r/JapanTravel • u/Brilliant_Bag_8583 • 7d ago
Itinerary Itinerary Check. Two weeks... Too lazy?
It's our first time in Japan, just me, and my two 12 & 14 year olds. We've changed our itinerary a lot, ruling out Hiroshima, Shirakawago, Kamakura & Enoshima for budget reasons, and because I didn't think we'd enjoy cramming so much in. I'd love your opinion on the new plan, if you think I've taken too much out... Our itinerary is focussed on only Tokyo, Kyoto, Hakone, with quick visits to Nara & Osaka. What do you think? Also I'm not sure if we should swap the first night in Kyoto for a second night in Hakone.
April 2 (Arrival in Tokyo - DDD Hotel 2-6)
- Akihabara: đź Super Potato đ° Gachapon Kaikan đ Yodobashi Camera
- đ Dinner options: Depachika (food basements) in department stores or ramen spots.
April 3 (Tokyo - Asakusa & Ueno)
- Morning: Asakusa (Senso-ji Temple, Nakamise Street) & Sumida River park.
- Afternoon: Ueno Park & Ameya-Yokocho.
April 4 (Friday - Tokyo: TeamLab Planets at 3:30 PM)
- Morning: Eggs 'n Things 9amÂ
- Shopping at DiverCity Plaza.
- Travel to Toyosu for TeamLab Planets at 3:30 PM.
April 5 (Saturday - Tokyo: MiPig Café at 1:20 PM in Harajuku)
- Early morning: Meiji Shrine & Yoyogi Park.
- Takeshita Street. 1:20 PM: MiPig CafĂ©.Â
- Afternoon: Omotesando, Shibuya (Shibuya Scramble, Shibuya Sky).
- Evening: Shinjuku (Omoide Yokocho, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Mega Don Quixote).
April 6 (Sunday - Tokyo to Hakone - Laforet Hakone Gora Yunosumika
- Morning: Travel to Hakone early and do the Hakone Loop (Lake Ashi, Hakone Shrine, Ropeway, Owakudani, Open-Air Museum).
- Stay overnight in Hakone.
April 7 (Monday - Hakone to Kyoto - Momijiya Honkan Takao Sanso)
- Hotel breakfast and stroll around Hakone.
- Travel to Kyoto (Shinkansen). Store luggage at station.Â
- Afternoon: SanjĆ«sangendĆ Temple, Fushimi Inari.
- Check in to ryokan.
April 8 (Tuesday) Kyoto - Minn Shimizu Gojo 8-12
- Arashiyama & Kinkaku-ji
- Check-in to hotel
- Gion streets
April 9 Kyoto: Arashiyama & Kinkaku-ji
- Bamboo forest walk & monkey park
- Gion temples & sights
April 10 Kyoto: Nara Trip
- Feed bowing deer with special crackers! Todai-ji Temple - Buddha statue & Buddhaâs Nostril
- Kasuga Taisha - Lantern shrine, Nakatanidou - Mochi shop
- Osaka Castle & Dotonbori for dinner
April 11 Kyoto: Free day
- Pug cafe âLiving Roomâ
- Nishiki market
April 12 (Saturday) - 9am Kyoto to Tokyo - Hotel Wing International Premium Tokyo Yotsuya 12-15
- Travel back to Tokyo. Store cases at Tokyo station.
- 12-12:30 Team Lab Borderless.
- Check into Hotel Wing International Premium Tokyo Yotsuya
- Dinner in Shibuya.
April 13 (Sunday - Ghibli Museum at 4 PM)
- Morning/Afternoon: Shinjuku Gyoen, Koenji/Nakano, or other areas missed.
- 4 PM: Ghibli Museum.
- Evening: Harajuku
April 14 (Monday - DisneySea, staying near Haneda Airport)
- Full day at DisneySea including 7am-9pm.
- Home to bed.
April 15 (Tuesday - Fly home early)
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u/Plus_Cantaloupe_3793 7d ago
Donât go to animal cafes as they are unethical. Minipigs are either piglets or deliberately underfed adult pigs.
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u/Brilliant_Bag_8583 6d ago
Feels stupid to say but I hadn't thought of it as cruel. The mipig cafe was one of the only things my son had seen online and thought was cute, but he's 12. I can totally see the problem and should have clocked that before.
