Hello,
My sister and I are going to Japan from October 4th to the 18th and we've got most of the trip locked down. Figured I would run it by ya'll to make sure we didn't over/under plan for it. Since I was in charge of all the planning, I made a few goofs that are going to require us to get creative with our luggage, but I'm sure it will all work out. We're both in our 30s, and we'll have a backpack and suitcase (medium sized) going out, and coming back with two suitcases. We are doing that "suitcase in a suitcase" thing that everyone recommends. Additionally, we both have tattoos and understand the ramifications of that (no onsen.) It's my second time in Japan, and her first time.
Day 1 – October 4th – U.S.
- Leave the U.S., flight from LAX to NRT
Day 2 – October 5th – U.S. / Japan
- Land in NRT at ~5pm
- Take train from NRT to Hotel – 1.75hrs
- Staying in Tokyo for tonight
Day 3 – October 6th – Osaka
- Morning – Take Shinkansen to Osaka – 3.5hrs – First goof; Check in is at 3pm. What do we do with our luggage? lol. Whoops.
- Afternoon – Umeda Sky Building and Osaka Castle, then check into hotel
- Early Evening – Walk from Tsutenkaku to Dotonbori
Day 4 – October 7th – Osaka
- Morning – Evening – World's Fair
Day 5 – October 8th – Osaka
- Morning – Evening – USJ, Express pass starts at 4:40pm
Day 6 – October 9th – Kyoto
- Morning – Check out, travel to Kyoto via Shinkansen – 1.5hrs
- Early Afternoon – Tea Ceremony and Kimono/Yukata Rental – 1pm
- Afternoon – Walk around Maruyama Park and the Gion District in Kimono/Yukata, return by 4pm
- Evening-ish – Fushimi-Inari Climb
Day 7 – October 10th – Miyajima/Hiroshima
- Morning – Shinkansen to Himeji Castle – 2hrs
- Late Morning/Early Afternoon – Tour Himeji Castle
- Afternoon – Catch 2pm Shinkansen to Miyajima, take ferry to island – 3hrs
- Evening – Check into IWASO
Day 8 – October 11th – Kyoto
- Morning – Take ferry back to mainland, take train back to Hiroshima – 1.5hrs
- Late Morning/Early Afternoon – Peace Museum, check out the sights (I went here in 2018 for the Lantern Festival, so I'm excited to look around more. Heard there is an interesting VR experience.)
- Afternoon – Shinkansen back to Kyoto – 3hrs
- Evening – Not sure yet, taking suggestions
Day 9 – October 12th – Kyoto – Tokyo
- Morning – Saiho-ji Temple at 10:30am (This is where I messed up again. We'll likely have to store our luggage in a locker. We have considered doing luggage forwarding on day 7 to our hotel in Tokyo to arrive today. Let me know your thoughts…)
- Late Morning/Early Afternoon – Shopping, specifically at the Pokemon Center
- Afternoon – Shinkansen back to Tokyo – 3hrs, check into hotel near Akiba
- Evening – Maybe the Philosopher's Path, maybe shibuya crossing. Not sure yet; again, suggestions welcome
Day 10 – October 13th – Tokyo
- Morning – Travel to Ghibli Museum – 1hr on city trains
- Late Morning/Early Afternoon – Ghibli tour – Already did a dry run to see what getting these tickets is like; I'm not concerned. I'll be in that queue like everyone else…
- Afternoon – Depends how long Ghibli takes, but I'd like to get to Diver City or something again to see the Gundam. Sister also expressed interest in the Zoo.
- Evening – Potentially an Owl Cafe close to where we are staying in Akiba
Day 11 – October 14th – Tokyo
- Morning – Travel to WB Studio Tour – 1hr on city trains
- Late Morning/Early Afternoon – WB Studio Tour at 10am
- Afternoon/Evening – Go see some sights, probably hit up the Tokyo Metro building. I'd also like to go to Harajuku as that area is my jam.
Day 12 – October 15th – Tokyo
- Morning – Travel to Fuji – 2hrs via Shinkansen
- Late Morning/Afternoon – I wanna go to Fuji-Q Highlands, but she wants to go to temples, so we'll see. If Fuji is cloudy, we might go to Hakone and do the Ropeway instead.
- Afternoon/Evening – Shinkansen back to Tokyo, relax
Day 13 – October 16th – Tokyo
- Morning/Afternoon/Evening – Disney Sea
Day 14 – October 17th – Tokyo
- Morning – Team Lab Planets – 9am
- Afternoon/Evening – Taking Suggestions
Day 15 – October 18th – Tokyo – U.S.
- Morning to Afternoon – Taking Suggestions on things to do before going to NRT
- Early Evening – Fly out of NRT at ~6:30pm
Only thing I am stuck on is if I should get the Shinkansen tickets now, or wait til we're on our Layover in LAX on the 4th. Thoughts?
by Mooberries