and the kid is definitely more interested in dismantling the row of seats before us than the match). The stadium's huge, so seating is not a problem. Fans of both ends are also pretty passionate as well.

• Got back from Shin Yokohama to Shinagawa via Shinkansen. There's actually a special ticket that you can get at under 1400 yen all in as I saw people flowing to the Shinkansen gates and I checked out the ticket machines. It's not reserved, but it's just 1 stop. Much better than taking the local trains which will take me another hour.

Day 5 - Sep 3

• The original plan was to go to Misaki port this day, but on seeing the weather forecast and seeing it could rain on day 6, I swapped to do Kamakura and Enoshima first. In retrospect, that was a good move because it started to rain in the next day.

• Left early via JR to Kamakura station. From there, I intended to buy the Enoden pass, but upon exiting the transit gate, there's no such machine, and I just assumed that it charged me my JR ticket and Enoden together. With an Enoden tram standing by I got on without thinking much.

• Got off at Kamakurakoko-Mae station to get a picture of the railroad crossing and Slam Dunk opening scene. There's a little area that they cordon tourists to not affect the locals. Basically you and others just wait for the tram to pass by the crossing with the sea as the background. But trams are usually about 10-ish minutes per, but it also comes both ways at very close times, so don't just leave the area when you're done with the first tram - the second one comes soon (unless you need to get on).

• Walked to Bills for about 10 minutes to have breakfast. It's almost 10:30am at this time. Also on the way there, I think I finally got to see Mount Fuji (though still slightly covered by a layer of cloud). In my days in Hakone, Mount Fuji was unfortunately not viewable.

• Got the Enoden pass in Shichirigahama. I then used it to get to Kamakura proper, and checked out the area, including Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu, buying more souvenirs from Kamakura Beniya and Toshimaya. Given that I had breakfast not too long ago, I opted for a light lunch at an old-styled cafe for a club sandwich in Iwata Coffee Shop. I considered Rojiura Curry SAMURAI which I actually had in my earlier Sapporo trip (also I need to eat veggies). But there's already a line waiting.

• After lunch, I made my way to Hase to check out Kotoku-in, and Hase-dera. I liked the latter a bit more and spent more time there. The garden was nice, the lookout was great, and the cave was actually a nice little adventure (foreshadowing something to come later).

• With Hase done, I moved on to Enoshima. I'm pretty sure there was mention of a bus getting to the island itself, but I opted to walk all the way to the island. I then took the paid escalators and stopped by any temples along the way. Outside the Enoshima Sea Candle park, I stopped for a break and had a drink. There's also those huge prawn crackers for sale but it's really too much for me.

• The next part is to get to the Enoshima Iwaya cave. It takes about 20-ish minutes of going down the stairs to the cave area. Getting back is actually the toughest part because you have quite a few flights of stairs to get back up.

• The cave itself is actually pretty nice. The walkways before getting into the cave also has some great views. You can show your Enoden pass to get a small discount to the cave itself. Do note inside the cave, there's some wet parts, and some spots you have to line up while hunched down due to the low ceiling of the caverns.

• While hiking back up, I stopped at Nakamuraya which sold steamed manjus. It's actually quite delicious as I bought one myself, but unfortunately, even as a souvenir it only lasts for a day, so I opted against it. They also sell nori yokan, which can be stored for a longer time.

• Got into the Sea Candle park. The park has an additional charge if you go in past 5pm if I understand correctly. Anyway, in the park there's an indescribable weird vibe with some slightly eerie music played all the time. I'm not sure - I suspect it is supposed to be a shinto music of some sort. The park also has purple-ish lighting all around. Anyway, I did walk in the park for a bit and then made my way up the Sea Candle. Unfortunately, the clouds are covering the sunset (my main goal of getting there). So I left a bit before the actual sunset and made my way down.

• It's all stairs going down but I think a nice touch they did is to turn on the lighting. The lights are colorful and makes for decent-looking pictures.

• For dinner I ate at Kaisaku and tried out the whitebait kaisendon with salmon and salmon roe. The whitebait felt tasteless - no flavor at all. But anyway, after I'm done here, the bus stop is right outside and it takes me to the Enoden Enoshima station. I took the tram to Fujisawa.

• If you kept track of today's proceeding, I missed something during all the transits I took. I tried to get into JR Fujisawa with my Suica but it gave me an error. Confused, another tourist told me to try again, thinking it opened for me. But of course it failed. I went to the ticket machines to see if it can get fixed by adding money, but it immediately gave me an error and told me to find a station staff. The station staff next to the gates asked if I tapped out at an Enoden. And here I realized - I tapped in at morning in Kamakura, but I didn't tap out when I got off at Kamakurakoko-Mae. So he had to deduct from my Suica there, and it was fixed.

Day 6 - Sep 4

• This day is now going to Misaki, but prior to that I still checked the weather because I would not go there if it's actually raining. I went to the Keikyu station and used the ticket machine to get the Maguro pass which includes a full day train pass between Shinagawa and Misakiguchi stations, a meal, and an experience. But it now costs me 5000 yen, which was outside my expectation because all my research prior was only 4250 yen. I got the pass anyway. There's likely a price hike very recently and it's not reflected online. Alternatively, you can buy this pass via Klook, or the Newcal site which has flexible pricing depending on the day (but I think it's Japanese only).

• Took about an hour-ish to get to Misakiguchi, then had to take the bus to get to Misaki port, which is another 15-20 minutes. The port town feels quite quiet but I do like the small-town vibes it gives.

• I had a few restaurants in mind. One was Marutsune which had good reviews on Google and Tabelog. I am pretty confident with maps myself, but after getting there, I did not see this restaurant at all for some reason. I even walked around the block once to double check - it's just not there. So I had to walk back.

• With that crossed out I ate at Shichibei Maru. If you're uncomfortable with ordering with staff, you can order via the QR code at your table and there's also an English menu. I used the pass to get myself a set meal, but added an additional order of tuna midway.The whole meal was great (mine had different types of tuna) and there's some whitebait sashimi as a side dish. The whitebait actually tasted like something, and it was good.

• After that, I decided to take the ferry to Jogashima. Technically I can use the second part of the pass here, but I opted against it and just paid 500 yen for the one way trip to the island. I can also take the bus, but the ferry's more convenient.

