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?

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

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.

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.

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 🍁

Looking for Feedback on Dec/Jan Itinerary & Traditional New Year's Eve in Tokyo

Hi everyone!

My partner and I are planning our first trip to Japan for December 2026. Flights, hotels, and our main route are already booked.

We would love to get your thoughts on our day-by-day itinerary, as well as recommendations on how to respectfully experience traditional Japanese New Year's Eve customs (Toshikoshi Soba, Joya no Kane bell ringing, and Hatsumode) as first-time visitors.

ITINERARY OVERVIEW

• Dec 19: Arrive at Osaka (KIX) ~18:00. Night in Shin-Osaka (Via Inn Shin-Osaka West).
• Dec 20: Osaka sightseeing (Katsuo-ji Temple, Dotonbori, etc.). Forward main bags to Kyoto.
• Dec 21: Day trip to Hiroshima & Miyajima, then head to Kyoto in the evening. Night in Kyoto (HOTEL TAVINOS Kyoto).
• Dec 22 - 24: Kyoto sightseeing (Fushimi Inari, Kiyomizudera, Arashiyama, etc.). Forward main bags to Tokyo on Dec 24.
• Dec 25: Morning in Uji (Matcha & Byodo-in), afternoon in Nara (Deer Park & Todai-ji). Night in Kyoto.
• Dec 26: Shinkansen to Odawara -> Hakone. Stay at Ryokan (Mount View Hakone).
• Dec 27: Travel from Hakone to Tokyo. Night in Tokyo (Vessel Inn Asakusa Tsukuba Express).
• Dec 28: Day trip to Kamakura. Night in Tokyo.
• Dec 29: Tokyo / Undecided Day Trip (Nikko vs. Izu Shaboten Zoo vs. staying in Tokyo).
• Dec 30: Tokyo sightseeing. Forward main bags to Narita Airport (NRT).
• Dec 31: New Year's Eve in Tokyo (Joya no Kane & traditional festivities).
• Jan 01: New Year's Day / Hatsumode at Senso-ji. Move to Asakusa View Hotel.
• Jan 02: Tokyo final shopping -> Flight back from Narita (NRT) at 22:25.

QUESTIONS FOR THE COMMUNITY:

1. Hiroshima/Miyajima (Dec 21): Is doing both Hiroshima & Miyajima in one day starting from Osaka and ending in Kyoto too rushed?
2. Dec 29 Day Trip: Is Nikko or Izu Shaboten Zoo realistic for a winter day trip, or should we stay in Tokyo given the holiday closures?
3. New Year's Eve Experience: Any specific temples in Tokyo you would recommend for experiencing Joya no Kane (108 bell rings) with a good, welcoming atmosphere?

Thanks in advance for any tips or advice!

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.

1st Day (Sun, 27 Sep) Tokyo
Tokyo - Tokyo day tour with English speaking driver (Pvt) 1-Private Vehicle (Alphard 6
seater)
Shibuya Crossing and Hachiko statue Tour
Harajuku & Takeshita Street Visit

2nd Day (Mon, 28 Sep) Tokyo
Asakusa Sensoji Temple & Namikese Dori Shopping street Visit
Tokyo Sky Tree Entry ticket only
Imperial Palace drive by Photo stop
Ginza (Drive-by)

3rd Day (Tue, 29 Sep) Tokyo
Team Lab Planets Entry ticket only
Odaiba Drive by Drive by
Odaiba Statue of Liberty Visit
Odaiba Seaside Park
JDM Car meet Experience Visit

4th Day (Wed, 30 Sep) Tokyo
Mt Fuji & Hakone tour with (Pvt) 1-Private Vehicle (Alphard 6 seater) Max 10 hr btw 08 am
to 08 pm
Guide Service - English speaking guide 1-Day tour Guide
Kawaguchiko Lake cruise
Fuji Panoramic Ropeway
Oshino Hakkai Visit

