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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Weaksafety on 2024-08-09 18:32:30+00:00.

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Hey everyone! 👋 I'd like to share my first time 7 days trip I had this march, and hopefully get some suggestions from you for my next one in March 2025!

This was a solo trip, I'm used and enjoy walking 15-18 miles per day starting very early (6:30am or so) and wandering around, so this was packed but I had lots of fun. Also, renting a bike via app was a tremendous time saver, especially in Kyoto. Here it was:

March 9 (Saturday): Bright Lights

🛬 Arrived in HND at 11:30AM after a 14 hours flight, went to my hotel in Akasaka.

🏯 Visited Hie Shrine (loved it), then explored Akihabara to stay awake until 10PM, then called it a day.

March 10 (Sunday): Shopping Frenzy

🌳 Started at 7AM in Meiji Jingu, walked through Yoyogi Park, visited Yoyogi Hachimangu Shrine.

🚲 From there I rented a bike and went to Shibuya, then spent the rest of the day visiting Shibuya (usual spots, plus PARCO) and Shinjuku.

March 11 (Monday): On the traditional side

🌅 Started the day at 7:30 in Asakusa to see Senso-ji without heavy crowds. It was indeed not crowded but the rest of the neighborhood shops was still closed, so I sadly had to skip Kappabashi Dougu. Will be back next year.

🚴‍♂️ Biked to the south tip of Ueno park, then walked to Shinobazunoike Benten-do, then Kiyomizu Kannon-dō, Ueno Daibutsu, Ueno Toshogu.

🏛️ From the National Museum I walked through Yanaka, briefly visited the Yanaka Cemetery then had lunch at Sampota Cafe Nombiriya (loved the atmosphere, food was grandma-style). Walked the alleys up to Yanaka Ginza.

🚉 Took the Yamanote at Nippori and explored Ikebukuro, had ramen there, then went to Shibuya for a nightly stroll before calling it a day.

March 12 (Tuesday): Rainy surprise 🌧️

Had plans for a daily trip to Kamakura that sadly had to be scrapped due to heavy rains. During breakfast I searched for mostly indoor spots, so..

🎨 I found a 9 AM ticket to Teamlab Planets, which I enjoyed.

🚉 Then headed to Tokyo Station and got lost exploring the shops, Character street, etc. Ate Tsukemen at a place under the Tokyo Station tracks.

🛍️ Headed to Ginza and walked a bit, but rain was still pouring. I went inside Itoya and spent a full good hour looking at all the marvels there.

🏙️ After a quick stop at the hotel, I went to Nakano Broadway to explore and then had dinner with a good tonkatsu in the nearby alleys.

March 13 (Wednesday): Shibamata and Kyoto

🍡 Began my day with a pretty long metro ride to Shibamata. Had breakfast at the station, then walked to Shibamata Taishakuten, which was one of the top highlights of my trip. Absolutely stunning, both the temple and the garden. By the time I was done, some shops in Taishakuten Sandō were open and I enjoyed some sakura dango.

🚄 Then back to Tokyo Station, booked a 1PM Shinkansen to Kyoto, and off I went.

🚲 Arrived at my hotel in Kyoto around 4 PM, then biked to the Philosopher's path and met some friends there. Went to the gardens of the three temples on the side of the mountain, enjoyed the view. Ended the day stuffing up at a yakiniku.

March 14 (Thursday): The east side of Kyoto

⛩️ Intentional super-early rise so that at 6:30 I was at the bottom of Fushimi Inari. Dumb me took a "small" detour that sent me to the path at the BACK of the mountain, so no red Torii while climbing, but still got:

• a walk through a bamboo forest;
• nice open-air rusted sanctuaries/shrines with waterfalls;
• total silence and peace, saw only 2 people during the entire climb

🚶‍♂️ Once at the top of the mountain, I descended through the Torii path with no detours this time. At the bottom, I started walking north and visiting every temple I found along the way, so Nanmei-in, Komyo-in (including the garden), had tea at the wonderful Chikujō Sō, then Tofuku-ji.

🏞️ Biked up until Takio Shrine for a quick view, then visited the wonderful Sanjūsangen-dō and its garden.

🍡 Biked again up to Hōkan-ji, then grabbed dango and some matcha ice-cream at Sannenzaka. Walked at the back of Gion to Otani Sobyo, then through the park at Yasaka Sanctuary. A stroll through Gion and exhaustion ended my day at 4PM, so I went to Kyoto Station and took the Shinkansen back to Tokyo, where I ate another tonkatsu at Akasaka and then collapsed in my bed.

March 15 (Friday): Final day

🚴‍♂️ My last full day and I wanted to explore more, so I got on yet another bike and rode for about 10 miles all around the Akasaka Imperial gardens, to the west-south side of the Imperial Palace and Hibiyakoen, then down to Shiba Park. Another great walk through the parks toward Tokyo Tower and the temples.

🍜 Then I went to Shimokitazawa to explore and had some udons for lunch, then back to where I started (Akihabara) for some final shopping, dinner and back to the hotel.

March 16 (Saturday): 🛫 Had breakfast then straight to HND for my flight home.

Overall, I loved every minute, and the pace I had was right for me. I left a piece of my heart in Kyoto and promised I'd spend 3 days there in my next trip. After going through many mundane and traditional spots, I'd say I appreciate a good mix of the two but with more preference for traditional / historical sights.

Now I'm trying to plan for my next trip in mid March, for which I already have tickets. It'll be a 8 full day trip, from friday (landing day) to saturday night (leaving day), both to and from HND again.

I'd definitely love to:

• Give Kyoto a good 3 days;
• Take at least 2 full days in Tokyo;
• Put in some day trips as well.

What would you suggest for my next itinerary? 🤔

Open to questions from you all!

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Himekat on 2024-08-08 16:06:24+00:00.

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Because of the influx of posts about the topic, I'm creating this megathread where people can ask questions and post helpful links. Please stay on topic, abide by all /r/JapanTravel rules, and keep conversation factual and direct (no dramatic speculaton, please).

After an earthquake (magnitude 7.1) off the southern coast of Japan (Miyazaki Prefecture) at 4:42pm JST on August 8, the government has issued a megaquake advisory (NHK article, Japan Times article), although they have since lifted tsunami warnings (see previous links).

• For technical information about the August 8 earthquake, see here.
• For general listings of earthquakes in Japan, see here.
• For information about earthquake preparedness, see here.
• For general weather news and updates (including earthquake information), see here.
• For JR Kyushu train updates, see here.

If you are looking for the monthly meet-up megathread, see here.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/BlueRex1985 on 2024-08-06 12:32:11+00:00.

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Came back from an amazing trip as a family of 5 (w/ kids 11, 8 and 6). Did lots of shopping, took in the sights, ate yummy food and we survived the heat! Will just give the highlights and things I found useful.

Just some general things to that we did to survive the heat and with kids:

1. Definitely get IC cards, major time savers. Got mine at Narita Airport.

2. Set expectations with the kids. We began prepping them weeks ahead of our trip of how hot and how much walking we have to do.

3. Read up on all the usual tips to beat the heat. Personal preference are the Pocari Sweat and the Sunbrella.

4. Google maps works 99% of the time. Found Navitime more accurate/useful during the day we had a pass for Hakone. Also, had trouble with it looking for a store inside a building and when it tries to tell you to walk underground.

Feel free to ask any questions!

Day by day report

Day 1: Narita Airport to Hotel

You can get Welcome Suica cards from the machine and barely anyone was in line (this was around 5:30pm). You can also get child Welcome Suica through the machine as well.

Day 2: Harajuku/Shinjuku

The Meiji Jingu is a nice walk before all the shops opened!

Day 3: DisneySea

Suggest to arrive at around 7am if you are looking to get into the new area Fantasy Springs to better your chances at getting passes.

Day 4: Shibuya

I was ready to be disappointed as when I checked their website, the top of Shibuya Sky was closed due to heat, but by the time we arrived at night, it was opened again! So consider getting night time tickets if going in summer.

Day 5: Hakone

Couldn't pick up the day passes at Shinjuku station as the timing didn't work out, but you can easily purchase it at Odawara station. Also, be sure to be on the lookout for Mt. Fuji! Our only clear view of it was from the train ride. Also consider doing to loop clockwise (we did the Hewa Torii to Pirate ship to Ropeway) as many sites I've read suggests doing it counter clockwise. I found it to be less crowded.

Day 6: Asakusa/Kawagoe

Went to the 'Million Lights Festival', which is a small summer festival at Kawagoe.

Day 7: teamLabs/Diver City/Shinkansen

Our hotel did not offer luggage forwarding service to Kyoto, but luckily there was a Yamato Transport office a few minutes walk from the hotel. Staff was super nice and helpful in getting the forms filled out. Dropped it off when it open at 9am, and got the luggage next day around 11am according to their website.

For those going to Gundam Base, make sure you check the website on if you need to 'win' a lottery to get in, but tbh, other hobby stores have similar if not better stock.

For Shinkansen tickets, we bought on the day we got to the station with no issues, but make sure you do reservation if you are travelling during busy season.

Day 8: Uji/Fushimi Inari

Uji was beautiful and was not crowded at all when I went. Also, went into an unassuming building and they offered tea sets where they teach you how to make tea for approx. 1000 yen! They were super nice and tried their best to communicate in English.

We got to Fushimi Inari at around 4pm, but they closed it off for watering until 6:00pm. We thankfully found some ledges and shade while we waited, and it was reopened at around 5:30pm. We made it up all the way to the top, but the best spot was at the fork where when we made our way down, we arrived shortly before sunset and had an amazing view. And by the we made it down to the station, it was dark. So just a suggestion to visit around this time if you want to see it under different time of day.

Day 9: Arashiyama/Kyoto Aeon Mall

Got to Arashiyama at around 8am. Wasn't very crowded at all. Feeding the monkey was definitely a fun experience.

Day 10: Osaka

Hotel didn't offer luggage forwarding service to airport, so had to again visit Yamato Transport (and thankfully, was only a 5min walk from the hotel)

There is an area between Dontobori and Shinsekai with lots of shops related to anime/hobby stuff. We ended the night at Harukas300, where it have a must visit bathroom!

Day 11: Nara

If you are planning on feeding the deers, don't feed the swarm near the entrance. I had gotten bitten multiple times on my legs and they left quite the bruise. Feed the ones further in the park as they seem less aggressive and you are not surrounded.

Day 12: Kansai Airport

Took the Haruka Express from Kyoto Station. Picked up the tickets a day before and also familiarize myself with the layout of the station since I don't want to get lost on the day to the airport. Also, consider reserved seating if not departing from Kyoto, as the seats were filled up pretty quickly and not many non-reserved seats were available by the time it got to Osaka.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/mrspotatohead24 on 2024-08-05 10:31:11+00:00.

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Hi all! Mid October l'm going to Japan for two weeks (l'm a solo traveller). It's my first time in Japan so for my itinerary I chose to do Tokyo, Kyoto and daytrips to DisneySea, Nara and Kamakura. From what I read online, I think Osaka is not a must for me (I don't see any sights/ activities that really spark my interest) so I skipped that city to have more time in other spots.

Overall I really love culture/history and just walking around cities and soaking up the atmosphere (l'm also a big fan of hiking and nature, but two weeks seems a bit short to go the Japanese alps for example). My itinerary for each day is more of a rough outline, as I like to be able to change my mind if I bump into something interesting. Still I'm curious whether this schedule makes any sense, if I would do it exactly this way. Are there any (perhaps more off the beaten track) things that might be interesting to add? Also vegetarian food recs that are still somewhat authentic are also super welcome. :) Thanks a lot in advance!

Day 1

• Arrival Tokyo at 7pm (same timezone so no jetlag) • Maybe Shinjuku at night if energy

Day 2 - Tokyo Asakusa

• Tea ceremony • Senso-ji (temple) & explore surrounding streets • Kappabashi street • Nakamise dori street

Day 3 - Tokyo Harajuku & Shibuya

• Early morning: Meiji Shrine • Takeshita Street • Walk to Daikanyamacho • Shibuya Sky (observation platform, after sunset timeslot) • Shibuya Scramble crossing at night

Day 4 - Tokyo DisneySea

Day 5 - Tokyo

• Slower day, Shinjuku if not done earlier with Golden Gai, Omoide Yokocho, maybe karaokebar in Kabukicho

Day 6 - Tokyo -> Hakone

• Explore Hakone with the boat, train etc.

Day 7 - Hakone -> Kyoto

• Tenzan Onsen in the morning • Train to Kyoto

Day 8 - Kyoto

• Arashiyama bamboo grove early morning • Otagi nenbutsu-ji (temple) 8 am • Gioji (temple) • Lunch at Shigetsu @ Tenryu-ji (temple) • Ryoanji (temple) • Kinkakuji/Golden Paviljon

Day 9 - Kyoto

• Fushimi Inari Taisha • Tofuku-ji (temple) • Sanjusandego (temple) • Kiyomizu-dera (temple) • Kodai-ji (temple)

Day 10 - Kyoto

• Daytrip to Nara

Day 11 - Kyoto

• Nijo Castle • Nishiki Market • If there's anything I didn't got to in Kyoto yet, I can do it on this day. • At night back to Tokyo

Day 12 - Tokyo

Daytrip Kamakura • Early morning train to Hase station (west side) • Kotoku-in (temple) with the great buddha • Hasedera temple • Komachi-dori shopping street • Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine (east side) • Hokokuji temple • Heisei Pilgrimage Road

Day 13 - Tokyo

• Free day, maybe Shimokitazawa or Teamlab Planets • Do whatever I feel like doing!