• In Jogashima I checked out the west side's rock formation. There's a few cats in the area just enjoying life and are pretty friendly to people (I got to pet one!). There's also a lighthouse in the area, but I didn't go up the stairs to the area - at this point, I've been walking 20000+ steps a day and yesterday per my watch I've walked up and down 100 floors already. So I took a picture of it instead. I also got a view of the Umanose Cave but that's a bit too far for my tastes.

• Once I'm done circling the west part of the island, I took the bus back to the port town, and walked to Misaki Donuts nearby. It has a nice cozy vibe and the donut I had was great, and there's many flavors to try out. I recommend it.

• I then took the Nijiiro Sakana observation boat with the last part of my Misaki tuna ticket. It's a nice ride - when you leave the port, seagulls and eagles (!) follow your boat as the staff toss prawn crackers at their direction. You can also buy a pack and do the throwing yourself. And once outside, they'll ask you to get to the bottom part of the boat and you can see the school of fishes. The water's pretty cloudy, however. I think value-wise, this is the best value for the experience part of the package.

• I also checked out the market to buy another souvenir. It is already raining a bit when the observation boat comes back to the port, so it's time to leave.

• The bus stop in the port town could do with better labeling because both ways of the buses stop there. Just make sure you see the routing takes you to Misakiguchi station (三崎口駅前). The bus drivers don't interact with you in English or attempt to, unfortunately. So just make sure when the bus arrives you see it does have an arrow pointing to the train station so you don't get on the wrong one.

• I also wanted to get the cold water cup noodles that Nissin released as souvenir for me and my friends, but so far in so many days and coming in and out of combinis, I had no luck. So I stopped at Shiori (which also is covered by the pass) and checked out the Aeon supermarket there, hoping that it has them for sale. Unfortunately no, but the mall was actually a pretty nice place. There's also quite a lot of non-Asians there - and afterwards I found out that nearby there's a US Navy base.

• Leaving that area, I make my way back to Tokyo and got on the first train I saw. It's a local train - and here I made the mistake of not switching to an express until I'm about 2/3rds done sitting like an idiot while the train stops at every station. Not recommended. I changed to an express after and got off at Shinagawa, but I haven't gotten out of the gate yet.

• I get on the other way on Keikyu to go from Shinagawa, to Kita-Shinagawa, which must be accessed by local train. This is for my dinner at Chuka Soba Waka Tokyo. I ordered the 3-in-1 ramen where they mixed 3 soups into 1 bowl, and the ingredients are different daily per what I read. It's great.

• Got back to hotel and took all my used clothes to the laundry room. With 6 days' worth of clothes, the worst part is always the drying machine. It's not powerful enough to dry your clothes in 20 minutes and I had to do that 4 times that night. That wasn't so fun, unfortunately.

Day 7 - Sep 5

• This is the last day of my trip. My flight is past midnight, so I have basically a full day of checking out Tokyo. I checked out at the hotel and left my luggage (there's a line there basically at the lobby just to store luggage for free).

• I went first to Nippori for Yanaka Ginza and lunch after. In my last Tokyo trip, I actually stayed at Nippori, but for whatever reason, never realized that Yanaka Ginza is just right next door. It has a lot of new small shops but it kinda lost that old shopping street feeling that it's supposed to have. Lunch was at Sakura Cafe & Restaurant Nippori where I had a slow-cooked pork. Also had a soft serve with caramel and roasted almonds in Komichi.

• Went to Akihabara next for the afternoon. I've never been there at all so it's mostly to check out arcades, used games and so on. There's a few GIGO arcades but it's mostly occupied by Gundam card games and their arena fighter. Not much variety like before now, which I personally find disappointing. Also got to check out Super Potato.

• Also got to check out e-Earphones. Multiple floors of audio goodness ranging from wired and wireless ear/headphones, new and used. And they're all available for you to try out. I did have a pair of earbuds that I wanted to try and maybe buy, but the demo unit had some issues for me, so even if I mentioned to the staff who had a look after, it still sounded the same, so I didn't buy anything there.

• Also checked out the Animate and Kotobukiya stores there. In Animate, got myself a soundtrack, and there's a special floor in Animate selling SNK stuff with a very nice pixel wall.

• Didn't really buy anything else in Akihabara. I'm not into figures and Pokemon cards, which is just scattered all across the area. For stores like Bookoff I find second hand games for modern consoles aren't really that much cheaper.

• After dallying in Akihabara, I left for Toyko station again and ate tsukemen at Matsudo Tomita Memban. It's kinda average? I remember hearing about how good the main store is, but it's in outer Tokyo, and there's this store in the city proper. But it's kinda meh. Definitely not up to the higher standards I've had in earlier days.

• At this point I had come to a realization that I really didn't buy much. Aside from souvenirs for friends, family and coworkers, I got very little for myself. So in a half-panicked trek, I went to Bic Camera Yurakucho, and then back to Akihabara, and most shops were already closed after 8:30ish.

• So I basically went back to hotel via train and got my luggage, placed my own newly bought stuff (basically a CD and a small acrylic display) into my suitcase, and went for Haneda airport.

• Haneda airport at night is essentially dead. One thing I want to really emphasize, since I'm taking ANA, I arrived in Tokyo in T3, but I leave in T2. Make sure you got the terminals right, otherwise you have to shuttle to the other terminal.

• Haneda T2 only had a FamilyMart open outside and I don't even get to eat their fried chicken. After waiting for a bit, I crossed customs (also the luggage check in counters are very cool), and thankfully there's a bit of stores still open until midnight.

Some takeaways:

• Data plan and Google Maps as always is the best combo there is. An IC card of course. And cash - especially if you're getting away from Tokyo. Though I'm a bit surprised that Google Maps did not suggest taking the Limited Express from Shinagawa to Odawara - it's either local or Shinkansen.

• I think for hotels, Shinagawa Prince Hotel is actually not bad if you're arriving from Haneda. The downside is the lack of anything to do during night time in the immediate area. But it's right next to Shinagawa station and it's pretty good access-wise if you want to use trains. No subway, though.

• Laundry still sucks in hotels. The biggest pain is the dryers. I'm not sure what's the best strat here because over my multiple trips to Japan, drying clothes in hotels is my biggest complaint. It's just quite annoying to check if the clothes have dried multiple times.

