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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/YachiyoTodoroki on 2025-01-11 14:12:14+00:00.

My SO is moving using a wheelchair. This Spring we are visiting Japan. Friends are recommending to visit as many cities as possible during the two weeks that we have. But the logistics are really complicated for us. That's why I would like to limit our trip to 3 cities at most. Right now we are thinking about the most popular ones:

• Tokyo
• Kyoto
• Osaka

Do you think that it might be the right choice when it comes to accessibility? I'm slightly worried about Kyoto, as there seem to be a lot of stairs and other obstacles (due to old architecture) in the videos that I'm looking at.

Other than that, I have the following questions:

1. How is Japan in general when it comes to accessibility? Are there a lot of places that are generally inaccessible to people using wheelchairs? How are the streets in general? Are they nicely flat or should we expect a lot of bumps etc.?
2. How accessible are Hotels in general? Are most of them adapted to the Wheelchairs or not really?
3. How accessible are Trains in general? I think that this point might be the most scary for me. There are some videos on the web about people who can't get into Trains due to how packed it is. Can we expect to move freely using city communication?
4. I know about the website. Do you know any other websites or YouTube channels with some tips about traveling in Japan with a wheelchair?

If you have any other tips, suggestions or you have been in a similar situation - I will be super happy to learn more about your experience!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Walter-Grace on 2025-01-10 06:07:58+00:00.

This is my first time overseas and has come at short notice, I plan to arrive on the 10th of feb (Approx).

What do you guys think of my itinerary? What could be improved?

Day 1: Tokyo

• Arrival

Day 2: Tokyo

• Imperial Palace
• National Museum
• Yarakucho (Dinner)

Day 3: Tokyo

• Kawagoe
• Shinjuku (Shopping District)
• Dinner in Shinjuku (Omoide Yokocho)

Day 4: Tokyo

• Nikko Day Trip (2 hours each way)

Day 5: Tokyo to Hakone

• Hot Springs

Day 6: Hakone

• Open Air Museum
• Travel to Kyoto

Day 7: Kyoto (Central)

• Imperial Palace
• Sento Palace
• Poncho (Dinner)

Day 8: Kyoto (Central)

• Nijo Castle
• Gion Street

Day 9: Kyoto (East)

• Kiyomizedura
• Higashiyama
• Ginkakuji
• Kyoto National Museum

Day 10: Kyoto (South)

• Fushimi Inari Shrine
• Daigoji Temple
• Tofukuji Temple

Day 11: Nara Day Trip

• Nara Park
• Horyuji Temple
• Isuien Garden
• Todai-ji

Day 12: Himeji Day Trip

• Himeji Castle (2 hours each way)

Day 13: Kyoto to Osaka

• Osaka Castle
• Aquarium

Day 14: Osaka to Australia

• Departure

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/katloz36 on 2025-01-09 08:26:26+00:00.

I'm going to be in Japan from March 29 to April 8. I’m spending 2 days in Kyoto, 1 day in Osaka, and 5 full days in Tokyo. I’m considering adding a day to Osaka and taking one away from Tokyo to visit Nara OR having my luggage stored in Nara and then leaving that night for Tokyo.

What do you recommend? Is Nara worth it, and do you recommend the luggage storage options vs staying another night in Osaka?

There is a lot to see in Tokyo and I worry that being there just 4 full days isn't enough.

I'm mostly interested in museums, beautiful temples, parks and food.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/kenmlin on 2025-01-09 04:53:40+00:00.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/cdmaster245 on 2025-01-07 20:55:42+00:00.

This guide isn't perfect - is meant to be used as a guide and hope to help you maximize your time. I'll add a google link in the comment for mobile-friendly viewing.

Went with the wife, from NYC. Took me months of planning to make this (I'm the planner type lol.)

It was our first time in Japan.

Japan Trip Itinerary

Trip Summary

• 15 days
• Did it during Thanksgiving because:
  • 11 Work days (2 Holidays and one half day), 7-½ PTO needed.
  • 4 Weekend days.
• Weather around end of November:
  • Should be 46°F–66°F.
  • Cold/dry air, windy. Layers, gloves, windbreaker.
• Stays:
  • Booked everything on Expedia and had no issues (you can book now and pay at the hotel).

Stays

| City | Dates | Hotel | Notes | |

|

|

|

| | | | | | | | | | Tokyo | Nov 16–20, 28–30 | Hotel Groove Shinjuku (Tokyu Kabukicho Tower) | Hotel is probably my favorite hotel of all time, clean, easy to get to. Shinjuku is the nightlife of Tokyo, and the view is amazing. Lobby is on the 18th floor. Also, the bus to the airport and back is at the foot of the building (a separate ticket is required; it was through a company, more info later). | | Kyoto | Nov 20–24 | Miru Kyoto Nishiki | Two blocks away from Nishiki Market, which is a long avenue of food. Main shopping area is nearby as well as the Gion District. The hotel was clean, and the location was great, but feel free to book somewhere else if desired. | | Osaka | Nov 24–28 | The Royal Park Hotel Iconic Osaka Midosuji | 4 min walk to the train, really clean and nice hotel. The view faced the non-interesting side, so it was okay for me. I would get a hotel closer to fun landmarks or with a better view. The lobby was on the 15th floor. |

Daily Itinerary

| Day | City | Agenda | Notes | |

|

|

|

| | | | | | | | | | Day 0 | NYC | Departure Time: 12:35 AM. Flight Info: Japan Air - Airbus 351. I wanted this flight because I wanted to experience the plane, as the Airbus A350-1000 is the newest Airbus in the market… lol. Anyways, Japan Air has amazing customer service. Highly recommend taking them and avoiding non-Asian airlines. I heard this and ANA are the best airlines to take to Japan. | Flight Time: 14 hours, 05 minutes. Japan Immigration Form (QR): Do it the day before. Make sure you have the QR code on your phone via screenshot. You will need it after arrival, and it will be an inconvenience if you don’t have this ready. | | Day 1 | Tokyo | Arrival Time: 5:10 AM at Haneda. Pick up Suica Card at the airport. Use iPhone wallet option. Haneda Terminal 3 has a vending machine near monorail ticketing. Welcome card (no refund on leftover). Regular Green Card refundable, but only in Tokyo. Card can be reloaded many times. Can use the card anywhere with a Suica logo (like Visa sticker in store). | **Tips:**Maybe start with $150? That’s 7,333 yen (per 9/2/24). When buying the card, we get a reference paper—keep it in case we are asked for it. Spent $100 on Suica alone, maybe more. Suica card can be used for buses, trains, 7-11s, shops, etc. Basically a debit card in Japan. Don’t bring US cash. Exchange money at the airport or 7-11 for best rates. Take out $200 to start—if you need more, 7-11 ATMs are everywhere. | | Day 2 | Tokyo | Explore Asakusa and Akihabara. Asakusa: Kaminarimon Gate (Thunder Gate), Senso-ji Temple (Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist temple), Nakamise-dori Street (souvenirs, shops, food). Akihabara: Anime/game zone with retro game centers. Roads close 1–6 PM for pedestrians. | Notes: Senso-ji is worth seeing but tourist-heavy—go early if you dislike crowds. Akihabara is a treasure hunt for anime figures/retro items. Don’t buy immediately; take photos, then compare prices later. Figures were cheaper in Kyoto/Osaka. Lashinbang and Surugaya chains sell second-hand (look brand new) for half price. | | Day 3 | Tokyo | Explore Setagaya City: Gotokuji Temple (Maneki-neko, “good luck” cats). Shibuya: Meiji Shrine, Takeshita Dori Street (Harajuku/Fashion/Kawaii District), Shibuya Crossing (famous crosswalk downtown Tokyo), Shibuya PARCO (Pokemon Center on 6th floor). | Shibuya was explored later in the trip since walking in Japan is intense—averaged 15k steps/day. Ensure to eat, sleep, and recover! Shibuya is mostly a shopping zone, so plan accordingly. | | Day 4 | Tokyo → Mt. Fuji | Day trip to Kawaguchiko: Arakurayama Sengen Park (Chureito Pagoda), Oishi Park. | highway-buses.jpIf possible, stay overnight in Kawaguchiko. It’s a lovely town with a great vibe. Downside: Mt. Fuji visibility depends on the weather. Booked the bus through in advance. Can also use the train, but buses are direct. If visiting Arakurayama Sengen, go there first—it’s further out. | | Day 5 | Tokyo → Kyoto | Travel day (2-hour train). Explore Nishiki Market, Gion District, Yasaka Pagoda, Maruyama Park. | Booked bullet train via EX app. JR Pass isn’t worth it anymore due to price increases. Book seats D & E to see Mt. Fuji. If booked 21 days in advance, get Hayatoku-21 Wide discount. | | Day 6 | Kyoto | Path of Philosophy, Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Ginkaku-ji Temple, Eikan-do Temple. | Added Hozugawa River Boat Cruise ending at Bamboo Forest—highly recommended. Bamboo Forest is tourist-heavy, so be prepared for crowds. Didn’t have time for Kinkaku-ji Temple. | | Day 7 | Kyoto | Kiyomizu-dera, Honno-ji Temple, Fushimi Inari-taisha. | Kiyomizu-dera: Mostly for photos. Honno-ji Temple: Not much to see unless interested in Japanese unification history. Fushimi Inari: Open 24/7—go early or late to avoid crowds. | | Day 8 | Kyoto → Nara/Uji | Day trip to Uji: Byodoin Temple (on the 10 yen coin), matcha central. Nara: Deer Park, Nakatanidou (mochi pounding). | Uji was great and worth visiting. Nara was a bit underwhelming in comparison. | | Day 9 | Kyoto → Osaka | Travel day (15-minute bullet train). Explore Kaiyukan Osaka Aquarium (world’s second-largest), Osaka Castle Park, Pokemon Center. | Osaka Castle: No need to go inside unless highly interested. | | Day 10 | Osaka | Himeji Castle, Dotonbori, Shinsaibashi, Namba Yasaka Jinja. | Himeji Castle: Highlight of the trip. Dotonbori: Must-see at night—140,000 LED lights and iconic landmarks like Glico Man. Shinsaibashi: Major retail hub. Namba Yasaka Jinja: Famous lion-head shrine. | | Day 11 | Osaka | Katsuo-ji Temple. Known for Daruma dolls (symbols of perseverance and good luck). Located on a mountain with great views. | Address: 2914-1 Aomatani, Minoo, Osaka, 562-8508, Japan. | | Day 12 | Osaka → Hiroshima | Peace Memorial Park, Atomic Bomb Dome, Shukkeien Garden, Miyajima Island (via ferry near A-Dome). | Took the JR West Kansai-Hiroshima Pass—it’s cheaper than buying two single tickets. Last train to Osaka departs at 10 PM. | | Day 13 | Osaka → Tokyo | Travel day (3-hour train). Revisited Shibuya and explored Toshima City: Ikebukuro, Sunshine City, largest gacha machine store, One Piece Straw Hat store. | | | Day 14 | Tokyo | Last-minute shopping, visited Tokyo Tower, Skytree, Mori Tower. | Mori Tower: Amazing views of Tokyo and Mt. Fuji—best before sundown for clear visibility. | | Day 15 | Tokyo → NYC | Shuttle to airport leaves at 11:30 AM. | Haneda International Terminal 3: Observation deck and great shops before security—don’t rush through! |

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/nimblerabit on 2025-01-07 18:10:32+00:00.

This is long delayed, but I wanted to share my experience visiting Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka during the summer (June 3rd -> 19th) with a group of 4 people. The reports in this subreddit have been really helpful, and I want to share mine to add to the pool of helpful information.

Flights

My group decided to use ZipAir for our flights. This saved us several hundred dollars, despite none of us living at a place where ZipAir flys out of. We all got flights into LA, and then separately booked flights from LA to Tokyo through ZipAir. This was totally worth it. The flight is nonstop from LA to Tokyo, so with the additional step of getting to LA that makes it a 1-stop flight, and it was much cheaper than similar duration flights.

Accommodations

We used AirBnB, and it went pretty well. A few thoughts on the places we stayed:

• Tokyo:
  • We had two different AirBnBs here, one in Asakusa and one a bit north of Shinjuku (near Takadanobaba Station). Both were good, but we definitely preferred our stay near Shinjuku. When we were in Asakusa it felt like we had to do a lot of traveling every day to get to things (and to get back). Part of this is that we were about a ~15 minute walk from the train in Asakusa, but also it just didn't feel as well connected. The stay near Shinjuku was great, everything felt super close and convenient.
• Kyoto:
  • This was the most expensive AirBnB. We stayed here. I think the AirBnB was overpriced and looks much nicer in pictures than it actually is. Not much else to add here, sorry.
• Osaka:
  • The AirBnB we stayed in is possibly my favorite place I've ever stayed, just in terms of the house itself. It was a super cool place, looked gorgeous in person, and was very affordable.

