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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Helfeather on 2024-04-07 17:25:12.
Just got back from an 18-day trip to Japan with my partner, his first time, and my second time. I have linked my spreadsheet below which has 2 tabs: the updated TRIP REPORT tab which denotes what we actually did, and my WORKING ITINERARY which was the pre-trip planned schedule. I’ve also left the prices of things we paid for as I think it’ll be helpful for people to know what they’re expecting to spend.
For the most part, it went really well. If you compare the two tabs, we had leaned into sleeping in more often but staying out later, which worked out fine in Tokyo and Osaka. Some things we fell short on was stuff to do in Kawaguchiko and Hakone as the buses are jampacked there, so we spent a lot more time at our nice ryokans which worked out because they have tons of amenities. If we had booked regular hotels, I think we would have tried to do more stuff to get our times’ worth but the ryokan accommodations were really fantastic. We did decide that many of the touristy spots are too crowded, and Kawaguchiko and Hakone are WAY too crowded in that buses are overrun… But otherwise a very fun trip.
PRE-TRIP
We loaded ¥20,000 into our mobile Suica on our Apple Wallets and it was very handy. As soon as you arrive at NRT you can go grab a drink from the first vending machine you see lol. I 100% suggest you set up mobile Suica before you go! We also bought 10g esims before going and activated it right before getting on the plane (from Los Angeles) so it was working when we landed. Our ryokans and hotels were booked about 3 months in advance and I did as many early reservations I could (about a month before for most). Shibuya Sky during sunset and Pokemon Cafe were the two difficult ones. We didn’t book any Shinkansen in advance but we did setup our Hakone freepass and Romancecar tickets. We did all the transit pathing while there via Google maps which worked out just fine.
DAY 1 - 4, TOKYO
We landed in NRT late afternoon so wasn’t much of a chance to do too much and definitely not able to try to ship our luggage directly to our hotel. Based on my research, you’d have to do this before noon at the latest for same-day delivery. Optionally next time I think maybe we can just store necessities in our backpacks and leave our luggage to be delivered on the second day. NRT has free wifi but it can be slow, so we had our esims as backup while we figure some stuff out during immigration. Our hotel was in Iidabashi, Chiyoda City which wasn’t too hard to get to. We used the ticket counter at NRT and got on the Skyliner so it was a little faster then a local train to Iidabashi. If you’ve got time and want to save a little money I think there’s a slower way, the Marunouchi line which travels all the way for much cheaper but makes a ton of stops, as we took this back to the airport on our last day. We ate in Ikebukuro just to kind of see some of the city and a nice hot meal before we ended our travel day.
Next morning we went to Kaminarimon, Senso-ji, in Asakusa. It’s a Saturday so it was SUPER crowded… Expect some difficulty taking photos as other tourists are very much in the way all the time lol. Still something worth seeing as one of the well-known attractions of Asakusa. Once we had our fill we went to Ginza as we had a lunch reservation at Ginza Toyoda. 5/5 kaiseki style lunch, fantastic introduction to Japanese cuisine that isn’t sushi/ramen. Since we’re in Ginza, we shopped around the area, not crowded at all. At night we went to an okay omakase sushi join, then went to go see Shibuya Crossing. Super crowded, as expected, but make sure you snap a picture with Hachiko!
Day 3 we then went to Takeshita Street, Harajuku. Again, super crowded but a must-see. We then went to Tokyo Skytree and Sumida Aquarium in the evening. They have a combo ticket pack for both if you’re interested! Skytree was okay, too crowded, but Sumida Aquarium was pretty cool especially if you love jellyfish. They’re right next to each other so very convenient.
Our last day in Tokyo before going to Kyoto, we went to see Tsukiji market! Cool experience with the market stalls but know that the food is overpriced and very tourist-centric. We opted for some seafood and the very popular tamagoyaki sticks and that was it. Take the time to go to Toyosu market which is much newer, slightly less crowded, and still some good food options. More of a mall-type restaurant place though so it’s not a replacement for Tsukiji market. Teamlab Planets is also nearby so it made an easy transition. Planets is a 5/5 experience, though I don’t consider is a must-see for Japan. It’s really not even very Japanese-feeling but still a quality experience. At night we went to go check out Shibuya area some more, especially the very large shopping building Shibuya Parco. We also shipped our luggage using Yamato Transport (also known as kuroneko or tak-q-bin/takkyubin) to Kyoto which cost around $25 USD per luggage; our hotel helped fill it out and do the measurements. It was great. We would continue to use this service for the rest of the trip between hotels.