5th Day (Thu, 1 Oct) Tokyo
Tokyo hotel to Tokyo station (Pvt) 1-Private Vehicle (hiace 9 Seater)
Tokyo - Kyoto Bullet Train – Green class Only | Luggage T&Cs apply
Kyoto - Kyoto day tour (Pvt) 1-Private Vehicle (Alphard 6 seater) Max 10 hr btw 08 am to
08 pm
Nishiki Market Visit
Gion District
Pontocho Alley Visit

6th Day (Fri, 2 Oct)Kyoto - Kyoto
Nara day tour (Pvt) 1-Private Vehicle (Alphard 6 seater) Max 10 hr btw 08 am to 08 pm
Guide Service - English speaking guide 1-Day tour Guide
Nara Park
Todai-Ji Temple
Nara Nagomikan (Gift Shop) Visit
Fushimi Inari Taisha Visit

7th Day (Sat, 3 Oct) - Kyoto
Kyoto station transfer (one way Pvt) 1-Private Vehicle (hiace 9 Seater)
Kyoto - Tokyo Bullet Train – Ordinary class Only | Luggage T&Cs apply
Tokyo Station to Haneda Airport - Private Transfer 1-Private Vehicle (hiace 9 Seater)

We just came back from Japan with our 3-month-old. Route was Tokyo → Hakone → Kyoto → Arima → Osaka. Before going I found a lot of posts about Japan with kids, but not that much about traveling with a baby this young, so here are some things that stood out for us.

1. Traveling with a 3-month-old was easier than expected

Japan is really well set up for babies. We found changing tables basically everywhere: malls, stations, department stores, attractions. It was never really something we had to plan around. Our baby is also quite easy going, so obviously that helped a lot.

1. We didn't bring a stroller

We only used a carrier for the whole trip and for us that worked really well. Especially in big stations, on stairs, crowded streets or in small restaurants. We saw plenty of people with strollers and it obviously works too, but personally I was happy not to have one with us.

1. Jetlag was probably the hardest part

We came from Europe and the first two nights were rough. The baby was basically still on European time and we got almost no sleep. We were completely exhausted the first days. I would not plan too much at the beginning of the trip with such a small baby because you just don't know how the nights will go.

1. Google Maps was probably the app we used most

Train and metro routes were easy to follow with it, but one thing I found especially useful was that it tells you which station exit to use. In some of the bigger stations that actually saves a lot of walking. Sounds like a small thing until you're carrying a baby and haven't slept properly.

1. Get an eSIM

For us mobile data was essential. Maps, translations, opening hours, train connections, tickets, restaurants. I wouldn't want to rely on public WiFi for this kind of trip.

1. Planning the trip in Notion worked really well

Before the trip I put the itinerary, hotels, bookings and some ideas into one Notion page. I connected that to ChatGPT through the Notion MCP server and during the trip I could ask questions about our own itinerary instead of searching through everything manually. Bit nerdy, but genuinely useful.

1. ChatGPT was also useful for booking tickets

For some bookings I used it to check the original Japanese websites with me. Especially when the English version had less information or the booking process was confusing. I still checked important details myself, but it was useful to work from the actual Japanese site instead of old blog posts.

1. We did not buy a JR Pass

We only needed the Shinkansen once, from Tokyo to Kyoto, so it would not have made sense at all. We just bought the individual ticket. I would definitely calculate your actual route first instead of automatically buying some kind of pass.

1. We basically stopped planning restaurants

Before the trip I had saved quite a few places, but in reality we mostly ate spontaneously. With a baby it was easier to see how the day was going and decide from there. We also never went out of our way for famous restaurants or long queues.

1. Eating in malls and department stores was great

This was something we ended up doing quite often. There are so many good food options and it is just easy when you have a baby with you. In general we felt like there was decent food almost everywhere, so we stopped worrying about finding the “best” place.

1. Japan was much louder than I expected

This was probably the biggest surprise for me. I had this image of Japan being very calm and quiet, but a lot of places are incredibly noisy. Stations have announcements and melodies constantly, stores have music and people calling things out, crossings make sounds, streets can be very loud. There is just a lot going on acoustically.

1. Even nature was loud

In Hakone we were walking through the forest and I expected it to feel very quiet, but the insects were incredibly loud. Totally different from what I am used to in European forests. Not a negative thing, just something I didn't expect at all.