IC Card

Couple things to note here:

• Pick up your IC card when you land at the airport. There was a long line, so we decided to skip getting the card at the airport and get it somewhere else (assuming this would be easy). Turns out that lots of stations don't have any cards in stock, and without having the card it was difficult to move around to find one. I don't know if this is still the case or not, but I would definitely recommend getting it at the airport before you leave.
• You can add Shinkansen tickets to your IC card. This makes it really easy and smooth to use the Shinkansen, so that's what I recommend.

Notes on Attractions

I wont go into detail on everything we did, just the highlights for things that I liked the most or the least. All personal opinion of course, but hopefully it helps others.

• Tokyo:
  • Harajuku / Shibuya / Shinjuku - Obviously there's tons of things in all of these places, but I'll just mention that if you aren't into shopping then you might not love them as much as others. My group spent a ton of time walking through and shopping in these areas, and I should have split up from them to do my own thing since I'm not a big shopping fan.
  • Akihabara - I thought I would love this place since I'm a huge video game fan, but I really didn't. It's a spectacle for sure, and it's worth visiting because it's so unique, but the arcades themselves weren't all that fun, especially since I can't read Japanese, and overall I just didn't find there was a lot to do here.
  • Golden Gai - Awesome! Super fun vibes, really enjoyed hanging out at the bars and chatting with people here. This was one of the highlights.
  • TeamLabs - Surprisingly another highlight. I thought this would be a lame tourist trap, but I ended up thinking it was very cool. I'm not even a big picture / instagram person, and that's definitely a big draw here. I still loved it.
  • Senso-ji - This is pretty fun, it's just so huge and there's a ton of variety. We actually walked through here a bunch of times to get from our AirBnB to the train. It's worth visiting early in the morning as it's quite beautiful and pleasant to walk around, and it's also worth visiting when everything is open and it's super crowded and crazy.
  • Shibuya Sky - Another touristy thing that I wouldn't normally recommend which turned out to be pretty incredible. I think this is better than just about any other viewing platform type experience I've done elsewhere, just because it's very open and has a decent amount of space to get away from the crowds and just appreciate the views. Definitely recommend.
  • Mt Takao - This was my personal favorite thing we did while staying in Tokyo. I don't recall exactly which hike we did (maybe #6, it is confusing), but I know it was one of the harder ones. Reviews online made me think this would be overcrowded and not worth it, but the hike was really enjoyable, the scenery was beautiful, and it was extremely nice to get away from the city. Tokyo is a lot, and the nature was very appreciated after being in Tokyo for a while. Oh, they had some interesting and delicious food here as well (I remember some of the cheese tarts being absolutely incredible).
• Kyoto:
  • Fushimi Inari - Crazy busy, absolutely full of people. We got here around 10am and it was completely packed. The crowds dropped substantially as we kept walking though, and by the top there weren't all that many people. It's a very unique experience to walk through, and it's absolutely worth doing despite the crowds. I wanted to come back late at night to experience it in the dark, but I never did get a chance.
  • Pontocho Alley - Awesome spot. Just a great atmosphere, with lots of delicious restaurants and bars to choose from. We came here most nights for dinner and drinks, and I don't regret that at all. I'm a whiskey fan, and there were multiple bars in this area that were great for trying local whiskey.
  • Arashiyama Bamboo Forest - Personally I don't understand the appeal of the main area. It's a walk through some bamboo, and it's crowded. That said, there were a few things near here that I loved. Make sure you go to the Arashiyama Park Observation Deck, the views of the river from that spot are pretty spectacular. After that, we walked down some steps from the park to the river, and there was hardly anybody around. My group ended up just sitting here and appreciating the serenity and beauty of the river, and that was one of my favorite experiences. We didn't do a boat ride.
  • Arashiyama Monkey Park - The walk up here was excruciatingly hot, because we had just done a bunch of walking through the bamboo forest, park, along the river, etc. It was humid and hot and terrible, so keep that in mind if you do a similar itinerary during the summer. The monkeys were pretty cool, and you get to feed them. Personally I didn't love it, but if you have an interest than it's worth doing.
  • Nishiki Market - Pretty cool spot. It's fun to walk through and get food at a bunch of different places, and there's a lot to buy if you're interested. I ended up picking up a chef's knife here because I needed one and the prices were very reasonable.
• Osaka
  • Nara - We did a day trip to Nara from Osaka. This is probably the most memorable part of our entire trip, it's just so unique, weird, and fun. 100% recommended, everyone should come here once. Don't just go to the very start of the park where everybody is, walk further, explore the town some.
  • Osaka Aquarium - This is a really good aquarium. If you've been to other good aquariums, it is not necessarily a must visit, but it's definitely one of the better ones out there.
  • Karaoke - I don't recall the exact name, but we ended up at a karaoke bar and joined in for some karaoke one night. There seem to be a lot of these in Osaka, catering to both Japanese and English speakers, so if that sounds fun to you then it's a good thing to do in Osaka (at least we definitely saw it more here than anywhere else).
  • Food - I don't have any specific restaurant recommendations, sorry, but I wanted to mention here that the food in Osaka was delicious. I think they must have a different style of Yakisoba here because I had Yakisoba a couple different times, and it was absolutely incredible. Again, I don't remember the names of the restaurants, we tended to just look things up on google maps near where we were and went inside anywhere that looked good.
  • Minoh Park - We decided to do another nature day since Mt Takao was such a success in Tokyo. A quick train ride from Osaka is Minoh Park, which we saw had an easy hike to a waterfall, so we went. While we were walking through the charming town towards the hike, a nice old lady asked if we were going to the waterfall. When we told her that we were, she mentioned we should stay until dark because it was apparently firefly season (which I didn't realize), and she gave us some recommendations for where to see them. The hike itself was beautiful, the waterfall was pretty (although nothing mindblowing), we ended up seeing several monkeys, and we walked back as night fell and got to see the fireflies (with the help of a very nice local who used google translate to communicate with us and offered to let us follow him to all the best spots). This was an unexpected highlight of the trip. The nature in Japan is incredible, and it's definitely worth getting out of the city to see it.

I'm tired of typing now, sorry this is so long. Hopefully this helps someone out in the future, and if anybody has any questions, I'll do my best to answer.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/eisify on 2025-01-06 14:27:34+00:00.

I brought my prescription medication, 10mg Lexapro, with me to Japan. I brought an additional 5 extra pills for emergencies. Well, I had to use all 5 extextras. My sister had a medical emergency and we missed our original flight. Had another flight for today that was rescheduled and just cancelled. Now we won't get to leave til tomorrow night and it will take over 24 hours to get home.

Is there any way I would be able to get a few extra pills in Japan so that I don't get side effects from not taking them? If I can prove i have a prescription, perhaps from a pharmacy or hospital? Thank you for any information you have to offer!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/AutoModerator on 2024-12-25 00:00:50+00:00.

Are you traveling to Japan this month? Want to hang out with other Redditors while you navigate the country? Then this is the thread for you!

Please post any and all meetup requests here. Be sure to include:

• Your basic itinerary
• Dates of travel and cities you're planning to visit
• Your age and gender identity
• Your home country (and any other languages you might speak)
• OPTIONAL: Share some of your hobbies or interests!

We have a Discord server you can use to coordinate meetups and other activities. You can join the official r/JapanTravel Discord here! There are also monthly meetup/planning channels, so react accordingly, and you can create threads for specific dates/locations if you so desire.

In the past, people have used LINE to coordinate and plan meetups.

NOTE: Please only post meetup requests for this month. If you are traveling in the future, please reserve all meetup requests for the thread that corresponds with the month of your first date of arrival in Japan. This thread is automatically posted 7 days before the start of the month.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Interaction_Salt on 2025-01-05 11:12:02+00:00.

Hi everyone, thought to make this post to just caution everybody when and if you come to Kyoto, specifically the area around Shijo Kawaramachi. This is not representative of everybody in Kyoto or Japan, and should only be taken as something to be careful and look out for. This is my fourth time in Kyoto, and have never had such an experience so am sharing for everyone's learning.

Just 30 minutes ago, my friend and myself disembarked at Shijo-Kawaramachi bus stop infront of Suit Select. A man around 30-35 years old, with a ponytail and sparse beard approached us. He asked for money claiming he lost everything and wanted to travel back to Osaka. We didn't know how to respond so we tried to walk off, however he kept following. Admittedly, we tried to shake him off by acting we didn't understand English and responding in another language however that further angered him. This culminated in him getting aggressive and physically holding my friend by the collar. Only after I shouted "help" in Japanese and warned him that we will call the police did he go off.

We recognise that we could have handled it better, and should have not entertained him at all. However this is just a reminder for everyone to remember that if anybody approaches you on the street, do not make any contact or encounter, and just walk off. If you are in Kyoto or around Gion-machi area, do take note of this particular individual and heed this advice to ignore him. Additionally, could I ask if anybody had such experiences before? What else could we have done during or after that situation too? Thank you everyone!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/bigWrist415 on 2025-01-05 03:15:58+00:00.

Hi everyone, I had a 14 day 13 night whirl wind tour of Japan last summer with my wife and two kids (13, 18) last summer. It was our first trip to Japan, although family members and co-workers had visited recently. By all regards it was a very ambitious trip and not for everyone one, but it worked out well for us. Both kids like anime, my son likes history, my wife likes culture and nature. I tried to plan things that teenagers would like (instagram worthy) and that were cultural.

Day 1: Flew from CA on ZipAir to Narita arriving 8:00 p.m. Cleared customs, picked up portable WiFi, and took Keisei Skyliner to Ueno Station, transfer to Ginza line, got off Asakusa Station - visit 7-11, stayed at The Gate Asakusa. was tricky to navigate Keisei Skyliner for the first time - internet said it was a straight shot to Asakusa, but someone told me I needed to get off and transfer and I'm glad I did. I was very happy with the hotel. It was recommended on some travel blogs and I'd stay again, because of its proximity to Senso-ji temple, Ichiran, Gyokatsu motomura, and famous japanese kitchenware stores.

Day 2: , at the crack of dawn, my wife and I walked around the temple before the flock of tourists could descend. We had the temple to ourselves and it was great. Once the kids woke up, it was a quick visit to Senso-ji Temple and then subway toShinjuku to make our 1:00 p.m. reservations at Gyokatsu Motomura. I had a hard time finding the restaurant, because it was on a sublevel of a large building and there wasn't much signage. It was raining and it was a bit of a disaster, but we had our first meal and the kids had fun. We were still tired, it was still raining, but we hit Don Quixote and I was worrying about my 7:00 p.m. Shibuya Sky tickets. It was raining most of the afternoon and I would have cancelled my tickets if I had web access AND I remembered my password, but I didn't cancel the tickets and around 6:00 p.m. the rain stopped and the sun came out :) It was like a tiny miracle. We got up to Shibuya Sky and it was exceptional! The kids were running around the roof and I just marveled at the Tokyo skyline. We were up there around 90 minutes, then we descended and took subway back to Asakusa. Made it just in time to get into Ichiran in Asakusa with only a minimal wait - 15 minutes, but we got in 30 minutes before closing. very much enjoyed the experience.

Day 3: we checked out of our Asakusa Hotel - send our luggage to the Royal Park in Kyoto, then spent the morning at TeamLab Planets in Odaiba. We all enjoyed TeamLabs and then we visited the original fish market, visited the Gundam/Diver City and then checked into our Ginza Hotel for one night.

Day 4: check out and head to Hakone to hopefully see Mt. Fuji and stay at the Green Plaza Hotel. I bought Romance Car train tickets and was all prepared to do Hakone Free Pass, but it continued to rain and the Gondola was shut down - messing up our access to the hotel. We had to pivot and take a city bus to Green Plaza Hotel and I was in a foul mood. The rain stormed all afternoon, but I enjoyed our stay at the Green Plaza. Yes, it is a bit outdated, but I thought it was a good value and we got to experience their onsen and we enjoyed the buffet dinner.

Day 5: check out of Hakone; the sun is out, and the Gondola is back in action. We take Gondola, make a quick stop at Owakudani to see the sulfur valley and buy four black eggs. Took local train to Odawara Station and then Shinkansen to Kyoto Station (I bought my tickets online weeks earlier and we rushed to make the connection - I think I could missed my train and just taken a seat in an unreserved car, but the four of us were traveling together and I wanted to sit together). We get to the Royal Park at 3:30 p.m. but we had dinner reservations for 5:00 p.m. at Teppanyaki Tavern in Kyoto - place I heard about on youtube. Walking through Gion to the restaurant, i couldn't believe what I was seeing. Kimonos, beautiful traditional houses...it was magical.

Day 6: we hit Arashiyama for a river cruise, bamboo grove, and the monkey park. The good news was that it stopped raining for the river cruise, the bad news was the sun came out and it was HOT. The 20 minute walk up to the top of the Monkey Park was tough and people were conked out on benches - trying to get the energy to get to the top. I enjoyed the monkeys, well worth, the effort and price of admission. Back in Kyoto, we had an appointment for my daughter to make her own ring at Glinta. If you know, you know.

