Howdy folks,

I've spent much of the last three months trying to squeeze way too much into way too little time, and I've made a bunch of mistakes along the way. That said, I think I've very nearly wrangled this first (and possibly only, given the state of the world) trip to Japan into something I can manage that scratches all of the itches that I really need scratched. If I could do it all over again, I'dve added another day or two to Kyoto and kept all of my Tokyo time in one block. Nara deserved more and Osaka should be a day trip by itself, but I ultimately decided that I could be happy with just stuffing myself with street food for a few hours. I may talk myself out of Nara entirely between now and then, but we'll see. If I'm super lucky I might snag an Aquanet ferry out to Miyajima, but I really think that's just wishful thinking on my part.

I'm arriving with just a backpack, 3 days worth of clothing, a pixel 9, and a collapsible tripod/selfie stick. I plan on leaving with a suitcase full of vinyl records, souvenirs, and as many memories as I can possibly manage.

If I have any advice worth giving it is to beware nonrefundable plane tickets and Priceline hotel bookings. In fact, just beware Priceline.

Wednesday, Feb 25 — Arrival in Tokyo

Stay: Tokyo Capsule Hotel (Feb 25–27)

• Evening arrival at 5:30 PM. Shoot for hotel check-in around 7PM.
• Explore neighborhood near hotel, grab dinner, and pick up toiletries/supplies at a Lawson/7-11.

Thursday, Feb 26 — Shibuya + Harajuku

• Morning: Meiji Jingu Shrine
• Lunch/Early Afternoon: Explore Harajuku, following Takeshita and Cat Street south to Shibuya
• Afternoon/Evening: Explore Shibuya, hit up Tower Records / Recofan / Disk Union, selfie with the Chocobo at Square Enix Garden. Grab a travel case at Don Quijote. Find LOST Bar.

Friday, Feb 27 — Minato + Chiyoda

• Morning: Send luggage to Kyoto. TourSengaku-ji Temple then see Tokyo Tower / Zojo-ji.
• Lunch/ Early Afternoon: Teamlab borderless and lunch nearby.
• Late Afternoon: Imperial Palace Gardens Walking Tour
• OPTIONAL: Tour Odaiba Park for photo ops (Gundam, Fuji Building, Giant Saw) before heading back to the hotel.

Saturday, Feb 28 — Ghibli Day

Stay: Kyoto Ryokan (Feb 28–Mar 4)

• Morning: Travel to Nagoya/Ghibli Park
• Day: Ghibli Park! Head back to Nagoya station around 5:30.
• Evening: Get photos of Nagoya Castle / Grab some Hitsumabushi before taking the train to Kyoto.

Sunday, Mar 1 — Kyoto Part One

• Morning: Taxi to Kiyomizu-dera, then walk Gion District until midday.
• Afternoon: Taxi to Ginkaku-ji, then taxi to Nijo Castle.
• Evening: Nishiki / Pontocho for restaurants / shopping.

Monday, Mar 2 — Kyoto Part Two

• Early Morning: Fushimi Inari
• Late Morning/Early Afternoon: Nintendo Museum in Uji. Head back to hotel by 3PM
• Evening: Private Geisha Tea Ceremony in Gion, evening walk through Gion to Ryokan.

Tuesday, Mar 3 — Nara + Osaka

• Morning: Send luggage to Hiroshima. Train to Nara Park. Follow specially prepared 3.5 hour tour that ends at Nakatanidou for mochi.
• Lunch: Train to Osaka (Tennoji Station). Eat a light snack.
• Afternoon/Evening: Walking tour of Shinsekai and Dotonbori. Eat street food to heart’s content. Swing by Time Bomb Records. Transit back to Kyoto.

Wednesday, Mar 4 — Himeji + Fukuyama

Stay: Hiroshima Park Hotel (Mar 4/5)

• Morning/Lunch: Train to Himeji for a proper tour of Himeji Castle and lunch.
• Afternoon: Quick tour of Fukuyama Castle.
• Evening: Complete transit to Hiroshima.

Thursday, Mar 5 — Hiroshima + Return to Tokyo

Stay: Shinjuku Hotel (Mar 5–9)

• Morning: Store luggage at Bounce.
• Day:  Tour Museum and Park at a leisurely pace. Photo op with Hiroshima castle.
• Late Afternoon: Grab luggage and take the train back to Tokyo.

Friday, Mar 6 — Ghibli Museum Tour

• Day: The only thing planned for this day is the Sunrise Ghibli Museum Tour. Don’t expect to do much else besides some photo ops in Shinjuku.

Saturday, Mar 7 — Nakano Broadway + Akihabara

• Morning/Lunch: Head to Nakano Broadway for records and vintage Digimon merch.
• Lunch/Evening: Take train to Akihabara for total nerd immersion / possible Pokemon Cafe Day (Eorzea Cafe otherwise).

Sunday, Mar 8 — Tokyo

• Morning: Head to Tokyo National Museum (Ueno) / possible Pokemon cafe day.
• Afternoon: Senso-ji Temple and Asakusa area.
• Evening: Tokyo Skytree before return to the hotel.

Monday, Mar 9 — Fly home

• Morning: Keep open for last minute stop in Shibuya or some such the like before heading to the airport.
• Afternoon: Fly home around 4PM.