Day 14 - Tokyo

Going to airport at 6pm, once again do what I feel like doing this day. Space to try some recs from fellow travellers/locals I talked to this week :)

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/ConnectSheepherder3 on 2024-08-03 01:57:55+00:00.

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Hi there!

I am currently in Japan along with my parents and visited the Tokyo Disneyland on 1st August (Thursday) expecting that I would not be able to get on more than 2 rides, but it was entirely the other way around!

We took the Weeknight passport since the heat would’ve been unbearable in the afternoon, so we essentially had 4 hours only.

Once we entered, we were able to do the following up until 9PM (do note we did not take any DPA):

1. Disney Harmony in Color Parade
2. Pirates of the Carribean
3. Jungle Cruise
4. Mark Twain Riverboat
5. Haunted Mansion
6. It’s A Small World
7. Mickeys House and Meet Mickey
8. Beauty and the Beast
9. Pooh’s Hunny Hunt

None of the rides above had waiting for more than 5 minutes. The lines for Thunder and Splash Mountain were ~30 minutes at max, but we went to have food Center Street Coffeehouse instead, which we reserved, but could have honestly just walked in.

After all I heard about planning on this sub, I had honestly given hope, but it turned out to be one of the best days ever!

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Odd-Mind-5060 on 2024-08-02 21:20:55+00:00.

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Hi all, 

I'm travelling to Japan on my own in September and am currently trying to plan my itinerary for a 3 week trip. I have a rough idea of the cities/towns I want to go to and have done the itinerary based on that. But it's still quite rough in terms of each day with a bit more research needed from myself.

I have nothing booked at the moment other than accommodation for the first 4 nights in Tokyo, so I’m happy to move things about if the below doesn’t work. 

Day 1 - Tokyo; Accommodation in the Asakusa area

• Arrive at about 7am to Haneda Airport
• Asakusa exploration

Day 2 - Tokyo; Accommodation in the Asakusa area

• Day trip/organised trip to either Fuji Five Lakes or Hakkone

Day 3 - Tokyo; Accommodation in the Asakusa area

• Team Lab Planets
• Shibuya
• Shibuya Sky Tree in the evening

Day 4 - Tokyo; Accommodation in the Asakusa area

• Day trip to Kamakura. Also maybe to Yokohama

Day 5 - Kanazawa

• Train from Tokyo to Kanazawa
• Explore the city

Day 6 - Kanazawa

• Kanazawa castle
• Trip to Shirakawa-go?? (maybe not needed if going to Hida no Sato from Takayama)
• Explore the city

Day 7 - Takayama

• Early train from Kanazawa
• Sakurayama Shrine
• Matsuri Yatai Kaikan
• Hida no Sato (old town)

Day 8 - Kyoto

• A few hours in the morning in Takayama - Miyagawa morning market
• Train from Takayama

Day 9 - Kyoto

• Bamboo forest
• Kinkaku-Ji Temple
• Walking tour (If I can find one)

Day 10 - Kyoto

• Day trip to Nara

Day 11 - Kyoto

• Kiyomizu-dera (temple)
• Fushimi Inari Taisha (gates)
• Or, include these in day 8/9 and go to Kobe for a day trip instead?

Day 12 - Hiroshima

• Hiroshima dome
• Explore the city

Day 13 - Hiroshima

• Day trip to Mirajima

Day 14 - Osaka

• Settle in and explore

Day 15 - Osaka

• Universal Studios (specifically Nintendo world)

Day 16 - Osaka

• Walking tour
• Maybe food/drink tour

Day 17 - Osaka

• Osaka castle

Day 18 - Nagano

• Monkey Park
• Senko-Ji temple

Day 19 - Tokyo

• Akihabara
• Shopping

Day 20 - Tokyo

• Other areas I haven’t managed to explore yet

I guess the main things I’m unsure of are;

• whether the order of my journey works, or is there a route that is much better
• for the day trip from Tokyo, any recommendations between Fuji Five Lakes or Hakkone
• Is it worth going to Shirakawa-go if I’m going to Takayama
• Is there anywhere that is recommended instead of Nagano? This was an addition due to a spare day, but it's not a must.
• I did think of looking for a beach resort for a few days but it would mean reducing a day in Osaka and Kyoto, and dropping Nagano. Maybe could go to Kamakura for a few days, or I read that Izu is a nice place as well

Any suggestions are welcome as it is quite overwhelming trying to make the decisions when there are so many great places to see.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Hungry-Worry5006 on 2024-08-01 11:42:54+00:00.

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I'm travelling to Japan in October with a couple mates, just wondering which activities would be urgent to book, should book but isn't necessary and don't need to book at all? Below is my itinerary which I hope won't be too much of a mess to read on Reddit. Also, if it's not too much to ask here; I would appreciate recommendations on places to go and/or whether I should swap stuff around in the itinerary, I have posted in here before and people were really helpful so would love more advice for a first time traveler

Tokyo (hotel in Shinagawa):

Day 1:

• Arrive at hotel approx. 5:30 pm Roaming Shinagawa and resting up after the flight
• if we have the energy to explore, just wonder around places (no bookings)

Day 2:

• Teamlab planets
• Ginza
• Clothes shopping for the rest of the trip
• Any other stores we see along the way
• Akihabara

Day 3:

• Disneyland

Day 4:

• Tokyo tower
• Teamlab borderless

Day 5:

• Warner bros
• Shinjuku at night

Day 6:

• explore views we didn't get to previous days
• Sengaku ji temple in shinagawa (graves of 47 ronin) buy incense
• Explore the rest that we didn't get to that we would want to
• Find a good shopping centre to do souvenir shopping/fun shopping
• Shibuya sky
• Betty Smith Ebisu factory

Day 7:

• Go to Mount Fuji to stay the night

Day 8:

• Mount Fuji

Kyoto:

Day 1 :

• Arrive in Kyoto (3 hours by train)
• Rest up and maybe adventure a little bit

Day 2:

• Samurai museum

Day 3:

• explore

options:

• Fushimi Inari Shrine
• Higashiyama area
• Arashiyama area

Day 4:

• head to Osaka early
• find place to stash luggage and bags or send them via the delivery service
• Osaka castle
• other castles/shrines that we see near by
• views
• aquarium

Osaka:

Day 1:

• hiroshima
• Miyajima

Day 2:

• Universal

Day 3:

• Go to Hong kong (10 am)

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/aggvalue1 on 2024-07-31 01:21:01+00:00.

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Hi everyone would love some feedback on my itinerary, visiting Japan with my wife for the first time spending the entire time in Tokyo. We are leaving in a few weeks from the US. I got a lot of ideas from other previously posted itineraries but wanted to get more feedback. I'm trying to cluster everything by the area where we will be that day.

In terms of what we are looking for, we love walking around and seeing the city on foot as well as shopping for unique Japanese things. We're huge foodies and want to try as many different foods as we can.

Day 1: ARRIVAL

• Plane lands at 1:35pm at HND
• Take train or airport limo from HND to Shinjuku station and check into hotel
• Probably too tired to do anything but will probably grab some sushi and maybe walk around Shinjuku if we feel up to it

Day 2: SHINJUKU

• Cat Billboard
• Omoide Yokochō
• Shinjuku Gyoen Park
• Isetan Shinjuku Store
• Kabukicho tower
• Golden Gai
• Hanazono Shrine to chill out
• Have a 5:30pm Omakaze reservation

Day 3: GINZA 

• Tsukiji Outer Market in the early morning
• Ginza shopping
• hama rikyu gardens if we feel like it
  • Nakashima No Ochaya matcha teahouse
• Sushi reservation for 12:30pm
• shopping/walking around
• Dinner 6:00pm reservation

Day 4: SHIBUYA/HARAJUKU

• MEGA Don Quijote Shibuya
• Hachikō Memorial Statue
• Shibuya Scramble Crossing
• Takeshita Street
• Meiji Jingu
• Shibuya Sky for sunset (tickets already booked)
• Yoyogi park
• mostly shopping/walking around

Day 5: AKIHABARA/ASAKUSA

• shop 2k540
• Shopping at Kappabashi Kitchen Town
• Edo-Shitamachi Traditional Crafts Hall
• Maybe sunset at TOKYO SKYTREE
• Asakusa Underground Street

Day 6: MT FUJI

• Mt fuji day trip
• leave early in the morning and arrive back around 6pm
• Shinkansen to/from lake Kawaguchiko
• Dinner reservation at 8:15pm

Day 7: OPEN DAY

• Open day - maybe go back to Shibuya?

Day 8: LEAVING

• Flight departs 5:00pm from NRT
• Leave around 12:30pm

For day 5, I'm not sure if its worth it to go to Asakusa? Is there anything there I have to see? I was debating if we should instead go to Minato/Roppongi instead.

Additionally, am I packing too much for day 4 in Shibuya? I feel like there is so much to see/do that one day is not enough.

Any recommendations for the open day on day 7? My wife wants to do a day trip to Kyoto but from what I've read its difficult/not recommended to do that for a day trip. I'm wondering if instead I move the Mt. Fuji plan to day 5 and spend days 6-7 in Kyoto.

Anything else we should remove/add?

Thanks in advance!

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Bossball4 on 2024-07-29 16:35:15+00:00.

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I loved reading through reports here so I will submit my own for a solo trip, my very first international solo trip! A lot went wrong, but I will talk about what I did and what had to be skipped.

• Dates: January 25 - February 4
• Me: 20M, student, half Asian
• Weather: Cool and clear almost every day. Hail one day. Snow one day.
• Clothes: T-shirt and sweatpants. Hoodie for outside, taken off getting onto the trains because holy fuck was I dying in the trains wearing layers. How do the commuters do it???
• Travel: Exclusively public transport using Suica + a 7 Day JR Rail Pass for Jan 27 - Feb 2 (minor mistake for 2 pieces of luggage)

Day 1 (Thursday the 25th)

I landed in HND at 2:50PM and sped through customs faster than I ever thought possible. I picked up my JR Rail Pass + reserved Shinkansen tickets, NinjaWifi pocket WiFi, and I had to buy a jasmine tea from a vending machine. I went to my lodging to drop off my luggage before venturing on a whim to look at Tokyo Tower (and peep the Oshi no Ko collab displays).

LODGING: Ryokan Nakadaya

• 9/10. Insane value for price ($33/night)! My room was cozy, but got upgraded to a double for free. Owner was super kind and we talked for an hour about places he recommended. Only downside is the long and stair-filled walk from Minami-Senju Station. Stayed here for my whole trip so I could keep my checked bags and souvenirs somewhere.

Soba at Fuji Soba

• 8/10. I got a set meal which had so much food for only 900 yen!

Day 2

Ripe off the effects of jet lag, I take to the fish markets after unintentionally waking up at 4:30AM! Tsukiji clears Toyousu heavy handidly, because I bought nothing and spent little to no time in Toyousu.

Onigiri Marutoyo in Tsukiji Outer Market

• 10/10. The shrimp tempura was warm and had a great crunch! I got there a little before 6AM, and then the line was at least 8 people long to the stand. The clam and eel onigiri(s) are also worth getting!

Teamlab Planets

• 10/10! A great museum where you also FEEL the art. Make sure to reserve beforehand!

Pork Cutlet Set Lunch at the Staff Cafeteria inside Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

• 10/10. While I had to ask an office worker where the cafeteria was, the value and view make this spot worth it! With the clear weather, Mt Fuji could be seen peeking over the closer mountains. Did I mention that the observation floor is FREE?

Then I got lost looking for the Godzilla Store before heading to Shibuya where I looked around Tower Records, Shibuya Crossing, and Shibuya Square.

SAKE MARKET (Shinjuku)

9/10. A great reservable place to taste a bunch of different sake, sochu, and more. You can bring your own snacks as well. NOT an izakaya.

Day 3 TOKYO > HAKONE

I started my day by walking across Sakura Bridge to Tokyo Skytree! It was nice to get my steps in on another sunny day.

Brunch at Tokyo Skytree

• 9/10. I got takoyaki from Gindaco because they were doing a collab with Oshi no Ko (my #1 or 2 fav anime) and North Plain Farm Hokkaido Milk Ice Cream as a brunch!

I spent the rest of the main day buying Oshi no Ko merch and other items in Tokyo Solemachi with a couple vending machine drinks and cold matcha from Gion Tsujiri. I went into Ikebukuro and immediately had a rough time. Once you exit the station, the mall complex you find yourself in has HORRIBLE signage and I felt genuinely overwhelmed for the first time this trip. I looking in a Ministop, Pokemon Center, and Comic Books Toranora before hopping on a shinkansen and bus to my one night stay in…

LODGING: Fukuzumiro

• 10/10. Approximately $200 got me my own room with a river view, seasonal kaiseki, yukatas in the rooms, and reservable onsen rooms. The fugu themed meals were great! BUT… There is a butt. By sheer incompetence or my anxiety, I went into a mini mental breakdown as I scrabled to figure out and then look up how to wear a yukata. I was very worried about etiquette. The meal helped stabilize me, and the onsen was especially calming - to be able to bathe alone.

Day 4 HAKONE > TOKYO

After breakfast and a morning onsen, I take the bus further into the mountains so I could go on a short hike to…

Chisuji Falls

• 8/10. It’s a small falls, but a short <15 minute hike from the nearest bus stop. It was a cozy stop!

Sidequest: Needed to stop and walk 15 minutes to a 7-Eleven because I forgot to top off my Suica for the bus fare.

Hakone Shrine

• 5/10. Was nice to see from a distance since the main tori gate was closed off… until it started hailing (small hail). This was one of the bad weather days, since I had no view of Mt Fuji.

Took buses and shinkansen back to Tokyo.

Starbucks Reserve Roastery: Did not get anything.