Day 7: my son and I hit Fushimi Inari at the crack of dawn. We had the whole place to ourselves and it was great. That afternoon, we visited Nishiki market and a Pokemon store. Dinner was at Kura Sushi. It may not be top quality, but it was a lot of fun.

Day 8: kids and I visited Kiyomizu dera in the morning and explored Gion. Thought about visitng Shoren-Temple and Chion-In Temple, but we were all temple'd out and we called it aday. Afternoon, kids rested or shopped.

Day 9: leave Kyoto, head to Hiroshima Museum, then sleep in Miyajima. For all the people who insisted on sleeping in Miyajima - thank you...you're right. Miyajima is so beautiful. Wish we spent more than one night here, but places to go.

Day 10: leave Miyajima and train to Kanazawa. The rain came back this afternoon, but this was essentially a rest day.

Day 11: explore Kanazawa Castle and the market.

sent two pieces of luggage directly to Narita (though we aren't flying out for 4 days)

Day 12: check out of hotel and take bus to Shirakawa-go, spend the night.

Day 13: leave Shirakawa-Go, back to Kanazawa then bullet train to Tokyo

Day 14: last morning in Tokyo then Narita Express to Narita, pick up luggage delivery, head home.

Luggage Delivery saved the day!! Two big thumbs up. Family members and close friends said this itinerary was too hectic, but in the end it wasn't ... for us. The kids still had plenty of free time and I got to show them Miyajima, Kanazawa, and Shirakawa-go -- places I'm not sure they would visit, if we didn't do it now. The kids didn't complain about the pace and they had a good time. The above itinerary sacrificed time in Osaka an some time in Tokyo, but I thought that could be done in a subsequent trip.

Making a long post..even longer. trip #2 is next week. Winter in Japan. 16 nights: 3 nights in Osaka, 7 nights in Kyoto, 6 nights in Tokyo. A leisurely trip focused on my 18 year old - who just wants to shop for 16 nights and hit Universal Studio Japan. I'll post more about this trip, if there is interest.

Hope this helps someone and wasn't a bore to read.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Picster on 2025-01-05 03:37:13+00:00.

Summary:

This was my first trip to Japan, and it was wonderful. I went solo for 17 days and hit Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Hiroshima. Traveling around was way easier than I expected—super modern, clean, and crazy English-friendly. December turned out to be the perfect time to go: beautiful fall colors, great weather, no rain, and crowds that weren’t bad at all. I can’t recommend it enough—it was an amazing experience.

Check out my Google Maps guide here.

View my trip photos here.

Itinerary

• Tokyo: 4 nights (start)
• Osaka: 2 nights
• Kyoto: 5 nights
• Hiroshima: 1 night
• Tokyo (again): 5 nights

Pocket Wi-Fi vs. Travel Plan

I skipped the pocket Wi-Fi completely. Instead, I used my US phone carrier’s travel plan, which was the same cost or cheaper. The biggest perk? No extra device to charge, pick up, or return—it was just simple and hassle-free. If you’re considering it, check with your carrier. Having reliable data the entire trip made everything easier.

Language

I spoke basically zero Japanese the whole trip—just a few “thank you” here and there. It wasn’t an issue at all. Nearly everything was in English, from signs to menus, and I didn’t need Google Translate at all. I was expecting to have to use Google Translate often but it was really unneeded. I didnt speak English either, verbal communication was just not needed anytime.

Transportation

Google Maps was the best. It showed me everything I needed: train platforms, bus stops, walking routes, and exact times. I mostly used subways and walked everywhere, but I did take three Ubers—mainly in Kyoto when I needed to reach sites that weren’t Metro-convenient (e.g., temples further out). After an Uber there, I’d wander my way back on foot, which worked great.

Payment Methods

Apple Pay on my phone was my go-to, and I used it for literally everything—transportation, food, shopping, you name it. I didn’t carry cash for the first week, and it wasn’t an issue until I hit a shrine that only took cash for entry. A friend gave me some cash later, and I ended up barely using it. Still, having a little cash on hand is smart, especially for random things like small entry fees to the random shrine.

Suica Card

The Suica card on my Apple Wallet was magic. It worked for all public transport—just tap in, tap out, done. I never needed a physical Suica.

Shinkansen (Bullet Train)

Buying Shinkansen tickets was super easy: I’d look up my train on Google Maps, then go to the ticket machine, pick the exact train, and buy my tickets with a credit card. You need two tickets: the base fare and the Shinkansen fee. I didn’t book anything in advance—just showed up, grabbed a ticket, and hopped on. Used it for Tokyo → Osaka, Kyoto → Hiroshima, and Hiroshima → Tokyo. Quick but definitely pricey—it’s the most expensive thing after hotels.

Luggage

I travel light with just a carry-on and a backpack, which made moving around easy. I thought about using the luggage transfer service (takkyubin), but I didn’t really need it. I stayed in one hotel per city, so lugging my stuff around wasn’t a hassle. If you’re packing heavier or hopping between accommodations, the service might be worth considering.

Crowds

Crowds? What crowds? I’d heard so much about how Japan is insanely busy, but it wasn’t bad at all—way less crowded than I expected. Sure, the big Instagram-famous spots had people, but step one block away, and it was quiet. Everyone tends to flock to the exact same photo-op spots, but if you’re willing to wander even a little, you’ll find yourself practically alone. Check out my photos to see what you think.

December Travel

December was amazing. The fall colors were spectacular. The weather was perfect for walking around—not too cold, no rain, super comfortable. No real Crowds. I can’t imagine a better time to go.

Miscellaneous Notes

• Electronic Converter: I didn’t need one. My chargers worked fine with Japan’s outlets.
• Bathrooms: Clean, modern, and everywhere.
• General Vibe: Japan felt more familiar than I expected—like traveling to a modern Western country (think Europe, Canada, or the U.S.), but with its own unique twist.

Overall Experience:

This trip was everything I wanted and more. Japan is incredibly easy to navigate, even for a solo traveler who doesn’t speak Japanese. It was a mix of stunning scenery, rich culture, and modern convenience. If you’ve been thinking about going, just book the trip.

Expenses

• Full Total: $820.21 in Japan
• Total Shinkansen (WEST JAPAN RAILWAY CO. and JR CENTRAL): $406.67
• Total for Uber: $77.54
• Total for everything except Shinkansen and Uber (including $60 cash): $413.54
• $800 each way for flights
• $2400 for 17 days in Japan (Including all travel, airline, trains, hotel, food)

I used points for hotels so did not have any "expense" there.

Check out my Google Maps guide here.

View my trip photos here.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/littlecarpetflea on 2025-01-04 18:08:36+00:00.

Hi everyone!

My husband and I are traveling to Japan for the first time in early Febraury. We are only going for 8 days, which I know is not long enough, but we have a toddler at home. This is our last big trip before trying for #2 and never traveling as just a couple again!

We have most of our itinerary and are looking for feedback.

TOKYO (Feb 6-8)

Day 1 - Land in Tokyo, go to an idol bar in the evening for live music

Day 2 - head to Shibuya and wander around. Maybe try a maid cafe, and probably hit another live music venue that evening

Day 3 - rent a fancy Japanese super car and head to hakone for twisty roads

KYOTO (Feb 9-13)

Day 4 - head to Kyoto in the morning, tea cermony in Gion, maybe add the Fushimi Inari shrine for a little hike

Day 5 - head to Kinosaki onsen and spend the night in a Ryokan

Day 6 - head back to Kyoto from Kinosaki onsen and get evening tattoos

Day 7 - blank day in Kyoto. Potentially hit Kitano Tenmangu to see if any plum blossoms are out. Go to some cool museums? Live music?

Day 8 - head back to Tokyo mid-morning and fly out of Tokyo at 6pm

The main things we want to do are see some live music, onsen hopping (we have tattoos that can't be covered), rent a super car, tattoos, and eat all the things. My husband also likes museums and art galleries, so any suggestions there are appreciated.

Is it too much back and forth with Kinosaki Onsen? Are there other tattoo friendly, onsen hopping places that would be easier to fit in?

Do you think a JR Pass is worth it? Based on the calculator, we are about $60 CAD off of breaking even on the Pass for all our main travel plans, not including random inner city hopping.

Live music venue suggestions? We found a couple, but my husband would love to find a metal bar either in Kyoto or Tokyo.

EDIT - formatting. I'm on mobile.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Footos3003 on 2025-01-03 16:46:33+00:00.

I'm starting to think about my next trip to Japan, and thought I might do a report on the first road trip we did in Japan last year:

Itinerary Overview

• Day 1: Nikko
• Day 2-3: Aizuwakamatsu
• Day 4: Tsuruoka/Mount Haguro
• Day 5 Akita/Kakunodate/Lake Tazawa
• Day 6 Hirosaki/Lake Towada
• Day 7: Sanrikku Coast
• Day 8: Matsushima
• Day 9-17: Tokyo

Driving route

Background

• Went with my wife (34yo both) in April, this was our 3rd trip to Japan.
• Since we had already seen most of the usual touristy places, we wanted to do something a little bit more off the beaten path. We decided to rent a car for this
• Our goal was to finally go for the sakura season, but avoiding the crowds by doing it in the Tôhoku region. Not only is this region less visited overall, but sakura bloom later there so we could avoid the early april rush. Unfortunately, 2023 had a very early Sakura season, so we ended up mising them for most of the trip...
• When I travel with my wife in Japan, our main areas of focus are usually temples, nature, historic towns, and Japanese gardens (which are probably my favourite places to see in Japan)
• Our trip was 17 days in total, but the 2nd part was in Tokyo and mostly dedicated to shopping/leisure, so I will mostly focus on the Tohoku road trip
• We covered around 1400km in 8 days, which represented around 3h of driving per day. This might seem packed, but the pace felt honestly perfect, we never felt like we had to rush for anything and our itinerary left us plenty of time for unplanned visits.

Trip Report - 8 days Tôhoku road trip

Day 0 (Tokyo):

• We arrived in Narita in the evening, and just went to Tokyo to sleep and prepare for the next day

Day 1 (Nikko):

• Took of the train from Tokyo to Nikko then picked up our rental car at the Nikko station
• We started by exploring the temple area: Rinnoji, Tôshô-gu and Futurasan-jinja.
• On the way we also did the small Japanese garden (Shôyô-en), and the Shinkyō bridge.
• After the temple area we went to the Kanmangafuchi abyss. Very calming place, and strangely the slight rain really suited the place. We didn't see anyone else there. Unexpected highlight of the day
• We then took the car to the Kegon Waterfalls, and headed back to our hotel in Nikko

Day 2 (Aizuwakamatsu):

• We left in the morning to drive to Aizuwakamatsu. On the way, we stopped at Tō-no-Hetsuri cliffs. Having a car for these kind of places is really nice, as they are usually not worth the hassle by public transport, but driving makes them much more accessible.
• Arrived in Aizuwakamatsu (old samurai city), we started with the Aizuwakamatsu castle and Oyakuen garden. We came across a school trip in Aizuwakamatsu castle, as there were dozens of students visiting when we were there.
• We the Suzuzen lacquerware shop, a 200 year-old shop which sells traditional Aizuwakamatsu lacquerware.
• We headed back to our hotel, a luxury ryokan with an amazing private bath on our balcony, with a view on the whole area.

Day 3 (Aizuwakamatsu):

• We continued Aizuwakamatsu with the historical Nisshinkan samurai school. Beautiful place with a rich history. They show movies about its history, and also provide basic kyûdo introductory class which we took.
• After that, we followed the scenic Tadami train line (except we did it by car), visiting the Enzoji temple (photos were not allowed) and admiring the view of the Tadami bridge
• We then left Aizuwakamatsu to drive to Tsuruoka. Instead of the highway, we took the scenic road following the coastline. We stopped on the way several times to enjoy beautiful viewpoints, or hang out at the beach
• Just before Tsuruoka, we checked out at our hotel, another beautiful luxury ryokan with a gorgeous inner garden and private onsens.

Day 4 (Tsuruoka/Dewa Sanzan):

• After enjoying the onsen and inner garden of the hotel, we left for the Kamo aquarium, mostly dedicated to jellyfish.
• Next we went to Mount Haguro, doing a short hike in the woods until the wooden pagoda. I really like these forest temples.
• After mount Haguro, we stopped at Gyokusenji a nearby temple with a beautiful garden (did I mention that I love Japanese gardens?). The temple doesn't seem well known, but the garden is amazing. I've visited close to 30 gardens in Japan, and I would easily put Gyokusenji in my top 5. Large and impressive stroll gardens like Korakuen, Byōdō-in or Kenrokuen are usually more famous, but these small temple gardens have such a unique calming atmosphere (similar to Sanzen'in in Kyoto for those who have been there). We enjoyed the view of the garden from the temple for almost 1h completely alone.
• We finished Tsturoka with the Honma art museum, doing both the museum and its garden. We then drove to Akita and did a little bit of shopping around the station.