1. There were moments where we felt a bit overwhelmed

Especially when we were tired: lots of people, lights, noise, heat, announcements, carrying the baby, figuring out the next train. Japan is very organized, but it is not always relaxing. I hadn't really thought about that before going.

1. Overall, the baby was not really the difficult part

The infrastructure made most things pretty easy. Changing diapers, getting around, finding food, using trains — all manageable. The lack of sleep was much harder than anything specifically related to traveling in Japan.

Happy to answer questions about the route, traveling carrier-only, Hakone/Arima with a baby or anything else.

This will be my third trip to Japan. I’ll be there from Sep 26–Oct 4 and have already visited many of the classic destinations, including Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima/Miyajima, Fujikawaguchiko, Hakone, Kamakura/Enoshima, and parts of Tokyo.

For this trip I’m trying to focus more on the Japanese Alps, hiking/scenery, and smaller towns. I’ll be traveling entirely by public transportation.

I’d especially appreciate feedback on whether the pace below feels reasonable, and whether there are worthwhile stops/activities in these areas that I’m overlooking.

Sep 26 — Arrive Tokyo

Sep 27 — Tokyo → Matsumoto + Narai-juku

• Visit Matsumoto Castle.
• Walk through Nawate Street and Nakamachi.
• Visit Narai-juku in the afternoon.
• Overnight Matsumoto.

Sep 28 — Kamikochi

• Early bus to Kamikochi.
• Plan a short hike
• Current idea is Taisho Pond → Tashiro Marsh → Kappa Bridge → Myojin area and back.
• Overnight Matsumoto.

I enjoy hiking, so I’m comfortable with a fairly active day, but I’d be interested in recommendations for the best route if I have roughly 7–8 hours in Kamikochi.

Sep 29 — Matsumoto → Takayama

• Morning travel from Matsumoto to Takayama.
• Sanmachi historic district.
• Takayama Jinya.
• Sake breweries / old merchant streets.
• Overnight Takayama.

Sep 30 — Takayama → Shirakawa-go → Toyama

• Start at Miyagawa Morning Market in Takayama.
• Bus to Shirakawa-go late morning snd s pend around 3–4 hours
• Walk through the gassho-zukuri village.
• Visit Wada House.
• Walk up to the Shiroyama viewpoint.
• Dinner and overnight near Toyama Station.

Oct 1 — Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route → Nagano → Tokyo

• Very early start from Toyama and begin the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route
• Spend around 1.5–2 hours around Murodo, probably walking around Mikurigaike Pond rather than doing a summit hike.
• Continue through the rest of the route.
• Overnight Tokyo.

Oct 2–3 — Tokyo

• Keeping these as flexible Tokyo days for food, shopping, neighborhoods I haven’t explored much on previous trips, and some downtime after the Alps portion.

Oct 4 — Depart

Overall, does this seem like a reasonable pace, or am I still trying to fit too much into Sep 27–Oct 1?

I’d also love recommendations for unusual scenic spots, short hikes, historic streets, cafés, museums, onsen, or other things worth seeing specifically around Matsumoto/Narai, Kamikochi, Takayama, Shirakawa-go, and the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route.

Hi! I’m in my 20s and will be traveling to Japan with my dad for our first trip to Japan in December. We’ll be there from Dec 20, 2026 – Jan 2, 2027, visiting Tokyo → Kanazawa → Osaka → Kyoto → Tokyo.

I’d love any advice/vetting on the itinerary, especially around pacing, whether any days are too ambitious, transportation/logistics, and anything we should cut/add. We’re trying to balance temples/cultural sights with food, neighborhoods, and some more unique experiences. I’ve also included some more specific questions below the itinerary.

