Hoping to get some insight since this will be our first time. Itinerary created via help of AI, but would like to get insight from real humans. We are big food lovers and often trips consist of trying as many things as we can. We love sushi and this what we are looking forward to most and street food snacks.
Traveling with teen girl (loves makeup/skincare/fashion (typical) and younger 7 y.o boy (loves pokemon, disney, marvel, lego, cars, videogames, etc.)
Shopping is definitely on the list.
Jul 9–13 TOKYO — 5 nights.
– 10th: DisneySea on Thu (weekday = lower crowds)
– 11th: Shibuya + Harajuku on Fri
—— Shibuya scramble crossing. Harajuku Takeshita Street — wild fashion, crepes, kawaii culture. Meiji Shrine (peaceful forest escape). Evening: Shinjuku Omoide Yokocho for atmospheric dinner.
– 12th: teamLab Borderless + Odaiba
—— Pre-booked teamLab Borderless (immersive digital art — both kids will love it). Afternoon: Odaiba waterfront, Gundam statue, DiverCity. Sunset views of Rainbow Bridge.
– 13th: Asakusa + Akihabara on Sun.
—- Morning: Senso-ji Temple & Nakamise shopping street — Asakusa handles Sunday crowds well due to wide temple streets. Lunch: conveyor sushi. Afternoon: Akihabara — multi-floor anime, electronics, manga stores. Sunday crowds are fine here; stores are huge.
Jul 14 (Mon) Shinkansen Tokyo → Kyoto (~2h 15 min). Nishiki Market, Gion.
Jul 14–17 KYOTO — 3 nights. Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama, Kinkaku-ji, day trip to Nara.
—–14th: Morrning Hikari or Nozomi shinkansen from Tokyo Station (~2h 15 min). Arrive Kyoto. Check in. Afternoon: Nishiki Market and Gion district — spot geiko/maiko in the evening
—–15th: Start at 7 AM at Fushimi Inari — thousands of torii gates. Beat the heat and crowds. 7-year-old can handle the lower loop (~45 min). Afternoon: Philosopher's Path, Nanzen-ji Temple. Early dinner near Gion.
—–16th: 7:30 AM: Bamboo Grove (beautiful before crowds). Tenryu-ji garden. Arashiyama Monkey Park (wild macaques — kids feed them through a fence). Afternoon: Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji), Ryoan-ji rock garden. Optional: matcha making class.
——17th: 7:30 AM: Bamboo Grove (beautiful before crowds). Tenryu-ji garden. Arashiyama Monkey Park (wild macaques — kids feed them through a fence). Afternoon: Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji), Ryoan-ji rock garden. Optional: matcha making class.
Jul 18 (Fri) Shinkansen Kyoto → Osaka (~15 min). Dotonbori food crawl.
Jul 18–20 OSAKA — 2 nights. Street food, shopping, optional Universal Studios.
—– 18th: Quick shinkansen (~15 min). Check into Osaka. Afternoon: Osaka Castle. Evening: Dotonbori — neon signs, giant crab, takoyaki, okonomiyaki. Best street food strip in Japan.
—- 19th:
———-Option A: Universal Studios Japan — Super Nintendo World + Harry Potter. Full day, book tickets online.
———–Option B (if skipping USJ): Kuromon Ichiba Market, Shinsekai retro district, Tsutenkaku Tower views.
—— 20th: Shinsaibashi & Amerika-Mura shopping. Final souvenir run. Memorable farewell dinner — teppanyaki or kaiseki. Pack everything tonight. Set 5 AM alarms.
by Automatic-Exit-1400