Day 5 (Akita/Kakunodate/Lake Tazawa):

• We started with Senshu Park in Akita, which is supposed to be a nice Sakura spot. Unfortunately sakura season was already over in Akita at that time.
• We moved to Kakunodate and its samurai houses. The historical neighborhood is really nice, but the sakura festival was honestly underwhelming. It was probably the most touristy place that we did, with strangely more people than in Nikko.
• We then drove to Tazawa lake. The area is really beautiful, especially Gozanoishi jinja, with its torii right in front of the lake. We then continued to Hirosaki.

Day 6 (Hirosaki/Lake Towada):

• We took the whole morning to visit the area of the Hirosaki Castle. The castle itself is okay, but the whole park is really nice, and we finally managed to get blooming cherry blossoms! The festival around the castle was huge and very lively. There were tons of families enjoying a weekend picnic. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip!
• As a weird sidenote, we probably had the best pizza of our life in Hirosaki (and I've been to Italy 4 times). Pizzeria Napoli doesn't look like much but it's absolutely delicious!
• Still around the castle, we went to the Fujita Memorial garden. very nice stroll garden, and a wonderful example of borrowed scenery.
• On the outskirts of Hirosaki, we also visited Seibi-En, a garden that served as inspiration for Ghibli's Arrietty
• We then moved to the Towada lake. This was the first destination that was really disappointing, and even a little bit depressing. The area isn't particularly interesting except for the panomaric views, and it looks like it was meant to be a huge leisure resort that it never took off. Half the hotels are in ruins, most shops are closed, and the huge parking lot had only 2 cars parked. We just stayed to have a drink in the only cafe that was opened, and continued further.

Day 7 (Sanrikku Coast):

• Starting from Towada city, we first visited a small mostly unknown mountain temple, Hakukasan Hokoji. I found it randomly on google maps and couldn't find much info about it online, but it's a stunning place, beautiful temple, pagoda and garden. Probably also now one of my favourite temples in Japan. We were able to enjoy it alone as we didn't see anyone else there either., which adds a lot to the charm.
• We then started our drive across the beautifull rugged Sanrikku Coast. We had several stops to enjoy the wonderful views like Kitayamazaki or Unosu cliff.
• We drove along the coast to our hotel Houraikan Inn. This was a special stay, as the hotel is famous for having been almost destroyed by the 2011 tsunami (it's located right on the seafront), with the employees and guests miraculously surviving thanks to a small escape route to the moutains behind the hotel. The owner reopened the hotel after reconstruction and she still tells the stories to the guests.

Day 8 (Matsushima):

• We continued driving south along the ocean, until we reached Matsushima
• In Matsushima, we visited a few temples and gardens**:** Entsuin, Godaido and Zuiganji, and then did a short sightseeing cruise of the Matsushima Bay.
• We then drove to Sendai, returned our car at the station, and took the Shinkansen to Tokyo

**Days 9-17 ...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/B_Buch on 2025-01-03 09:09:24+00:00.

My wife and I just got back from a nearly three-week trip across Japan—a place I’ve been dreaming about since I was a kid. Growing up on Dragon Ball, Pokémon, and Digimon, and later spending countless hours gaming on my Nintendo 64 and PlayStation, I built up some pretty huge expectations over the years. I even studied Japanese during the pandemic and passed the JLPT N5, so I was both super excited and a bit nervous. What if the real Japan didn’t match my “romanticized” vision?

Fortunately, it turned out even better than I could have imagined. From the very first moment, Japan filled our hearts with wonder. From the clean streets to the incredible warmth of the people, every day felt like one long highlight. I honestly can’t single out any moment as “the best,” because everything was special in its own way. But I’ll do my best to walk you through our journey—city by city—and share the tips we picked up along the way.

Days 1–2: Tokyo (Ueno, Yanaka, Nezu, Akihabara) - A Warm Welcome & City Buzz

The second we landed at Narita Airport, I felt a rush of excitement. Pokémon signs waved hello, and anime ads showed everyone how to line up politely and to speak quietly on trains. My heart was racing: This is real. We’re in Japan!

Before heading to the hotel, we stopped at our first konbini (convenience store)—7-Eleven—and picked up onigiri, sandwiches, and snacks we’d only seen in YouTube videos. Tired from the flight, we checked into our hotel, turned on the TV, and devoured our konbini feast.

The next day, we explored Ueno, Yanaka, and Nezu. These older neighborhoods felt like hidden pockets of traditional Tokyo: narrow alleys, quiet shrines, and small family shops. At Kayaba Coffee, we sat on tatami mats, eating fluffy toast and omurice while sipping hot coffee. There was something peaceful about it—a gentle start to a big adventure.

In the afternoon, we plunged into Akihabara’s neon world: towering anime posters, arcades filled with flashing lights, and shops crammed with manga and figurines. We even stumbled upon Hijiri Bridge, featured in the anime movie Suzume.

That night, we also soared up Tokyo Skytree, where a special Jujutsu Kaisen event was happening, making the city view even more epic. Exhaustion swept over us, but we couldn’t stop grinning as we ended the evening with a quick meal at Sukiya where we had some ramen and beer. Even though our feet hurt and our eyes were droopy, my heart felt like it was glowing.

Day 3: Kanazawa - A Tranquil Gem & Our First Onsen

The next morning, we boarded our first Shinkansen from Ueno to Kanazawa. Watching the city speed by, I kept thinking: We’re really here… traveling across Japan by bullet train. It was surreal.

Kanazawa instantly felt different from Tokyo. The pace was slower, and the streets were calm. We found a nice place called Angolo Caffe for breakfast. While walking the streets we greeted the locals with “Ohayō gozaimasu", which was really fun and their warm smiles and friendly nods made us feel right at home.

We spent the day exploring the Higashi Chaya (Geisha District) with old wooden houses and Nagamachi (Samurai District).

We tried gold-leaf ice cream and wandered through Kenroku-en Garden, said to be one of Japan’s top three gardens. Though we didn’t see all of it (our legs were still tired from Tokyo and the flight), the little we saw was breathtaking. We walked back through Omicho Market where we tasted some eel.

Back at the hotel, we experienced our very first onsen (hot spring). We were nervous about the etiquette (undressing in front of strangers!), but the moment we sank into the hot water, all worries melted away.

Days 4–5: Takayama - Nighttime Magic & Delicious Surprises

After Kanazawa, we took a direct bus to Takayama. Originally, we wanted to visit Shirakawago, but exhaustion told us to slow down. I’m so glad we did. Takayama felt like a secret, storybook town—especially after dark.

Upon arrival, Takayama was more crowded than we’d imagined, so we headed straight to our ryokan, Oyado Koto no Yume. Stepping inside was a dream: tatami floors, sliding doors, and a classic kaiseki dinner that looked too pretty to eat. Another onsen waited for us, and each soak made us feel brand new.

Once the sun set, Takayama’s streets were almost empty. The old wooden buildings glowed under lanterns, creating a peaceful, almost haunting beauty. We took a slow evening walk, holding hands, saying almost nothing—words would’ve broken the spell.

We also stopped by the Hida Takayama Retro Museum, filled with old arcade games and pachinko machines. We couldn’t stop taking photos—it felt like we’d traveled back in time.

The following food places in Takayama stole our hearts:

• Toranoya Okonomiyaki: A cozy spot run by a sweet 72-year-old lady who made us laugh and served us the most perfect okonomiyaki.
• Hiranograno Pizzeria: Located on the outskirts of town, this hidden gem offered the best pasta and pizza we had in Japan. We were the only guests that night, which made the intimate meal feel even more magical.
• Center 4 Hamburgers: A cozy burger place where we had one of our favorite moments of the trip. After finishing her meal, my wife confidently told the staff, “Chīzubaagā daisuki desu!” (I love your cheeseburgers!). Their reactions were priceless—they smiled so widely I thought they might float away. It was such a joyful and heartwarming interaction that we’ll cherish forever.

Other Takayama highlights included some quiet Uniqlo shopping with great tax-free deals, plus a relaxing soak at the Hanami Foot Bath near the main station—an ideal treat after a day on our feet. 

With Shirakawago off the list, we thought of visiting Hida no Sato (Hida Folk Village) on our second afternoon, but the bus schedule didn’t work in our favor. Though we were disappointed to skip it, we left Takayama feeling deeply satisfied by its old-town charm, incredible food, and warm hospitality.

Days 6–9: Kyoto - Tourist Crowds & Hidden Calm

After two nights in Takayama, we took the Hida View Express to Kyoto—large windows, rotating seats, and stunning mountain scenery that felt straight out of a Ghibli film (think My Neighbor Totoro). Just watching the landscape roll by was a highlight in itself.

In Kyoto, we stayed at RC Hotel Kyoto Yasaka. It was surprisingly spacious, especially by Japanese standards, and our room offered a breathtaking view of the Yasaka Pagoda. But we soon realized we weren’t alone. Kyoto was more crowded than our previous stops, and that took some getting used to. Still, we managed to enjoy:

• Kiyomizu-dera & Street Food: A must-see temple with stunning architecture and city views. The nearby street-food stalls serve delicious treats; our favorite was the spicy pork bun.
• Kyoto Tower & Food Court: This spot is a hidden gem in plain sight. Despite being an iconic landmark, the tower’s food court was surprisingly calm. We indulged in burgers, steaks, and fluffy pancakes, all while enjoying a panoramic sunset view—no reservation needed.
• Arashiyama Bamboo Forest & Monkey Park: While the bamboo forest is undeniably beautiful, it’s also packed with tourists. For a more memorable time, we climbed up to the Monkey Park—one of my wife’s trip highlights. The short hike offers a fun chance to feed monkeys and soak in gorgeous views of Kyoto.
• Philosopher’s Path: Early mornings or late afternoons here are near-magical, with few people around. This peaceful walkway lined with trees and small shrines is perfect for a quiet stroll or reflection.
• Traditional Tea Ceremony (Sakaguchian): Near our hotel, we booked a session to sip matcha and learn the art of tea preparation. It was a serene experience—a welcome contrast to the bustling city outside.
• Fushimi Inari Taisha: We began our climb around 4 p.m., and as we ascended, the crowds thinned. By the time we headed back down, it was dusk, and the lantern-lit paths took on an almost creepy yet enchanting atmosphere. The absence of tourists in the higher sections made it feel like our own secret temple trail.

Despite the crowds, Kyoto’s blend of ancient tradition is truly captivating. Each day felt like stepping into a new chapter of a historical story—complete with delicious food and unforgettable experiences.

Days 10–11: Osaka - Glowing Streets & Late-Night Adventures

A short train ride took us from Kyoto to Osaka. After Kyoto’s temples, arriving in Osaka felt like stepping into a whole new world. We stayed at the Dotonbori Hotel, right in the heart of the action...

During the day, we snacked on local favorites like takoyaki and 10-yen cheese coins, then took a quick rest to save our energy for Osaka’s lively nightlife. As evening fell, we found ourselves in front of the legendary Glico Sign, and in that moment, my wife’s vision of a futuristic Japan came to life—dazzling neon lights, vibrant arcades, and a constant buzz of excitement. We jumped right in, snapping photos and competing in nearby game centers. The train-driving simulator, drum arcade and dance arcades were surprisingly addictive, and we spent way more time on it than we expected! We even got some souvenirs from the claw machine.

The next day, we finally got our hands on the famous Rikuro Cheesecake—light, jiggly, and not too sweet. My wife,...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/SunriseJazz on 2025-01-02 20:28:20+00:00.

Thanks to everyone on this sub for your advice which meaningfully shaped our Japan trip. Here is our trip report (late December 2024)!

OVERVIEW

Early 40s couple from the US. First time in Japan! We only had the holiday break so we booked a 10ish day trip from December 21 to January 1. I speak no Japanese but learned a few phrases (more below) and picked up some along the way – all super helpful!  I did research on this sub (arigatou gozimasu!) and other subreddits and travel websites (and the dreaded tik tok). Last year I went to South Africa, and loved guided tours from Airbnb Experiences and Getyourguide, so I also looked at those platforms for ideas/tours. We’re into art, food, music, museums, history, nature, nightlife, and like to walk a lot. 

PREP

Prior to entering Japan, we got Y147,000 ($1000), set up the GO app for taxi transit (worked really well), filled out VisitJapan and saved the QR codes, booked experiences, purchased Shinkansen tickets via the SmartEx app and saved the QR codes (and printed them). Set up Whatsapp to communicate with friends and family. 

We each packed a carryon and backpack, with an extra soft bag inside for anticipated gift purchases. I purchased two power converters from Amazon, each one held plugs and usb drives. Also brought Emergen-C packs which we took everyday. 

For internet, we used the Verizon $12/day travel pass which worked well as I stupidly couldn’t figure out how to setup an esim. Daily in Japan, I carried around a small crossbody purse with passport, AmEx, Welcome Suica card, and Yen, and other essentials, often battery packs for our phones. 