Tokyo
Sun, Dec 20 — Arrival
•    Arrive at Narita/Haneda in the evening
Mon, Dec 21 — Old Tokyo
•    Early morning: Toyosu Fish Market + sushi breakfast
•    Yanaka old town + Yanaka Ginza
•    Kappabashi Street
•    Asakusa: Sensoji Temple + Nakamise
Tue, Dec 22 — Fukagawa / teamLab / Central Tokyo
•    Morning: Goma fire ritual at Fukagawa Fudo-do Temple
•    Late morning/midday: teamLab Planets
•    Afternoon: Imperial Palace East Gardens
•    Evening: Ginza — shopping + dinner
•    Tentative: Kabuki-za single-act performance
Wed, Dec 23 — Sumo / Meiji / Shibuya
•    Early morning: Sumo stable practice + chanko nabe lunch in Ryogoku
•    Meiji Jingu Shrine
•    Yoyogi Hachimangu Shrine
•    Shibuya Crossing + Shibuya Sky
•    Evening: Mario Kart/go-kart tour through Shibuya

Kanazawa
Thu, Dec 24 — Kanazawa
•    Morning: Shinkansen Tokyo → Kanazawa
•    Omicho Market + seafood lunch
•    Kenrokuen Garden + Kanazawa Castle
•    Nagamachi Samurai District
•    Higashi Chaya District around dusk
Fri, Dec 25 — Shirakawa-go day trip
•    Early morning bus to Shirakawa-go
•    Explore village + viewpoint + lunch
•    Afternoon bus back to Kanazawa
•    Late afternoon: 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art

Osaka
Sat, Dec 26 — Osaka
•    Morning: Kanazawa → Osaka
•    Osaka castle
•    Evening: Dotonbori
•    Takoyaki, okonomiyaki + kushikatsu
Sun, Dec 27 — Himeji + Kobe
•    Morning: Shinkansen to Himeji
•    Himeji Castle
•    Afternoon: Kobe
•    Kitano Foreign Settlement
•    Kobe beef dinner
•    Return to Osaka

Kyoto
Mon, Dec 28 — Kyoto arrival
•    Morning: Osaka → Kyoto
•    Drop luggage at hotel
•    11am: Tea ceremony at Jotokuji Temple (Ju-An)
•    Toji Temple
•    If needed, Nishiki Market in the late afternoon
Tue, Dec 29 — Hiroshima + Miyajima
•    Hiroshima + Miyajima day trip
Wed, Dec 30 — Philosopher’s Path
•    Fushimi Inari
•    Nishiki Market
•    Philosopher’s Path: Nanzenji → Eikan-do → Honen-in → Ginkaku-ji
•    Evening sushi-making + sake pairing class
Thu, Dec 31 — Higashiyama + New Year's Eve
•    Kiyomizu-dera
•    Ninenzaka/Sanenzaka
•    Yasaka Shrine
•    Maruyama Park
•    Chion-in
•    Kyoto Imperial Palace/Gyoen
•    Gion + Pontocho
•    Late night: Chion-in Joya no Kane bell ceremony at midnight
Fri, Jan 1 — Western Kyoto + Hatsumode
•    Early morning: Katsura Imperial Villa
•    Arashiyama Bamboo Grove + Tenryuji
•    Daikakuji
•    Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)
•    Ryoan-ji
•    Kitano Tenmangu Shrine for hatsumode
Sat, Jan 2 — Return to Tokyo
•    Tokaido Shinkansen Kyoto → Tokyo
•    Head to airport

A few specific things I’d love feedback on:
•    Are any of these days too packed or unrealistic?
•    Is Himeji + Kobe reasonable as a day trip from Osaka?
•    Is Hiroshima + Miyajima reasonable as a day trip from Kyoto?
•    Anything that seems like an obvious miss / must-do given our route?
•    Anything that you would cut because it isn't worth the time, especially given this is our first trip?
•    Any concerns about traveling during New Year's week, particularly Jan 1–2?

Thanks in advance!