Supper: Uobei Shibuya Conveyor Belt Sushi (8/10)

Then I looked in Animate, Mandrake, MEGA Don Quixote, Hands, & Nintendo Tokyo.

Day 4 TOKYO > OSAKA > NARA > KYOTO

I can already see the comments saying that today was a huge mistake. You are right! DO NOT try to fit the Osaka-Nara-Kyoto set into one day, because the aftereffects can be felt for the next few days. By taking the shinkansen from Tokyo > Shin-Osaka, I was able to see Mt. Fuji!

Osaka Aquarium

• 10/10. The smartest thing I did here besides reserving my ticket in advance was to put my backpack into a storage locker at the closest train station. Loved the whale sharks!

Lunch

• 8/10. 7-Eleven curry bread and Onigiri
• 9/10. Nakatanidou Mochi. So chewy and fresh, plus I got to see the mochi pounding; lucky!

Nara Park

• 9/10. The deer were chill and I had a great time eating lunch and feeding the deer!

At this point I felt horrible and broken down so I skipped Fushimi Inari Shrine and all of my other Kyoto plans to head straight to my capsule hotel for the night. I went to bed at 8pm ;w;

LODGING: Anshin Oyado Premier Kyoto

• 7/10. I stayed here for free since I had OneKeyCash from a prior vacation. The amenities were really nice, but I got bad sleep unfortunately. Noise was nice and low.

Day 5 KYOTO > AOMORI > HAKODATE

You might’ve thought that the JR Rail Pass was a bad cost move, but this huge leg of three shinkansen trains make it worth it combined with tomorrow’s train rides! Shinkansen(s) to Aomori, clear Mt Fuji again!

Breakfast: Vending machine ice cream and Koikeya Shrimp Chips

Miso Milk Curry Ramen at Ramen Ajino-Sapporo

• 10/10! Waiting in line for 10-15 minutes takes you into a small restaurant where the whole menu is in Japanese. A must visit!

Bought souvenirs in A-Factory plus Apple gelato & cider.

LODGING: Share Hakodate (8/10)

Supper: Sweet 26 Cider & Persimmon-leaf-wrapped mackerel sushi (8/10)

Day 6

Finally, a proper winter!

Breakfast at Hakodate Morning Market!

• 10/10! I had fresh Squid Sashimi, Kyushu Melon, Pearl White Strawberries, & Fresh Boiled Hairy Crab! The hairy crab took 45 minutes of waiting but it was worth it and I feasted like a king!

Lunch: Strawberries and Beef Chip-Sticks

Dai-Ichi Takimotokan Onsen at Noboribetsu

• 10/10. The outdoor onsen baths were the coziest because I could balance the hot water with the cold winter air as it lightly snowed. It was honestly perfect!

Supper @ Nemuro Hanamaru Standing Sushi in Sapporo

• 10/10! Got a standing space for a shorter wait time and it was of better quality than in Tokyo!

Bought some more souvenirs in Sapporo Stellar Place before taking a Train to CTS, plane to HND, and transit to Ryokan. The Sapporo Snow Festival was unfortunately delayed, so I just barely missed it. Slept @ 1am.

Day 7

Today is all about Harajuku and Akihabara!

Brunch: Yuzu Ramen Set with Whiskey Yuzu Highball @ Afuri Harajuku

• 10/10! While the ramen is pricey, the flavor makes it worth it! Unique vibe going on since they played Dua Lipa’s Houdini while I was there lol. NO CASH.

Then I bought streetwear at Takeshita-dori before taking transit to Nakano Broadway and Akihabara.

Owl Cafe Akiba: It was very chill and calming plus it was nice to have an owl there that loved to sit on my head!

Snack: 1500¥ Kobe Beef Skewer at Beef Skewers Maruju Meat Shop (10/10)

I then bought lots of figurines before doing laundry at my ryokan.

Day 8

Senso-ji

• 8/10. I went on a weekend which was not the best idea to avoid crowds, but I could tolerate it and managed to get the best fortune! My wish is a secret though teehee.

Bought cups & fake food at Nakamise-dori.

Lunch: Giraffe Curry Bread (10/10 value)

Dessert: Suzukien strawberry & level 7 matcha gelato (10/10)

Snack: Naruto Taiyaki (8/10)

Walk to KitKat Popup Shop, Bus to Ryokan, Transit to Japan Sake & Sochu Info Center, and Shibuya. After many days I FINALLY saw the Hachiko Statue!

109 Vending Machine Cake in a Can?! It’s in the basement of the 109 btw

Looking down on Shibuya Crossing from 109 Magnet, a good place since you pay AND get a free drink.

Supper: Karukaya Tsuke-Udon (9/10). I went about an hour before they closed and there was nobody else there!

Waited 40 minutes in line at Onigiri Bongo, andI bought 5 Onigiri.

Late Night Snack: Sujiko & Egg Yolk Onigiri from above (11/10)

Day 9

Breakfast: Onigiri Bongo

Transit to Suga Shrine Otokodan (Your Name location), Meiji Jingu, & Akihabara. Bought more Oshi no Ko merch & things

Lunch: Baked Goods

Transit to Godzilla Statue in Ginza. Bought lots of stationary at Itoya

Transit to Tsutaya Books, and bought a circuit board Tokyo rail map card holder (now unavailable)!

Transit to Shinjuku for Sake Market, then Ryokan...

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Hey folks, wanted to share my experience in some less-visited wider Kansai area destination, covering both food and attractions. Will use a loose 1 star to 3 star rating system. Most of the places are from my recent trip, but some from my previous trips to the area as well. This time, I did 21 days in peak summer, covering Kyoto, Okayama, Kurashiki, Kojima, Saijo, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Onomichi, Odashi, Nima, Izumo, Matsue, Yonago, Mt Daisen, Takamatsu, Nagashima Spaland, and Osaka. I won't really talk about the big tourist spots in the major cities because there is more than enough information about those already. For food, I tried to only eat at places above 3.5 on Tabelog, ignoring Google Map reviews for the most part unless I was in the less-touristed areas. I didn't enjoy some more highly-rated places on Tabelog, but overall this led to many good meals. Thanks to everyone on the r/JapanTravel Discord.

Link to the itinerary check for this trip is in my profile, except I ended up doing Takamatsu instead of the Tottori stuff, and ended up skipping Kobe too.

Spending: around 1.7k USD for 21 days in Japan, excluding flights and shopping. I tracked my expenses fairly comprehensively with a budget tracker app.

General advice: For the San-in coast and less urban Japan ideally come with a car. Plenty doable without trains, but hard, because trains run once an hour, and some buses are three times a day. It was actually impossible to get to Yuushien and back with public transport, for instance. You can get a 1000yen bus to and from Hiroshima to the major Shimane hubs. Hostels in rural Japan are less occupied, but you have a much better chance of meeting locals there. On a couple of nights I was the only guest or one of two guests, although things do pick up on the weekends. As with elsewhere in Japan, capsule hotels are a universally worse experience compared to a hostel. FInally, learn how to use Tabelog, especially the Tabelog map. Google Maps reviews in the cities are 90% Western tourists and you get the silliest ratings.

KYOTO:

[2 star] Chishaku-in: Head temple of the Chisan subsect of Shingon Buddhism, and deserves to be far more on the tourist track. This is one of my favourite Kyoto temples. It's 1600s so not as historical, but possesses large grounds, an excellent and quiet sitting garden that isn't a rock garden, and a Treasure Hall with beautiful wall paintings, many of which are National Treasures. This place apparently also offers a temple stay like some others in Kyoto; no need to head to Koya-san for that.

[2 star] Kyoto Trail: a network of hiking trails in the outskirts and hills of Kyoto. Again seemingly unknown by tourists. There are many sections you can do, and I originally wanted to do the long walk by the Kiyotaki River from Saimyo-ji, but ran out of time. So the next day I walked part of an the eastern section, starting behind Nanzen-ji (where there is a quiet Shugendo waterfall!) and heading to Yamashima via Bishamon-do (which I wanted to visit, but had closed by the time I reached it). This path, and Bishamondo, will be epic in autumn, and the 2 star is awarded on that expectation

[1 star] Toyokuni-jinja: For a small fee you get to enter the Treasure Hall and see Toyotomi Hideyoshi's tooth.

[1 star] Shugakuin Imperial Villa: the gardens are overhyped tbh, was almost turned away by the Imperial Household Agency for being 2 minutes late

[3 star] Hassun: my second time here for lunch. I don't have much basis for comparison, but for me it is hard to imagine a better value kaiseki for 11000 yen. The ayu and anago both seem to have improved from my last time here, which was neat. I still think occasionally of that eel intestine jelly they served me on my first visit. 4.24 Tabelog.

You want to try and eat obanzai in Kyoto. A regional specialty, and again something many tourists seem to miss.

OKAYAMA:

[3 star] Kōraku-en: admittedly I have not been to any of the other Three Great Gardens, but this is beautiful. The 1000 yen teahouse is worth it. Some of the best tea I had on my trip. Bought excellent peach jelly and peach sake from the omiyage store outside while waiting for the bus. The actual Okayama white peach I bought for 750 yen from the station was super mid despite being in season.

KURASHIKI:

[2 star] Ryokan Tsurugata: I think Kurahsiki in general should be considered as a ryokan destination for golden route travellers, especially if you don't mind a sento instead of an onsen. Dinner here was creative and tofu products were excellent, even if nothing was truly memorable. Relatively affordable as far as ryokans go as well.

[2 star] Shopping district: excellent variety of craft products. My partner and I both walked out happy although we have very different tastes. I got a really unique piece of Bizen ware. There is a unique Traveler's Notebook store in Kurashiki.

KOJIMA:

[1 star] Shopping district: only my partner visited this. She liked it and there was stuff to buy, just not in her size surprisingly, she is somehow smaller than the Japanese size. Things were much cheaper than in the west. Area had a rather past-its-prime vibe, with discernible amounts of stores closed. A lot of tourist infrastructure, and the whole town had meshed its identity with denim, but few tourists were actually there. This might be better as a weekend destination.

SAIJO:

[2 star] Renowned sake breweries lining a single street with tastings offered for a token price. The tourist information office has a map and a list of opening hours. This is useful for figuring out what you like and trying different flavour progiles. The only one which has invested into tourist facilities (like a museum/showroom) is Kamotsuru, and we found this had the best sake as well (including the "Obama sake"). Seriously excellent sake. We bought as much as we thought we could fit in our luggage.

HIROSHIMA:

[2 star] 一麺天に通ず: one of the top three ramens I've had in Japan. Sure yuzu-infused broth isn't revolutionary, but this is done onomichi-style and done very well. The taste grows on you. Rice in the leftover broth was epic. 3.52 on Tabelog.

MIYAJIMA:

[1 star] Oshokujidokoro Miyajimaguchi: quite like the oysters they did here at Miyajimaguchi port. Done in a variety of ways. The sardine tempura and sardine sashimi were both fantastic. Somehow, and I disagree, only a 3.09 on Tabelog, but looks like a lot of those reviews are about conger eel

[2 star] Miyajima Itsuki Coffee: lol wtf I don't like coffee ice cream and this coffee ice cream is insane? 3.21 on Tabelog.

ONOMICHI:

[0 star] City: disliked this place quite a lot. Only went because JR suspended all local trains that day over a drizzle, and it was literally impossible for me to get to Okunoshima, which I still regret missing. Meh views, overhyped "backstreets" which are just touristy coffeeshops. Seriously, cycle over the Seto Inland Sea and get out of here.

[2 star] Karasawa Ice Cream: great egg-based ice cream. 100 yen a scoop. I thought I was just here to try out a scoop, left after having four. Don't be that google review which gave it one star because it "didn't taste like vanila". 3.63 on Tabelog.

[1 star] Onomichi-style ramen: a unique seafood broth

ODASHI:

[1 star] Guesthouse Yukimi-inn: great opportunities for interacting with locals here! In general the more rural you go, the more locals you meet in hostels. Drank with the owner one night, that was fun. Local treated me to some dried fugu, which tastes like stiff cardboard

[1 star] Iwami Ginzan: not sure if I would make the trip here just for this, like I did. The museum is cool, mineshaft itself is mid. Possibly better if you fork out the money for the hike and tour of the less-accessible mineshaft.

NIMA:

[1 star] Nima Sand Museum: not sure how I ended up here. Nima has nothing to do with sand culturally or historically. This museum has the world's biggest hourglass, which takes a year exactly to empty. The best part is the basement, where you get to do sand painting, make sand art, and do your own miniature rock garden (or inflatable duck garden). I enjoyed myself greatly.

[2 star] Slide: exiting the Nima Sand Museum you will see a park with a slide. This slide is a roller slide and it is huge, coming down from atop a steep hill and twisting and turning its way through the trees.

[1 star] Sanin Main Line: the train here, though infrequent, winds between the forest and the coast. It is quite pretty.

IZUMO:

[1 star] Izumo Taisha: still very actively used in worship unlike most of the buildings in Kyoto Theme Park. Saw some shrine maidens. The Treasure Hall was neat.

[0 star] Shimane soba: tried it at three 3.4-3.7 Tabelog-rated places to make sure I wasn't missing anything. This is nothing special, to my mouth. You want to make your own verdict.

[1 star] Nodoguro: the other local specialty. This was slightly better than the above

[? star] I really wanted to head out to Cape Hinosaki and try the highly rated Tabelog kaisendon place, Hanafuna. Alas, a freak landslide destroyed the road and no buses were operating there. You really need a car in Shimane.

MATSUE:

[3 star] Old Town: Get the Discover Another Japan pass, it's super worth. I really liked the vibes of the old town in general. Castle, boat, samurai residences, tea houses, gardens, Lafcardio Hearn's house. Underrated ...