DAY BY DAY

(1 night Tokyo, 5 nights Osaka, 4 nights Tokyo)

Sunday, December 22 (Tokyo): 

Early evening arrival at Tokyo Haneda Airport. Get Welcome Suica cards in T3 (put Y5000 on each card). Metro to hotel (Super Hotel Premier Tokyo-eki Yaesu Chuo-guchi) near Tokyo Station, and pass out.

Monday, December 23 (Tokyo to Osaka): 

Early morning walk to Tsukiji Market and explore and eat! Walk back, and then take 10AM Shinkansen to Osaka. Metro to hotel (Voco Osaka). Evening: walk through Dotonbori (omg so crowded) and then guided tour of retro Shinsekai (Airbnb Experience).

Tuesday, December 24 (Osaka): 

Walk to delicious sashimi/Wagyu tasting lunch (Airbnb Experience) in Kita Ward; and then metro to delightful calligraphy class (Airbnb Experience) in Chuo Ward. Walk around Shinsekai including the Parco mall and get gifts. Walk back to hotel and sleep. 

**Wednesday, December 25 (**day trip to Hiroshima): 

Delicious breakfast buffet at hotel. Metro to Shin-Osaka for Shinkansen to Hiroshima, walk to Peace Memorial Museum (tickets via klook) and nearby areas, walk back to Shinkansen to Osaka. Christmas Dinner at hotel, a ridiculously creative and delicious $75 tasting menu.

Thursday, December 26 (day trip to Kyoto): 

Delicious breakfast buffet at hotel. Metro to JR line to Kyoto. Beautiful morning in Arashiyama: Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple, followed by a walk to Saga Toriimoto Preserved Street, Sagano Bamboo Grove, tasty lunch at Arashiyama Tenryu Ramen, and then Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama. Afternoon with inlaws (who were also in Japan) walking the Philosophers Path. Very frustrating dinner experience in Kyoto where we kept getting rejected at empty restaurants (one was about to seat us and then the manager shooed us away), and then got super rude and unsanitary service at a restaurant that finally accepted us. JR/Metro back to hotel. 

Friday, December 27 (morning day trip to Nara; evening bar crawl of Temma, Osaka): 

Metro (Kintetsu line) to majestic Nara: Deer Park, Todai-ji Namdaimon Temple (biggest seated Buddha in Japan), Kasugataisha Shrine (learned the Saisen prayer coin toss), and had mochi and lunch on Sanjo Dori Street. Got beautiful gifts in the stunning Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten store. Metro back to Osaka. Metro to evening Airbnb Experience of Temma Osaka – great locations and super fun! Ended night at karaoke with our new tour besties.

**Saturday, December, 28 (**Osaka to Tokyo)

Metro to Shin-Osaka. Frustrating but ultimately ok Shinkansen travel to Tokyo on the busiest travel day of the year(!!). Metro to hotel (Hotel Mustard Shimokitazawa). Super fun Shinjuku bar tour of Omoide Yokocho and Golden Gai (Airbnb Experience).

Sunday, December 29 (Tokyo): 

Bagels at Sidewalk Coffee at hotel. Early morning gift shopping (matcha, face masks, and more!) at Donki in Shimokita, and lunch at Kitade Tacos (they were good)! Sweet neighborhood tour of Shimokitazawa (Airbnb Experience). GO taxi to Team Labs Borderless. Back to Shimokita where we went dancing at Counter Club and saw live jazz at music bar RPM.

Monday, December 30 (Tokyo): 

Bagels at Sidewalk Coffee at hotel. Walked along the Odakyu Line Walk from Shimokita to the Bonus Track area and got onigiri at Andon, and kept walking to Gotokuji station. Informative Airbnb Experience about the Setagaya Hachimangu Shrine, Gotokuji Temple (Cats!), and Jōkōji Temple. Metro back to Shimokita where we did some vintage shopping and got a delicious dinner at Izakaya Kushiyaki Niyasai Zeroya. 

**Tuesday, December 31 (**Tokyo)

Metro to Asakusa, walk through Nakamise-Dori Shopping Street to Senso-ji Temple (felt like a pilgrimage as this is the most visited religious site in the world!) Walk to nearby Asakusa Sumo Experience (super fun, more below) which included lunch. Walk to Kappabashi Kitchen Street; realized the knives are super cool but out of our price range! Walk to Ueuo Park (loved) and then Akihabara (hated). Train to Shibuya Crossing (did time lapse video) and then walk to Yoyogi Park (we wanted to go to Meiji Shrine but went the wrong way in the park; it was beautiful at dusk so all good!) Train back to Shimokita where we got dinner at Abill (one of the few places open, and they had the NYE Japanese TV program on with famous musicians, actors, and comedians, which was cool to watch!), and then went to a fun, crowded rock show at Basement Bar and New Year’s toast next door at Coaster Craft Beer & Kitchen. Walk back to hotel.

**Wednesday, January 1 (**Tokyo and depart)

GO Taki with luggage to meet up with inlaws in Roppongi, get lunch, and then GO taxi to Haneda.

LOVES

**Kyoto: Arashiyama, especially Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple! We had a beautiful time in Arashiyama. Because we were staying in Osaka, we took the metro/JR line to Kyoto Station and then a cab (there was a sign saying “foreigner friendly cabs”) to Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple. We said “Ohio Gozaiamasu” to the taxi driver which created a lot of goodwill and he pointed out places on our cab ride there (Y6000). The big highlight was Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple. Go here! It’s green, hilly, and full of hundreds of sculptures with fascinating faces. Originally built in 766, the hundreds of sculptures were added starting in the 1950s. The area is peaceful. After leaving the temple, there is a walkway towards the right that we walked down and had the most beautiful day! We walked by a quaint coffee shop (and got coffee and Chai), more temples, gift shops, beautiful homes, several Bamboo groves, before going to downtown Arashiyama where we got ramen at Arashiyama Tenryu Ramen. We loved this walk; it started so peacefully with few folks and then got more crowded as we got closer to the downtown area. We continued our peaceful walk across the bridge (and there are paddle boats you can rent!) and went to Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama. I love this park. It’s a 20 minute hike (I was huffing and puffing but fine) to the top of the hill, and then you get to be near the monkeys who run wild and you have a beautiful view of Kyoto. A stunning day. 

**Tokyo: Tsukiji Fish Market. I know it’s a “tourist trap” but we had a great time. Walked here on our first morning around 7am and ate delicious Wagyu skewers, sashimi, grilled mochi, and more. 

**Hiroshima: Peace Memorial Museum. Profound and devastating, it’s vital to know this history and to remember the people who died and lived throughout this time. I sobbed. We had bought tickets online via Klook ($1.50 per ticket, scanned the QR code at the museum) and purchased the audio guide at the museum. Afterwards we walked to the Children’s Peace Memorial and Atomic Bomb Dome, and got a late lunch. Because it is an easy 45-50 minute walk through the city, we ended up walking to and from the Shinkansen.

 **All Airbnb Experiences (guided tours) were great but shout out to three of them (no particular order) that I LOVED: 1) the Osaka Calligraphy Experience with Ryusho!! He is an excellent instructor and this was an incredibly well run 90 minutes where we learned about the Japanese language, practiced calligraphy, made our art, and ended with tea and dessert. A really special experience!  2) The Temma bar crawl with Taka in Osaka – great guide, great stops/neighborhood that I would not have explored, great food, great people. So happy we did this. 3) The Shinjuku (Golden Gai) bar crawl in Tokyo with Yoshi, who is a PRO at leading these tours, which was beyond excellent (great stops, delicious food, learned a good amount of language and culture, with a fun kind group, and food preferences/restrictions/allergies were well accomodated). Because I don't speak Japanese, these tours are a great way to see parts of the city I ...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/wanderlust509 on 2025-01-01 21:00:09+00:00.

Hi all! Long time lurker, first time poster. My partner and I are taking our second trip to Japan in spring. We are very excited to explore Kyushu via roadtrip. Our focus is a mix of city and nature experience. Attempted to pace the trip without being too rushed, and avoiding too many long days of driving (though day 10 is a long drive). How does it look? What is missing or should be adjusted? Is Kagoshima worth keeping on this trip granted the long drive and granted we are already seeing a volcano in Aso? Thanks for any tips!

• Nagasaki - 4 days
  • Day 1: Arrive late PM, eat dinner, sleep
  • Day 2 Atomic bomb museum, explore the town, Shinchi Chinatown
  • Day 3: Day trip TBD
  • Day 4: Nagasaki Ropeway to Mt Inasyama
• Aso - 3 days
  • Day 5: Train to Fukuoka. Proceed to get rental car. Nabegataki Falls and Kuju flower park on the way to Aso.
  • Day 6: Aso-Kuju National Park for hiking.
  • Day 7: Takachiho Gorge & Amanoiwato Shrine on the way to Kagoshima
• Kagoshima - 3 days
  • Day 8: Kirishima Kinkowan National Park
  • Day 9: Explore town - Kagoshima gardens.
  • Day 10: Drive back to Fukuoka - stop for lunch in Kumamoto and see Suizenji Jojuen Garden
• Fukuoka - 4 days
  • Day 11: Explore the town  - Ohori Park
  • Day 12 Nanzoin
  • Day 13: Keya Beach and Itoshima for bicycling on coastal road
  • Day 14: Early flight back to Tokyo

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Jigumina0929 on 2024-12-31 10:48:57+00:00.

Hi everyone, I just came back from Japan a few days ago. I've sort of lost count of the number of times I've been to Japan, but it's definitely in the double-digits now. However, this is my first time writing a trip report so I hope you enjoy reading it! I did also have to trim this down a lot as reddit gave me an error saying I'd gone past the character limit with my original report. Feel free to ask questions if you have any!

Itinerary Overview

• Day 1-2: Tokyo
• Day 2-5: Nisekohirafu
• Day 5-6: Otaru
• Day 6-8: Sapporo
• Day 8-10: Noboribetsu
• Day 10-11: Hakodate
• Day 11-12: Nikko
• Day 12-18: Tokyo (Enoshima/Kamakura day trip on Day 16)

Background

• Took ¥300K in cash but used my credit card for some of the larger items during the trip.
• Booked a flight using points.
• Brought a check in and carry on and didn't end up using luggage forwarding services, but this is mainly because I enjoy bringing my luggage around with me. I even feel a bit uncomfortable when hotel staff offer to carry the luggage for me to my room. However, I definitely recommend that most people use it.
• 25 years old and pretty introverted.
• Bought the 30 day 25GB Ubigi eSim, of whicn I used 19GB of, and the connection was fine.
• I can read Hiragana and Katakana. I can also read Kanji and understand the meaning but don't know the onyomi/kunyomi for most of them, and if I do, sometimes not knowing which one should be used when.
• Packed about a week's worth of clothes and planned on buying more as needed during the trip. Also brought my own toiletries as I prefer them to the ones provided by hotels.

Itinerary

I'll be linking albums of images for each day and linking them in the heading for each day. Also, I'll be separating the cost of accommodations from all other expenditures.

Day 1: Tokyo (Steps: 11771 / Cost: ¥7216 / Accommodation: ¥8687)

• Arrived at Narita Airport made it through immigration in about 30-40 minutes.
• Took the Keisei Narita Skyaccess to Daimon Station and checked into my hotel. It was just your standard business hotel.
• Went to Shinbashi Station to get my SUICA (which I thought was funny seeing "様" (sama) added to the end of my name), then had udon for dinner at Oniyanma Shinbashi. It was very average but warmed me up as it was chilly that night.
• Walked back to my hotel and stopped along a LAWSON along the way.
• Had melatonin pills to help me adjust time zones from EST to JST (just make sure to only take the recommended dosage).

Day 2: Tokyo / Nisekohirafu (Steps: 16778 / Cost: ¥8687 / Accommodation: ¥11230)

• Went to Meiji Jingu early in the morning. It was super quiet and peaceful without the crowds, and I highly recommend coming here before it gets boisterous.
• Walked to MEGA Don Quijote in Shibuya to buy some things I hadn't packed like the Senka facial foam and Rohto Mentholatum lip balm. Was basically a ghost town in the morning.
• Returned to my hotel to check out and took the Tokyo Monorail to Haneda Airport.
• Got on an ANA flight to New Chitose Airport, then took the train to Kutchan Station. Tons of trains were delayed that day from the weather and snowfall, and the lines in the airport bound for Sapporo were about 150-200m long, so barely made one of the last two trains heading to Kutchan that evening.
• After arriving, I took the free bus to Hirafu then dragged both luggages across the snow and ice to my hotel. The rooms were surprisingly spacious and came with a small kitchenette.