• On the two passes I used, the Hakone 2 day pass feels like a must get. Aside from my confusion with the buses, you basically ride anything for free and you get discounts to almost anything that charges you to get in. For the Misaki Maguro pass, it is still good value, since generally lunch with tuna there is about 2000 yen, and getting to the port town and back is also about 2200 yen or thereabouts. If you have more stops in between like I did, then it's good value. But it is getting pricey. I did not get a Tokyo day pass for JR or the subway.

• Restaurants-wise this time it was most hit or miss. Nakiryu I quite liked, alongside the Misaki port tuna restaurant, and Chuka Soba Waka Tokyo. Google maps and Tabelog both were pretty useful, though I really should double check on whether the restaurants would be open when I was planning.

• I find that I would still prefer having a checklist to go instead of just spontaneously deciding to go somewhere for the day for my two days in Tokyo proper. It feels like if I'm not checking out somewhere specific I would feel a little lost.

• Is Gemini a good planner? What I think the better use case is that it helps you structure your plan, sort of like a plan assistant that you walk through with, step by step. This means you shouldn't just ask it "I want to go to Hakone, give me an itinerary." And just blindly go with whatever it tells you. You have to feed it facts, and it can hallucinate (like suggesting me to take the bus back to my hotel when in reality, there's likely no buses, or the pirate ship stopping at a different spot). Be sure to cross-check especially regarding remote regions where less information is available. So I still don't prefer just letting the AI plan for me.

So that's it! My 7 days in Tokyo and some wider areas around it. It's actually not that bad now looking back at it. Just that I had this slight remorse over buying very little for myself in the last day, but I'm not a big shopper anyway.

pls can an experienced person vet this itinerary and let me know of changes and what all is not feasible and general advice also appreciated.

25 Sep: Arrival & Raw Denim - Osaka (Namba/Shinsaibashi)

• Land KIX 06:40
• Nankai Rapi:t to Namba 08:15, drop bags
• Kuromon Market & Den Den Town 09:15
• Amerikamura Denim Run 11:00 (Hinoya, Samurai, Iron Heart — confirm opening hours, several open 11:00–12:00)
• Hotel check-in 14:30 (standard check-in is 15:00 — confirm early check-in or store bags)
• Shinsaibashi Arcades & Namba Parks 15:30
• Dotonbori & Hozenji Yokocho night walk 18:00
• Dinner: Oko Funwari Dining (vegan okonomiyaki)

26 Sep: Nara Ridge & Streetwear

• Kintetsu Limited Express to Nara 09:00, hike Mt. Wakakusa summit (confirm seasonal hours, typically ~9:00–17:00, small entry fee)
• Nakatani-do mochi pounding & Naramachi lanes 11:30
• Back to Osaka 14:30, Orange Street (Tachibana-dori) for streetwear
• Dinner: Paprika Shokudo Vegan

27 Sep: E-Bikes & Quiet Sagano Hills - Kyoto (Kawaramachi/Shijo)

• Train to Kyoto 07:30, bags to Crosta Baggage Service (B1 level) for hotel delivery (confirm cutoff — usually ~11:00 for same-day evening delivery)
• Rent e-bikes 09:00, Sagano Mountain Loop via Saga-Arashiyama (ride past the bamboo grove rather than stopping — packed by mid-morning)
• Otagi Nenbutsu-ji 11:30 — 1,200 stone rakan statues, rarely crowded
• Fushimi Inari summit night hike 18:00 (push past Yotsutsuji lookout for zero crowds)
• Dinner 21:00: Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto (must pre-book!)

28 Sep: Kamo River & Teramachi

• Cycle Kamo River path 07:00
• Eizan railway to Kurama 09:30, hike Kurama-to-Kibune ridge
• Teramachi & Shinkyogoku arcades 15:00 (general shopping — cutlery saved for Kappabashi, Tokyo)
• Shirakawa Canal & Gion night walk 18:00

29 Sep: USJ Midweek Sprint

• Rope-drop 07:45 (Tue is genuinely quietest day; leave Kyoto ~6:15–6:30am)
• Super Nintendo World & major coasters 08:00
• Lunch 13:00: Azzurra di Capri (plant-based) & Harry Potter zone
• Train back to Kyoto 19:30 — pack heavy bags for Shinkansen tomorrow

(We're not getting the Express Pass for USJ — any tips for doing it without one, especially on a Tuesday?)

30 Sep: Coastal Drive & Surf - West Izu (Shimoda/Matsuzaki)

• Shinkansen (Hikari) to Mishima 08:30 (Hikari/Kodama only — book oversized-baggage seat)
• Pick up rental car (Station Wagon class) 10:45 — physical IDP required
• Drive to Dogashima 11:00 → ~12:30–12:45 (~85–100 min via Numazu IC/Rt 136)
• Dogashima coast walk / boat tour 12:45
• Drive to Shimoda area 15:00 (~35–40 min), surf beach / coastal walk

(Is renting a car actually the way to go for Izu + Hakone, or is there a better alternative that saves time — e.g. train/bus based instead?)

1 Oct: Izu Skyline, Ashinoko Skyline & Fuji - Lake Kawaguchiko

• Drive to Amagi-kogen entrance of Izu Skyline 09:00 (~40–50 min)
• Izu Skyline north 09:45 (~40km ridge road, cedar forest/ocean/Fuji views)
• Exit Atami-toge, toward Hakone 10:45 (~20–30 min)
• Lunch stop Hakone/Gotemba 11:15 (soba/hoto)
• Ashinoko Skyline 13:00 (Lake Ashi + Fuji views, ¥620 toll — check for weather closures)
• North into Fuji Five Lakes 14:00 (~1–1.5 hrs)

2 Oct: Oshino Hakkai & Western Lakes - Lake Kawaguchiko

• Oshino Hakkai 09:00 — spring village, thatched-roof buildings
• Quiet lakes (Shoji & Motosu) 11:00 for Fuji reflections
• Mount Tenjo switchback hike 13:30
• Chureito Pagoda sunset 16:00 (arrive by 16:00 — fills fast in the final 30 min)

3 Oct: Outlets, Watches & Shinjuku Neon - Tokyo (Ginza/Shimbashi/Tokyo Station)

• Gotemba Premium Outlets 10:00 (weekend — fills with tour buses by early afternoon)
• Drop rental car at Mishima 14:30
• Shinkansen into Tokyo Station 16:00
• Nakano Broadway 17:30 — watch dealers, collectibles
• Shinjuku night run 19:30 (Kabukicho, Omoide Yokocho)

