This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/RailroadRobin on 2025-05-09 19:48:58+00:00.
It’s almost two weeks since I came back from a trip with my family, and I’m still in awe and want to go back to Japan as soon as possible. It’ll be a long time until I can afford to go again, so for now, I figured I could share what we did and a couple of insights for people planning to visit soon. Hope it’s helpful to someone!
Travel (Sat 12.)
Notes:
- We traveled with Qatar airways economy, the food was nice
- I brought my Switch for the plane, but barely used it
Day 1 - Tokyo (Sun 13.)
Hotel - Vessel inn Ueno Iriya Ekimae
Notes:
- We arrived in the evening and immigration only took about an hour despite us not having filled in the forms in advance
- Our 78.5cm by 51cm by 29.5cm suitcases fit on the skyliner overhead racks, as well as on all the Shinkansen racks later in the trip. You can fit pretty big suitcases, so the main issue is weight
Day 2 - Tokyo > Nagano (Mon 14.)
Activities:
- Cherry blossoms at Matsumoto castle
Food:
- Soba Masamihonpo
Hotel - Tokyu Rei Hotel Nagano
Notes:
- Despite being a little past full bloom, there were plenty of beautiful sakura blossoms near Matsumoto Castle as well as all over Nagano
- The Nagano days were the only ones where I needed a jacket, the rest of the trip I only wore light sweaters
Day 3 - Nagano (Tue 15.)
Activities:
- Jigokudani Monkey Park
Hotel - Tokyu Rei Hotel Nagano
Notes:
- The monkey park was awesome, although the google maps times for the bus there must be wrong as we waited more than 40 minutes past the expected time on the way to the park and 1 hour 30 minutes on the way back
Day 4 - Nagano > Kanazawa (Wed 16.)
Activities:
- Tea House, Morihachi
- Kenrokuen garden
Food:
- Morimori Sushi
Hotel - the square hotel KANAZAWA
Notes:
- Morimori sushi was my favorite restaurant of the entire trip!
Day 5 - Kanazawa > Osaka (Thu 17.)
Activities:
- Glänta (+ Shinsaibashi)
- Dotombori
Food:
- Sunny Day Dumpling
- Kotetsu (izakaya)
Hotel - Sotetsu Fresa inn Kitahama
Notes:
- We didn’t have time to make the rings ourselves, but getting custom made rings at Glänta was still a great experience
Day 6 - Universal Studios Japan (Fri 18.)
Activities:
- The Flying Dinosaur
- Harry Potter And The Forbidden Journey
- Flight of the Hippogriff
- Jurassic Park - The Ride
- Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem
- Space Fantasy - The Ride
- Doraemon 4-D Art Adventure: Nobita’s Art World Tales
- Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge
- Yoshi’s Adventure
- Mine Cart Madness
Food:
- Three Broomsticks
- Amity Landing Restaurant
Hotel - Sotetsu Fresa inn Kitahama
Notes:
- My favorite rides were Jurrasic Park: The Ride, Space Fantasy: The Ride and Mine Cart Madness
- The food at Three Broomsticks was delicious
Day 7 - Osaka > Hiroshima (Sat 19.)
Activities:
- Atomic bomb dome
- Peace memorial park
- Peace memorial museum
Food:
- Nagataya (Okonomiyaki)
Hotel - Hotel Suite Hiroshima Hakushima
Notes:
- We didn’t feel like doing other activities after Peace Memorial and spent the rest of the day doing laundry
Day 8 - Hiroshima > Miyajima (Sun 20.)
Activities:
- Daishoin temple + Henjo Kutsu Cave
- Itsukushima shrine
Food:
- Coffee & Bakery Shima
- Miyajima Coffee
- Tempura Momiji
- Kaiseki dinner
Ryokan - Miyajima Seaside Hotel
Notes:
- First rainy day, we had to change our original Mount Misen plans, but the fog gave the island a cool mystical vibe
- Tempura Momiji was awesome
- The hotel collected our luggage right outside the ferry terminal, so we could start exploring right away
Day 9 - Miyajima > Kyoto (Mon 21.)
Activities:
- Nishiki Market
- Koda-ji evening illuminations
Food:
- Japanese set breakfast
- Micasadeco & cafe (Pancakes)
- Itoh Dining (Wagyu, Kobe)
Hotel - Travelodge Kyoto Shijo Kawaramachi
Notes:
- The area around Koda-ji was very calm and had few visitors in the evening
- Itoh Dining was awesome, every dish in the set menu was delicious
Day 10 - Kyoto (Tue 22.)
Activities:
- Gion Kōbu Kaburenjō, Miyako Odori 14:30-16:00
Food:
- Ichiran
Hotel - Travelodge Kyoto Shijo Kawaramachi
Notes:
- We didn’t do much on this day, we all figured some rest would be nice
- I loved watching the Miyako Odori, the audio guide was very helpful
- I’d gotten addicted to melon soda by this point and went on a long search for it in the evening, finally settling for a very overpriced one at a café
Day 11 - Kyoto > Hakone (Wed 23.)
Activities:
- Hakone open air museum
Ryokan - Tonosawa Ichinoyu Honkan
Food:
- Kaiseki Dinner
Notes:
- Our second rainy day, and once again we didn’t mind much as it created a cool ambiance
- Soaking in the onsen attached to our room in the evening was heavenly
- I liked the hotel a lot despite it being a bit old (we were also given a lot of melon soda at dinner, which I was very happy with)
Day 12 - Hakone > Tokyo (Thu 24.)
Activities:
- Teamlabs borderless 16:00
Hotel - Hearton Hotel Higashi-Shinagawa
Food:
- Japanese set breakfast
- Mediterranean Kitchen Rey
- Excelsior Caffé
- T.Y. Harbor
Notes:
- We got a good view of Tokyo Tower just walking in the streets around the building Teamlabs borderless is located in
Day 13 - Tokyo (Fri 25.)
Activities:
- Shibuya Sky, 14:40
- Nintendo Tokyo
- Muji
- Don Quixote
- Hands
- Loft
- Pop Mart
Food:
- Shake Shack Shibuya
- Cafe & Bar Scramble
- Outback Steakhouse Shibuya
Hotel - Hearton Hotel Higashi-Shinagawa
Notes:
- This was our main shopping day, although we had several stops on other days whenever we passed something that looked interesting
Day 14 - Tokyo (Sat 26.)
Activities:
- Imperial Palace
- Manekineko shop
- Airport shops
Food:
- Kotobuki, Taito
Notes:
- The couple running the Manekineko shop were super friendly
Travel (Sun 27.)
Souvenirs I brought home:
- At least one keychain from every city we visited
- Ceramic bowls
- Glänta ring
- Chopsticks with my cats’s names engraved
- 2 maneki nekos (1 a gift)
- Nanoblock bonsai (gift)
- Shiroi Koibito
- Pop mart figures (gifts)
- Shampoo
- Nail clippers