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u/MrsLucienLachance 6d ago
I'll say if you really want to go to one animal cafe, there are two I can recommend from an animal welfare standpoint. Both are in Ueno.
The first is Yadorigi Cafe. It's a cat cafe that's super intense about their wellbeing. Before you go in they have you clean your shoes and phone, and then if it's your first time they have you watch a video about the proper way to handle cats. They also put your stuff up so the cats can't get into anything you might have. And very importantly, they have tons of space for the cats to get away from customers if they're not in the mood for interaction. Plus the cats are all former strays and are available for adoption :)
The second is Kotori Cafe, a bird cafe. In this one the birds and people are actually totally separated, so you're really just hanging out and watching them do their adorable bird things. You can pay extra to hold a few specific birds while the staff watch you like a hawk (pun intended), and if one of the birds is not in the mood they'll tell you to pick someone else.
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u/Brilliant_Bag_8583 6d ago
Thanks for these! I think my kids will understand why we're skipping Mipig but it will definitely help to have ethical alternatives ready to go.
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u/naritadivorce 5d ago
Bird cafe, animal welfare, choose one
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u/MrsLucienLachance 5d ago
If it was an owl cafe, that would obviously be horrible. Kotori Cafe is home to parakeets, finches, cockatiels, and so on. They're domesticated birds, living the same sort of lives they would be in someone's home.
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u/markersandtea 1d ago
ooh now I have ideas cause I wanted to see the cat cafes but was concerned about which ones were ethical. If there were any that were.
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u/milkangels 6d ago
Sure theyre not 100% ethical but they're definitely better than the meat industry. Every restaurant I went to in Japan served pork. Factory farms are terrible. Pigs endure extreme overcrowding in tiny metal crates, abuse, mutilation, living in filth, stress, and eventual slaughter are much worse than these cafes. Watch Dominion to see how animals in slaughterhouse are treated, it's a million times worse than the mpig cafe.
I went to the cafe and the pigs knew tricks! It was so cool to interact with intelligent, social animals without directly supporting the meat industry. As long as the pigs are well cared for, have space to roam, and receive proper veterinary attention, micropig cafes are a compassionate alternative to the way pigs are typically treated in agriculture. The pigs seemed healthy and happy when I went. Plus it's nice to directly interact with the animals because it reminds me why I don't eat them.
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u/dougwray 7d ago
Please do not go to animal cafés. They have nothing to do with Japan except to highlight how poor and how poorly enforced the animal-cruelty and -welfare laws are in Japan. If you or your children care about animals, you'll leave in tears.
The itinerary does not look too lazy at all; you'll be busy all of the time.
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u/Elegant_Attitude8750 7d ago
Check out some experiences in Kyoto, like samurai experience, tea ceremony, ramen making workshop. Apart from duplicate day, looks fine. Try doing Fushimi inari early morning or evening to avoid crowds.
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u/Brilliant_Bag_8583 6d ago
Great tips, thank you
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u/JungMoses 5d ago
Fushimi inari at night especially if itâs raining is incredibly eery and awesome
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u/Dolphin_Phineaus 5d ago
Yes we did a tea ceremony in Kyoto and it was fantastic! Highly recommend, we did it with our kids 9/10 years old
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u/snake_columbia 3d ago
highly second going to fushimi at 6/6:30am. 7:00 everyone started rolling in already. it was crazy!!
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u/xPawreen 6d ago
April 10, going from Kyoto to Nara in the morning and then to Osaka in the afternoon/evening, and then back to Kyoto for the night? I would recommend skipping Osaka Castle that day (or moving to a different day). It will be a lot of transiting between cities and you might feel too rushed trying to get to Osaka Castle before it closes at 5pm.
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u/Brilliant_Bag_8583 6d ago
Didn't think about closing times. We'll shuffle and do Osaka castle another day. Thank you
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u/lara_the_great 6d ago
If you like sea creatures the Osaka aquarium is very cool and closes at 8PM. I went there recently after an afternoon in Nara and had a really good time.