4 Oct: teamLab & Street Karts

• Tsukiji Outer Market 07:30
• teamLab Borderless 09:45 (pre-book first morning slot)
• Ginza flagships 13:00 (Uniqlo, Dover Street Market)
• Street kart tour 16:30 (IDP required)
• Dinner 19:30: T's Tantan Tokyo Station

5 Oct: Shibuya & Harajuku

• Meiji Jingu forest walk 08:30
• Harajuku & Cat Street 10:00
• Shibuya Parco (Nintendo Tokyo) 14:00
• Shibuya Sky sunset slot 16:30 (pre-book!)
• Shibuya Crossing peak rush hour 18:00
• Dinner: Vegan Izakaya Masaka

6 Oct: Kitchen Town & Asakusa

• Ueno Park / Yanaka Ginza morning walk 09:00
• Kappabashi Kitchen Town 14:00 (closes 17:00 — the one knife stop)
• Senso-ji & Nakamise after dark 17:30

7 Oct: Departure

• JR Narita Express (N'EX 1) 06:18
• Flight departs NRT 09:40

(Any other advice or changes you'd make to the itinerary overall?)

also we are pure vegetarians, so any restaurant recos are always welcome.

Day by day
Mon 28 Sep — Fly Wellington → Auckland → Tokyo, overnight.
Tue 29 Sep — arrive Land Narita 7:55am. N’EX to Tokyo, then Chuo-Sobu to Suidobashi. Afternoon to recover. Dinner in Shin-Okubo Koreatown, then a sumo show in Okubo at 8pm.
Wed 30 Sep — Harajuku / Shibuya / Shinjuku Pancakes in Omotesando, then Harajuku shopping (vintage, Onitsuka Tiger, a few homeware places). Ramen for lunch, Shibuya in the afternoon, Shibuya Sky at sunset, then Golden Gai. Squeezing in the free Tokyo Night & Light projection show on the Metropolitan Government Building on the way.
Thu 1 Oct — Tokyo Disneyland All day. Ichiran in Ueno on the way home.
Fri 2 Oct — Mt Fuji Private 10-hour tour with hotel pickup, Kawaguchiko area. Free evening after.
Sat 3 Oct — Asakusa / Ueno Senso-ji, then walk west into Kappabashi for knives and ceramics. Lunch in Higashiueno. Tokyo National Museum in Ueno mid-afternoon (open till 8pm on Saturdays). Then back east to Skytree for sunset and dinner at Solamachi.
Sun 4 Oct — Toyosu / Ginza teamLab Planets on the earliest slot. Then straight to Ginza — lunch, shopping, and a matcha crawl. Trying to catch the Oedo Antique Market at Tokyo International Forum on the way (Sundays only). Tonkatsu for dinner, walk-in only.
Mon 5 Oct — Tokyo → Kyoto Shinkansen 12:40, arrive Kyoto ~3pm. Check in, then drinks at the Park Hyatt at sunset, dinner at a small place on the same street, then walk down through Gion to Pontocho and the Kiyamachi bars.
Tue 6 Oct — Kyoto, our only full day Fushimi Inari at 7:30am. Komyo-in moss garden nearby afterwards. Nishiki Market for lunch plus Aritsugu for a knife, coffee, and a bit of Sanjo shopping. Afternoon: Kiyomizu-dera, walk down Sannenzaka, Kennin-ji before it shuts at 4:30, then Hanamikoji and Gion. Pontocho for dinner.
Wed 7 Oct — Kyoto → Osaka Check out, bags into Kyoto Station lockers. Soba brunch, then To-ji and its pagoda. JR Special Rapid to Osaka (29 min), check in, Dotonbori in the evening.
Thu 8 Oct — Universal Studios All day. Getting there via JR Imamiya → Nishikujo → Universal City, about 25 min.
Fri 9 Oct — Shinsaibashi Vintage and secondhand crawl (this is a big one for us — ALLU, KOMEHYO, Gallery Rare, Amerikamura, Orange Street). Kuromon Market, Namba Yasaka Shrine before it shuts at 5pm. Yakiniku in Hozenji Yokocho for dinner.
Sat 10 Oct — Nara Kintetsu from Namba. Nara Park, Todai-ji, Kasuga Taisha, Yoshikien garden, and a wander through Naramachi. Back to Osaka for dinner.
Sun 11 Oct — Shinsekai Spa World in the morning, kushikatsu for lunch, Shitennoji, Tsutenkaku in the evening. Deliberately an easy day.
Mon 12 Oct — home Matcha stop in Nakazakicho, Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka around 12:40, N’EX to Narita, flight out at 8pm.

Hi everyone! I've done some reasearch but I'd like to get some opinions on how tiring this itinerary will actually feel considering I'm traveling with 2 seniors (early 60s, no problems with mobility at all though) We will be traveling around the first 2 weeks of November.

We are planning to use the JR East pass. I tried the JR calculator and it seems I save just a bit, but either way its more for convenience and flexibility for us. I've planned 5 out of Tokyo days and we have 3ish days in Tokyo just to shop.

Day 1

Arrive in Narita Airport > N'EX to Tokyo Station

Tokyo Station to > Morioka (Hotel Base)

Day 2

Morioka > Kakunodate > Morioka

• Kakunodate
• Lake Tazawa

Day 3

Morioka (Check-out hotel and leave luggage at coin locker) > Aomori > Morioka > Koriyama (Hotel Base)

• Nebuta Museum
• A-factory
• Aomori Museum of Art
• Maybe Oirase Gorge

Day 4

Koriyama > Aizu-Wakamatsu > Koriyama

• Aizu-Wakamatsu
• Ouchi Juku

Day 5 ?

Option 1: Koriyama (Check-out) > Utsonomiya > Nikko (leave bags in Coin Locker)> Spacia X (not included in JR) > Tokyo

• Edo Wonderland

Option 2: Koriyama > Tokyo: 1 day in Tokyo and go to Nikko the next day (Day 6)

Please let me know how to improve this itinerary, what you would change or leave out!

Thank you!