Day 3: Nisekohirafu (Steps: 13650 / Cost: ¥16873 / Accommodation: ¥11230)

• Ate breakfast at the hotel as it was included as part of my booking. Was a buffet style and was pretty forgettable as there weren't many options.
• They offered free rides to the ski resort, which I took advantage of, then acquired my 2-day resort pass along with ski rentals for Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu.
• The snow was a bit used up and icy, and I ended up falling a couple times at the beginning of the day, but the weather was sunny and mild.
• For both lunch and dinner, I ended up getting an assortment of things to eat from LAWSON on the walk back to my hotel.

Day 4: Nisekohirafu (Steps: 10865 / Cost: ¥2559 / Accommodation: ¥11230)

• It snowed a ton during the night, so the fresh powder in the morning was amazing. As it was the early season, a lot of it remained pretty unused as there weren't too many people on the slopes. This might've been the best snow I've experienced in a few years which is even more surprising as this was part of the early season.
• There were snow storms on and off during the day, and when it was heavy, I could barely see 10m in front of me, but also didn't feel scared coming down.
• Had similar meals for lunch and dinner as the previous day by dropping by the LAWSON.

Day 5: Nisekohirafu / Otaru (Steps: 21344 / Cost: ¥55991 / Accommodation: ¥12181)

• Woke up early and the staff were kind enough to drive me to Kutchan Station (getting a taxi in Nisekohirafu's pretty difficult and would've cost about ¥5000) and I caught a train bound for Otaru at around 08:00.
• Dropped off my luggage at my hotel then headed to Sankaku Market. The hotel was pretty new and I appreciated the relatively tall ceilings in the room.
• Had the Takinami Don at Takinami Donburi inside the market. The seafood was super fresh and I had just beat the crowd as I was able to be seated immediately but there was a line of 20+ people by the time I left.
• Got ice cream from Yamanaka Dairy on my walk down to Otaru Canal and it was pretty good.
• Walked along the canal then headed to Sakaimachihondori where most of the glass stores were located. Spent a few hours walking around and looking at cups I wanted to purchase.
• At the end of the street, I stopped by LeTAO for dessert. This place was a massive disappointment, and personally, I think people who say the cheesecake here's good haven't had good cheesecake.
• After, I took a look inside Otaru Orugoru to find any music boxes I wanted, and ended up purchasing two: songs from Mononoke Hime (hands down the best anime movie) and Laputa.
• I also bought four cups from Kitaichi Glass that were super cute.
• I went to Yabuhan Soba for dinner and got the uni soba along with tempura. It was some of the best soba I've had and really warmed me up after spending most of the day out in the cold.

Day 6: Otaru / Sapporo (Steps: 15864 / Cost: ¥77580 / Accommodation: ¥8874)

• As breakfast was included, I ate at the hotel before checking out to take the train to Sapporo.
• Before leaving Sapporo Station to go to my hotel, I purchased some train tickets I would need in advance (Sapporo to Noboribetsu, Noboribetsu to Hakodate, Hakodate to Nikko).
• After dropping off my luggage at the hotel, I just wandered around the Susukino and Odori Park area. As I had a bit of time, I visited the MEGA Don Quijote and bought a few lighter items I'd be bringing back tax-free.
• When it was just past sunset, I headed to Sapporo TV Tower to get a view of the city illuminated at night. Odori Park was especially beautiful with all the Christmas decorations glowing.
• After spending about half an hour observing the city, I went down to the Christmas Market right in front and it was interesting seeing how many European themed stores there were.
• For dinner, I had みそバターコーンらーめん (miso butter corn ramen) and a side of gyoza at Sapporo Ramen Haruka, and it was definitely worth the half hour wait. They were even kind enough to distribute hand warmers to everyone in line although it wasn't particularly cold that evening. If there's anything I regret, it was not getting additional butter as they provided a generous amount of corn.

Day 7: Sapporo (Steps: 20848 / Cost: ¥46976 / Accommodation: ¥8874)

• Early in the morning, I headed to Nijo Market to get 三色丼 (uni, crab, ikura don) at Daiichikaisenmaru. It was pretty good and the crab legs were super sweet.
• After breakfast, I went around the market and bought some strawberries before returning to my hotel. They were some of the sweetest strawberries I'd had in a while.
• I then took the Sapporo Shiden to Sapporo Fushimi Inari Shrine, and it was super empty. I saw three people during the 20 minutes or so I was there.
• Went to Hokkaido Jingu which was mostly tour groups from China, but it was pretty quiet as it didn't seem like there were any guides leading large groups of people.
• Took the subway back to Odori Park and wandered around the area some more, buying nailclippers at Tokyu Hands and Kessoku Band We Will album at animate before taking a break at my hotel.
• For dinner, I went to Sushisai Wakichi (Tabelog Bronze and 4.31/...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/glitterybean on 2024-12-30 22:07:35+00:00.

Looking for some feedback on itinerary for 5 people - 14 day family trip with SO’s family (2 older adults and 3 younger adults), first time in Japan. My in laws tasked me with planning the itinerary, so please help me make this a good one. I want to be sure there is a good mix of site seeing, shopping, and exploring. This is a loose itinerary since his parents are a little older and may need time to rest between long walks. Here is a list of our cumulative interests: cooking, matcha, fashion, anime, Pokemon, Sanrio/Miffy/Studio Ghibli, and food.

The end of our trip is empty as a I ran out of ideas. I've also omitted breakfast, lunch, and dinner as we will likely decide these day off (Recommendations would be appreciated). Feel free to give recommendations for food/cafes or other places to visit and any advice on how to optimize this to make the trip go smoothly.

Day 1: Arrive in Tokyo (Arrival is early morning)

• Check into hotel
• Toyosu Wholesale Fish Market
• Tsukiji Outer Market
• Uniqlo Ginza Flagship Store

Day 2: Koto, Minato & Ginza

• teamLab Borderless (Tickets are already booked)
• Shopping in Ginza
  • Grand Seiko Flagship Store
  • Muji Flagship Store
  • Dover Street Market
• Imperial Palace

Day 3: Shibuya

• Meiji Jingu
• Yoyogi Park (tentative as season may impact how greenery looks)
• Shibuya Parco
• Shibuya Scramble Crossing/Hachiko Memorial Statue
• Mega Don Quijote
• Shibuya Sky (Tickets are booked)
• Omoide Yokocho/Golden Gai (Any insight on which would be better?)

Day 4: Asakusa

• Senso-ji/Nakamise-dori Street
• Shop around asakusa/try different desserts/cafes
  • Suzukien Asakusa (diff levels of matcha gelato)
  • Asakusa Kagetsudo (melon pan)
  • Chacha Futatsume (matcha mont blanc)
  • Sanrio Gift Gate Asakusa

Day 5: Tokyo → Kyoto

• Travel from Tokyo → Kyoto
• Check into hotel
• Nanzen-ji Temple
• Kyoto Imperial Palace
• Kyoto Gyoen National Garden (tentative as season may impact how greenery looks)
• Nishiki Market

Day 6: Kyoto

• Uji and Tea Town Historical Park (booked a Museum and Matcha experience)

• Fushimi Inari Taisha

• Kiyomizu-dera

• Nanzen-ji Temple

• Ninenzaka (Any insight on which would be better?)

  • Hokan-ji Temple (View of it can be seen from Ninenzaka)

Day 7: Kyoto

• Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
• Tenryu-ji Temple
• Kinkaku-ji Temple (His dad is very excited for this)
• Pontocho

Day 8: Kyoto → Osaka

• Travel from Kyoto → Osaka
• Check-in to hotel
• Namba Yasaka Jinjya Shrine
• Osaka Kizu Market
• Dontonbori

Day 9: Day trip to Nara

• Travel from Osaka → Nara
• Nara park
• Todai-ji Kagami-Ike Pond
• Kasuge Taisha
• Nakatanidou (Mochi Show)

Day 10: Osaka

• America-mura
• Stussy
• Pokemon Center Osaka DX
• Bape Store Osaka

Day 11: Osaka → Tokyo

• Travel from Osaka → Tokyo
• Check into last hotel
• Any recommendations for this day would be appreciated!

Day 12: Tokyo

• Kappabashi Street
• More recommendations for this last day in Tokyo would be appreciated!

Day 13: (This is a partial free day as we have a later departing flight)

Edit: Updated itinerary to include recommendations from comments; rearranged a lot of chaotic days. Our accommodations are unable to be changed as our trip is in a few days. This is my first time planning an international trip, so I'm still learning. Please keep the suggestions coming, especially if days still seem too full or if I can rearrange to make travel more efficient. Thank you all!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Nahojsen on 2024-12-28 15:54:09+00:00.

Hey there!

Me and my wife are planning our first trip to Japan next October and we’re really excited! Here’s our preliminary itinerary. Do you think we’re missing anything, or is there something we should add? We’re aiming for a balance of nature and city experiences. When we traveled to the U.S. for a month, we found that we enjoyed the national parks more than the cities, so we're hoping to incorporate more of that vibe into this trip.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Day 1-2: Tokyo

Day 1: Arrival in Tokyo, check-in at the hotel. Beginning by exploring Shibuya, including Shibuya Crossing and the Hachiko statue. Taking a walk in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. End the day with dinner in Ginza.

Day 2: Visit Meiji Jingu Shrine. Exploring Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa and Nakamise Dori. Taking a boat tour along the Sumida River. In the evening, visit Roppongi Hills from either Tokyo Tower or Mori Tower.

Day 3-5: Hakone & Fuji Five Lakes

Day 3: Take the train from Tokyo to Hakone. Exploring the Hakone Ropeway. Taking a boat trip on Lake Ashi.

Day 4: Visit Owakudani Valley to see the active volcanoes and hot springs. After lunch, heading to a traditional onsen.

Day 5: In the morning, take the train to Fuji Five Lakes. Take a walk around Lake Kawaguchi. In the afternoon, explore the Fujiyoshida area and visit Chureito Pagoda.

Day 6-8: Kyoto

Day 6: Take the Shinkansen from Fuji Five Lakes to Kyoto. Visit Fushimi Inari Shrine. In the afternoon, explore the Gion District and Hanami-koji street.

Day 7: Visit Kinkaku-ji. Continue to Ryoan-ji. In the afternoon, take a walk along the Philosopher’s Path.

Day 8: Take a day trip to Arashiyama and visit the Bamboo Grove. Take a boat ride on the Hozu River. Visit Tenryu-ji Temple and end the day with a hike through Iwatayama Monkey Park.

Day 9-11: Nara

Day 9: Take the train to Nara. Visit Todai-ji Temple and the Great Daibutsu. Stroll through Nara Park.

Day 10: Explore Kasuga Taisha Shrine. Hike up Mount Wakakusa.

Day 11: Take a day trip to Ise Shrine. Also, visit Oharai-machi street.

Day 12-14: Takayama & Shirakawa-go

Day 12: Take the train from Nara to Takayama. Explore the old town of Sanmachi Suji.

Day 13: Visit Takayama Jinya and Hida Folk Village.

Day 14: Take a trip to Shirakawa-go.

Day 15-16: Kanazawa

Day 15: Take the train to Kanazawa. Visit Kenrokuen Garden.

Day 16: Explore Kanazawa Castle, Omicho Market, and Higashi Chaya District. Try a teahouse.

Day 17-18: Tokyo

Day 17: Take the train back to Tokyo. In the afternoon, visit Odaiba or take a tour of Harajuku.

Day 18: Spend the last day in Tokyo exploring Asakusa and/or Tokyo Skytree.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/tr0p3 on 2024-12-29 12:14:01+00:00.

I recently finished a one-month solo trip (Nov-Dec 2024) and decided to jot down some thoughts and experiences.

Itinerary Overview

Osaka - 6 nights. split into 3 + 3 with an overnight stay in Koyasan in the middle

Koyasan - 1 night

Kinosaki - 2 nights

Hiroshima - 3 nights

Kyoto - 5 nights

Kanazawa - 2 nights

Takayama - 2 nights

Kawaguchiko - 2 nights

Tokyo - 6 nights

Highlights - Kinosaki, Miyajima, Nara

Lowlights - Kyoto. Okay, maybe not a lowlight exactly; I'm happy I went, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the rest of the trip.

Itinerary

• Osaka 6 nights felt like the right amount of time here, especially that half of those days was spent on daytrips out of Osaka and the first day was just getting things sorted out - picking up the rail pass, booking train tickets etc.

Kaiyukan is 100% worth it. It may seem like a regular aquarium initially, but once you get to the main tank with the two whale sharks it's something else entirely. On my first day, I also did an organized food tour + red light district tour. A good way to meet some people and try some local food. The red light district is quite interesting too; a very different vibe from Amsterdam, for example.

Nara - Nara really surprised me and in a positive way. Yes, it's quite touristy but not even close to feeling as overcrowded as Kyoto. The parks are beautiful - it was peak autumn colors when I was there; the temples as well. And you get to feed some deer and/or watch people being chased by hungry deer :D. A really fun day out.

