My partner and I are headed to Japan and April, and want to get some feedback on our trip.
We've never been. Both of us are into anime, and I'm a huge Nintendo fan. Also very into history and sightseeing; my partner in particular loves gardens. I'd love to get some birdwatching in as well where possible.
Advice I'm looking for:
-Are we trying to pack-in too much? Too little?
-Is there anything obvious we should be seeing but aren't?
-Is there anything that we have listed that would be a waste of time?
-Is Izu the right move for a ryokan stay, or would we be better off with something like Hakone or on Kawaguchi Lake? We're both quite tattooed and so initially we wanted something with a private onsen and view of Mt Fuji, but most seemed to be already booked or outside our price range. After that we just looked for well-reviewed ryokan with in-room onsen, ideally old as well.
For the itinerary itself, I've broken it down by day, and then indicated the city. The neighbourhood we'll be staying in is in brackets. Ideally we'll only be in 5 hotels the whole trip (Tokyo #1, Kyoto, Osaka, Izu, and Tokyo #2). The itinerary is optimistic in the sense of this is assuming we win ticket lotteries for the various things we have or will enter (Pokepark, Gibli Museum, Nintendo Museum, etc.).
Looking forward to feedback!
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Day 1 – Tokyo (Asakusa)
Afternoon:
-Arrive
Evening:
-Light exploration
-Senso-ji Temple
Day 2 – Tokyo (Asakusa)
Morning:
-Senso-ji Temple
-Skytree (Pokemon Center, etc.)
Afternoon:
-Imperial Palace
Evening:
-Teamlabs Borderless
-Tokyo Tower
Day 3 – Tokyo (Asakusa)
Morning:
-Ueno Park
-Tokyo National Museum
Afternoon & Evening:
-Akihabara
Day 4: Tokyo > Kyoto (Gion)
Morning:
-Arrive
-Kyoto National Museum
Afternoon:
-Ninenzaka & Sannenzaka Paths
-Kiyomizu-dera
Evening:
-Dinner in Gion
-Yasaka Shrine & Grounds
Day 5: Kyoto (Gion)
Morning:
-Fushimi Inari
-Nintendo Museum
Afternoon:
-Nintendo Museum
-Fushimi District (Sake Distilleries, Canal Tour)
Evening
-Nishiki Market
Day 6: Nara Day Trip
Morning:
-Arrive
-Nara Park Deer
-Todai-ji Temple
Afternoon:
-Yoshikien Garden
-Kasugataisha Shrine
Evening:
-Naramachi
Day 7: Kyoto (Gion)
Morning:
-Imperial Palace
Afternoon:
-Samurai Ninja Museum
Evening:
-Explore Shimogyo (Pokemon Center, etc.)
Day 8: Kyoto (Gion)
Morning:
-Nijo Castle
-Kinkaku-ji Temple
Afternoon:
-Tenrui-ji Temple
-Saiho-ji Temple
Evening:
-Explore Gion
Day 9: Kyoto > Osaka
Morning:
-Arrive
-Shittenoji
Afternoon:
-Osaka Monument
-Den Den Town
-Namba Yasaka Shrine
-Shineskai Market
Evening:
Dotonbori
Day 10: Osaka
Morning:
-Osaka Castle
-Walk along the river
Afternoon:
-Aquarium
Evening:
-Food Tour
Day 11: Hiroshima Day Trip
Morning:
-Arrive
-Hiroshima Castle
Afternoon:
-Peace Memorial Park
-Peace Museum
-Hypocenter Monument
Evening:
-Dinner
-Return to Osaka
Day 12: Osaka
-Universal Studios Japan
Day 13: Osaka > Izu
-Ryokan Stay
Day 14: Izu
-Ryokan Stay
Day 15: Izu > Tokyo (Shibuya)
Morning:
-Arrive
-Harajuku
Afternoon:
-Odaiba (Gundam Base, etc.)
Evening:
-Explore Shibuya or Shinjuku
Day 16: Tokyo (Shibuya)
Morning:
-Gyoen National Garden
-Godzilla Store
-Lunch at Omoide Yokocho
Afternoon:
-Meiji Shrine
Evening:
-Explore Shibuya (Dinner, Pokemon Center, Nintendo Tokyo, etc.)
Day 17: Tokyo (Shibuya)
Morning:
-Sanrio Purroland
Afternoon:
-Ghibli Museum
Evening:
-Nakano Broadway
-Ikebukuro (Card shopping, Izakaya dinner, arcades)
Day 18: Tokyo (Shibuya)
-PokePark Kanto
Day 19: Tokyo > Home
Morning:
-?
Afternoon:
-Leave
by MrMcAwhsum