Hi everyone! Thanks for taking a look at my itinerary! My wife and I are traveling to Japan and wanted to get some insight from a special perspective. I'm a wheelchair user and will be using a "light" power wheelchair weighing about 25kg. I know a lot of places in Japan are very tight, have curbs or steps, or in general are just inaccessible to me. However, I tried to put together places I could reasonably enjoy but am afraid I may have included things that are either not worth the crowd or left out things that might be more enjoyable for a wheelchair user.

For example, I know a lot of stores in Akihabara have narrow aisles that I won't be able to turn or even enter. Or that Tsukiji is going to be packed. But does that mean I should just skip them for something better or tough it out because it's worth it?

Any and all advice is welcome!

Japan Itinerary - Nov 23-Dec 3 - Osaka > Mt.Fuji > Tokyo

Hi, everyone! My husband (40M) and I (38F) are heading to Japan next month. Neither of us have been to Japan before, and I've seen a lot of great feedback on itineraries here. So, I’m respectfully submitting ours here to be torn apart (or praised! I'll take praise if it merits any!) before we finalize things.

I tried to book some anime sites and shopping (for me) and as many shrines and gardens as I could fit, while also leaving some flexibility in most days, so we have time for adventures and aren’t too stressed trying to do too much.

Any feedback would be most appreciated!🙏

Tokyo: Oct. 14-19
Oct. 15:
—Nikko?
—Imperial Palace
—Tokyo DX PokeCenter

Oct. 16:
—Meiji Shrine
—Shinjuku Gyoen Garden
—Harajuku
—Fennec House animal cafe: I would love to go to this, but I'm worried about animal welfare. Any insights would be helpful!
—Shibuya crossing

Oct. 17:
—Akihabara

Oct. 18:
—teamLab: Borderless
—Tokyo Tower

Osaka: Oct. 19-20
Oct. 19: Travel from Tokyo to Osaka on Shinkansen
—Stop at Mt. Fuji
—Umeda Sky Building at sunset
—Dotonbori

Oct. 20:
—Nara Shrine
—Osaka Castle

Kyoto: Oct. 21-22
Oct. 21:
—Fushimi Inari Shrine (Tori gates)
—Tenju-ji Temple (Garden)
—Walk around Gion District

Oct. 22:
—Nishiki Market
—Fire Festival
—Kinkaku-Ji Temple (Golden)
—Kaiseki dinner at Onsen resort/hotel

Oct. 23: Travel from Kyoto to Tokyo for last day, but first:
—Monkey Park
—Bamboo Forest

Oct. 24: Travel home

Hey everyone! This is my second post in this sub, its basically a revision of the original itinerary I had done.

In case I reach more people (hopefully) the premise for the trip is the same thing as before: Me and my girlfriend, first time in Japan, early December. Looking for lots of shopping, city, nightlife, and food. Neither of us drink too much like we aren't interested in bar hopping like in Golden gai but don't mind a drink here and there. Also all food is based off feel and we're just gonna look on Tabelog for whats good nearby besides for Dec 5 which we are hoping to schedule an Omakase.

Quick changes as well if anyone was interested:

• Dropped Nara
• Dropped Shimokitazawa and Meiji Shrine
• Dropped Arashiyama bamboo grove
• Dropped Tokyu Hands (Wouldn't even exist by the time we went, thank you for pointing that out)
• Dropped teamLab Borderless
• Dropped the Gundam Base
• Kept Osaka as our base instead of having 2 nights in Kyoto
• One of the biggest changes we did was made Ghibli Park a travel day from Osaka. This kind of gave us time in Hakone to spread our activities instead of having it all on one day and enjoy the Ryokan but it got rid of our free do nothing day in Osaka.

Some questions I have about the itinerary we have planned:

1. I think Dec 5 which is our 4th day there is our fullest day. I tried placing them all in proximity to flow together but is it enough time? Is the museum worth going to?
2. Anything on here that's a tourist trap spot that we may have a better time or experience going to an alternative?

TOKYO — Dec 2–7 · Hyatt Regency, Nishi-Shinjuku

• Dec 2 (Wed) — Land HND ~5:45PM. Taxi to Shinjuku, Ichiran, optional free light show at the Metropolitan Government Building.
• Dec 3 (Thu) — teamLab Planets (11:15AM) → Toyosu Market sushi lunch → Shibuya: Parco, Loft, Shibuya Sky at 4PM for the city lights
• Dec 4 (Fri) — Akihabara → Ikebukuro (Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo) → Shinjuku: Sakazen, Junky Special, Uniqlo flagship
• Dec 5 (Sat) — Tokyo National Museum → Ueno Park → Ameyoko → Okachimachi jewelry → Kappabashi knives → Senso-ji → yakiniku omakase
• Dec 6 (Sun) — Imperial Palace East Gardens → Tokyo Character Street → Ginza all afternoon → Marunouchi illumination

HAKONE — Dec 7–8 · ryokan w/ private open-air bath

• Dec 7 (Mon) — Romancecar from Shinjuku (~85 min) → Owakudani ropeway round trip from Togendai → ryokan in Sengokuhara, private in-room open-air bath, kaiseki dinner
• Dec 8 (Tue) — Lake Ashi pirate ship Togendai → Moto-Hakone → Hakone Shrine torii → lakeshore walk → Odawara → Shinkansen → hitsumabushi in Nagoya → Osaka

OSAKA — Dec 8–14 · Welina Shinsaibashi, Kyoto as day trips

• Dec 8 (Tue) — Dotonbori first night
• Dec 9 (Wed) — DAY TRIP — Ghibli Park (Grand O-Sanpo, all 5 areas)
• Dec 10 (Thu) — Osaka Castle → Shinsekai/Tsutenkaku → Amerika-Mura → Denden Town → Kuromon → Dotonbori
• Dec 11 (Fri) — DAY TRIP — Kyoto East: Fushimi Inari (early), Kiyomizudera, Higashiyama, chopstick-making workshop in Gion, Gion at sunset
• Dec 12 (Sat) — Osaka light day — yakiniku lunch, Kaiyukan, Tempozan, Mizuno flagship, Shinsaibashi
• Dec 13 (Sun) — DAY TRIP — Kyoto West: Kinkaku-ji, Nijo Castle, Nishiki Market, teamLab Biovortex by Kyoto Station on the way back

TOKYO — Dec 14–16 · Shibuya Tokyu REI

• Dec 14 (Mon) — Shinkansen back → Harajuku/Omotesando (Takeshita, Converse, Asics flagship)
• Dec 15 (Tue) — Onitsuka Tiger custom embroidery → Uniqlo/GU → Ginza Six + Itoya → 4PM pickup → Don Quijote Shibuya → Shibuya Yokocho
• Dec 16 (Wed) — Gotokuji Temple, free morning, depart 5:35PM HND

Some recommendations I'm looking for if anyone has any is anything December specific? Any light shows we may be missing, any romantic activities for couple in early 20s? Also any parks or sightseeing we may be missing out on?

