Planning a SURPRISE Japan trip for my son’s 18th birthday and graduation — would love feedback 🙏

Hey everyone,

I’m planning a trip to Japan (June 10–18, 2026) with my son to celebrate his high school graduation, and I’d really appreciate any real-world feedback or suggestions.

We’re currently planning to stay in Akihabara (Section L Akihabara) as our home base. I chose it because it’s an apartment-style hotel with a kitchen, washer/dryer, and more space, which felt like a good fit for a week-long stay.

That said, the hotel is still refundable, and I’m second guessing the location a bit. I’ve seen mixed opinions that Akihabara is overhyped and that anime is everywhere in Tokyo anyway, so I’m wondering if we’d be better off staying somewhere “nicer” and just doing Akihabara as a day trip.

Trip goals:

• Anime/manga shopping and experiences (big focus for my son)
• Mix of Tokyo highlights + culture
• overnight trip (mountains/history)
• easy day trip (relaxing/scenic)
• Not overly rushed

Current plan:

June 10: Arrive Haneda ~2:20 PM → hotel → light Akihabara exploring

June 11: Akihabara deep dive + Ueno

June 12: Asakusa + Skytree (Pokémon Center / Jump Shop)

June 13–14 (overnight):

Tokyo → Nagano → Matsumoto (castle + traditional vibe)

Return via Karuizawa stop

June 15: Shibuya + Harajuku + PARCO (Nintendo / Pokémon / Jump Store)

June 16: Atami day trip (seaside / relaxing)

June 17: Flex day (Nakano Broadway or Ikebukuro)

June 18: Depart from Narita

Questions:

• Does this pacing look reasonable or too packed?
• Is Nagano + Matsumoto overnight worth it vs something like Hakone/Nikko?
• Are the apartment-style amenities (kitchen, washer/dryer) worth it vs a nicer hotel?
• Any must-see anime spots I’m missing?
• Best strategy for Pokémon Café / Kirby Café reservations? Also, worth it?

This trip is a big deal for him (it's his dream that he doesn't know is about to come true), so I want to make it as memorable as possible without overcomplicating things.

Really appreciate any advice! thank you!