Hi everyone! Hoping to get some feedback on my itinerary + some general advice. I (27F) am going with my two siblings (30M and 25F). We'll be in Japan for 10 days from the end of May to the start of June, and have planned to just split the time between Tokyo and Kyoto. None of us have been to Japan before, or anywhere in Asia for that matter, so we're really excited and open to any recommendations y'all have!
Please let us know if what we've planned seems good / doable / what we're missing!
We're also wondering if we need to plan to make dinner reservations or if we'll just be able to use Tabelog to look up what we're interested in and find a spot to walk-in to. Or maybe a combination of both? We've heard conflicting advice, with most people telling us in Tokyo reservations are unnecessary unless we want to do something fancy but that they're a must in Kyoto. Any advice here would be appreciated! Last note before the itinerary is that I do have a severe tree nut allergy (cashew + pistachio + walnut + pecan + brazil + macadamia), so am planning to print this card and bring it with me. I know tree nuts aren't really a big part of Japanese cuisine but better to be safe than sorry — if anyone has any advice / can read Japanese and tell me if this card will be good, please let me know! Thank you everyone.
Day 1: 5/25
Plan: Shinjuku / Shibuya / Harajuku
- Land in Tokyo (Haneda Airport) at 5:00 am, take taxi to hotel (Shinjuku), leave bags (likely this will be around 9am)
- Breakfast
- Wander around the area because gonna be overwhelmed anyway so might as well explore:
- Godzilla head
- Shibuya scramble
- Takeshita street
- Pokemon Center Shibuya
- Check into hotel (possibly early, but likely 3pm)
- Dinner
- GO TO SLEEP
Day 2: 5/26
Plan: Asakusa / Uneo
- Likely wake up very early due to jet lag, get food at family mart or 7/11
- Asakusa Shrine + Sensoji Temple
- Explore the area
- Kappabashi Street
- Nakamise Shopping street
- Uneo Park
- Dinner wherever
- Golden Gai for drinks
Day 3: 5/27
Plan: Meiji Jingu, Tsukiji Market, Ginza
- Meji Jingu Shrine in AM
- Tsukiji market
- Tuna nigiri (majuroya kurogin three toro sushi)
- Wagyu skewers
- Daifuku
- MATCHA at Matcha Stand Maruni
- Go to Ginza for shopping / exploring:
- Onitsuka Tigers
- Loft
- Itoya
- Takeshita Street
- Harakado
- Uniqlo
- Chuo-Dori Street
- Tokyo Character Street
- Pokemon Store??
- Kabukiza Theater show (try to just book for 1 act): Evening show at 4:30
- Dinner at Tsujihan for donburi (may have to put names in before show and / or after and wait and shop around)
Day 4: 5/28 (can swap this day in whenever based on if / when we get tickets)
Plan: Studio Ghibli
- Studio Ghibli ideally in morning but at any point that we can get tickets
- Explore the area around the museum
- Head back to hotel, could go to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden in afternoon if we wanted to (closes at 4 I believe)
- Dinner wherever → maybe good night to explore Ebisu Yokocho
Day 5: 5/29
Plan: Travel Day, Night in Kyoto
- 7/11 or Family Mart for breakfast
- Check-out of hotel
- Take Shinkansen to Kyoto
- Arrange luggage forwarding
- Arrive to station early to pick up Bento boxes for train ride
- Check-in to hotel
- Evening stroll
- Hanamikoji Street
- Shirakawa Canal
- Pontocho Alley, wherever looks good (may need to make a reservation or wait because it is popular in this area and can get crowded / hard to get a table)
Day 6: 5/30
Plan: East Kyoto
- Yasaka Shrine, Hokan-Ji Temple / Yasaka Pagoda, Kiyomizu-dera Temple + Sanjunoto Pagoda
- Head to Higashiyama district to eat / explore
- Walk to 2pm tea ceremony (Camellia Tea Ceremony, Flower Teahouse)
- Gion shopping
- Dinner (make a reservation)
- Possibly back to Yasaka Shrine to see it lit up at night! (can do any other night as well)
Day 7: 5/31
Plan: Kyoto
- Fushimi Inari Shrine around 8am, potentially do full hike? Depends on how we feel but walk around a good amount
- Head back, eat at Nishiki Market (fuel up)
- Go to Kinkaku-ji (Golden Temple), about 40 mins from Nishiki via bus (205 City Bus)
- Also explore Ryoan-Ji and Ninna-ji temples via the Kinukake-no-michi path
- Back to hotel
- Dinner (make a reservation)
Day 8: 6/1
Plan: Kyoto
- Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple, Gioji Temple and Tenryu-Ji (can take bus or cab)
- Wander around Arashiyama afterwards and probably eat before heading back towards hotel
- Recommended to go to % Arabica for really good matcha and can sit by the water, then walk over the bridge and see snow monkeys
- Shopping in Gion / pick up souvenirs
- Pontocho Alley again for dinner / 1-2 listening bars afterwards (make a reservation for dinner)
Day 9: 6/2
Plan: Travel Day, Wrestling show
- Breakfast at hotel, check-out of hotel
- Take Shinkansen to Tokyo
- Check-in to hotel
- Explore parts of Shinjuku that we may have missed
- See a show at Korakuen Hall
Day 10: 6/3
Plan: Whatever we’ve missed in Tokyo (or Studio Ghibli if we haven’t managed to go yet)
Day 11: 6/4
Plan: Travel Day
- Flight home at 6:30pm
by Hour_Material_8322