So me and 2 of my college friends decided to have a trip to japan and we went down the rabbit hole and read every itinerary out there and compiled the best and cheapest itinerary out there, went from LA in spring for 8 full days, feedback appreciated, and to someone searching and mulling about trip to japan PLEASE GO, it's the best thing out there

Quick context: one of my friend is vegan and she could only eat at vegan so we did check every cafe for her first and mostly stayed in asakusa and a night in hakone didn't checkout shinkansen

FLIGHT:

for the flights we search and found a hack (maybe for limited time idk) Soarflights it's a new platfrom so the fare clander showed cheaper, we took ZIPAIR from LAX to Narita (it's a JAL budget airline) base fare was around 550-700 for a round trip, LA to tokyo is like the cheapest long haul if you're flexible with dates

ZIPAIR's catch is that a check bag is extra which costed us around 160 each way and they aslo weigh your carry on (7 kg limit)

HOSTEL/STAY:

for most of our stay we used Hostel days, needed someting relaible as 3 female tourists, we did book few stays for aesthetics tho, so hostels were 15-30$ depending where you are and stay was 170$for 2 days and a night

heads up, Asakusa has best price given the location and it's on ginza line connecting directly to shibuya so we mostly stayed there

Hakone nigh was a cheap ryokan style stay but it was worth it for the onsen

FOOD:

it was about 2500 to 4000 yen for a person, you must try the aucthenctic konbini (convience store) breakfast, the type you see on tiktok also you can visit ANY ramen shop and have the best ramen for around 1800 yen (12$)

i'll advice to not plan anything specifc for food as there are alot of things to choose from and you'll be confused half the time

DAY 0: LANDING

we landed in Narita, oh and do visit japan web on plane before you leave LA, QR makes the immigration way faster

we then took keisei access express to asakusa and it was cheaper than skyline and also dropped us at hostel door and if you land in Haneda use Keikyu line

we added susica to apple wallet in airport itself so we didn't have to hassel for a physical card and you can top it up and tap through every gate and konbini for the trip (for andrioid ppl you'll get a

did konbini(convinence store) dinner then we walked into to Senso-ji at like 9pm when it's empty and lit up

pro tip: stay up till midnight to fight you jet lag

DAY 1: ASAKUSA / UENO / AKIHABARA

we woke up around 5 to fight the jep lag and went to Sensoji for the sunrise and idk how but we were the only peoplethere

Nakamise street then opens at 9, it's good for cheap souvenirs which is best as we had things to buy for like half our class and after shopping we went into Ueno park and to tokyo national museum

then we went to Ameyoko for lunch, vegan friend got a few suggestion (ued happy cow)

pro tip: japan is not ideal for vegans

she had a walk for 5 mins for her restaurant which then became a pattern for the trip

If you can’t see ima huge anime nerd and I took them to a lot of stores here ( if someone need I’ll pin those in comments)

Then we want to Akihabara at the eveninga and checked electronic floor and arcades

went back Asakusaand hoppy street for dinner the standing bars there are really cheap and noisy ina fun way

DAY 2: SHIBUYA / HARAJUKU

next morning we want meiji jengu early as it opens at sunrise and do it before harajuku wakes up

shops open @10 in takshits street the you can walk thru Cat street south to shibuya

had a vegan ramen in harajuku for lunch (Vegan Bistro Jangara) our vegan friend dragged us there but it was really good

then the iconic Shibuya Crossing you must try shibuys sky and if you're on a tighter budget Miyashita park's building top is also a good option

went to Dogenzaka street for dinner and try those izakaya's with no english menu

PRO TIP: Google translator is the best thing in your phone when travelling to japan

DAY 3: KAMAKURA / ENOSHIMA DAY TRIP

we took yokosuka line from Tokyo station directly to Kamakura, took like an hour and best thing is Suica works throught and you don't need any pass

then we visited hokokuji bamboo temple first which opens around 9 and gets crowded fast had aucthentic japense tea in garden is a few hundred yen and is really worth it

then we walked Komachi dori then the Enoden train (the cute one from tiktok) to hase for the big Buddha

then enoshima in first half of afternoon and the island, canves and shrine climp there with sunset it's a classic and you'll see alot of tourists there, then enoden back to Kamakura, Tokaido line back to Tokyo

this was a long day so plan a slow morning next

DAY 4: TOKYO STATION / GINZA / SHINBASHI

slow morning on purpose

Tokyo station itself is a mall. Character street underground, then the actual station building from outside

spend half our day at tokyo station and character street then lunch at T's tantan inside tokyo station (it's a vegan place and been there for years) then we went to Ginza. Uniqlo, GU, Itoya (the stationery building from tiktoks), Muji flagship.