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GIGANTIC POST INCOMING!

I was blessed with the rare opportunity to take my first legit big boy vacation with three other friends to explore Japan for the very first time. We departed on 6/26 and returned on 7/19 (yes, we were smack dab in the middle of all the Crowdstrike stuff leaving Japan and it SUCKED), for a total of 24 days in the country. It was absolutely magical and as I write this I am crying a bit - Japan is honest to goodness the best place I've ever visited and am already trying to figure out when I can visit again ASAP.

This trip came with a lot of challenges, and I want to share the various learns and esoteric tips that we found to be insanely helpful! Feel free to ask me any questions - the little things are always the trickiest to get a clear answer on from randoms online, and with the trip this fresh in my mind I'm happy to share anything that can help your trip be amazing!

I'll break down our journey into three sections:

1. Building the trip of our dreams
2. Itinerary and recommendations from our adventures
3. Tips and Tricks!

 ------------------------------------ ------------------------------------ --------------------------------

Creating the Trip:

• The idea of going to Japan has been a long time desire for each member of our group, and we really began to plan in earnest a year before the trip began (June 2023).
• We originally used Google Maps and a shared group to start plotting locations/restaurants/attractions we wanted to go see and do.
• We later found out about Wanderlog, which is an outstanding collaborative tool especially if you're going as a group. You can create custom categories that helps keeps things organized, add costs and notes to each place, create an explicit day to day itinerary, and so on. We moved all our Google Maps locations to there and never looked back.
• We met as a group for an hour each week to work on the trip via Discord. Consistency is key!
• For our trip, we blocked out a chunk of days for each city and then filled in the rest with food/activities, focusing on exploring a different part of a city each day. This really helps to focus people on what to do and where we were.
• Once we settled on the dates for our trip, we bought our plane tickets in December 2023 (roughly six months out). We flew United, IAD -> SFO -> KIX (Osaka). Flying back: HND (Tokyo) -> ORD -> IAD (original plan, 2024 Crowdstrike outage made an absolute mess of our travels back to the States). Plane tix round trip were $2273.
• This was my first international trip in a long time, so a few things about flying in and out of the country as US citizen:
  • As of 6/26/2024, we did not need a Visa.
  • Get the boring stuff like passport and Real ID out of the way early. You'll thank yourself later.
  • Flying to Japan with a Domestic connection was super easy. Checked bags were automatically routed to KIX after our flight out of SFO.
  • Once at KIX, Customs and immigration was so simple. Do the Visit Japan Web immigration declaration prior to arrival to make things super quick. Customs and immigration took 10 minutes at KIX, totally painless.
• Once we had lodgings and plane tickets locked in the reality of the trip really started to sink in and people started participating more actively in the trip planning process.

 ------------------------------------ ------------------------------------

Itinerary

While I love simply exploring a brand new place, having a mix of structured activities on some days in combination with "free" days worked well to discover the unexpected while also hitting the "must do" stuff. Below is our whole itinerary with brief remarks for each place (and time estimations for places!)

 ------------------------------------

June 26 -> June 27

Travel Day to Japan! Plane landed 2:50 PM local time, which really worked well since it takes some time to get bags, get oriented, get some cash and IC card, and make your way to your lodging. It forced us to stay awake until about 9 PM or so.

 ------------------------------------

June 27 -> July 1st - OSAKA

Lodging: 

June 27 - Land in Osaka, check in, and explore close by.

Lodging for us was really close to Dotonbori, which took about 1.5 hours with our bags on the train from KIX. We hit up a Matsuya beef bowl shop for dinner before we crashed. Our first proper meal: Dirt cheap and delicious.

June 28 - Wander around Osaka, soak in the sights and sounds

Explored Dotonbori in earnest, discovered the wonders and delights of Don Quijote, went to the Osaka Pokemon center, had 511 Horai pork buns, bought games and trading cards at EdiOn, discovered how much we loved Gacha! Really got immersed in the city and it was delightful!

June 29 - North Osaka - Osaka Castle, Umeda Sky building 

Osaka Castle (4 hours) was delightful - take your time to read about its incredible history. Gorgeous views and lots of energy here. We ended up at a mall by Osaka Station to get some lunch and cool off, then went to Umeda Sky Building (3 hours) an hour or so before nightfall. Incredible views and seeing the city at night is breathtaking.

June 30 - Minoh Park, Cup Noodle Museum, and Kobe for Dinner

Took the train up to Minoh Park, got a delicious breakfast at . Took the leisurely hike up to Minoh Falls (3 hours) which was gorgeous. Hiked back down and took the train to the Cup noodle museum (2 hours). The factory was chaotic but fun, and the museum part was small but still worth going to. Then we took the train to Kobe and went to Royal Mouriya for an exquisite dinner to experience A5 beef (2 hours). Highly recommended. Pricey!

July 1 - Osaka Aquarium AM, Osaka Explore PM

Osaka Aquarium (3 hours) has tons to see, the main tank with whale sharks is awesome. It was a rainy day so maybe a bit more packed than usual. Came back to Dotonbori area, got some food at an izakaya (tablet ordering), and wandered the city before it started pouring buckets.

 ------------------------------------

July 2nd -> July 8th - KYOTO

Lodging

Hotel in Kyoto - , 384 Kawaranochō, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-0837, Japan

July 2 - Train From Osaka to Kyoto, then keep it local

Took local trains to Kyoto and checked into our hotel. Spent the day wandering about, finding cool places to eat and visit. Walked down the Kamo river in twilight, utterly beautiful. Got Gyoza at a little itty bitty place, cheap and absolutely delicious.

July 3 - Kyoto Wander Day - Shopping, eating, and soaking in Kyoto sights

The Nintendo Kyoto store was one of the nicest licensed stores I've ever been in. Hit up Nishki Fish Market for local eats, a local video game store, then headed towards Gion but got distracted by a hike at dusk at Yasaka Shrine. One of the most serene places we found!

July 4 - Biking around Kyoto, Nijo castle, Kamo River Soak, burgers!

One of our group twisted an ankle and another got heat exhausted from the day prior, so me and another group member rented ebikes as a spur of the moment idea. This was INCREDIBLE. Kyoto is lovely to bike around, and we really got explore so much more than just walking. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. We rented from Kon's Bicycle, a chain in Kyoto. We went to Nijo Castle (it was HOT) but definitely worth going for the historical significance. We biked around the suburbs of Kyoto and found a lovely small cafe stuck in an alley, then made our way to the Kamo river and soaked our feet. Maximum refreshment. It was July 4th in Japan time, and as Americans we were craving burgers. We met as a group at Upit Burgers in Kyoto. Put so many American burgers to shame honestly. Terrific staff and insanely good onion rings. Vibes were on point!

July 5 - Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Jojakkoji hike, Kyoto Backstreets

Got up super early to get the Bamboo forest before the crowds. While small, definitely worth visiting. Beautiful landscapes and is a great break in the shade. We then just decided to wander and went on a temple hike at Jojakkoji. Quiet, away from tourists, really beautiful and most covered in trees and lush foliage. Wandered our way back after some curry and took the train back to chill out the rest of the day.

July 6 - Nara, Todai-ji, and legit Katsu

Took the train to Nara (about an hour) and fed the deer! We half expected this place to be swarmed by tourists, but after you make your way deeper into the park things thinned out nicely. Genuinely fun to feed the polite deer. PRO TIP - Stick the senbei crackers that you feed the deer in your armpit and show empty hands to curious deer. They will ignore you (mostly) if they don't see anything in your hands! Started wandering about and ended up at Todai-ji, which was just stupendous. The larger than life sculpture gave me chills. Had some legit Katsu at a local joint for lunch as well, absolutely delicious. Also we got some McDonald's late at night. The Japanese menu was unique, but otherwise it was mostly mid.

July 7 - Matcha morning at Ippodo, Kyoto Pokemon Center, Fushimi Inari Taisha

Went to Ippodo as a group to get legit Matcha for the first time (at least for me). It was intense but definite...

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So that everyone knows and takes appropriate measures, there has been a maintenance incident on the Tokaido Shinkansen (two maintenance trains collided, one derailed). As a consequence, as of July 22, 11am, the service has been suspended on the Tokaido Shinkansen with no timeline for resumption (and resumption on July 22 being unlikely).

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Traveling Japan and looking to see some comedy while you are here? Japan has a variety of comedy styles to check out in both English and Japanese (and sometimes both in the same show).

TOKYO:

Pirates of Tokyo Bay: English + Japanese improv comedy. Shows are once a month in Ebisu area and performed in both English and Japanese. 2 hours of comedy in two languages. Free drink with ticket purchase. Full bar and dinner available. Tickets online in advance or at the door the night of the show. Next show, Sunday, July 21st.

Tokyo Comedy Bar: English stand-up comedy. Occasional Japanese language stand-up and sometimes improv. Shows every night of the week. Regularly gets international headliners to stop by and perform. In Shibuya very close to the station. Craft beer available and some light bar food. Tickets available online or at the door.

The Empty Stage: Japanese improv from giant domestic comedy company, Yoshimoto. Shows across Tokyo but often in Shibuya. Great venue and production for a very Japanese-style improv show. Tickets available online or at the door.

OSAKA:

ROR Comedy: Stand-up comedy venue near the Dotombori river in Osaka. Shows a few times a week. Tickets available online or at the door.

NAGOYA:

Nagoya Comedy: Mostly English stand-up. Roughly a few shows per month.

FUKUOKA: (seems to be on hiatus)

Comedy Fukuoka: Mostly English stand-up. Use to be a few shows per month.

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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, 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/yamajunreisha on 2024-07-16 10:43:30+00:00.

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On my 6th trip to Japan, I had two main aims, to walk the Kumano Kodo and to visit at least one museum or gallery a day for the rest of my trip. Visiting museums has never been top of my list in my previous trips because there was just so much else to see and do already. I have previously written about the main part of my trip on the Kumano Kodo here so this post is all about my museum experiences in Osaka and Tokyo.

In Osaka

Museum of Oriental Ceramics - 7/10

Excellent if you’re a fan of ceramics like I am, expensive entry ticket prices if you’re not. The pieces were the attraction of course, but it was also interesting to see how they’ve incorporated new presentation techniques like earthquake proof display cases, rotating daises and natural light into their galleries. I walked through it all in under two hours. They have a nice looking cafe with a lovely view of the river but be prepared to queue as it seem to be a popular spot with non-museum patrons. Nakanoshima is a quiet little island to stroll around afterwards if you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of Osaka.

Osaka Museum of Housing and Living + special exhibition gallery - 8/10

I think kids would really enjoy this small little hands-on museum. I certainly did. Located on the top two floors of a public building, it wasn’t particularly well sign posted but it’s at the north end of the Tenjinbashi-suji shopping street, said to be the longest shopping street in all of Japan.

I opted to get the combined ticket which included a special exhibition about beautiful folding screens. The museum proper was split into a recreation of an Osaka street in the Edo period that cycles very cleverly between day and night and a diorama section that showcased Osaka through the different historical periods. Although many of the descriptions were in Japanese it wasn’t too difficult to follow what was going on. Many exhibits were interactive and the recreated street offered an immersive dress up experience and games for children. Again, under two hours for me but I imagine families with children might spend a bit more time here than I did.

Osaka Ukioye Museum - ?/10

This was a museum that I ended up going to but not entering. It looked very small from the outside and it felt more like a shop that decided to slap on a small gallery upstairs and call it a museum, rather than an actual museum, And since I was going to go to a more renown one in Tokyo, I decided it wasn't worth it. Was I right? Let me know!

In Tokyo

Ota Memorial Museum of Art - 10/10

A delightful little museum dedicated to Ukiyoe and related arts. The current exhibition of Cats, Kabuki Actors and Girls is such a good one. The cats are hilarious! It’s small and you’ll be able to do this in a couple of hours and then walk around Harajuku and Omotesando after. They have a nice little gift shop and an auditorium in the basement. They screen a slightly dated history of Ukiyoe documentary daily in the auditorium. Including the documentary, I spent just under two hours for this.

Nezu Museum - 7/10

The museum was Buddhist art heavy when I visited but the curation of the special exhibit about numbers and counting was very well done. Ultimately I was more impressed by the traditional garden and the museum building than the exhibits. In my opinion, the garden alone is worth the ticket price. It’s also a nice excuse to check out the fancy and relatively untorusity Aoyama district afterwards.

Omiya Bonsai Art Museum - ?/10

This museum had an unannounced closure when I got there but the two bonsai nurseries, Seiky-en and Toen-en, that allowed public access partly made up for the loss. A big shame as it took me over an hour to get to Omiya and I don’t think I’ll be as committed to getting all the way out there again in the future. Would love to hear what past visitors have to say about it.

Tokyo National Museum - 9/10

I think they did a fantastic job curating the most representative of pieces that shout "Japan" for their main exhibition. It had many important items that a tourist would expect, such as samurai weaponry and armour, as well as other national treasures like scrolls and folding screens. I did find it rather striking that their Okinawan and Ainu section was more like footnotes to the exhibition.

Apart from the main gallery, I also managed to briefly browse through the serenely beautiful Gallery of Horyuji Treasures as well as their Asian collection and was pleasantly surprised to see Chinese stone carvings that were thousands of years old. The museum also has a small traditional garden with recreated/rebuilt tea houses but I thought it wasn’t as impressive as Nezu's.

This was the only museum where I skipped the special exhibition as I simply ran out of time. To look at everything at a comfortable pace would require a whole day and I only managed to get there after lunchtime and stayed till it closed for the day.

