This October, I’ll be travelling with my partner from Europe. Different culture, first time in Japan, and honestly, I’m not used to taking trains, so I’d appreciate advice on passes and logistics.
Airline allows us to take this amount of luggage EACH:
- Personal item: 1 × 4 kg each (40×30×15cm)
- Carry-on: 1 × 8 kg each (55×40×23cm)
- Checked baggage: 2 × 23 kg each (max 158cm)
I’ve drafted a 3-week plan and would love to hear if this looks reasonable, if I’m packing in too much, or if things could be rearranged better.
Itinerary
Tokyo (5 nights, Oct 6–11)
- Day1: Arrive Haneda 19:20 → check into hotel near Minato City → dinner in a yakiniku close to the hotel.
- Day 2: Shinjuku Gyoen, Meiji Jingu, Yoyogi Park, Hachiko Statue, Shibuya Crossing + Shibuya Sky (sunset), Sakura Stage (mainly to visit a shop) & Don Quijote. – This seems packed, but it looks like everything is close walking distance?
- Day 3: TeamLab Planets + Odaiba (Unicorn Gundam show, Gundam Base, DiverCity).
- Day 4: Akihabara shopping (Radio Kaikan, retro gaming, arcades) + Themed Cafe. – close walking distance to each other.
- Day 5: Ikebukuro + Shinjuku – mainly for the LABI1 Yamada Denki Ikebukuro gunpla shop, a visit to Artnia Square Enix Shop and then the Omoide Yokocho Memory Lane for the evening
Hakone (1 night, Oct 11-12)
- Day 6: Hakone loop (ropeway, Owakudani, Lake Ashi cruise), ryokan stay, onsen + kaiseki. – I heard that the Hakone Pass is good?
- Day 7: Next morning: Hakone Open-Air Museum → train to Kyoto.
Kyoto (5 nights, Oct 12–17)
- Day 8: Arashiyama (bamboo grove, Tenrya-ji, Togetsukyo bridge, monkey park)
- Day 9: Kiyomizu-dera, Tea Ceremony, Yasaka Shrine, Gion, Higashiyama walk.
- Day 10: Fushimi Ina + Day trip to Nara (Todaiji, deer park).
- Day 11: Nijo Castle, Kinkaku-ji, Ryoan-ji, Nishiki Market
Osaka (5 nights, Oct 17–22)
- Day 12: Dotonbori food crawl.
- Day 13: Osaka Castle + Park, Umeda Sky Building
- Day 14: Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Ferris Wheel
- Day 15: USJ full day – but I’m debating skipping this and replacing it with Hiroshima day tour (Peace Park, Atomic Bomb Dome, Miyajima).
- Day 16: Day trip to Himeji Castle (maybe add Kobe Harborland & Kobe beef dinner?)
Tokyo return (5 nights, Oct 22–26)
- Day 17: Asakusa (Senso-ji + Nakamise) & Tokyo Skytree.
- Day 18: Imperial Palace
- Day 20: Nikko Day trip from Tokyo with a tour.
- Day 21: Ueno Park & Tokyo National Museum for a calmer final day.
- Day 22: 26th Fly back home
Questions
- Passes – Which is best for this route: JR Pass, regional passes (Hakone pass for example), or just SmartEX + IC card?
- USJ – Is USJ too busy? worth skipping from your experience?
- Pacing – Any days too packed or obvious time sinks I should drop (e.g., certain shops/areas) to keep energy up?
- Luggage — With 2×23 kg checked bags each, we are looking into luggage forwarding with hotels. How reliable are these?
- Reservations — Should I book Shinkansen with SmartEX in advance?
Thanks!
by Correct-Opinion-4857