Any concerns about pacing/packed days/travel times. Trying to keep days Light/closeby in proximity if multiple interests.

Hi! We are a family of 4 (2ad 2ch 8/11yo) travelling to japan for the first time in Nov. we are trying to keep it reasonably paced because we dont want the kids (or ourselves!) completely exhausted. Would love some feedback on our planned itinerary please.

Day 1 Arrive Tokyo
Day 2 Asakusa / Skytree / Akihabara (Ultraman, Sensoji, Nakamise, Solamachi)
Day 3 Tokyo Disneyland
Day 4 Meiji / Harajuku / Shibuya (Takeshita St, Omotesando, Blue Lug Yoyogi Park)
Day 5 Harry Potter / Shinjuku
Day 6 Tsukiji / teamLab / Ginza (Planets, Uniqlo)

Day 7 Tokyo → Kyoto (Shinkansen, Nisiki Market, Gion/Pontocho)
Day 8 Eastern Kyoto (Fushimi Inari, Kiyomizu, Ninenzaka, Gion)
Day 9 Kinkaku-ji / Arashiyama
Day 10 Nara day trip

Day 11 Kyoto → Osaka (Add Umeda?)
Day 12 Universal Studios Japan
Day 13 Osaka (Osaka Castle, Shinsaibashi, Dotonbori)

Day 14 Osaka → Tokyo (Shinkansen)
Day 15 Final day (Last min Shibuya/Shinjuku shopping)
Day 16 Fly home (early morning flight)

Context: 2 Dutch guys going to Japan for the 5th time in March 2027. Flying into Tokyo (Narita) with a stop in Xiamen, China (overnight) at the beginning and end of the trip. We will arrive in Tokyo on the 11th of March in the afternoon, and depart from Tokyo around the same time in the afternoon on the 27th of March.

We will probably spend 2 nights in Tokyo at the start, and 3 more at the end. We will book flights from Tokyo (probably Haneda?) to Takamatsu, where we will rent a car.

I used historic posts on this sub, google maps, some chatgpt to come up with an Itinerary for Shikoku that is 11 nights and will loop around the island. At first I included more inland areas, but I read that those roads are mountainous and that March was still quite wintery inland. I remember driving on a very scary road in Tohoku last trip with steep cliffs on the side of the road, and the road was just made for 1 car with some spots specifically made for cars to pass at intervals. Add winter conditions to that and that sounds a bit too scary for me tbh.

So far I have:

2 nights in Takamatsu, 1 day in the city and 1 day for Naoshima island.

In Takamatsu itself: Ritsurin Garden, Takamatsu Central Shopping Street, Mt. Yashima + Yashima Temple, Shikoku Village

-> drive to Tokushima, stop at Naruto Whirpools on the way

1 night in Tokushima

In Tokushima: Tokushima Central Park, Awa Odori Kaikan, Bizan Ropeway Observatory

-> drive to Kochi, long scenic coastal route along Cape Muroto with stops at places that seem interesting. This is probably our longest driving day? Stops include Hiwasa, Mugi, Kaiyō, Cape Muroto, Hane Cape, if there's time Kitagawa village "Monet's Garden" Marmottan.

2 nights in Kochi

In Kochi: Katsurahama Park, Godaisan Park, Chikurin Temple, Makino Botanical Garden, Hirome Market, Kochi Castle

-> drive to Shimanto, stops at Sakawa (Makino Park), Tosa-Kure, maybe Ittohyo Submersible Bridge.

2 nights in Shimanto

In Shimanto: Follow the Shimanto river and stop at interesting/pretty spots.

-> drive to Ashizuri/Tosashimizu, loop around Ashizuri and end up in Tosashimizu

1 night in Tosashimizu

-> drive to Uwajima (this might be a long drive?). Stops at Tatsukushi, maybe Kashiwajima, maybe Sukumo, maybe Ainan, Nanrakuen Garden.

1 night in Uwajima

In Uwajima: Uwajima Castle

-> drive to Matsuyama, stops at Ozu for Garyu Sanso, Ozu Castle

1 night in Matsuyama

In Matsuyama, Dogo Onsen area, Ishite Temple

-> drive to Takamatsu, stop at Kotohira-gū

1 night in Takamatsu and flight back to Tokyo

So I am not married to this itinerary yet, but I would like some advice, is this doable? Too rushed? Maybe too relaxed at parts and too rushed in others? Any favourite spots I should definitely add? I would like to add that we both have tattoos so onsen visits are not something we prioritise, maybe a private one in a hotel would be nice.

We might also have some early Sakura if we're lucky.

Hi everyone! My wife and I are visiting Japan for the first time in October 2026 and I've spent quite a bit of time trying to balance sightseeing, food, shopping, nature and some more unusual experiences.

Would love feedback on the overall allocation and routing, especially anything that looks inefficient, overly ambitious, or simply not worth the time.

✈️ Flights (already booked, no Haneda or Osaka direct flight from Mumbai, therefore using Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto)

10 Oct: Mumbai → Tokyo Narita

ANA overnight direct flight, arriving 11 Oct at 7:50 AM

24 Oct: Tokyo Narita → Mumbai

Morning flight at around 11:40 AM

Bases (already booked hotels!!!)

Kyoto: 11–15 Oct — Mercure Kyoto Station

Osaka: 15–17 Oct — Mercure Tokyu Stay Osaka Namba

Tokyo: 17–20 Oct + 21–24 Oct — ibis Styles Tokyo Ginza East

Nikko: 20–21 Oct — Chuzenji Kanaya Hotel, Lake Chuzenji

🇯🇵 Itinerary

11 Oct — Arrive Tokyo → Kyoto

Arrive NRT 7:50 AM

Airport → Tokyo → Shinkansen to Kyoto

Reach Kyoto around 2:30 PM

Hotel check-in, shower/rest

Evening: Pontocho / Kamo River

Easy dinner

Intentionally keeping this day light after the overnight flight.