The National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo - 7/10

I'm not a big fan of modern art but I found the pieces in this museum quite approachable. The special exhibition of Trio: Modern Art Collections from Paris, Tokyo and Osaka is beautifully put together. Also impressive were pieces by Dali, Calder, Rothko, Gormley, etc casually scattered around the galleries. I recommend their Nihon-ga selection in their permanent galleries. It's a must see if you visit.

A small inconvenience here is that the museum only had a full service fine dining restaurant with set courses and no casual cafe option at all. I was here for a little over two hours before hunger forced me to leave for Tokyo station to seek lunch.

Tokyo Photographic Art Museum - 4/10

The Mount Fuji special exhibition was beautiful but the permanent galleries were so-so. Plus it's a bit of a trek from Yebisu or Meguro stations. Maybe you have to be a photographer to really appreciate it?

Yebisu Brewery Tokyo - 2/10

Brand new gallery showing off the history of Yebisu. Displays were in Japanese and so were the guided tours. The bar served very delicious specialty beers and bar snacks, albeit at a very high mark up (Y1100-1200 for 300ml). I would skip this unless you're a big beer fan and you're already in the area visiting the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum.

Hope this helps! Happy to answer questions!

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/denisonwitmer1 on 2024-07-15 03:48:07+00:00.

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Hello there. I’m planning to return to Japan this fall. My itinerary is mostly centered around art, design, tea, temples, shrines, and gardens. Locations for each day are listed in the order that I intend to visit them. I’ve included any questions that relate to a particular day directly under the agenda for that day. In the past, this sub has been tremendously helpful in ensuring I’m able to make the most of my time. I am once again asking for your help in this regard. Thanks for reading, and thanks for any input in advance. I sincerely appreciate it.

See detailed itinerary via Google Sheets here.

Day 1 (Mon, 11/18) - Tokyo (Arrival)

• Haneda Airport Garden

Has anyone ever stayed at HND or NRT for their first night in Japan? This is something I’m thinking about doing to save money and get to bed earlier. Last time I stayed at a relatively inexpensive hotel in Ginza for my first night and then switched hotels the next day. Yes, it was annoying having to pack everything back up the next morning, but I couldn’t justify spending money on a much nicer hotel when I would arrive so late and barely get to enjoy the room.

Day 2 (Tues, 11/19) - Tokyo (Street Photography)

• 📍Daikanyama (代官山): 🍁Kyu Asakura House (旧朝倉家住宅)
• 📍Harajuku (原宿): Tokyu Plaza, Takeshita Street, 🍩Higuma Doughnuts × Coffee Wrights Omotesando, 🍵BLUE SIX COFFEE
• 📍Shibuya (渋谷区): Shibuya Hikarie via 11th floor Sky Lobby
• 📍Daikanyama (代官山) (cont.): 📖 Daikanyama T-Site, 🦊Maison Kitsuné Daikanyama, Forestgate Daikanyama, CIRTY (located in Forestgate)
• 🏮Shinbashi (新橋) at night: サカナヤ オアジ, izakaya and popular photo spot

Day 3 (Wed, 11/20) - Tokyo (Street Photography)

• 📍Asakusa (浅草): Sensō-ji, 🍵Hatoya Asakusa (八十八浅草), Sumida Park
• 📍Ameya-Yokocho (Ameyoko (アメ横)), popular open-air market (via Ueno Station's Shinobazu Exit): 荒川区日暮里 (Yanaka Ginza) at sunset (Yūyake Dandan, landmark steps popular for sunset viewing, via Nippori Station)
• 📍Kabukichō (歌舞伎町) at night
• Optionally:📍Shinjuku (新宿区) at night: Yodobashi Camera Shinjuku

Day 4 (Thus, 11/21) - Kamakura (Beach Day)

• ☀️The Sunrise Shack (Inamura-gasaki Store)
• 📍Hase Kannon Temple (Hasedera, 長谷寺)
• ☕Kannon Coffee
• 📍Hokokuji Temple
• 📍Enoden Line:  🌊Shichirigahama Beach (七里ヶ浜), ov*erlooking Sagami Bay (相模湾), 7-Eleven: Kamakura Shichirigahama, spot for ocean views of Mt. Fuji, *Kamakurakōkōmae Station and adjacent alley, Koshigoe Station
• 📍Enoshima: ⛩️Enoshima Shrine

How plausible does my itinerary look for Kamakura? I’m worried I won’t make it to Enoshima and am considering doing another day trip there once I’m back in Tokyo towards the end of my trip.

Day 5 (Fri, 11/22) - Tokyo (🗼Tokyo Tower)

• 📍Shiba Park (芝公園, Shiba kōen)
• 📍Sunwood Mita Parkside Tower (サンウッド三田パークサイドタワ), building near Akabane bridge for views of street views of Tokyo Tower
• Lobby Bar at Tokyo EDITION for afternoon tea
• 📍Azabudai Hills Mori JPTower (Sky Lobby via 33rd floor at sunset)
• The Blue Room (or Jade Room) at Tokyo EDITION for dinner

I love Tokyo Tower and Tokyo EDITION so this is a day I’m particularly excited about. I plan to focus the day entirely on those things, spending my time in Toranomon and the surrounding area to maximize my time at Tokyo EDITION.

Day 6 (Sat, 11/23) - Tokyo & Kyoto (Travel Day)

Labor Thanksgiving Day (勤労感謝の日)

• 📍Tokyo: The Blue Room at Tokyo EDITION for breakfast
• 📍Kyoto: 🍵Rokujuan (麓寿庵), teahouse serving flower warabi. Optionally:🦊Café Kitsuné Kyoto ShinPuhKan, 🍵The Terminal KYOTO (ザターミナル京都)

Day 7 (Sun, 11/24) - Kyoto (Cafes & Shrines)

• 📍Kyoto Imperial Palace (京都御所)
• 🍵School Bus Kyoto
• 🍵COMFY
• 📍Heian Shrine (平安神宮)
• 🍵Blue Bottle Coffee - Kyoto Cafe
• 📍Kamo River (鴨川) at sunset (starting point: Izumoya (いづもや), unagi restaurant at south end of Pontocho District

I’m amazed by the seemingly endless number of temples, shrines, gardens, and teahouses that I continue to discover in Kyoto and, in turn, want to visit. Some of the things I’m most excited about seeing on this next trip are in Kyoto. As a result, I’m worried that three days may not be enough time there. I plan to linger in Kyoto before heading to Osaka that fourth day if there’s anything I still want to do. In other words, that fourth day is kind of a backup. Even then, I’m not sure that’s enough time. Again, it just feels like my itinerary could benefit from an extra day or two - either in Tokyo, Kamakura, and/or Kyoto.

Are there any geisha performances in Kyoto worth checking out? This is something I’ve always wanted to do but I’m not sure I’ll have enough time. Some of the ones I’m aware of are Wagyu Ryotei Bungo Gion (I don’t eat red meat though) and Kyoto Geisha Show & Experience GION MAIKOYA. I would love to see Rurikō-in as well but I imagine it will be very crowded and difficult to get tickets for (as it has been in the past). I tried to go last Nov but wasn’t able to secure reservations ahead of time.

Day 8 (Mon, 11/25) - Kyoto (Cafes & Temples)

• 📍Kennin-ji (建仁寺) and Seiraiin (西来院), a* sub-temple of Kennin-ji, featuring the zen garden, Gameijoun, and the ceiling painting, White Dragon*
• 🍵Ryurei Tea Room “SABI”
• 📍Ryōzen Kannon Temple (霊山観音), temple featuring statue of Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara
• 📍Yasaka Kamimachi, f*amous shopping street located in the Higashiyama District with views of Hōkan-ji Temple (Yasaka Pagoda), *at sunset
• 🍵% ARABICA Kyoto Higashiyama

Day 9 (Tues, 11/26) - Kyoto (Fushimi Inari)

• ⛩️Fushimi Inari Taisha (21m train from Ace)
• 🍚 Lorimer Kyoto
• 📍Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺, Temple of the Golden Pavillion)
• 🍵Kyo Amahare
• 🍵Weekenders Coffee Tominokoji

Day 10 (Wed, 11/27) - Kyoto & Osaka (Travel Day)

• 📍Osaka: Shin-Osaka Station, 🏯Osaka Castle
• 🍵wad
• 🍡Mochisho Shizuku Shinmachi
• 🍣Amano (あま野) for dinner

Day 11 (Thurs, 11/28) - Nara (Temples & Deer)

Thanksgiving Day in the U.S.

• 📍Kofuku-ji: Central Golden Hall (中金堂)
• 🫖Saryo Zeze
• 📍Nara Park
• Mizuya Chaya, teahouse located in Nara Park
• 📍Todai-ji Temple
• Optional locations: 🍁Isuien Garden, 🍁Yoshikien Garden, 🍡Nakatanidou
• 📍Mount Wakakusa (若草山) at sunset

Initially, I wasn’t planning to go back to Nara, but the last time I went I got there late in the day and left relatively early the next day so I didn’t get to see a lot. As a result, I’d like to go back, mainly to visit Sayo Zeze and Nara Park.

Day 12 (Fri, 11/29) - Osaka & Tokyo (Travel Day)

• 📍Osaka: Namba Yasaka Shrine, FamilyMart Kuromon Market East, Canele du Japon Sakuragawa
• 📍Tokyo: Glow by Tomoko (or similar option for facial)

Day 13 (Sat, 11/30) - Tokyo (TBD)

• 📍Shirokanedai: Zuishō-ji (瑞聖寺)
• 📍Roppongi: 📷 FUJIFILM SQUARE
• ❄️Tokyo Winter Illuminations: Shibuya Blue Cave Illumination (Ao no Dokutsu (青の洞窟), Keyakizaka Illumination

I really wanted to go to KAIT Plaza at the Kanagawa Institute of Technology in Atsugi; however, it’s only open to the public on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. If I went on the last Saturday of my trip I would go from Osaka to Nara, Osaka to Tokyo, and then Tokyo to Atsugi in the span of three days, which I’m worried would be too much, especially at the end of my trip when I will likely be more tired. Adding a day to my trip doesn’t help either. I would need to add two days to visit Atsugi on Tuesday, 12/3 and then fly out on Wed, 12/4. It would probably be better to visit Atsugi the day I planned to go to Kamakura and then save Kamakura for the end of my trip as I can to Kamakura any time. Ultimately though I may save Atsugi for another time.

I don’t have a lot planned for my last two days in Tokyo so I’m open to suggestions of what to consider adding based on the types of things I like and have included thus far. In the past, I’ve been to 21_21 Design Sight, the Nezu Museum, the National Art Center, and Tokyo International Forum, all of which were great. The last few days of my trip are what I’m most unsure about and still need to finalize - mainly just the order of things and what I plan to do each day. For instance, I may move the Yayoi Kusama Museum to Sat, 11/30 and push Zuishō-ji to Sun, 12/1 or even Mon, 12/2 - the reason being that I’m more interested in seeing the Yayoi Kusama Museum so it may be better to prioritize that over other things. I originally opted for Sun because I figured Sat would probably be the busiest day to visit.

Day 14 (Sun, 12/1) - Tokyo (TBD)

• 📍Shinjuku: ⚫YAYOI KUSAMA Museum, Green Terrace Kagurazaka, aesthetic condominium complex
• 📍Shibuya Scramble Square: 12F Observation Floor, 46F & 47F Shibuya Sky

Day 15 (Mon, 12/2) - Tokyo (Departure)

• 📍Ginza: Shizuoka Press and Broadcasting Center, 📖Tsutaya Books Ginza (located in GINZA SIX)

My flight departs at 6:25 PM so I plan to leave for HND by 3:00 PM. Again, I may fly out on Tues, 12/3 instead. I’m not sure yet.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Hazzat on 2024-07-14 04:58:28+00:00.

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Nightclubs in Tokyo broadly come in two types: the type where people go to get crunk, flex, and hit on other partygoers, and the type where people go for the music, the community, the subculture, and creative talent. Most Tokyo club guides only focus on the former—mainstream names like Warp, Atom, Baia, TK etc.—which I think is a shame, as what truly makes Tokyo after dark unique is the thousands of independent communities and creators bringing together diverse groups for quality parties that push the boundaries of what nighttime entertainment can be. So here is a list of those places: the kind for people looking for rich and real cultural experiences.

Please note that nightclubs in Tokyo don't really specialise by genre. While venues certainly have personalities, you can't really point to different locations and say "Go there for techno, go there for hyperpop, go there for house..." What you get depends on the event of the night, so you should look up the details of what's on beforehand, or just show up with an open mind, ready to be surprised and amazed by what the organisers have put together for you.

Google Map of all locations

Hatagaya

Forestlimit is the first port of call for any artist, DJ, or organiser looking to host something experimental and groundbreaking. With a huge range spanning from hyperpop and techno to the bands defining Tokyo's scene right now, you'll find everything cutting-edge here, and it will all be something you can only find in this city. Tokyo nightlife starts at Forestlimit - no other venue can claim to be so pioneering or influential.

Website Instagram Twitter Map

Asagaya

Drift is a mad Japan-car-culture-themed space known for wild underground parties. Lots of influence from otaku culture and online beatmaker culture found in its many nights dedicated to hyperpop and anime songs, although anything goes as long as it's fun.

Instagram Twitter Map

Ebisu

Batica is a tiny two-floor space that hosts some of the city's best hip-hop among its variety of events. Big-name DJs will also pop up when they want to bring big sounds to a more intimate audience. Amazing shows and community every time.