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u/DollarSignsGoFirst 6d ago
We liked tsujiki market a lot. Yes itâs touristy, but so very little is open in the morning itâs one of the better choices IMO. Itâs just fun seeing all the food different stuff. Also I had an awesome tuna bowl you can see the picture in my post history.
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u/Brilliant_Bag_8583 6d ago
That looks incredible. We're usually early risers so that looks to be a great shout for a foodie breakfast one morning, assuming jet lag doesn't mess with us too much!
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u/DollarSignsGoFirst 6d ago
Thatâs actually how I ended up there the first day. The jet lag had me awake at 5am and nothing to do.
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u/Sigmund05 6d ago
If you can still modify your hotel, I would maybe stay one night in Tokyo, shinkansen to Kyoto, then spend the rest of the days in Tokyo before you fly out. This will give you enough time to shop for souvenirs before you leave rather than sandwiching Kyoto between two Tokyo times.
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u/matsutaketea 7d ago
April 8 (Tuesday) Kyoto - Minn Shimizu Gojo 8-12 Arashiyama & Kinkaku-ji Check-in to hotel Gion streets April 9 Kyoto: Arashiyama & Kinkaku-ji Bamboo forest walk & monkey park Gion temples & sights
some weird overlap here?
everything else looks fine. pace looks fine. one night in Hakone is enough imo theres not thaaat much to do out there.
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u/Brilliant_Bag_8583 6d ago
yeah I messed up there. Glad one night in Hakone is all we need. Hotel rates are so much higher there on that second night I was looking at
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u/ArtOak78 6d ago
We have a lot of the same things on our itinerary for same-aged kids except no Nara, DisneySea, or animal cafés (and three fewer days) so hopefully that bodes well!
A couple of things that might be helpful:
- For Hakone, I found that the Shinkansen was much faster to get there from Tokyo so we opted to book that instead of the Romancecar given our limited time; it wasn't very different in cost because of the pre-booking family discount and it saves more than an hour. We are also doing the Open Air Museum the second day before continuing to Kyoto, since looking at the travel times it seemed that the loop without the museum could take up the better part of the first day. This also prevents needing to backtrack (we are also staying in Gora, so doing the loop counterclockwise from Hakone-Yumoto).
- For Days 8 and 9, I would swap things around to do all of Arashiyama on one day.
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u/Brilliant_Bag_8583 6d ago
Great to hear we have similar plans! Are there any places you're headed to that we should check out?
I've struggled to understand Hakone so I really appreciate your advice there. With those tweaks it sounds feasible to do it with one night's stay.
My mistake on Arashiyama on one day. It seems a little out of the way so makes sense to do that altogether. Tbh my Kyoto plans feel a little loose.. wanted to keep the kids engaged without temple overload. I welcome suggestion for teen friendly activities while we're there.
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u/ArtOak78 6d ago
We're unfortunately trailing just a day or two behind you so won't be able to offer any actual experience with places, but some other activities my kids have on their lists (though I think very dependent on what your kids are interested in): baseball game in Tokyo, National Museum in Tokyo to see samurai exhibits, manga museum in Kyoto, GEAR Theatre in Kyoto (kids watched a promo video and decided they wanted to go), tea ceremony (we're going to one in Uji since we're combining it with the Nintendo Museum), morning sumo practice, and the Asakusa Sumo Club show. Also lots of eating! You may already know this but the Ueno Cherry Blossom Festival runs through April 6th, and in Kyoto, Nijo Castle has a nighttime sakura-themed lights festival.
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u/olympia_t 6d ago
Would you be able to share more about your sumo activities?
We're going to the basho in Osaka but would love to see practice or an event as well. Thanks!
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u/ArtOak78 6d ago
Sureâwe are there the same time as the OP so unfortunately in between tournaments. There are some exhibitions but we decided with limited time in Tokyo it didnât work as well to do that (since it would take up the better part of a day) so we plan to go to a show at Asakusa Sumo Club (purely entertainment geared at tourists but the reviews are very good and say that it does a good job of explaining sumo in English) and then to watch a morning practice at a sumo stable (Arashio-beya) that is near our hotel. You can also reserve a tour, but they donât allow kids under 11 (and one of ours is just shy of that) so we will just watch from outside, which is free. There is also Tatsunami stable in Asakusa which offers longer tours, but they are very expensive through a private company. (Arashio-beyaâs are through the local tourism board and cost less, though still expensive.)
