Hi!
Apologies in advance for the long post. I am facing a problem that I am sure many Japan-lovers before me have faced. I cannot choose an itinerary!
We booked some amazing sale flights a few months ago Bris – Narita return for May. Due to work / school and the return flight for a 12 day trip selling out when I got to the payment page, it is an 11 day trip. It’s my husband and kids (6 & 10) maiden trip, but will be my 4th trip (but it’s been 18 years since my last visit to Japan).
- My first trip was a school trip in the Summer, visited Tokyo & Yokosuka, including Hakone, Kamakura, Disney & Yokohama.
- Second trip was with my family in Winter where we visited Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Miyajima, including Nara, Himeji and Kamakura.
- Third trip was with my sister in Autumn – Kyoto, Nagano, Tokyo, Osaka. We visited places we missed in Kyoto on the previous trip (Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama, Philosophers Path), the Nagano Snow Monkeys, Yudanaka Onsen, Obuse, Nikko and Disney.
My families interests and must-do's include: (ninja (youngest really wants to go to ninja school!!), volcanoes, transport + trains (must do Shinkansen), pirates, Ghibli, craft, castles, sumo, robots, art, good coffee, nature, architecture and design). I am sure a lot has changed, but I would love to experience a couple of new places. Definitely want the family to experience Japan beyond Tokyo. Hakone is a definite. Matsumoto is very appealilng and would suit our interests. I adore Kyoto, but am very aware that it may not be the same now with overtourism. I am not sure if we realistically would get to come back super soon, which I think is fuelling my indecision about including Kyoto or not.
Not a fan of Osaka and we don’t want to go to USJ so leaving it out. Husband thinks we should definitely take the kids to a Disney park, thinking DisneySea. We want to limit to 3 different accommodations for the trip duration as moving takes up time / is tiring.
Anyway here’s my couple of options – please let me know which you would choose or give me other options to confuse me even more haha
>> Option 1 – Tokyo 6N – Hakone 1N – Nagano 4N
Day 0 – Arrive Narita 5:45pm
Tokyo O/N
Day 1 – Explore areas like Yanaka Ginza, Nezu Shrine. Evening visit a Tokyo neon sensory overload spot like Shinjuku. Maybe catch Metro building light show.
Tokyo O/N
Day 2 – Free explore morning. Sumo lunch experience + Hokusai Museum (playground opposite for kids to burn off any energy)
Tokyo O/N
Day 3 – TeamLab Planets (+ explore Odaiba area – Miraikan)
Tokyo O/N
Day 4 – DisneySea
Tokyo O/N
Day 5 – Ghibli Museum (pending difficult to obtain tickets!) + Inokashira Park + Kichioji. Forward any large luggage to Nagano.
Tokyo O/N
Day 6 – Hakone Loop & Yunessun (open until 7pm being wknd)
(Hakone Free Pass + Romancecar)
Hakone O/N
Day 7 – Open Air Museum AM. Travel back to Tokyo, then to Nagano (Tokyo station to Nagano = 1hr20).
(Activate JR East Nagano Niigata 5 Day Pass)
Nagano O/N
Day 8 – Togakushi. Kids Ninja School + Museum + Upper Shrine + Lake.
Nagano O/N
Day 9 – Day Trip to Matsumoto. Castle + Art Gallery (Kusama!) + Frog Street. If time I'd love to see Narai Juku, but prob not realistic.
Nagano O/N
Day 10 – Day Trip to Takasaki. Daimonya Daruma painting workshop and Daruma-ji. Pasta lunch.
Nagano O/N
Day 11 – AM Zenkoji or maybe Obuse. Midday Shinkansen to Tokyo (1hr20). Be on the N'EX by 4pm for 8:45pm flight.
>> Option 2 – Tokyo 5N – Hakone 2N – Kyoto 4N
Day 0 – Arrive Narita 5:45pm
Tokyo O/N
Day 1 – Free explore areas like Yanaka Ginza, Nezu Shrine. Evening visit a Tokyo neon sensory overload spot like Shinjuku. Maybe catch Metro building light show.
Tokyo O/N
Day 2 – Free explore morning. Sumo lunch experience + Hokusai Museum (playground opposite for kids to burn off any energy)
Tokyo O/N
Day 3 – Ghibli Museum (pending difficult to obtain tickets!) + Inokashira Park + Kichioji.
Tokyo O/N
Day 4 – DisneySea
Tokyo O/N
Day 5 – Travel to Hakone. Open Air Museum
Hakone O/N
Day 6 – Hakone Loop & Yunessun (open until 7pm being wknd)
(Hakone Free Pass)
Hakone O/N
Day 7 – Maybe visit Odawara castle (anyone been to the kids ninja there?) then Shinkansen to Kyoto (2hrs).
Kyoto O/N
Day 8 – Explore areas like Yasaka Koshin-do, Gion. Maybe hire bikes to explore.
Kyoto O/N
Day 9 – Fushimi Inari early. Then continue to Nara.
Kyoto O/N
Day 10 – Arashiyama + Monkeys. Afternoon possibly Teamlab Biovortex or Ninja Samurai experience for the kids if didn't do anything ninja at Odawara (although I heard mixed reviews)
Kyoto O/N
Day 11 – AM Shinkansen to Tokyo (2hr15). Luggage in Lockers and final explore / shop. Be on the N'EX by 4pm for 8:45pm flight.
>> Option 3 – Tokyo 7N – Hakone 2N – Tokyo Bay 2N
Day 0 – Arrive Narita 5:45pm
Tokyo O/N
Day 1 – Free explore areas like Yanaka Ginza, Nezu Shrine. Evening visit a Tokyo neon sensory overload spot like Shinjuku. Maybe catch Metro building light show.
Tokyo O/N
Day 2 – Free explore morning. Sumo lunch experience + Hokusai Museum (playground opposite for kids to burn off any energy)
Tokyo O/N
Day 3 – Tokyo Wide 3 Day Pass – Day trip to Mt Fuji with aim of visiting Oshino Shinobi Ninja school. Maybe Shibazakura festival too.
Tokyo O/N
Day 4 – Tokyo Wide 3 Day Pass – Relax AM after big day prior. Kawagoe Edo Town + Candy Street.
Tokyo O/N
Day 5 – Tokyo Wide 3 Day Pass – Shinkansen day trip Takasaki. Daruma-ji, Daimonya workshop + pasta lunch.
Tokyo O/N
Day 6 – Ghibli Museum (pending difficult to obtain tickets!) + Inokashira Park + Kichioji.
Tokyo O/N
Day 7 – Romancecar to Hakone. Open Air Museum + Yunessun (open til 7 as wknd)
Hakone O/N
Day 8 – Hakone loop. Maybe Mishima Skywalk or do next morning.
Hakone O/N
Day 9 – Mishima Skywalk / Hakone Shrine if up early and didn’t do. Travel back on Romancecar to Tokyo.
Tokyo Bay O/N
Day 10 – DisneySea (shuttle from hotel)
Tokyo Bay O/N
Day 11 – Check out. Put luggage in Lockers and do Teamlab Planets. Be on the N'EX by 4pm for 8:45pm flight.
by -Coffee_and_TV-