Website Instagram Twitter Map

Shinjuku

Space is a very small and dark club down a quiet end of Shinjuku, and it's absolutely the best the area has to offer. You'll find the kind of outstanding DJs only people in the know know, and often some mind-blowing live music acts too. Whenever someone wants to try something innovative and exciting in the Tokyo party scene, more often than not, they do it at Space.

Website Instagram Twitter Map

Shibuya

clubasia is the best of the big Shibuya venues, with a booking team always working to bring together the most boundary-pushing DJs and live talent ranging from rappers to rock bands. Functioning as a live music venue in the daytime gives them the edge when it comes to performance space, and that lets them mash together genres like nowhere else in outstanding cross-subcultural parties made to move Shibuya nightlife forward.

Website Instagram Twitter Map

Hachi in Aoyama, right on the outskirts of Shibuya, features four floors of pumping music. Few tourists find their way out here, but the locals know it's a place for unmatched vibes.

Website Instagram Twitter Map

WWWβ is a pop-up club that appears occasionally inside major music venue WWW. They only do it when they've got something seriously special to share, whether it's big-name DJs or just a stunning variety night. The New Years party always slaps, too.

Instagram Map

Vent in Omotesando is one you may have heard of, but it is an outstanding, stylish, quality venue that is dedicated to putting on world-class shows and attracts international names, mainly techno and house. In the daytime, the same space becomes a music venue called WALL&WALL.

Website Instagram Twitter Map

Harajuku

Bonobo looks like a 'magical techno-fairy space' and hosts a huge variety of exciting music events, spanning every electronic genre and beyond.

Website Instagram Map

Shimokitazawa

Counter Club is a good vibes, stylish and dark space on the edge of Tokyo's music town. You'll find especially a lot of soul and RnB, as well as techno and house depending on the night.

Instagram Map

Spread positions itself on the borderline between live music venue and nightclub. There are plenty of gigs, but also DJ events that go on into the night. An important spot for musical innovation, and always exciting.

Website Instagram Map

Live Haus is more a true live music venue, with a very high calibre of show, but also operates all-night even on weekdays. Some of those night events are low-key events for DJs to play around while you vibe, but also some are proper nightclub events, like the awesome Superfuzz that smashes together alt-rock with dance music for a unique alternative non-stop dance atmosphere that attracts the coolest cross-genre crowd around.

Website Twitter Instagram Map

Cream is a DJ bar you can't miss when you walk past because it's so noisy from the street. A tight community, friendly staff, and always fun (although the music stops at midnight).

Instagram Map

Nakameguro

Solfa is a thriving hip-hop and dance music spot, and probably the only one in this part of town.

Instagram Map

Sasazuka

Zookid is the most niche place on this list, but this tiny DJ bar in an unassuming neighbourhood is ground zero for so much Tokyo culture. A meeting place for subcultural icons, from DJs to artists to designers, what happens here goes on to influence what happens elsewhere in the city.

Instagram Map

You may also enjoy my list of Tokyo music venues, and guide to enjoying live music in Japan!

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/merposaur on 2024-07-12 20:49:19+00:00.

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Edit: toddler was 18 months old at the time of this trip.

Well, I should’ve posted this a while ago but never got to it. Sharing our 24-day trip last December with a toddler. Apologies in advance, it will be a long one. I hope this will help other parents planning a trip to Japan. We’re heading back this December :). I'll try to include the restaurants we ate at as much as I can remember them, if not mentioned, no high chair was available. List of tips for parents at the end!

I will preface all of this by saying that we've been lucky enough to travel a lot with our toddler so we weren't stressing too much. We also live in NYC so we're also used to navigating big cities with a little one. The report will become less detailed towards the end as I didn’t document as much by then.

• Day 1: JFK - HND, arrival at 5AM. We slept on the flight and were feeling pretty good. Took a cab to our hotel and were able to check in around 7AM. We freshened up and decided to just start exploring the area and stay awake as long as we could. Toddler did an extra nap that day whilst holding onto 7/11 fried chicken and seemed otherwise fine.
  • Hibiya Park: we were lucky to still see foliage, Ginza, Tokyo Station
  • Restaurants: Glitch Coffee, Soranoiro Nippon (high chair + kids cutlery available), Ginza Sando (not sit down but amazing wagyu sando).
  • Hotel: The Peninsula. Great hotel, good location for us to ease into our trip. Very family friendly, they gave us a cute bib, snacks, slippers, baby soap/lotion and a guard rail for the bed so my toddler could just sleep in the big bed. The breakfast in the hotel was also great, they had high chairs, pencils and paper for drawing and kids menu.
• Day 2: Tokyo. We love to walk around areas and just explore. We also made sure to find playgrounds wherever we could for our toddler to run around for a bit.
  • Yoyogi, Yoyogi Park, Meiji Jingu shrine, Shibuya, Aoyama
  • Restaurants: Menchirashi, Miyashin
• Day 3: Tokyo. We were up early still due to the jetlag so went to Tsukiji outer market. It was busy but not as touristy as I thought it would be. It may be a bit overpriced but we still enjoyed the food a lot nonetheless.
  • Tsukiji outer market, Daikanyama, Shibuya
  • Restaurants: Tempura Abe. This was booked through our hotel and it was such a fun, authentic experience. It was so busy during lunchtime but enjoyed it thoroughly. Highly recommend. Chatei Hatou, cozy little coffeeshop with delicious cakes.
• Day 4: Tokyo.
  • Yayoi Kusama Museum, Shinjuku, Shirogane Park, Kagaruzake, Akasake, Aoyama
  • Restaurants: Akomeya: this was a cool shop with an excellent food section, one section was just dedicated to rice and another floor of misc. goods. We ate lunch at the cafe and it was delicious. Sunnyhills for their pineapple cake.
• Day 5: Tokyo > Hakone > Kawaguchiko. We decided to rent a car to have more freedom to move around in the five lakes area. I’m glad we did, we were able to see different views of Fuji without any crowds.
  • Hakone Open Air Museum: really fun and beautiful museum in general and also great with a toddler.
  • Hotel: Bessho Sasa. Did not love the resort-y vibes of this hotel. The view of Mt. Fuji from our private onsen on the balcony of our room was beautiful but we weren’t a fan of how big the hotel was. It was pricey and the food was good but it was a lot. They provided a high chair and bed guard rails in our room.
  • Restaurants: 7/11 on the road, dinner at the hotel included
• Day 6: Mt. Fuji. Weather forecast was rain + overcast so we went to the heritage center but we still got lucky because the weather turned. We had lunch and then drove around Lake Motosu-ko which was not crowded at all and have beautiful views of Mt. Fuji.
  • Mt. Fuji World Heritage Centre, Lake Motosu-ko
  • Restaurants: Unaten, fantastic unagi-don in a small local shop run by a wonderful husband/wife.
• Day 7: Mt. Fuji > Mishima > Kyoto. We dropped our rental car off at Mishima station and then took the Shinkansen to Kyoto.
  • Chureito Pagoda: we got there at 9AM, it was getting crowded, Tenku-no Torii: we didn’t realize how busy this area would be and that people get 3 min to take photos. We did end up staying but it was a bit of a waste of time, Kawaguchiko lake (Nagasaki Park): this had a stunning view of Mt. Fuji with no crowds. We had our 7/11 lunch there and just soaked in the views.
  • Restaurants: had the best hojicha soft serve of the trip here. Men-ya Kirameki - Kyoto Santo: one of my favorite bowls of ramen of the trip. Rich chicken broth.
  • Hotel: Hyatt Regency Kyoto. Wonderful hotel with attentive staff that booked some restaurants for us. Room was fine, big bathroom but not anything special imo. Bed guard rails provided + toiletries for toddler.
• Day 8: Kyoto. We did the sightseeing early in the morning to beat the crowds (and toddler wakes up early anyway) and then chilled/explored the city the rest of the day.
  • Fushimi Inari (7AM), Tofuku-ji (9AM)
  • Restaurants: Hana Ice, Söt Coffee Roasters Kyoto, suba: excellent soba in a standing restaurant. Tea Ceremony, Fukujuen Honten.
• Day 9: Kyoto. I felt a bit sick so my husband took our toddler to explore they did the following:
  • Arashiyama bamboo forest (7:30AM), Arashiyama Monkey Village, Kinkaku-ji.
  • Restaurants: Kanga-an. All vegan temple cuisine in a beautiful setting.
• Day 10: Kyoto > Osaka. We took the train to Osaka and had a chill day as I was still feeling off.
  • Hotel: voco Osaka. New hotel with modern interior. It was next to a nice park with a big playground which was nice the little one.
• Day 11: Osaka. Exploring the city and its food
  • Kids Plaza Osaka, yes this is what you think this is. It’s really fun for kids but intense for the adults haha. But good place for toddler to decompress.
  • Restaurants: Glitch Coffee Osaka, Takoyaki Umaiya,
• Day 12: Osaka
• Day 13: Osaka > Naoshima. Train to Okayama Station, bus to Uno Port, ferry to Naoshima.
  • Naoshima is fantastic with a toddler. So much nature and cool sculptures to explore. It was low season which made the experience even more special as it wasn’t crowded.
  • Hotel: Bennese House Park. Super cool hotel with shuttle service around the island. You get access to their galleries after hours as you walk to the restaurant for dinner.
• Day 14: Naoshima. We rented bikes (one with a kid seat) and biked around the island to all the different museums/artworks. One of my favorite days of the trip.
  • Tado Ando Museum, Art House Project, Bennese Museum, Chichu Art Museum (our favorite!!), Lee Ufan Museum.
• Day 15: Noashima - Takamatsu - Tokyo. We took the ferry to Takamatsu and ate at an oldskool udon shop before taking a flight to Tokyo.
  • Ritsurin Garden, stunning gardens close to the udon shop we went to. Unfortunately we didn’t have a lot of time before our flight.
  • Restaurants: Sanuki Udon Ueharaya
• Day 16: Tokyo. My parents joined us for the remainder of the trips which meant we had babysitters!
  • Hotel: Airbnb in Asakusa
  • Restaurants: Sushi Taira, no kid dinner. Our fanciest dinner of the trip, the service was attentive and the chef was friendly. Food was great but with the overall standards of food in Tokyo I was happy we just did this once.
• Day 17: Tokyo
  • Nezu Museum
• Day 18: Tokyo
• Day 19: Tokyo > Sapporo. Sapporo was another highlight of our trip in terms of food. The seafood there was just next level and as a soft serve lover the soft cream there is still something I dream of.
  • Hotel: Randor Residential Hotel Sapporo Suites. Good location and big rooms but nothing special.
  • Restaurants: Nijo Market, we had the most incredible seafood bowl here. We came back the next day. LeTAO, famous cheesecake made with Hokkaido milk.
• Day 20: Sapporo
  • Restaurants: Jingisukan Daruma, no frill local spot for Hokkaido specialty BBQ “Gengis Khan”. This was delicious!
• Day 21: Sapporo > Lake Toya. We drove through the snow to a beautiful hotel in Lake Toya.
  • Hotel: Lake Toya Tsuruga Resort Hikari no Uta. Very kid friendly, bed guard rail and toiletries provided. We had a private onsen on the balcony which was wonderful with the snow. Food in the hotel was excellent, we had the Japanese dinner in a private room.
• Day 22: Lake Toya > Noboribetsu/Jigoku-dani > Sapporo > Tokyo. We drove back to the airport and made a stop in Noboribetsu to check our Hell Valley (Jigoku-dani). It was a little slippery but still walkable and very impressive to see. We then continued our drive to the airport and feasted on the wide variety of restaurants before flying back to Tokyo.
  • Restaurants: Kinotoya, the best soft serve we’ve ever had. We had it twice before our flight took off.
  • Hotel: Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel. Hotel was super central and provided toiletries and bed guard rail for toddler. We got executive rooms which included lounge access (kids not allowed though but my parents enjoyed it).
• Day 23: Tokyo
  • Teamlab Planets, had toddler in the carrier and he seemed to enjoy it, same for my parents. To me it seemed a glorified instagram photo-op but enjoyed it nonetheless.
  • Restaurant: Shogun Burger
• Day 24: Tokyo
  • Restaurants: Caffe Michelangelo, cute Italian restaurant in Aobadai. Torisoba Juban 156 (Ichikoro) another great chicken ramen spot.
• Day 25: HND - JFK. Evening flight home, we slept again and arrived at 6pm. Jetlag was tougher going back but manageable.

Tips for parents:

• Not every restaurant will have a ...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/kayprel on 2024-07-12 15:09:42+00:00.

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Hi guys!

I've been a longtime user of this subreddit and it helped me a lot! So hopefully I can help some of you guys answering some uncertanties and maybe give you some ideas! If you got a specific question feel free to hit me up in the private messages.

About us: Couple (2M), in the end of their twenties, from Switzerland, big part of our life revolves around Japan. We're nerds about anime/manga, japanese food, the language and nature. Probably just nerds about japan as a whole. We're more on the fast paced side of travelling. When I'm in Japan I kinda forget what it means to be tired. In the end of the day we try to find a good mix of fast paced days with a sprinkle of some more relaxed days to get best out of the trip.

The trip was our fourth one. First time up the north and first time winter!