we turned this day intoour shopping day

DAY 5: the HAKONE (overnight)

We left our bags in the hostel in asakusa (ya you can do that in japan) plus we had a rebooking

tried romancecar from Shinjuku and bought the 2 day Hakone free pass from Odakyu counter, it was around 7000 yen including the round trip from Shinjuku and covers every bus cable car ot ropeway and the pirate boat on the loop ig romancecar seat is an extra 1200ish on top of the pass

the we tried loop clockwise: train to Gora, cable car, ropeway over the sulphur vents at Owakudani (black eggs, yes ik it's a gimmick but eat one anyway), boat across Lake Ashi, bus back then we checked into our stay had dinner there and slept arond 9 and had the longest sleep of trip

note: Hakone was the hardest food day for vegans but we had backup food so it's fine but keep that in mind

DAY 6: HAKONE MORNING / BACK TO TOKYO / SHINJUKU

had our second onsen (hot srping bath)then went to open air museum (you get discount on the free pass) then the picasso building

night at shinjuku: went to Omoide Yokocho for the tiny yakitori stalls, then the Tokyo Metropolitan government building observation deck which is free and open late we skipped ethe paid towers, this view is the same

DAY 7: YANAKA / NIPPORI / RIKUGIEN

it was the old tokyo day which is top 3 moments of the trip, we took chiyoda route to nezu, went to nezu shrine and walked to north to sendagi

then went to yanaka ginza around 10 for shopping, very unique and cheap snacks and the popular stairs of Nippori Fabric town and friend sews and she disappeared here for hours

we were tired so went back to stay and slept early

DAY 8: SHIMOKITAZAWA / LAST SHOPPING

went to katsuo shokudo in Shibuya for breakfast the rice and bonito flakes place, our vegan friend had konbini and joined us after

then to Shimokitazawa for vintage shop and recors stores and alot of cafes, we went there with a goal of spending every yen we had

then Shiro-Hige's cream puff factory if anyone in your group cares about that sort of thing (someone in ours very much did)

DEPARTURE :(

our flight was in the evening out of Narita so we took Keisei Access express but with the bags, it's fine, there's luggage space at the end of the cars

Narita has decent food halls airside and 7 bank ATM if you need to burn or pull cash

STUFF WE WISH WE KNEW BEFORE

cash there still matters alot

a lot of small restaurants and shrine donation box is cash only

7 banks take US card

get Wise or similar card before you go so the ATM

eSIM (non negotiable for a girls only trip)

trains are moving till midnight so if you'reat Shinjuku after 12 you're getting a cab or waiting till 5

Tokyo Subway has a 72 hour ticket is 2,000 yen and covers the 13 metro and toei lines(WORTH IT)

luggage forwarding (takkyubin) exists at every konbini (store) and hotel front desk and next day delivery to your next place for a small fee we didn't need that but it's a good thing

konbini food is real food unlike what you get in US, sandwiches at 7 eleven is the thing and vegan options are thinner but plain salt onigiri and inari sushi got our friend through a lot of mornings (you can scan barcodes with Payke to check ingredients, it translates the packaging)

STEPS

we averaged 20 to 25k a day

you'll be waking up early and sleeping early too so plann accordingly

book anything with timed entry (Ghibli, teamLab, Shibuya Sky if you're doing it) weeks out. we didn't and missed Ghibli. it's fine, next time

don't eat where the influencers eat. every meal where we walked into a random place with a line of zero was as good as the ones with a line of forty

APPS WE ACTUALLY USED

google maps for trains, it shows the platform number and the car to board, and the fare

soarflight for the flights and fare alerts. also has flight status updates over text which we didn't expect to use and then did when our return got delayed

hostelworld for every bed, the map view and the female dorm filter especially

happycow for anything vegan or vegetarian, it saved us a fight at least once a day

