Hello and Konnichiwa!
I'll be taking my first ever trip to Japan in Jan 2026 and will be there for 8 full days (not counting the date of arrival). It looks kinda hectic and I don't know if it's doable or not. I'm 25M, and this is a solo trip, so I shouldn't have a problem sticking to a busy schedule. I'd love to get your thoughts on the itinerary I have come up with so far!
Osaka Leg
Day 0 (Jan 24): Land in KIX at 4:00PM, check into hotel. If I'm not totally exhaused after the ~15 hour flight and still have some energy left, experience the nightlife at Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi.
Day 1 (Jan 25): Osaka Castle, Mueseum of History, Aquarium, Tenmangu Shrine, Namba Yasaka Jinja, Shittenoji Temple, Sunset at Abeno Harukas (or Umeda Sky Building, whichever is better, would love your thoughts)
Day 2 (Jan 26): Day Trip to Nara and Uji with this guided tour on Klook.
Day 3 (Jan 27): Day Trip to Kyoto. Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Monkey Park, Yasaka Shrine, Gion, Fushimi Inari Shrine.
Hiroshima Leg
Day 4 (Jan 28): Early Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka to Hiroshima. Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Museum, Atomic Bomb Dome, Hiroshima Caste, Evening at Miyajima Island. Spend the night in Hiroshima.
Tokyo Leg
Day 5 (Jan 29): First flight out of Hiroshima to Haneda at 7:35AM (NH 672). Sensoji Temple, Tokyo National Museum, National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo Skytree.
Day 6 (Jan 30): Full day at Tokyo DisneySea.
Day 7 (Jan 31): Day Trip to Kawaguchiko for Mount Fuji. Lake Yamanaka, Arakurayama Park, Fuji-Q Highland Amusement Park.
Day 8 (Feb 1): Tokyo Imperial Palace, Yasukuni Shrine, Tokyo Cup Noodle Museum, Pokemon Center, Meiji Jingu Shrine, Tokyo Tower, souvenir shopping.
Day 9 (Feb 2): Depart from NRT at 8:50 AM
Final Thoughts
While I am happy with the Osaka leg of the tour, I do feel like I'm not getting the most out of Tokyo in the 4 days I'll be there. There's just so much to see in Tokyo City and I just want to experience everything this city has to offer given that this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip and I probably won't be back here again.
So, what do you think? Can the Tokyo leg be better? Should I skip Hiroshima and spend an extra day in Tokyo? Should I do Nara and Kyoto in the same day instead and use that extra day in Tokyo? Is it fine as-is? I'd love your thoughts!
by AlfaAni
2 comments
Why once-in-a-lifetime? Why you won’t be back there again? You’re young, you’ve got a whole life ahead of you!
Having said all that, if you do plan this to be the only trip ever, then I’d say it’s indeed not enough time in Tokyo, not enough time in Kyoto (I’d stay at least a night there), and I’m not sure how necessary is the Hiroshima trip for a once-in-a-lifetime trip (just seems to cost too much in terms of logistics).
If I were you, I’d consider staying in Kyoto at least for a night (so that I have 2 days and can hit some things outside of peak hours), and have extra time in Tokyo, too.
Your Tokyo itinerary has some room for optimization, too. I just went to DisneySea for the first time last week, and honestly, I wasn’t that impressed. I thought it’d be wildly different from WDW, but it really wasn’t THAT different. But then I’m not a Disneyhead, so maybe don’t listen to me. I’d cut that from the itinerary if I was optimizing for a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
Your day 8 is a bit unrealistic. The Cup Noodle museum is all the way in Yokohama, that will take a big chunk out of your day. Meiji Jingu shrine is a chill vibe, you can’t enjoy it on a run, you need to block some time to take it all in, but you don’t have that in your day plan.
Hope this helps!
Prob skip Hiroshima with the 8.5 days and add to Kyoto instead…
Just curious why this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip and probably won’t be back here again?
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