Hi everyone!
My husband and I (late 20s/early 30s) are going to Japan in the last week of Feb/first week of March. We'd love to hear any feedback or recommendations for our plans! Typing it all out, it does seem a little ambitious, but we're really excited to explore!
We enjoy good food + coffee, and a mixture of sightseeing, cultural activities, nature, and generally enjoying the vibe of different neighbourhoods.
Thanks in advance for your advice 🙂
Day 1: Tokyo – Shibuya
- Arrival in Tokyo 3pm, check into hotel in Shibuya
- Explore the area (Hachiko statue, crossing, mega don quijote) and have dinner – we want to keep the itinerary flexible in-case we're tired from the flight
- Optional: Night-time views + drink at Magnet Shibuya 109
Day 2: Tokyo – TeamLab + Kagurazaka + Koenji + Shinjuku
- Morning
- 9am TeamLab Borderless
- Coffee at Kuro Mame
- Afternoon
- Lunch at Kagurazaka (Tsujihan or Sumiyaki Unafuji)
- Koenji vintage shopping
- Harajuku (if we have time)
- Evening
- Dinner at Udon Shin (my husband really wants to try the carbonara udon)
- Explore Shinjuku / Golden Gai
Day 3: Tokyo – Tsukiji Market + Ginza + Asakusa
- Morning
- 7am Tsukiji Market
- Explore Ginza + Imperial Gardens East
- Coffee @ Glitch
- Afternoon
- Lunch somewhere in Ginza
- Explore Akihabara + Kappabashi
- Evening
- Explore Asakusa, visit Senso-ji
- Dinner at Hoppy Street
- Optional: Tokyo Skytree views
Day 4: Tokyo – Day trip to Kamakura + Nakameguro
- Morning
- Fluffy pancakes at Flipper's
- Journey to Kamakura
- Afternoon
- Explore the seaside town + sights
- Evening
- 5pm return to Tokyo
- Dinner at Sushi Yoshikawa
- Explore Nakameguro afterwards – maybe drinks and jazz at Tableaux?
Day 5: Hakone – Cherry / Plum Blossoms + Ryokan
- Morning
- 8am train to Matsuda for the Sakura Festival
- Afternoon
- Go to Odawara for lunch + Plum Blossom Festival
- Late afternoon, go to Hakone to check into ryokan
- Evening
- Relax at the ryokan
Day 6: Hakone – Loop around town!
- Take our time exploring the Hakone Loop (reverse-direction), snack at the Amazake teahouse if possible
Day 7: Kyoto – Kiyomizu-dera + Gion
- Morning
- 8am travel to Kyoto
- Afternoon
- Explore Kiyomizu-dera
- Check into hotel in the area
- Ninen-zaka and Sannen-zaka
- Evening
- 5pm Kintsugi Workshop in Gion
- Dinner somewhere in Gion
Day 8: Kyoto – Fushimi Inari Taisha + Ginkaku-ji + Nishiki Market + Pontocho Alley
- Morning
- 6am Fushimi Inari Taisha for sunrise
- 8:45am breakfast at Hikiniku to Come in Gion
- Ginkaku-ji + Philosopher's Path
- Afternoon
- Late lunch at Nishiki Market
- Explore Kawaramachi
- 4:30pm Tea Ceremony at Maikoya Nishiki
- Evening
- Dinner at Pontocho Alley or Yanagikoji
- Post-dinner stroll along the river
Day 9: Kyoto – Arashiyama
- Morning
- 7am arrive at Arashiyama
- Explore the bamboo forest, Tenryu-ji, Otagi Nenbutsuji
- Afternoon
- Lunch in the area (would love some recos here)
- Monkey Park
- Sagano Romantic Train
- Evening
- Dinner back in Higashiyama or Gion area
Day 10: Kyoto – Day trip to Kibune
- Morning
- Journey to Kibune
- Explore the town and Kifune Shrine
- Afternoon
- Hike to Kurama-dera
- Evening
- Take the train back to Kyoto, stop at Ichijoji for some ramen (would love recos here too – we were thinking Menya Gokkei)
Day 11: Osaka – Uji + Nara
- Morning
- Explore Uji (recos, please!)
- Maybe Nintendo museum if we can get last-min tickets?
- Afternoon
- Nara Park for the deer!
- Evening
- Journey to Osaka and check into hotel in Namba
- Relax at Dotonbori Sauna at 8:30pm
Day 12: Osaka – Nakazakicho + Amerikamura + Dotonbori
- Morning
- Cafe-hopping in Nakazakicho
- Afternoon
- Explore Amerikamura / Orange Street
- Try takoyaki and okonomiyaki
- Evening
- Dinner at Yakiniku Kitan
- Barhop in Dotonbori
Day 13: Tokyo – Ghibli Museum
- Morning
- Journey back to Tokyo
- Drop bags off at Tokyo Station hotel
- Afternoon
- 2pm Ghibli Museum
- Evening
- Dinner at Sushi Ichijo
Day 14: Last Day 🙁
- Morning – relaxed exploration around Ginza
- Afternoon – go to Narita
by MintyStrawbs