DAY 5 - 7, KYOTO
We used the SmartEx website to book our Shinkansen tickets which was very handy. I’ve heard the app sucks so use the website. You might run into VISA problems so book with a Mastercard as a backup (such as Apple Card). They don’t give you a physical ticket but it was easy enough to show the QR code to the gate attendants and they either give you a ticket or just pass you through. If they give you a ticket make sure you keep it, as you’ll need it to exit with the attendant at your destination as well. Went to Nishiki market which was cool, similar to Tsukiji market. Going to Kiyomizu-dera temple was super crowded but still a worthwhile sight as the traditional Japanese style buildings and temple was great. After that, we went into Gion and I found this duck rice place that was super good and 5/5 meal.
Next morning, very early, we went to Arashiyama bamboo forest! Go before 8a if you want a chance at an empty photo. As soon as it hit 8a you see a lot more people arriving. There’s a very yummy wagyu beef bowl place called Kijurou nearby which has a line even before it opens, so get in line if you want to eat there, 5/5. Then went to Kinkakuji, the golden temple, which was okay. Tired, we retired early for the next morning. We also got our ready for takkyubin in the morning.
And this morning we got up extra early to go to Fushimi Inari so there’d be a lot less people. The earlier the better. He got our pictures in and hiked maybe halfway before deciding cool, we’re done with the experience lol. Went to Kyoto Imperial Palace which was very cool, well maintained piece of history. Some shopping, then a night experience at Nijo Castle. The experience was supposed to be for cherry blossoms but they didn’t bloom yet so we only saw naked trees… 1/5 experience.
DAY 8 - 9 OSAKA, NARA
I’m not a big fan of Osaka but it’s still worth a trip. We didn’t do that much but at night definitely go see the bustling scene at Dotonbori. Lots of food options and buskers, but again very tourist-centric prices.
Went to Nara the next morning, arriving around noon. It was a very chill town and found out that the deer are actually “wild” deer, so they come and go. The park is open, very minimal fencing, so the deer just come and go, hang out, etc. There are cracker venders around every corner and no entry fees. Definitely cool experience. Then head to Rokumei Coffee for a fantastic coffee and pastry midday! After coffee we headed back to Osaka and went to Teamlab Botanical Garden… Not that cool, 3/5, Borderless and Planets are way more fun.
DAY 10 - 11, KAWAGUCHIKO
In the morning we sent out luggage via takkyubin to our Tokyo hotel and just took a backpack each. Found out that getting to Kawaguchiko from Osaka is not quite streamlined… So we ended up taking the Shinkansen to Shin-Yokohama then some local-ish trains north, then Odakyu line west into Fuji… Several transfers and hours later, we got there. Definitely easier to come here straight from Tokyo. Anyway, cloudy weather so we didn’t have too great of a shot of Mt Fuji but the lake was beautiful and our ryokan was amazing.
Next morning, our view of Mt Fuji was PERFECT with no clouds. We hiked our butts up to Tenku no Torii for pictures which took a bit of time, and another hour of standing in line for it… Coming down, we went to Houtou Fudou which serves really only one thing and it was delicious, 5/5 would recommend. Went back to enjoy our ryokan onsen!
DAY 12 - 13, TOKYO
We went back to Tokyo for some filler days because we couldn’t line up Hakone right after but we filled it with Shibuya Sky (book a month in advance to get sunset times) and it was 100% better than Tokyo Skytree. The second day we went to Teamlab Borderless which was a 5/5 experience and a coffee tasting at Mameya Kakeru, 5/5 as well. Luggage via takkyubin to our next Tokyo hotel while we just use backpacks for Hakone.
DAY 14, HAKONE
Getting to Hakone wasn’t a big deal, but once you get there it becomes very apparent how difficult it is to get around… Buses are often full, and it’s just overcrowded with tourists. We spent most of the day at our ryokan instead which was full of amenities so no big deal.
Next morning we checked out and left our backpacks at the ryokan, and …
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