Hello all,
We are planning a Japan/Seoul trip for May 2026.
The Japan leg of the trip will be 10 days (not including travel time). We might plan 1 or 2 attractions each day but mostly plan on just exploring/wandering the area we are in. I am mostly looking for suggestions and advice if this itinerary is doable.
I did use ChatGPT to clean up my itinerary, so that’s why it looks like AI. The only things officially scheduled is anything with times associated with it.
The Seoul leg of the trip was added on later as my wife wants to visit some friends that are there and we aren’t sure when we will be back on this side of the world. Probably would have planned the trip out a differently, but it is what it is now.
Thanks for any suggestions and if you have any ideas for Seoul too I would appreciate that too!
✈️ Japan & South Korea Itinerary
May 16 – May 31, 2026
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✈️ Sat May 16 — Day 1
Travel Day
Depart DFW → Tokyo
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🇯🇵 Tokyo
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Sun May 17 — Day 2
Arrival / Asakusa
Arrive Narita Airport – 15:00
Transport
Airport Limousine Bus → hotel in Asakusa
Evening – Explore Asakusa
Walk the historic district:
• Sensō-ji
• Nakamise Street
Shopping:
• Uniqlo
• Don Quijote
• other small shops
⸻
Mon May 18 — Day 3
Asakusa + Akihabara
Morning
• 9:00 Washi Papermaking Experience
Late morning / Midday
Explore Akihabara
Things to see:
• Retro game stores
• Anime shops
• Arcades
Optional stop
• Ueno Park
Evening
Return to Asakusa
20:30
Asakusa Sumo Club Show
⸻
Tue May 19 — Day 4
Shinjuku Day
Morning
Walk Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
Midday
13:30
Kimono Tea Ceremony / Samurai Experience
Afternoon shopping
Evening
Observation deck at
• Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
Dinner in Shinjuku.
⸻
Wed May 20 — Day 5
Modern Tokyo
Morning
8:30
teamLab Borderless
Midday
Visit
• Meiji Shrine
Evening – Shibuya
• Shibuya Sky
• Shibuya Crossing
• Pokémon Center Shibuya
– Explore
⸻
♨️ Hakone
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Thu May 21 — Day 6
Travel to Hakone
Morning
Ride the Odakyu Romancecar
Shinjuku → Hakone-Yumoto Station
Shuttle bus → hotel
Afternoon
If time allows before closing:
• Hakone Open-Air Museum
Evening
• Kaiseki dinner
• Relax in the onsen
⸻
Fri May 22 — Day 7
Explore Hakone
Morning
• Sukumogawa Nature Exploration Trail
Midday
Ride the
• Hakone Ropeway
Visit
• Owakudani
Late afternoon
• Hakone Shrine
Evening
Onsen and relaxing dinner.
⸻
🐙 Osaka
⸻
Sat May 23 — Day 8
Travel to Osaka
Morning travel
Hakone Tozan Railway
→ Odawara
Then
Tokaido Shinkansen (Kodama) → Osaka
Afternoon
Visit
• Osaka Castle
Evening – Food district
Explore
• Dotonbori
• Shinsaibashi-suji Shopping Street
⸻
Sun May 24 — Day 9
Kyoto / Uji Day
Morning
Train to Uji
Visit
• Byōdō-in
Midday
11:30 entry
• Nintendo Museum
Late afternoon
Visit
• Fushimi Inari Taisha
Dinner
Kyoto or Osaka.
⸻
Mon May 25 — Day 10
Awaji Island / Kobe
Morning
Visit
• Nijigen no Mori
Optional evening stop
• Kobe Harborland
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Tue May 26 — Day 11
Nara + Osaka
Morning
Visit
• Nara Park
See
• Deer
• Tōdai-ji
Afternoon
Visit
• Nagai Botanical Garden
Evening
Explore Namba
Shopping + final Osaka dinner.
⸻
🇰🇷 South Korea May 27-31
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by Thepenguin04