Hi! We’re 31M & 28F, super excited for our first trip to Japan!!
We love art, specialty/local shopping, arcades, video games, anime, food/cooking, nature, and culture.
Would love a final check/tips! We are using this as a “goal” itinerary, but we definitely know things will change once we get there. We’re expecting to go with the flow if other things spark our interest, or when we need rest/low-energy days. 🙂
Note: We had to move Hiroshima to earlier in the trip than originally planned – kinda an awkward placement/little more overall shinkansen time, but maybe worth it because of the following reasons:
1. We wanted to avoid being in Hiroshima over Christmas/Christmas Eve, and
2. We wanted a specific ryokan which was only available for December 26 and 27 in Kinosaki Onsen.
Dates: December 11, 2025 – January 5, 2026
Overview: Arrival → Tokyo → Nagoya/Ghibli Park → Hiroshima/Miyajima → Kyoto → Kinosaki Onsen → Osaka → Tokyo DisneySea → Departure
Tokyo
Day 1 – Thu 12/11:
Arrive Haneda 2 PM; Check into Shibuya hotel; Walk around Shibuya & try to stay awake
Day 2 – Fri 12/12:
Floating day for Ghibli Museum (if we get tickets!); walk around Kichijoji & Inokashira Park; Maybe rooftop drinks at Andaz Tokyo or open to other rooftop recs.
Day 3 – Sat 12/13:
Akihabara (Super Potato, GIGO, HEY Arcade); Kanda Myoujin Shrine; Low-Non-Bar
Day 4 – Sun 12/14:
Ueno Park; Tokyo National Museum, walking around Ameya-Yokocho
Day 5 – Mon 12/15:
Day trip to Nikko, back to Tokyo in the evening.
Day 6 – Tue 12/16:
Free day; Maybe teamLab Planets and a jazz bar in the evening.
Day 7 – Wed 12/17:
Thinking just a slow morning and going with the flow for this day, then Shinkansen to Nagoya (PM). Hotel is connected to Nagoya Station.
Ghibli Park
Day 8 – Thu 12/18:
Ghibli Park (tickets are reserved!) in the morning, evening Shinkansen to Hiroshima, check into hotel in Takaramachi.
Miyajima/Hiroshima
Day 9 – Fri 12/19:
Miyajima Island: Itsukushima Shrine, Daisho-in, maybe ropeway up Mt. Misen, return to Hiroshima.
Day 10 – Sat 12/20:
Morning at Peace Museum & Atomic Bomb Dome → Evening/PM train to Kyoto, check into hotel near Pontocho.
Kyoto
Day 11 – Sun 12/21:
Day trip to Uji: Byodo-in Temple, Uji River, tea shops → Nintendo Museum at 2pm (reserved!).
Day 12 – Mon 12/22:
Higashiyama District: Kiyomizu-dera, Sannenzaka & Ninenzaka, Kodai-ji, Maruyama Park, walk back to hotel through Gion in the evening.
Day 13 – Tue 12/23:
Day trip to Nara: Todai-ji, Nara Park, Kasuga Taisha
Day 14 – Wed 12/24:
Arashiyama: Bamboo Grove, Tenryu-ji, Otagi Nenbutsu-ji, Adashino Nenbutsu-ji; Gioji
Day 15 – Thu 12/25:
Kinkaku-ji, Ryoan-ji
Kinosaki Onsen
Day 16 – Fri 12/26:
Nishiki Market in the morning; Leave Kyoto around noon; Onsen-hop & kaiseki dinner.
Day 17 – Sat 12/27:
Relaxed day in Kinosaki, Onsenji Temple; maybe ropeway.
Osaka
Day 18 – Sun 12/28:
Morning train to Osaka; check into hotel in Hommachi; Dotonbori, Hozenji Yokocho
Day 19 – Mon 12/29:
Kiddyland Donguri Kyowakoku; Osaka Museum of Housing and Living (…or Osaka aquarium?)
Day 20 – Tue 12/30:
Osaka Castle, Shinsekai, Den Den Town, Tsutenkaku Tower
Day 21 – Wed 12/31:
Sumiyoshi Taisha + Namba Yasaka Jinja; Shopping in Amerikamura & Shinsaibashi; Maybe Joya no Kane bell-ringing at Shitenno-ji for New Year’s Eve.
Tokyo
Day 22 – Thu 1/1:
Shinkansen to Tokyo; Check into hotel (deciding between a few hotels that have availability still in either Shibuya, Asakusa, or Meiji Garden); Hatsumode (either this day or the following depending on what time we decide to advance reserve the Shinkansen tickets… still tbd)
Day 23 – Fri 1/2:
Senso-ji & Nakamise-dori, Last-minute shopping in Ginza/Shibuya/any other areas that might have some shops open – any recommendations appreciated!
Day 24 – Sat 1/3:
Flexible but thinking Mori Art Museum, transfer to Tokyo Disney Resort (Fantasy Springs Hotel, lucked out with a reservation!); relaxed evening/explore hotel.
Day 25 – Sun 1/4:
Tokyo DisneySea full day (expecting crowds but excited to see the New Year’s Special Event!)
Day 26 – Mon 1/5:
Check out, Haneda Airport, fly home
Would love feedback on:
- If anyone has any tips for where to stay for our last few days in Tokyo at the end of our trip… or if we should pick a diff neighborhood for the first part of our Tokyo stay.
- Any blind spots that we should consider!!
- Suggestions for cool jazz bars and unique experiences (like custom rings/jewelry shops, custom engraved kitchen knives shops, etc).
by Simple-Worker-1365