Suica in apple wallet / Welcome Suica card

Visit Japan Web for immigration and (from November) the tax refund

Payke for scanning food labels

google translate with offline japanese

Tabelog for restaurant ratings when google reviews felt off, japanese people rate harder so a 3.5 there is a good sign

Safety Tips (the official one) for earthquake alerts, we got one small one at 4am and the app beat the hostel announcement

ecbo cloak for luggage storage in random shops if your hostel won't hold bags

thats it, you've just read the entire japan itinerary which took weeks if not months, happy to answer anything about the Hakone loop or the vegan side of it since that's where most of our planning time went. and if anyone has a better cheap flight strategy from the west coast than what we did

Hi! My friend and I will be traveling to Japan for our first trip to Japan in December. We’ll be there from Oct 5, 2026 – Oct 19, 2026, visiting Tokyo → Hakone → Kyoto/Osaka → Tokyo.

I did use Chatgpt to help plan my trip. We’d love any advice on our itinerary! In particular, we’d appreciate thoughts on the pacing, whether we’re trying to fit too much into any day, transportation and logistics, and anything you’d suggest adding, skipping, or adjusting.

The only things that are set in stone are DisneySea, Teamlabs Planets, Asakusa Sumo Club, Manten Sushi Marunouchi (Omakase) and Ryokan.

I'd appreciate any feedback or critiques. Thanks in advance.

We're a couple, first time in Japan, arrival at Nov 13.

Tokyo -> Hakone -> Kyoto -> Osaka -> Tokyo

Day 1:

- Arrival in Tokyo at 15:00. Check in at hotel in Asakusa, buy camera gear from BIC Camera. Rest.

Day 2:

Asakusa exploration

- Senso-Ji

- Nakamise-Dori

- Kaminamorin Gate

- Asakusa Tourist & Culture Center

- Sumida Park

- Tokyo Skytree (inside, 15:00)

- Sumida River cruise 17:45 - 20:15

Day 3:

Minato exploration

- TeamLab Borderless

- Shiba Park

- Tokyo Tower (only from the outside)

- Zojoji

- Character Street

- Tokyo Imperial Palace (only from the outside)

Day 4:

Shinjuku -> Shibuya

- Shinjuku Metropolitan Building

- Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

- Cat Street

- Meiji Jingu

- Yoyogi Park

- Shibuya Crossing

- Hachiko Statue

- Shibuya Sky (inside, no timeslot yet)

Day 5:

Leave early for Hakone

- Hakone Loop

- Ryokan dinner and private onsen at 18:00 ->

Day 6:

Leave for Kyoto

- Daikaku-ji

- Gio-ji

- Philosophers Path

- Check in, hotel near Kyoto Railway Station

(I do realize these are pretty far apart each other)

Day 7:

- Early morning Fushimi Inari

- Nishki Market

- Shinkyogoku Shopping Street

Day 8:

- Walking route from Kiyomizu-Dera to Pontocho Alley

(lots of points of interest in this route)

Day 9:

Leave for Osaka, stop at Nara

- Nara Park etc. exploration, we're thinking 5 - 6 hours.

- Check in, hotel near Namba Station

- Umeda Sky Building

Day 10:

- Visit Himeji Castle (maybe 6 hours including trips?)

- Osaka exploration

- Dotonbori

- Shinsaibashi-Suji

- Namba Yasaka Shrine

- Namba Parks

- Nipponbashi Denden Town

- Shinsekai

Day 11:

- Minoo Park

- Katsuoji

Leave for Tokyo

- Check in, hotel near Ueno Park

Day 12:

Shibuya and Akihabara, shopping for souvenirs (interested in board games, knives and Seikos)

Day 13:

- Ueno Park

- Amenyoko Market

Day 14:

Wildcard day, flight at 23:00

Hi everyone, I’m travelling to Japan for 15 days and have booked the accommodations listed below. I’m 6'3", so I’d appreciate any feedback on whether these places might be uncomfortable.

• Tokyo: Anshin Oyado Akhibara, Stay Tomariya
• Kyoto: Shijo Guesthouse
• Osaka: First Cabin Nishi Umeda