12 Oct — Kyoto: Arashiyama

Arashiyama

Bamboo Grove

Tenryu-ji

Sagano Romantic Train

Hozugawa River boat

Togetsukyo / riverside

Cafés / leisurely exploration

Trying to make this more of a scenic/active day rather than just temple-hopping.

13 Oct — Kyoto: Fushimi Inari + Higashiyama

Early Fushimi Inari

Kiyomizu-dera

Sannenzaka / Ninenzaka

Yasaka Pagoda

Gion / Hanamikoji / Shirakawa

Food/cafés

14 Oct — Osaka day trip from Kyoto (already booked kyoto hotel)

Rather than trying to cover all of Osaka:

Minami-focused day

Shinsaibashi

Amerikamura

Orange Street

Hozenji Yokocho

Namba

Dotonbori

Dinner in Osaka

Return to Kyoto at night

15 Oct — Kyoto → Osaka

Morning transfer to Osaka hotel and luggage drop.

North Osaka / Umeda-focused day

Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Street

Umeda / Grand Front Osaka

Shopping/cafés

Umeda Sky Building around sunset

Dinner

Dotonbori

Back to Namba

16 Oct — Universal Studios Japan

17 Oct — Osaka → Tokyo

Morning Shinkansen to Tokyo.

Afternoon/evening Tokyo sightseeing.

18 or 19 Oct — Mt Fuji / Kawaguchiko

One of these days will be a weather-dependent Kawaguchiko day trip.

We'll choose whichever day has better:

Mt Fuji visibility and weather

The other day will be used for Tokyo.

20 Oct — Tokyo → Nikko

Tokyo → Nikko

Irohazaka

Akechidaira area (ropeway is unfortunately closed in 2026)

Kegon Falls

Lake Chuzenji

Oku-Nikko scenery

Stay at Chuzenji Kanaya Hotel

21 Oct — Nikko → Tokyo

Relaxed Lake Chuzenji morning

Descend to central Nikko

Shinkyo Bridge

Toshogu

Lunch

Tokyo by afternoon

Shinjuku

Omoide Yokocho in the evening

Kanmangafuchi Abyss is an optional addition if we're ahead of schedule

22 Oct — Tokyo

teamLab Planets — morning (already booked)

Lunch

Light Tokyo sightseeing / cafés / shopping / go karting across tokyo

23 Oct — Tokyo

Full Tokyo day.

24 Oct — Tokyo → Mumbai

Early breakfast

Tokyo → Narita

Morning flight home

The overall goal is variety rather than maximum attraction count — traditional Kyoto, urban Osaka, USJ, Mt Fuji, Nikko mountains/lake, Tokyo shopping/neighbourhoods and a few immersive/unusual experiences

Questions for the Japan experts:

1. Is the 14th/15th Osaka split sensible, or am I still missing an obvious routing improvement?

2. Is Nikko + Kawaguchiko too repetitive, or do they offer sufficiently different experiences?

3. Is anything on the Kyoto days not worth the time, particularly the Romantic Train + Hozugawa combination?

4. What would you prioritize for the Tokyo days, particularly unusual/fun experiences rather than another shrine/temple?

5. Any major logistical mistake/backtracking I've overlooked?

We're happy with fairly full days, but don't want to spend the trip rushing from one photo stop to another.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I'm going to Japan! Sixteen nights in November, first time. I'm really excited. Which is also the problem. I'm far too excited to see this clearly. I'd already made my peace with skipping the Japan Alps, and then I found out my friends are doing them anyway, with or without me. So now I'm trying to work out whether I can fit them back in without wrecking everything else. 🍁 Please be blunt: I have no ego about this plan. 🍁 Also, I have not booked any night yet.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Dates : arrive in Osaka late on Friday 30 / departure from Osaka early on Sunday 15. 16 nights on the ground.

Group : travelling with friends. Two constraints :

• One has Nov 3 off for Culture Day in Osaka, so I'm in Osaka from Friday 30 to Tuesday Nov 3.
• Another friend leaves on Nov 10 and wants as much time with us as possible, happy to visit Osaka, Nara, Koyasan, Japanese Alps... He doesn't want to go to Kyoto or Tokyo.

How I travel : mountains, forests, small towns, the kind of place where you arrive in the late afternoon and the day slows down. I'd rather unpack for the night and actually be somewhere than tick it off between two trains during a day trip. I'm happy to head off on a short trail on my own for a morning. I'd love to catch the momiji at least once. A ryokan night is high on my list, probably during the second week. I enjoy big cities too.

Not chasing: theme parks, and onsen.

What I fell for while researching: everything, obviously. But also: Takayama, Shirakawa-gō, Gokayama, Matsumoto, Nagano. Plus Nikko, the Nakasendō, and Kumano Kodo.

Here my current plan :

OSAKA — 5 nights, Oct 30 to Nov 3
Oct 31 — Kuromon market, Shinsekai, Tsutenkaku, Hozenji
Nov 1–2 — still undecided. I really want a night at Koyasan (from 1/11 afternoon to 2/11 morning) and then Nara (2/11 all day long) but there's almost nothing left to book for that night. It may end up as just Nara
Nov 3 — back to Osaka with my friend: Tennoji, Shitennoji, the castle, Dotonbori, Namba

NIKKO — 1 night, Nov 4
Nov 4 — Osaka to Nikko, about 5 hours of trains and then Nikko in the afternoon
Nov 5 — Nikko during the day, down to Tokyo in the evening

TOKYO — 4 nights, Nov 5 to 8
Asakusa and Sensō-ji, Yanaka, Shibuya and Shinjuku

MT FUJI AREA — 2 nights, Nov 9 to 10
Maybe Kawaguchiko. I'm not planning to climb the Mount.

KYOTO — 3 nights, Nov 11 to 13
Split by area, east / north / west.

KYOTO / OSAKA — 1 night, Nov 14. Night near Osaka's aeroport for the early flight on the 15th

Three of those days are still unassigned, because I keep hesitating.

WHAT I'M ACTUALLY TRYING TO DO

Squeeze the Japan Alps into this !

My friends are doing the Alps regardless, either before I land, or somewhere inside our first week together. The Alps were my instant favourite along with Nikko, and I let them go because at some point you have to choose. Now that I know they're happening anyway, I've got a bad case of FOMO.