Himeji and Kobe - Not great, not terrible. One of the more forgettable days of this trip. I'd say if your time in Japan is more limited, you shouldn't go out of my way to see either of these. If you want to see an iconic Japanese castle, this is it. Inside you're walking in a long line through a wooden house with very not much explanation. Had to go for some A5 Kobe beef while in Kobe - I'm not a big beef eater in general, so while it'd be silly to say it wasn't good (it was; rich and buttery), it's far from being the best meal I had in Japan.

• Koyasan An overnight trip from Osaka. Staying overnight allows you to do the night-time tour of the Okunoin cemetary (needs to be booked in advance online) which was led by one of the monks and actually gave a lot of info on both the place as well as the buddhist teachings/philosophy. And then you spend the night in the temple, eat dinner and breakfast there and join in the morning rituals. Additionally, there's loads of other temples spread around the area. I think I enjoyed it more because it was right at the start of my trip; had it been towards the end of it, I might have been too templed-out to care much.
• Kinosaki The highlight of the trip. Also my first time in an onsen. The problem when traveling solo is that most ryokans seem to do room + food packages for 2 people, so I ended up booking a room-only package. That turned out not to be a problem as you can then buy breakfast and dinner separately on site. The ryokan breakfast was amazing and the kaiseki dinner (from sashimi to hida beef and snow crab) was the best meal I had in Japan. In the ryokan they show you how to wear your yukata, then you put on your clogs and join the other people making their way from one onsen to the next. There are 6 different ones open on any one day in Kinosaki (they rotate), ranging from small indoor one that's basically a large hot tub to a large outdoor pool with a waterfall. Spent two days chilling, eating great food and soaking in hot water. Bliss.
• Hiroshima Miyajima was another highlight of this trip. Beautiful scenery, gorgerous autumn colors, wonderful temples - especially once you get away from the main torii gate. The hike up Mt Misen is very rewarding too. Just be mindful that if you want to take the cable car back down, it closes quite early (around 4pm I think), so you cannot stay on top to watch the sunset and then ride it down.
• Kyoto In Kyoto you get to understand why some cities around the world are pushing back against overtourism. And yes I do see the irony in me, another tourist, complaining about it. Honestly, Kyoto felt like a Japan theme park somewhere in China and I think it becomes more bearable once you frame it like that. So go with the crowd, stand in line for the major "rides", get an ice cream, rent a kimono. Repeat the next day. The caveat, like elsewhere in Japan, once you walk a few blocks from the main touristy sights you tend to find yourself on half-deserted streets.

I found that only Kinkakuji wasn't crowded early in the morning; maybe because it's further away than the likes of Kiyomizudera or Fushimi Inari. It is quite stunning, especially once the sun is out. Fushimi Inari - it gets better when you hike higher up the mountain, past the herds of instagrammers in the first section.

Railway Museum - I decided to check it out one day to take a break from temples. I think it's better if you're there with kids as there's a LOT of interactive stuff aimed at kids, but other than that it wasn't anything special. Pretty light on English-language info too.

All in all, out of all the big cities - Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Kyoto - Kyoto is the only one I don't really want to go back to.

BTW, if you're doing a daytrip to Uji, don't go early in the morning to try to beat the crowds. The temple may be open but the rest of town doesn't open up till around 11am, so you'll be standing around twiddling your thumbs.

• Kanazawa I was expecting a little bit more, having read about Kanazawa online, incl on reddit, before the trip. The samurai / geisha districts are both very small. The garden is pretty nice but, by now, you've probably seen a dozen similar gardens elsewhere. What is great is the seafood, which is amazing here. I loved the kaisendon (raw seafood on rice) which you can get pretty much everywhere.
• Takayama A change of climate and scenery. A small, historic-looking town - a lot more so than the historic districts in kanazawa - and in December it's covered in snow. Very picturesque. There's a nice hiking trail around town that takes you past some snow-covered temples & through fir/pine forests. Much like Kinosaki and other smaller towns, everything closes down and the place is dead by 6pm. While it's not that far from Mt Fuji, it's on the other side of the Alps, so getting to Kawaguchiko by train and bus will essentially take a full day. Express to Nagoya, Shinkaksen to Mishima, and a bus to Kawaguchiko - all in about 8 hours.
• Kawaguchiko Your time here will depend on the weather obviously. I got lucky with two days of perfect blue skies. I think you need to do Kawaguchiko overnight, as it's best early in the morning. By noon, the sun is directly above Fuji (in winter at least), which doesn't make for the best photos. Then, in the afternoon, the side of the mountain you see is hidden in the shadow. Also, early in the morning, you'll have the main sights like Chureito Pagoda pretty much to yourself. Beyond Chureito Pagoda, there's a hiking trail up to a viewing platform on top of that mountain. I was the only person there and only ran into some people on my way down around 10 am. Buses in Kawaguchiko start running around 9am, if I remember correctly, so if you want to get somewhere early you'll need to take a taxi. A ride from the lake to the pagoda was about $20. Taxis accept cards.
• Tokyo I had been to Tokyo before, so I wasn't doing that much sightseeing this time. The goal here was just to chill, eat and do some shopping. I liked staying in Akasaka. From Akasaka-Mitsuke station, it's just a few stops from Shibuja, Shinjuku and Ginza. Also, it's a more of a business area, so there's loads of restaurants and bars open and you'll see throngs of salarymen after work and hardly any tourists.

Uniqlo. I've been to a few of them, but ultimately I'd do all of my shopping in the Ginza flagship store. It does seem busier, and it may take some time to get up to the 10th floor, but once you know your size the rest is quick and easy. And they have everything here.

Onitsuka Tiger. The Shibuya one is obviously super busy, but there's another one at Narita airport. It's smaller, but if you didn't bother with the Shibuya one, there's another chance here.

TeamLabs. Borderless is an absolutely mesmerizing experience and you can get lost in it for hours. You're also free to roam around and return to rooms later; you're even encouraged to do it, as the rooms change over time. Planets, on the other hand, is a much shorter and linear experience. The locker / transition area between the different zones feels a lot more disorganized and chaotic too. Also be aware that you'll be up to your knees in water here :). If you need to pick one, go to Borderless.

MISCELLANEOUS

• E-sim I went with the e-sim from Klook and it worked perfectly everywhere. Setting it up was so straightforward too that it was basically a non-event. I recall having more difficulties setting up an Airalo e-sim on some earlier trips. I paid about $20 for a 1-month 20gb pack. In the end, I used about 5gb in total. I had downloaded offline google maps and the Japanese language pack for google translate, which probably helped reduce the data usage.
• Google Maps / Translate Both worked nearly perfectly. Google lens obviously is super useful in supermarkets etc where there's no English labeli...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/CaffeineCipher on 2024-12-27 19:31:14+00:00.

Dear redditors, after continuous research, going through thousands of itineraries, I have managed to kind of create a 12-day itinerary, focusing on Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara and Osaka. Looking for helpful advice on this itinerary, if I'm missing out on something major, if I should try lesser-visited gatekept places (please DM for those reccos) and in general, whether the itinerary looks too much. I'm open to constructive criticism and will help me in planning better :)

31-Mar - Shinjuku hotel check in, Shibuya Scramble Crossing, Hatchicko Statue, Sunset + night views - Shibuya Sky, Shibuya Pokemon Centre, Dinner at Omoide Yokocho

1-Apr - Early morning Yoyogi Park, Teamlabs Borderless, Chou Dori Avenue in Ginza, Uniqlo, Muji, Itōya Stationary, Ginza SIX terrace, Explore Akihabara, Return to Shinjiku

2-Apr - Early morning - Shinjuku Gyoen - sakura, Meiji Temple’s Kitasando Torii - Meiji Temple park, Explore Harajuku area, Omotesando, Shibuya 106, Return to Shinjuku - dinner at Golden Gai

3-Apr - Morning - Akasuka Senso-ji Buddhist temple, Sumida park, Skytree Tower, Ueno park, Imperial Palace east garden, Chidorigafuchi Moat - night glow

4-Apr - Mount Fuji Day trip : Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko station / bus tour (can include Shibuya after 6pm if the trip gets over)

5-Apr - Day trip to Kamakari and Enoshima, Pub crawl night in Tokyo

6-Apr - Check out and take train to Gion Kyoto, Chushojima Station river canal - cherry blossom, Travel to Uji and explore - Try matcha, Ujikami shrine, Kodai-ji - night sakura, Return to Gion

7-Apr - Morning - Fushimi Inari, Keage Incline - sakura, Konkai Komyo-ji, Nishiki Market, Gion - Pontocho Alley, Kiyamachi Street, and Hanamikoji

8-Apr - Morning - Arashiyama Bamboo Forest / alternative place, Daihikaku Senkoji Temple, train to Kurama Station - Kuramadera and Kifune Shrine, Check out and travel to Osaka, Local travel in Osaka

9-Apr - Kyobashi bridge, Osaka Castle, Kintetsu Line to Hasedera Station - explore Hasedera Temple and Hase Town, Train to Yamato-Yagi Station and explore Imaicho, Kashihara Town - Fujiwara Palace Ruins, Train to Osaka

10-Apr - Kintetsu Line to Ikoma Station, Hozanji, Explore Ikoma Town, Train to Nara Deer Park - See the deers, visit Todaiji, Kasuga Taisha, Train to Osaka

11-Apr - Minoh Falls, Seven Slopes of Tennoji, Shitennoji temple, Train to Osaka, Explore Shinsekai, Tsutenkaku Tower

12-Apr - Try Shakuzen-ji temple, Explore Dotonbori in Osaka, Osaka pub crawl

13-Apr - Cover anything if missed, Check out

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Niko_is_ on 2024-12-23 21:42:31+00:00.

I'll keep this short, but I think it is vital - Google Maps... everyone says it is amazing and YES, it is for train schedules, but not for walking. I spend hours circling in Kyoto and Osaka because the map would say I passed it when I hadn't even reached a turn, or didn't alert me to stairs (sometimes it did so it is capable). My location was on high-accuracy. The main thing, though, to save your sanity double check the local map of the station. For example, the map said to enter at Entrance 7, but it directed me and told me I arrived at Entrance 5, which was almost fully around the block from 7. I swear I am not dumb, I met another person on the plane back who agreed with me.

Osaka Aquarium- Completely worth it and even though the floor seems to direct you one way (arrows) through the aquarium to the exit, you can totally walk back in and go backwards and it's not against the rules (I wasn't sure since it was so specifically laid out).

TeamLabs Planets- I only needed 45 minutes, taking my time. It was about $25 USD? I think? So while I think it was very cool and I'm glad I went, mentally prepare if that short of a visit isn't worth the money for you. Maybe if you're with a group it will take longer, I went solo.

Skytree Christmas- They had so many cool Christmas decorations up!! Definitely go if you're in the area already or going before the new year. Also they have a Christmas market on the top of the Skytree shopping center. Shopping- I found so many things I wanted to buy there, but decided to wait until the end of my trip. Well let me tell you, I did not find many of those things again. So while I'm glad I didn't have to haul them around, I didn't see them elsewhere like I thought I would - I incorrectly assumed it was touristy stuff bc, Skytree, and they were chopsticks and chopstick rests. I definitely saw a ton of them everywhere, but if you fall in love with something, just get it.

Free Gifts that can be souvenirs- If you fill out guest surveys you tend to get a gift. I received a small hand towel from Rikugien (or a pen) and a pretty postcard of a bunraku puppet from the Koto Cultural Center (the only place I could find Bunraku show- they had excellent audio guides).

Koto Cultural Center- I didn't see this in any of my guidebooks, but they were the only ones where I could find Bunraku during my trip dates, and it was basically a local neighborhood as far as I could tell. No tourists. It was me and a bunch of elderly Japanese, with some little old ladies dressed up in their formal kimono for the afternoon show. Unexpectedly great English audio guide, it gave historical info while you waited for the show to start.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/supershrimper97 on 2024-12-22 21:48:02+00:00.

Hi there!

I am visiting Japan with my partner for the first time March next year and have started to build a 19 day itinerary. I think we are pretty set on where we are going, the things we want to do and have hotels booked for each night, but open to adjusting this slightly if necessary. We're interested in exploring as much as we can, eating a lot of varied traditional dishes, but we're not too much bothered about shopping.

A brief overview: land in Tokyo (stay 1 night), travel to Osaka (4 nights), then onto Kyoto (4 nights), travel to Fujikawaguchiko (2 nights), and finally back to Tokyo (7 nights) for the remainder of the trip.

Please let me know if what we have planned is doable (especially the Kyoto days) or anything extra we can add to our itinerary. Your advice and help would be much appreciated, thank you!