Short summary of our trip stops:

Tokyo 2d (part 1)

Tohoku region Sendai 2d - Ginzan Onsen 1d - Yamadera 1d - Aomori 2d

Hokkaido Hakodate 2d - Niseko 1d - Lake Toya 1d - 1d Noboribetsu - Sapporo 4d

Tokyo 4d (part 2)

Tokyo (2d, Akihabara, JR EAST Hotel Mets Akihabara)

• 24th December (Akihabara, Pokémon Café)

(Highlights of the day: Back in Tokyo generally, First Ramen)

The Hotel: Perfect Hotel if you're staying in Akihabara. The rooms are typicially small, but it's really one fall from the main station. The breakfast option was awesome: You get vouchers you can use at the Starbucks just in the next building or the restaurant which is connected to the Hotel. Both very good! (Japanese Starbucks is just so superioooooor)

So we arrived on the 24th on the morning and then directly went to Akihabara. It was the first time we took the Skyliner and needed to change at Nippori for Akihabara. The ride was very smooth, the train not to crowded and the price was fine. After leaving our stuff in the Hotel (that was possible in literally every hotel) we stayed around Akihabara and went for lunch in Kyushu Jangara. Walking around Tokyo (especially Akihabara) after five years felt crazy familiar. It was almost like we never left it. Tokyo really fells like home for us.

In the evening we had a reservation for the Pokémon Cafe. I was able to get a seat by myself. I read a lot about how to reserve it, and it actually went pretty smoothely. My tip is: Wait a bit longer after the first few minutes and after 45min there were actually quite a bit spots open again.

Our experience at the Pokemon Cafe: We both grew up with Pokémon and I myself still play it and get most of the new games (to be disappointed again lol). I read really mixed things about the Cafe beforehand and for us it was mainly a disappointment. The food was really bad and the staff was typicially japanese extremly friendly, but the interactions we had with them were very awkward. They play a game and some food they help with the preparation (I had the milk berry drink). When we visited the Gengar came which was quite cute - it was really at the final minutes before the time slot ended, we would have left earlier if it wasn't for the Genger. I really wanted to try the Pokémon Cafe also to get it off our list - if you're a really really big Pokémon and especially with kids I can imagine it's very fun. For us, it was an okay-ish experience I would not do again.

• 25th December (Shibakoen, Shibuya Sky, Shibuya Blue Cave)

(Highlights of the day: Shibuya Sky, Tonkatsu @ Hagino)

So that day we started with heading around the Shibakoen area to visit the temples/park around there. The weather was just perfect and the Zōjō-ji temple was impressive and beautiful. I especially loved the little stone figurines around the who were decorated in many different styles and outfits!

We then headed to the Tokyo Tower around lunch to grab something but were not satisfied with the options there. So we found a little Tonkatsu restaurant in the area (Hagino), very much recommended! We decided then to visit the new Azubudai Hills, cause they were nearby. The area, especially the courtyard, was impressive. It was the last day they had a Christmas Market, which was very cute. There were a lot of shops still closed or to be opened soon, most of them should be open by now though! It's definitely more of a luxury area of Tokyo shopping wise!

Then we headed to Shibuya to get to Shibuya Sky. I'm a big fan of Sunrises/Sunsets, high buildings and city skylines. Shibuya Sky definitely nails it to perfection. The last time we were in Tokyo (Summer 2019) it wasn't finished yet and so far it has been my favorite observation deck I visited. We got tickets one hour before the sunset and it worked perfectly fine. The height you look at the city was gorgeous and you have 360 degree view. It was quite windy up there but worked well. We spent almost three hours gazing at the city and taking way too many pictures (10/10, would do it again). We even got a glimpse of Mount Fuji (the first time after four visits!!).

After that we took a stroll around the Shibuya Blue Cave Illumination, that was also very nice!

Sendai (2d, Sotetsu Fresa Inn)

• 26th December (Loople Bus)

(Highlights of the day: Yakiniku)

We arrived in Sendai around 9am, headed to the Hotel left our luggage there and then took the Loople Bus, which is a tourist bus that takes you around the most important sights around the city. There is one every 20min and you can get on and off at the sights how you like.

We stopped at

• Zuihoden Mausoleum (8/10)
• Site of Sendai Castle (7/10) - city views though!
• Osaki Hachimangu Shrine (8/10)
• Jozenji-dori (6/10) - it's a shopping street, but as a touristic bus stop, I don't really know.

We probably could have fit one more thing in if we wanted to, but also tbh the other stuff didn't catch our interest really. It's a good option to get the sights of the city and it's surroundings.

In the evening we went for Yakinuku (Gyutan; beef tongue, is Sendais speciality, which we had here). The location was called Yakinuku Kagura, we did pay a lot for it (probably our most expensive meal on the trip, around 24'000 Yen/160 USD), but also ate a lot and had sooooo much meat, also we were very hungry. We'd say it was worth it!

• 27th December (Matsushima)

(Highlights of the day: Matsushima, Zuiganji, Entsuin)

Once again the weather was perfect. We took the train in the morning to Hon-Shiogama and then took the one-way cruise to Matsushima. There were a total of three groups (including us) on the boat. It was windy and cold but we spent most of our time on the outside deck getting a glimpse of all those little islands. The boat trip was around an hour and it was a perfect start to get to know the surroundings.

When we arrived in Matsushima we headed to to the Zuganji temple (9/10), which has a beautiful alley of cedar trees (the Matsushima area in general though!), we had a walk around the building and we very much liked it's vibe and quiteness.

Then we needed to have lunch and found this nice little restaurant called Hasekura (8/10) managed by one man only with two tables. We waited like 20min before we were able to get in and the menu is very simple, you can have different kind of bowls with seafood. We tried the Unagi and the Ikura one - Unagi for the first and last time, had a really hard time to eat it. Still - the bowl was very good and a really good price for what you get!

After our lunch we walked to one of the islands connected to the mainline through a red bridge - Fuukurajima. You pay 200 Yen for entry and then can walk around freely on the island. It was a good stroll that took us about 1 1/2h in total before we headed back to grab a coffee at BLUE BAY COFFEE, a very small and lovely to-go coffee shop, we had a great chat with the owner.

After that coffee we walked around for a bit more, heading to Oshima Island to see the sunset. We headed back from the Matsushimakaigan to Sendai. We craved western food this evening, and found Felice (8/10), a cute italian restaurant!

• 28th December, Ginzan Onsen

Hotel: Kansyokan Onsen

Hotel: It was a really traditional and old Ryokan. Our original plan was to stay in Ginzan Onsen itself, but everything was booked out - you can book starting half a year before). We wanted to stick to our plan to head to Ginzan Onsen, that's why we still went with this nearby Ryokan (45min drive). It was okay, the food was good, really typicial Ryokan food, it had an Onsen (I couldn't go, cause I'm tatted - my boyfriend really liked it though). Breakfast was really good (7/10).

(Highlights of the day: Kaki trees in the snow, seeing a wild Macaque, Lunch in Ginzan)

We rented a car for this trip @ Nissan Rent A Car, it went very smoothly BUT we only realised after our arrival that we needed a translation of our internation driver's licence (regarding: Switzerland, Germany, France, Beligum, Monaco, Taiwan). That was a bit of a stress beforehand but we managed to settle it on the day before. We started in Sendai a...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/psn_whizer on 2024-07-09 22:51:01+00:00.

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Just got back from an incredible 3-week trip to Japan with the family! We hit up Tokyo (twice!), Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and even Ito on the beautiful Izu Peninsula.

Here are some of our Izu Peninsula highlights:

Hotel:

• Village Izukogen Hotel: Seriously, this place was bigger than my old one-bedroom in Hawaii! Indoor swimming pool was a plus!

Food:

• Uoiso: Amazing sushi that was melt-in-your-mouth fresh.
• Kazumura: Super quiet tonkatsu spot with the most incredible food.
• Page One: Found this gem in Shimoda when the kids were craving Italian. Family-owned, cozy, and the BEST Italian we've had in ages.

Other Must-See Highlights:

• Koganezaki Park: Breathtaking scenery.
• Toi Gold Mine: Touch the world's largest gold bar?! Yes, please! We had a blast panning for gold flakes too.
• Lovers Cape: Ringing the bells was fun (even if my kids thought we were embarassing).
• Joren Falls: Gorgeous hike along the Kano River. Tons of waterfalls, but be prepared for lots of steps!
• Jogasaki Coast: Views for days!
• Mt. Omuro: Rode a chairlift up an old volcano – a bit scary at first for the kids, but they loved it by the end.
• Driving the Peninsula: So many hidden spots to discover... just be careful if Google Maps tries to take you over a mountain. We ended up on a super narrow logging road!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Heraszor on 2024-07-07 18:24:29+00:00.

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Hello! Im visiting Japan from Nov.5 until Nov.17, I've been trying to map a good route to visit all the places we want to go, but being our first time suggestions are not only welcome but needed. I've been struggling to arrange the districts, so this would be what I came up so far:

Nov. 5 Tokyo

• Akihabara
• Ikebukuro (Mostly Sunshine City)

Nov 6. Tokyo

• Roppongi (National Art Center, TeamLab Borderless, Tokyo City View and Shiba Park)
• Sumida (Tokyo Skytree, Pokemon Center, Ushijida Temple)

Nov.7 Day trip to Kanazawa

• Pretty standard Day trip, with visits to the Omicho Market, Kanazawa Castle, Kenrouken garden or the 21st Century art museum

Here, instead of staying in Kanazawa or returning to Tokyo, we would be traveling during the night to Kyoto

Nov.8 Kyoto

• Fushimi Inari temple, trying to arrive as soon as the sun rises.
• Kyomizu-dera
• Gion

Nov.9 Kyoto

• Arishayama Bamboo forest
• Kinkaku-ji
• Here we have an open spot, either going back to Gion or just walking around the city

Nov.10 Osaka

We would be traveling early in the morning to Osaka, to try to take advantage of 2 almost full days

• Osaka Castle
• Dotonbori
• Shinsekai

Nov.11 Osaka

• Katsuo-ji
• Teamlab botanical garden
• We have an open spot here, either we find something to do during the night or we're considering traveling to Tokyo at night.

Nov.12 Tokyo

• Shibuya
• Asaksua
• Ginza

Nov.13 Day trip

• Either to Kamakura or Fujiyoshida

Nov.14 Tokyo

• Shinjuku
• If chance, try to go to Mitaka to the Ghibli Museum

Nov.15 Tokyo

• Gotoku-ji
• Hana Biyori
• Here we really don't know, maybe a night trip around shibuya again?

Nov.16 Tokyo

We really left this day free, we're considering moving it up as another day trip during Tokyo or trying to visit places we felt we didn't explore enough

Nov.17 Trip back to South Korea

I will be spending 2 days before this trip in SK and again 1 day after before returning to my country. So this is what he have so far. We are aware there are some other great places, but we expect to make a trip to Japan again next year, this time focusing more to the north (Toyama, Fukushima, Sapporo, etc.)

I'm struggling trying to decide if it's either too ambitious or if there's a better optimization of our days spent on Tokyo. Any suggestion, recommendation or comment is welcomed and appreciated

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/rayneerayneeraynee on 2024-07-03 23:30:55+00:00.

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Hello! I'm going to Japan for the first time this December! I would love any tips from seasoned travelers who have been to Japan. I made an itinerary pasted below if preferred but also here is the google sheet I have been working out of. This is just the overview, so don't worry about the details. I'm curious though, is there anything obviously wrong with this schedule? I'm using the Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka as home bases throughout the trip to minimize how many times I have to change hotels. PLEASE ADVISE!!!

December 7: Arrival in Tokyo

• Arrive in Tokyo
• Check into hotel
• Explore Shibuya and Shinjuku neighborhoods

December 8: Tokyo

• Visit Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa
• Explore Akihabara (electronics and anime district)
• Dinner in Roppongi

December 9: Tokyo

• Explore Tsukiji Outer Market
• Visit the Tokyo Skytree
• Walk around Ueno Park and visit Ueno Zoo

December 10: Tokyo

• Day trip to Nikko (Toshogu Shrine, Kegon Falls)
• Return to Tokyo in the evening

December 11: Tokyo

• Visit Meiji Shrine and Harajuku
• Explore Omotesando and Takeshita Street
• Evening in Ginza (shopping and dining)

December 12: Tokyo to Kyoto

• Travel to Kyoto by Shinkansen (bullet train)
• Check into hotel
• Explore Gion District

December 13: Kyoto

• Visit Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)
• Explore Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
• Visit Tenryu-ji Temple and Monkey Park

December 14: Kyoto

• Visit Fushimi Inari Taisha
• Explore Nijo Castle
• Evening stroll along Pontocho Alley

December 15: Kyoto

• Day trip to Nara (Todai-ji Temple, Nara Deer Park)
• Return to Kyoto in the evening

December 16: Kyoto to Osaka

• Travel to Osaka by train
• Check into hotel
• Explore Dotonbori and Namba

December 17: Osaka

• Visit Osaka Castle
• Explore Umeda Sky Building
• Evening in Shinsekai

December 18: Osaka

• Day trip to Himeji (Himeji Castle)
• Return to Osaka in the evening

December 19: Osaka

• Day trip to Kobe (Kobe Harborland, Kobe beef lunch)
• Return to Osaka in the evening

December 20: Osaka to Tokyo

• Travel back to Tokyo by Shinkansen
• Check into hotel
• Explore Odaiba (shopping and entertainment district)

December 21: Tokyo

• Day trip to Hakone (hot springs, view of Mt. Fuji)
• Return to Tokyo in the evening

December 22: Tokyo

• Visit teamLab Borderless Digital Art Museum
• Explore Ikebukuro and Sunshine City
• Farewell dinner in a traditional Japanese restaurant

December 23: Departure from Tokyo

• Last-minute shopping or sightseeing
• Depart from Tokyo

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Ok-Rhubarb2514 on 2024-06-27 15:48:26+00:00.

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Hi All,

I am traveling to Japan on my honeymoon and am planning on spending a day and night in Hakone. I am planning on booking a traditional Ryokan to stay at, where check-in is usually 3 PM and check-out 11 AM.