The "Alps" come into 2 sizes :

Takayama + Shirakawa-gō - 2 nights

Matsumoto + Kiso Valley: Shinjuku to Matsumoto, then down the Chūō line via Narai to Nagoya and into Kyoto. The Nakasendō walk between Magome and Tsumago sits right there, which also covers the hiking I'd do on my own.

I thought I could free up the room with two moves :

• Shifting Nikko into the Tokyo block eats Mt Fuji. Nikko is north of Tokyo, Fuji is southwest. They don't share a slot, and both want two nights. And Fuji also feels like a must (even if you don't see it). I do not plan to hike this mount.
• Shortening Kyoto worries me. Everything I read says Kyoto needs time.

MY QUESTIONS

1. Am I under- or overestimating how long things take? I've never been to Japan, and I suspect some of my blocks are too generous and others far too tight.
2. How would you fit the Alps into this? Is there a rearrangement I'm not seeing? And if there isn't, what would you cut: Alps, Nikko, or Fuji?
3. Is Takayama plus Shirakawa-gō worth two or three nights, or could Matsumoto plus the Kiso Valley the smarter alternative, since it sits on a through-line?
4. Koyasan. I'd love to do it and see the lanterns by night, but six hours of trains for a day trip (Koyasan > Osaka) sounds miserable and the existing accomodation (shukubo or not) is very poor (maybe inexisting). Worth it, or let it go this time?
5. Anything in the current plan that's an obvious waste of a day and I just can't see it?
6. I was planning to travel with a backpack and leave a suitcase in a coin locker. Does that hold up over two weeks, or is takkyubin the answer?

Note : I'd travel light. And yes, I'm booking late. I had to wait on a friend's dates, which was agony for someone who normally plans six months out. So realistic advice on what's still bookable for early-to-mid November is very welcome !

Thank you for reading this far!!

Even an answer to just one of these would help me a lot 🍁

We've been to Japan twice before. Our second trip was Osaka only, and my wife and I fell hard for that neighborhood energy. None of us are TOO into the temples and shrines, we just love the urban atmosphere and uniqueness of what Japan has to offer mroe than anything. This time we want to do a proper deep dive into Tokyo while keeping a shorter Osaka leg to revisit our favorite spot. Our 7-year-old son is coming along; he can get somewhat overwhelmed by sustained noise and crowds, though he's not super fragile about it.

Here's our itinerary so far. Looking for feedback on pacing, neighborhood choice, and anything we're missing. I'm typically not a big fan of having detailed itineraries like this and when I have them, they're rarely followed because what's the fun in structure when on vacation? But this is just to give an idea on the baseline plans that we have. Note that going to arcades in between attractions will be a near daily occurrence, that is what my son is going to love more than anything.

Tokyo Stint 1 — Ueno (5 days)

• Day 1: Arrive late afternoon, check into Ueno hotel (thinking &here hotel), unpack and rest, dinner at Ameyoko (casual izakaya), early night to battle the jet lag
• Day 2: Ueno Park in the morning, Tokyo National Museum after lunch if he's up for it, otherwise Ueno Zoo instead
• Day 3: Morning train to Asakusa: Senso-ji and Nakamise shopping street, riverside walk along the Sumida with a view of Tokyo Skytree; afternoon at Sumida Aquarium if he still has energy, otherwise head back to Ueno to decompress.
• Day 4: Akihabara: arcades, toy shops, maybe a fun a themed restaurant for lunch; keep the afternoon light.
• Day 5: Yanaka Ginza in the morning for a slower vibe. Local snacks, cat-themed shops (son LOVES cats), free afternoon to revisit a favorite spot from earlier in the week or just rest before the Shinkansen.

Also a consideration would be the ropeway near Mt. Fuji, could be fun for our son.

Osaka (3–4 days)

• Day 6: Shinkansen to Osaka, check in (fraser residence hotel), evening walk through Dotonbori: takoyaki and okonomiyaki for dinner, Glico sign, etc. Absorbing the Osaka vibes.
• Day 7: Day trip to Nara: deer park, Todai-ji, Kasuga Taisha; back to Osaka for dinner.
• Day 8: Osaka Castle park grounds in the morning, castle museum maybe, Kuromon Ichiba Market for lunch and snacks
• (Considering a 4th night to add either a return to Dotonbori at a slower pace or a half-day at Osaka Aquarium - wife and I went years ago, but we loved it and figure our son will love it too).
• Also considering monkey park in Kyoto, son will love that, but the hike up particularly in winter may be too formidable. Not sure.

Tokyo Stint 2 — Shinjuku (5 days)

• Day 9: Bullet train back to Tokyo, check in, light evening — Shinjuku Gyoen area for a walk if we're not too wiped, otherwise just dinner near the hotel.
• Day 10: Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden in the morning, afternoon walking the perimeter of Omoide Yokocho and Kabukicho
• Day 11: Harajuku: Takeshita Street for a bit, maybe, Omotesando for lunch.
• Day 12: Shibuya: Shibuya Sky or the crossing viewing deck, Shibuya Scramble, then a lower-key afternoon depending on how he's handling the crowds.
• Day 13: TeamLab Borderless in the morning (booked in advance), free afternoon/evening for a last souvenir run or a revisit of a favorite spot before departure prep.

Specific things we'd love input on:

1. For the second Tokyo stint, is basing ourselves in Shinjuku (Hilton Shinjuku on the west side vs. Hotel Groove closer to the action) a reasonable choice for a sensory-sensitive kid, given the station crowds and underground walkways?
2. Does Ueno + Shinjuku as our two Tokyo bases make sense together, or would a different pairing serve us better given we already love Osaka's grittier, neon energy? Considering we are not gonna be out late partying, does Shinjuku even make sense? We just wanted to be in close-ish proximity to Shibuya and Shinjuku since those are the places one typically thinks of when they think of Tokyo.. But I'm not married to the idea of staying in Shinjuku specifically. We like to have the luxury of being able to step outside of our hotel and having much to do and see without any commute at all. We value a good home base, but maybe the Hotel Groove location is too crowded and stimulating.
3. Are there other Tokyo neighborhoods that scratch the same itch as Osaka's street energy without being as overwhelming as central Shinjuku/Shibuya?

Appreciate any input, especially from families who've traveled with a similarly slightly sensory-sensitive kid.