Day 1 (2nd March) - land at Haneda

• Arrive into Haneda Airport at 10:30am
• Travel to Miyako City Tokyo Takanawa hotel, Minato City
• Maybe explore Roppongi/Minato City/Shibya Park (Tokyo Tower) depending on how we feel

Day 2 (3rd March) - travel to Osaka

• Morning shinkansen to Osaka
• Check into Hotel Elcient Osaka Umeda
• Osaka Tenmangu Shrine
• Osaka Castle
• Head to Denden Town/Dotonbori (Hozenji Yokocho)/Namba Park for the evening

Day 3 (4th March) - Osaka

• Umeda Sky Building
• HEP 5
• Cup Noodle Museum
• Namba Yasaka Jinja
• Shin Sekai

Day 4 (5th March) - Osaka (Universal Studios)

• Spend the entire day at USJ

Day 5 (6th March) - Osaka (day trip to Himeji)

• Morning train to Himeji
• Himeji Castle
• Koko-en Garden
• Return to Osaka and explore Tenma at night

Day 6 (7th March) - Travel to Kyoto

• Morning train to Kyoto (check bags into hotel)
• Nijō Castle
• Kyoto Gyoen National Garden
• Nishiki Market
• Kiyamachi/Pontocho

Day 7 (8th March) - Kyoto

• Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
• Iwatayama Monkey Park
• Gio-ji Temple & Moss Gardens
• Adashino-Nenbutsu-j
• Seiryoji Sagashakado
• Kinkaku-ji

Day 8 (9th March) - Nara (day trip)

• Kofuku-ji
• Isuien Garden
• Todai-ji
• Nara Park

Day 9 (10th March) - Kyoto

• Fushimi Inari Shrine
• Kiyomizu-dera
• Hōkan-ji
• Yasaka Shrine
• Tenju-an/Nanzen-ji

Day 10 (11th March) - Travel to Fujikawaguchiko

• Leave Kyoto in the AM and arrive at Fuji View Hotel at 2pm
• Cycle around Lake Kawaguchiko
• Chill at the hotel

Day 11 (12th March) - Fujikawaguchiko

• Mount Fuji panoramic Ropeway
• Chureito Pagoda - Arakurayama Sengen Park
• Honcho Street

Day 12 (13th March) - Travel to Tokyo (Shinjuku)

• Leave Fujikawaguchiko in the AM and arrive at Tokyu Stay Nishi Shinjuku
• Explore Shinjuku (Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden)
• Omoide Yokocho
• Kabukicho
• Shinjuku Golden Gai

Day 13 (14th March) - Tokyo

• Asakusa (Senso-ji temple, Nakamise Street, Hoppy Street)
• Akihabara

Day 14 (15th March) - Tokyo

• Chiyoda City (Imperial Palace)
• Ueno Park
• Yanesen

Day 15 (16th March) - Tokyo

• Explore Harajuku (Meiji Jingu, Takeshita Street)
• Shibuya Parco
• Shibuya Scramble Square
• Shibuya Centre Gai
• Shibuya Sky for sunset views
• Nonbei Yokocho

Day 16 (17th March) - Tokyo (DisneySea)

• Spend the entire day at DisneySea

Day 17 (18th March) - Tokyo

• Tsukiji Market
• TeamLab Planets
• Odaiba Marine Park
• Hamarikyu gardens
• Ginza

Day 18 (19th March) - Tokyo

• Free day to do whatever we feel like doing
• In the evening travel to Villa Fontaine Grand Haneda Airport

Day 19 (20th March) - Depart Haneda Airport in the AM

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Tsao_Aubbes on 2024-12-21 14:50:40+00:00.

With the end of the year coming up I found myself with floating holidays that needed to be used. At the same time my sister had just graduated college and I was thinking about doing something to celebrate. Since I'm an airline employee and we get flight benefits I started looking at taking a trip; Tokyo had good odds so we went for it.

Ultimately we only had about 3 or 4 days to 'plan' so we didn't exactly have an itinerary. We just started off with a list of things we wanted to do and we took things day by day which ended up working out pretty well. Here's what we did:

Day 0 (the flight over)

• Get lucky and get Delta One seats on an A330neo, book hotel on inflight wifi without doing a ton of research. We ended up picking a hotel in Ikebukuro because it was cheap - the location was nearly perfect and we got super lucky with it.

Day 1

• We arrive at Haneda. Flight lands at 2pm, purchase an eSim and Suica, we're out and at the hotel by 5pm.
• Weather was beautiful, both for the day and the whole trip. It averaged 50f (50c) and sunny -- quite the adjustment from -5f (-15c) and snowing when we left Minnesota.
• Spend the evening exploring Ikebukuro, get food from a random place - delicious.
• My sister tries her first Strong Zero and I come down with a cold overnight.

Day 2

• Satisfied my symptoms are just a cold and not COVID or strep, have my sister grab me some cold meds. I mask up and move on.
• Sample vending machine coffee and take the train to Ueno park - see the park itself, associated museums and watch some youth leauge(?) baseball randomly.
• Hop back on the train, headed to Asakusa to see Senshoji temple and a taiko store that sis wanted to see since she plays in college.
• Afterwords, see some of Shinjuku, visit Map Camera, dinner (+ highballs), bed.

Day 3

• Take the train to Yokosuka and visit the Mikasa museum. We got to chat with one of the volunteers for awhile, apparently served in the USN on loan from the JMSDF and he spoke good English. It was very cool.
• Explore the park around Mikasa (very pretty), what we can of the USN base and Yokosuka.
• Accidentally take the local train back from Yokosuka to Yokohama, get rewarded with an empty train, front car seats and really pretty views. Accidental highlight of the trip, it was so nice.
• From there connect to Machida to see the Snoopy museum. You definitely get more out of it as a non American but it was still cute and our mom raised us on Peanuts, Far Side and Calvin & Hobbes so it was worth it either way.
• The museum is connected to a park and a mall so we explored both, got some Christmas shopping in, ate dinner and called it a night.

Day 4 - the "day trip"

• Take the train to Tokyo station, buy tickets for the Tokaido shinkansen and ride to Nagoya. The weather was good so we got a great view of Mt. Fuji and the surrounding countryside.
• From there connect to the Toyota museum and, without planning, accidentally (unplanned, I didn't even know it was there) ride Japan's only operational maglev - the Linimo line. They had some cute souvenirs too.
• See the Toyota museum - both the cars and the "cars as culture" section after (which was amazingly cool). Then we left two little cards for their wall at the end - I've got the Miata, sis has the Rav.
• Return to Nagoya, check out the castle and park, grab dinner then take the shinkansen back. Once in Tokyo, walk around the Imperial palace park (what we can anyway at night), take a meh panorama, head back to the hotel.

Day 5

• We decided to split up. My sister had some shopping to do and visited a costume museum - I went and did the JR East railway museum in Omiya
• Words cannot describe how much stuff the museum has, it's awesome. The pics don't do it justice. I particularly appreciated their working model traction unit and associated mechanical computer. The model railroad was an unexpected treat and it put the Chicago Museum of Science and Industries' railroad to shame (which is saying something). Spent some time chatting with one of the volunteers about working as a mechanic and things like that (he was a JR mechanic, I'm an aircraft mechanic) which was super super cool.
• After the rail museum we meet up in Shibuya, walk around and see the sights there and in Harijuku. After take the train back to Ikebukuro, grab dinner, beers in the park, bed.

Day 6 - day trip II

• We split up again, this time I go to the Honda Collection Hall in Motegi. I take a train out of Tokyo, rent a car, I ended up with a Yaris, and drive up. The drive itself was pretty even if it was hard to admire the scenery since it was my first time driving on the left, lol.
• The collection hall itself is wonderful it's not quite as big as Toyota but there's just so much to see. And as a long time Honda fan, current Honda driver/rider and former Honda employee it was something of a pilgrimage for me.
• After the museum, check out Motegi Raceway. Walk around the stadium and paddock, watch a track day and some open wheel racing.
• Drive the car back to Mito, try out Japanese McDonalds then take the train back to Ikebukuro.
• Have a beer in the park, decide to grab dinner, accidentally strike up a convo with a group of random Japanese dudes. We gave some beers, talk, have a good time then I head back to the hotel.

Day 7

• Final day. I was a bit hung over so I got a late start (~9am). I had been planning to forward bags to the airport but we missed the cutoff so I took the train to Haneda and checked my bag.
• I took the train to Carmakecorn's, a small Miata garage out in Edogawa so I could grab some parts for my Miata. After I visited PIT Autobachs and a motorcycle store next door and got some gloves as well as parts for my CX500.
• Take the train back to the airport, clear security (and accidentally forget to remove the 35mm film I bought from my carry-on..), get lucky and get Delta One a second time.

All in all, for basically winging the trip it turned out really really well and it was a great lesson for further international travel since this was A) my first time traveling with organizing the trip myself and B) traveling to a non-English country. I think probably the biggest strength of our trip was our flexibility and spending most of our time out of the very touristy areas, I found I enjoyed that a lot more, at least based off our short walk-around of Shibuya and Harujuku.

That said I do sort of wish we did more touristy stuff - or at least spent more time in the really popular places of Tokyo. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much but I could at least say I did it. I also wish I was able to go out to more at bars night but being catching that cold quashed that. Next time for sure.

Either or it's just wistful thinking. The trip was still amazing and I really want to visit Japan again, though for next time I definitely want to get out of Tokyo. A smaller city could be fun but I was kicking around the idea of renting a motorcycle and touring the countryside. Riding the coast just sounds amazingly fun - though I'd want to learn enough Japanese to have a passable conversation before attempting something like that.

As a bonus, here's everything I got

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/RegularExpression637 on 2024-12-19 19:57:27+00:00.

Hi everyone,

Me (F) and my sister are going to Japan next year in spring. For context: We’re both in our early 30s. This will be our first trip to Japan. We’re flying in from Europe. We're used to walking a lot while on vacation. The trip is from March 25th to April 15th, so 3 weeks.

I’d love some feedback on optimizing the route and activities. I’ve done my research and tried to organize things logically, but I think there are areas for improvement. Kyoto, in particular, has me questioning the order of visits and how to make the most of the experience by timing certain locations well. I’d appreciate your insights and suggestions for any adjustments.

When it comes to shopping, I usually only buy what I need, even on vacation. However, in South Korea, for example, I found myself buying a lot of cosmetics and skincare products. So I’m not sure what to expect from shopping in Japan or how much I’ll end up buying there.

Tokyo

• Day 1: Akasaka (our hotel location), Chidorigafuchi Moat (jetlag-friendly first day)
• Day 2: Gotokuji Temple, Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, Pompompurin Café, Shibuya, Shibuya Sky, Meguro River
• Day 3: Ueno Park, National Museum, Asakusa (Sensoji, Asakusa Shrine), Sumida Park
• Day 4: Arakuyama Sengen Park, Oishi Park, Oshino Hakkai (via a Klook tour)
• Day 5: Day trip to Kamakura & Enoshima
• Day 6: TeamLab Borderless, Shinjuku, Shinjuku Gyoen Park, Cinnamoroll Café
• Day 7: Ghibli Museum, Shirohige's Cream Puff Factory, karaoke in Roppongi
• Day 8: Nihonbashi, Kabuki Theatre

Kyoto

• Day 9: Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kinkaku-ji
• Day 10: Kiyomizu-dera, Kodaiji Temple, Maruyama-koen Park, Gion Tea Ceremony & Traditional Arts Performance
• Day 11: Philosopher's Path, Okazaki Jukkokubune, Miyako Odori, Nijo Castle
• Day 12: Osaka Castle, Umeda Sky Building, Dotonbori, Wonder Cruise, Shinsekai
• Day 13: Day trip to Nara (Nara Park, Kofuku-ji Temple, Naramachi, Higashimuki Shopping Street)
• Day 14: If we like Osaka, Sumiyoshi-taisha, Shitenno-ji, Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Street
• Day 15: Day trip to Himeji/Kurashiki or Ghibli Park (if the Ghibli Museum visit doesn’t work out)
• Day 16: „free“ day, maybe Arashiyama

Kanazawa

• Day 17: Nishi Chaya, Myoryuji Temple, Nomura Clan Samurai House, Nagamachi, Oyama Shrine, Kanazawa Castle, Kenrokuen Garden, Kazuemachi
• Day 18: Higashiyama, Geisha Performance and tea house tour at Kaikaro

Yamanouchi

• Day 19: Snow Monkey Park, Shibu Onsen Town, relax at a ryokan with private open-air bath and Kaiseki dinner

Back to Tokyo

• Day 20: Akihabara
• Day 21: Catch-up day for anything we missed or wanna do in Tokyo
• Day 22: Flight home in the morning

Specific questions:

1. For locations like Fushimi Inari, Kinkaku-ji, Philosopher’s Path and Kiyomizu-dera, which ones benefit the most from an early morning visit? Are there any places where timing matters less or more, so I can prioritize morning visits among them? Anything you think I should replace with something else?
2. My sister enjoys beach/coast walks. Are the beaches in Kanazawa suitable for this?
3. As you can see from my itinerary, we enjoy performances and cultural events (e.g., tea ceremony, Miyako Odori, Kabuki). Are there any other traditional activities or events in late March/early April that you would recommend, either in the places we’re visiting or nearby?