Hello,
My wife and I are planning trip to Japan for April 2026 (13-14 nights total).
We're treating this as a "honeymoon-style" trip—not a sit-on-a-beach-relaxing trip, but one focused on exploring, sightseeing, history, and enjoying romantic dinners mixed with street food.
This is our first time and we're a bit overwhelmed. We've created a draft itinerary and would be grateful for a "sanity check."
Key Details:
Dates: April 7 (Arrive KIX) – April 20 (Depart NRT/HND)
Flights: Booked "open-jaw" (Osaka-In, Tokyo-Out) to avoid backtracking.
Interests: Culture, History, Nature. Also big on food, and specific shopping.
Pace: We want a "balanced" pace—seeing a lot without being completely exhausted.
PART 1: OSAKA (2 Nights)
Apr 7 (Day 1): Arrive at KIX, check-in. Evening exploration and dinner in Dotonbori.
Apr 8 (Day 2): Osaka Castle in the morning. Kuromon Market for lunch. Afternoon/Evening at Umeda Sky Building.
PART 2: KYOTO & NARA (4 Nights)
Apr 9 (Day 3): Morning train to Kyoto, check-in. Afternoon in Gion & Yasaka Shrine. Evening in Pontocho Alley (for a romantic dinner).
Apr 10 (Day 4): Fushimi Inari. Then, walk up Sannenzaka & Ninenzaka to Kiyomizu-dera.
Apr 11 (Day 5):Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. Afterwards, Tenryu-ji Temple and Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion).
Apr 12 (Day 6): Day Trip to Nara (Deer Park, Todai-ji).
PART 3: HAKONE (2 Nights)
Apr 13 (Day 7): Travel to Hakone. Check into our Ryokan (is this so expensive?). Spend the rest of the day relaxing, using the Onsen, and enjoying the Kaiseki dinner.
Apr 14 (Day 8): Full day for the Hakone Loop (train, ropeway, boat). We also want to fit in the Hakone Open-Air Museum.
PART 4: TOKYO (5 Nights)
Apr 15 (Day 9): Arrive in Tokyo (Shinjuku). Check in.
Afternoon: Shinjuku exploration.
Shopping (Shinjuku): Yodobashi/Bic Camera and Isetan/LUMINE.
Evening: Omoide Yokocho for dinner.
Apr 16 (Day 10):
Morning: Meiji Jingu Shrine.
Afternoon: Harajuku (Takeshita St) & Omotesando.
Shopping (Harajuku): Ura-Harajuku, Atmos and ABC-Mart.
Evening: Shibuya Crossing & dinner.
Apr 17 (Day 11):
Morning: Asakusa (Senso-ji Temple & Nakamise St).
Afternoon: Akihabara OR Nakano Broadway. (Which is better for a first-timer)
Apr 18 (Day 12): CHOICE DAY
Option 1: Stay in Tokyo. Tsukiji Outer Market (brunch) -> teamLab Planets -> Ginza (Shopping).
Option 2: Day Trip to Kamakura (Great Buddha, coastal vibe).
We're torn on this. For our trip, is Kamakura (Option 2) a nice break, or is Option 1 (teamLab/Ginza) a "must-do"?
Apr 19 (Day 13):
Morning: Relaxed breakfast, last-minute souvenir/snack shopping.
Apr 20 (Day 14):
Afternoon: Head to NRT/HND for our flight home.
Our Main Questions:
LUGGAGE: This is our biggest problem. How should we handle moving our main suitcases between cities? Is there a solution? (We've heard of "Takuhaibin" but don't understand how reliable or easy it is for tourists).
ACCOMMODATION: We are planning to stay in Airbnbs (mostly for budget reasons). Is this a good idea in Japan? Or do you have recommendations for budget-friendly hotels or hotel chains we should look at instead?
PACING & ROUTE: Is this 2 (Osaka) – 4 (Kyoto) – 2 (Hakone) – 5 (Tokyo) split good for 13 nights? Or should we skip a city (like Osaka or Hakone) to have more time in Kyoto & Tokyo? Is this enough time overall?
JR PASS: Based on this route (Osaka -> Kyoto -> Odawara [for Hakone] -> Tokyo), is a national JR Pass worth it? Or should we just buy point-to-point Shinkansen tickets?
SHOPPING: Are the areas we've assigned for our shopping goals (watches, streetwear, tech) correct?
Thank you so much for your help!
by TopVoice6369