I will be coming from Tokyo and heading to Kyoto after Hakone. I would like to do some sightseeing in Hakone and am wondering if I will be able to do this either before or after the Ryokan while traveling or if I will need to add an extra day.

Below are a couple of possibilities and am wondering what you think?

Option One:

Tokyo --> Hakone in early morning. Tour Hakone (sightseeing destinations below) until 3:00PM check-in. Stay at Ryokan until 11 am the following day. Do a little more sightseeing and then depart to Kyoto.

Option Two:

Tokyo --> Hakone night before. Stay at hotel in Hakone. Wake up and do sightseeing until 3:00pm. Stay at Ryokan until 11am the following day. Depart for Kyoto.

Do you recommend something else? Thanks so much for the guidance!

I am hoping to see the following in Hakone:

• Hakone Shrine and the Peace Shrine Gate
• Visit Moto Hakone Port or Hakone-machi Port to see Mt Fuji
• Ride Pirate Ship across Lake Ashi
• Hakone Open Air Museum

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/SnarkyFlipperWoofen on 2024-06-26 17:32:23+00:00.

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Hello!

I will be traveling to Japan with my wife for three weeks (mid October through early November) and would love your help. I want to firm up our itinerary of where we are going so that we can book our accommodations. We would love your feedback on any potential issues with the plan we have - if you would eliminate anything, if destinations are redundant (if they offer similar experiences and more time should be spent elsewhere), if we are missing something, if there is a quirk of travel between sites we should be considering, etc. Below I will list some context for how we normally travel, our first shot at a destination itinerary, and then some more specific questions I am curious about. Thank you in advance for your assistance!

Context:

We are flying into and out of Narita International Airport in Tokyo. Neither of us have traveled to Japan before and we do not speak Japanese (though my wife has been learning the basics for 6 weeks and will continue until our trip). We are experienced travelers (SE Asia, Central and South America, Europe) and favor a very active, diverse way of traveling - we like to see a lot, and a lot of variety of what we see. We are fortunate enough to have a very flexible budget. We don't spend money for the sake of it, but we will splurge for singular experiences.

First Try Destination Itinerary:

Fri, Day 1 - Travel day

-Flying all day

Sat, Day 2 - Land early evening @ Tokyo Narita, Shinkansen to Kyoto

-likely be getting in to Kyoto late

-nothing planned this day beyond grabbing dinner.

Sun, Day 3 - Kyoto

-Focus on historic sites

-Uji for matcha 

-Yamazaki distillery tour

Mon, Day 4 - Kyoto

-bamboo forest

-monkey park

-boat ride on Katsura River, etc.

Tues, Day 5 - Osaka, leave Kyoto early to spend entire day in Osaka

-Osaka castle

-Kuromon Ichiba Market

-Dotonbori

Wed, Day 6 - Osaka

-Open ended day

-possibly Namba for bars/going out at night

Thurs, Day 7 - Osaka, day trip to Nara

-Deer

-Great Buddha

Fri, Day 8 - Koyasan, travel from Osaka to Koyasan, temple stay

-Temple stay

-hikes in surrounding area

Sat, Day 9 - Travel to Hiroshima from Koyasan

-Travel day

-Okonomiyaki for dinner

Sun, Day 10 - Hiroshima

-Peace Memorial Park 

-Museum

Mon, Day 11 - Miyajima, take ferry from Hiroshima to Miyajima

-Itsukushima shrine 

-floating torii gate

Tues, Day 12 - Himeji/Kanazawa, stop at Himeji Castle before traveling to Kanazawa

-Himeji castle

Wed, Day 13 - Kanazawa

-Higashi Chaya 

-Nagamachi Samurai District

-Kenrokuen garden

Thurs, Day 14 - Shirakawa-go/Takayama, leave Kanazawa early, stop in Shirakawa-go on way to Takayama

-Gassho-zukuri farmhouses in Shirakawa-go

-Sanmachi Suji historic district in Takayama

Fri, Day 15 - Takayama/Nikko, Leave Takayama for Nikko

-Shrines and temples

-hike

Sat, Day 16 - Nikko/Tokyo, leave Nikko for Tokyo

-Get settled, easy day

Sun, Day 17 - Tokyo

Obviously there is a ton we can do, but outside the normal sites we are interested in:

-sumo

-specialty coffee

-fashion/denim

-tokyo style neapolitan pizza

-noise/improvisational music shows

Mon, Day 18 - Tokyo

-We want to pre-book reservations for one high end dining experience. I have a list of the Michelin starred restaurants, and the rankings from World’s 50 best restaurants, but I was hoping for any first hand recommendations you all may have.

Tues, Day 19 - Hakone or Fuji 5 Lakes, travel from Tokyo to Hakone or Fuji 5 Lakes

-Ryokan stay

Wed, Day 20, Hakone or Fuji 5 Lakes, travel back to Tokyo

-Leave ryokan stay for Tokyo

Thurs, Day 21, Tokyo

-Stuff missed from earlier

Fri, Day 22 - Tokyo, Fly home in the evening

More Specific Questions:

-We will likely buy a bunch of stuff in Tokyo to bring back (clothing, coffee, etc.). I don't love the idea of lugging this with us the entire trip so I shifted our time in Tokyo to the end of our stay in Japan. Do you foresee any issues with this?

-I noticed Uji and Yamazaki's distillery are just outside of Kyoto. My wife loves Matcha and I am a fan of Yamazaki's whisky - are these places worth visiting? If not, are they touristy? Other places you would recommend instead?

-Is Nara worth it for a day trip? My wife is worried that it is too touristy, pointed out that there are deer in Miyajima, and that Nikko and Takayama will offer better outdoor experiences anyway. Would we be better served adding another day in Osaka, or adding a day later in Tokyo instead? I'm interested in going here, but I want to make sure it isn't redundant, or at the expense of somewhere we should be spending more time.

-Would you recommend staying in Miyajima, or doing this as a day trip from Hiroshima? I'm torn on this - it seems easier and cheaper to add another night on to staying in Hiroshima, but I'm open to staying in Miyajima if there is a great option that shouldn't be passed up (for example, if there is a ryokan that someone highly recommends, etc.).

-The Takayama and Nikko part of the itinerary feels rushed. Should we drop Nikko and spend more time in Kanazawa, Takayama, Tokyo, or later at a ryokan outside of Tokyo? Nikko looks beautiful, and I would love to see it, but I worry that this is too much. Should we keep Nikko and ditch something else? If so, what about Nikko differentiates it?

-We want to stay at a ryokan in either the Hakone or Fuji 5 Lakes area (both were highly recommended to us by friends). Seeing Mt. Fuji would be great and I understand that Fuji 5 Lakes would be a better choice given this, but I also know weather can make the view "unpredictable". Additionally, if the surrounding area of Hakone and the ryokan itself offer a far superior experience we would ultimately prefer this. Thoughts? Which would you choose?

-I know we are missing the large Sumo tournaments, but I am interested in checking out the Sumo stables to see them "spar" and practice. From what I have read Tokyo seems the best place to do this. Any suggestions or tips on this? Have any of you done a tour to see something like this (from what I understand you have to go with a tour group)? Any alternate recommendations on how to see sumo?

-Part of the Climax series and the entire Nippon series will be happening while we are in Japan. Do any of you follow the NPB enough to know if we will be in a city that has a team that looks like it could be playing at this point? Is it possible to get tickets later, or do they pre sell to season ticket holders like in the US? How are prices normally? I really hope we can swing this - seems like this would be an incredible experience.

-Would you recommend staying at more than one ryokan? If so, where would you add this in our itinerary?

-Hotels, airbnbs, ryokan, etc. Do you have any that you have stayed in at these destinations that you highly recommend? My next step is to book lodging after we know our itinerary.

Any other advice is appreciated. Thank you for your time!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/nosesinroses on 2024-06-25 16:14:30+00:00.

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My partner and I will be going to Japan for our first time travelling internationally ever, and are feeling a bit overwhelmed with our itinerary so far. We want a touch of the typical tourist experience to Japan, but we want to explore a lot of the remote nature more than anything. Finding a balance has been hard, and I'm not sure our itinerary is within the realm of possibility without being way too fast paced.

Most important to us would be:

• hikes, ideally quiet-ish
• finding some of Japan's biggest trees (I already have a big list going, and this itinerary will cover a lot of them)
• volcanoes/hell valleys
• beach time, specifically gravel beaches to look for rocks, and also snorkel opportunities

Obviously, stuff like onsens and food is up there too, but I feel we can find those pretty much anywhere. We are okay with the limited time we have planned in Tokyo.

Here is what we have so far (italics are activities that are particularly important to us, which seem hard to replicate elsewhere):

• Saturday, October 26th: pretty much a write off as we arrive in Tokyo for 7pm, check into hotel and go to convenience store for a quick dinner, then bed
• Sunday, October 27th: explore Tokyo; just grab breakfast, Shibuya crossing, grab lunch somewhere near the Gingko Biloba, walk around the Imperial Palace, have dinner somewhere with a viewpoint of Tokyo skyline (Kagurazaka Saryo maybe?)
• Monday, October 28th: breakfast in Tokyo, go to Ueda to explore the town (either trails in the mountains or something like Anraku-ji Hakkau Sanjunoto), eat lunch, walk around more (Kitamuki Kannon temple), go to a matsutake restaurant for dinner in the nearby hills (quick bus + 30min walk, will probably cab back), stay night in Ueda close to Ueda station
• Tuesday, October 29th: have breakfast in Ueda (Tully's Coffee is nearby the station, probably will get that), do a big hike (Mount Asama) which will pretty much be our whole day, stay the night at a ryokan around the base of Mount Asama
• Wednesday, October 30th: Go from ryokan around Mount Asama to Nagano, go to Ogizawa for Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route which will be our whole day, stay the night in a ryokan at high point of route. We'll walk around a bit and hang out in an onsen, hopefully can catch the sunset.
• Thursday, October 31st: Catch the sunrise, wait for transport to start so we can then complete the alpine route to Toyama, have a quick brunch from Lawson, go from Toyama to Itoigawa for pebble beaches and watch the sunset, have dinner and stay the night there
• Friday, November 1st: Catch sunrise in the morning in Itoigawa while exploring beaches most of the day and grabbing breakfast/lunch, go back to Toyama just to have a quick dinner and stay the night there
• Saturday, November 2nd: breakfast in Toyama, grab a packable lunch, then rent a car to drive 90min one way to explore Hayatsuki River for big trees (series of short hikes in the river valley), maybe see the glass museum if we have time, then have dinner and stay night in Toyama
• Sunday, November 3rd: breakfast in Toyama, go to Kyoto for lunch, see Kinkaku-ji, have dinner and stay the night in Kyoto
• Monday, November 4th: explore Kyoto some more at a relaxed pace - if we have time, go to Kibune River valley, otherwise go up Mount Hiei, have dinner and stay the night in Kyoto
• Tuesday, November 5th: Nara for deer/hikes (Mt. Kasuga Primeval Forest), have dinner in Kyoto and stay the night in Kyoto
• Wednesday, November 6th: go from Kyoto to Hiroshima for slower paced day; war museum and Peace Memorial Park (both during the day and night), have okonomiyaki for dinner, stay the night in Hiroshima
• Thursday, November 7th: Miyajima Island for hiking/beaches near the ferry (either ropeway or climb up to Shishiiwa Observatory and try to catch Mikasa at low tide), have dinner and stay the night on the island
• Friday, November 8th: Miyajima to Kyoto for some more Kyoto exploring (mostly the forests around the city), have dinner and explore Kyoto at night (Maruyama, Shogunzuka Mound)
• Saturday, November 9th: Kyoto to Koyasan for a full day of old growth forest hikes/cemetery/Buddhist lodging, stay the night in Koyasan
• Sunday, November 10th: Brief Koyasan exploring in the morning (temples or more old growth if there is any we didn't see the day before), then head to Kyoto, explore quickly around where we are staying (trails around Shiragiku Waterfall), have dinner and stay the night in Kyoto after seeing Fushimi Inari Taisha at night
• Monday, November 11th: Head from Kyoto to Hakone for the ropeway and maybe teahouse if we have time, have dinner and stay the night in Hakone at an onsen
• Tuesday, November 12th: Go from Hakone to Izu Peninsula to snorkel at Kujuppama Beach and check out the coastline (beaches/hikes), have dinner and stay the night on the east mid-south end of Izu
• Wednesday, November 13th: Atami ferry to Oshima Island to snorkel and hike around the crater, stay the night on the island at or near an onsen
• Thursday, November 14th: Ferry from Oshima to Tokyo for some souvenir shopping (Pokemon Centre, random stores we come across), have dinner, maybe find a live music venue, then stay the night in Tokyo
• Friday, November 15th: Final day. Spend day in Tokyo looking for souvenirs and soaking up the last bit of food, leave at 10pm

What I am looking for is general feedback on this trip plan - considering commuting time (mostly rail), is this within the realm of possibility without feeling like too much? I don't love the idea of bouncing around so much, but it seems hard to find alternatives that could fit better into the trip while checking all the boxes (especially the activities in italics). Maybe there are more efficient options we are missing that we can swap out for our current choices. Maybe it is too fast paced and we have to cut something out. :( It's hard to tell because we have never been there, and it does technically seem doable on paper.

If we had to cut anything out, it would probably be Itoigawa on on Nov 1st so we can spend an extra day in Izu... not sure if that helps the pace of the itinerary much though.

Side note: not interested in Kyushu/Hokkaido at this time, we want to save those islands for future trips since it's our first time in Japan and want to tackle the most popular central part of it.

Thanks so much for any feedback! Looking to start booking ASAP and would love some reassurance/reality check/alternative recommendations if needed before things become finalized. :)