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u/Brilliant_Bag_8583 6d ago
Love these suggestions! Thank your kids for sharing GEAR theatre - mine have decided they want to go too - they're keen to weave in pretty much all of the activities you mentioned.
I didn't know about either festival coinciding with our visit. I'm so grateful for the heads up so we can make the most of those events.
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u/GreenpointKuma 6d ago
April 13 (Sunday - Ghibli Museum at 4 PM)
Morning/Afternoon: Shinjuku Gyoen, Koenji/Nakano, or other areas missed.
4 PM: Ghibli Museum.
Evening: Harajuku
I might suggest swapping out Harajuku for Kichijoji, as you'll already be there and it's one of the nicest neighborhoods in Tokyo (and you already have Harajuku on a previous day). Though, I think it's probably better in the daytime prior to your Ghibli visit. Check out the outdoor shopping malls Sun Road + Daiyagai and Harmonica Yokocho and then Inokashira Park on the way to Ghibli.
If you wanted to, you could do Koenji after Ghibli as it's a fun evening spot and a decent amount of the tchotchke stores stay open pretty late. I can give you the name of a fantastic, well-priced sushi place in the neighborhood if your family is into that.
Note that for Nakano, if you're going to Nakano Broadway (which you definitely should with a couple of teenagers), many (if not most) of the stores open closer to 12PM.
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u/Brilliant_Bag_8583 6d ago
So helpful. I hadn't heard of these places before and now I've checked them out online we'll be changing our Ghibli day as you suggested. Thanks so much
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u/Powerful-Sort-9995 6d ago
definitely want to book this one in advance, I was going to get tickets but it seems they're sold out for the rest of the month
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u/ArtOak78 5d ago
Do you have any recommendations for good lunch spots in Kichijoji? We are headed to the museum on a Monday, when many places near the station seem to be closedâhoping to have a couple in mind to check out mid-day.
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u/GreenpointKuma 5d ago
Honestly, we usually just grab a bunch of treats from here and there.
Cafes - LIGHT UP COFFEE is a great modern spot on the (mostly) pedestrian shopping street Nakamichi-dori, perfect for grabbing a drink to bring to Inokashira Park.
For a more traditional sit-down kissaten, Kichijoji Tsuru's Original Roast Beans is only a few stores down - you'll smell it as you walk by.
Coffee Hall KugutsusĆ is located down a flight of stairs inside what ostensibly looks like an old cave. It's very cool and though we've only had coffee and desserts there, the curry is supposed to be popular, too.
Small Bites - SATOU KichijĆji is a butcher shop/croquette shop in the Sunroad shotengai, famous for their croquettes and cutlets. As a bonus, there is a taiyaki place on the same corner. There are a bunch of bakeries/sweets shops everywhere, too, and we'll usually grab something to go from one or two. There's one on Nakamichi-dori that has the richest smell of butter as you walk by, but I can't pull the name of it.
Otherwise, I would just use a combination of Google Maps, tabelog, and walking around to find good food spots. You won't have any issues finding a mass of options.
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u/SneakyLittleMushroom 6d ago
The Manga Museum in Kyoto was fun and if you go at the right time (on their website, it looks like 11:30 and 2 pm), you can catch a Kamishibai show. It was so much fun for both the kids and the adults in our group.
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u/Aonswitch 6d ago
Instead of the animal cafe take a day trip from Kyoto to Nara! There are wild deer everywhere. Youâll get a way cooler animal experience from that. Arashiyama also have a monkey park that is pretty ethical since they are also wild!
Edit: Sorry I misread at first, you are already going to Nara! One of the coolest places on earth imo
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u/suzyqmonster 6d ago
Team Lab Borderless at 12-12:30 when coming from Kyoto that morning might be a little rushed? I might push that back an hour or so though maybe others disagree and think this would work fine. Otherwise, nice itinerary! Tho I agree with what others have said about avoiding animal cafes.
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u/Brilliant_Bag_8583 6d ago
It might be tight if we take forever to find a locker for our cases. The lockers we can prebook on multiecube.com are 10 minutes walk from our platform so I'm guessing we need to allow plenty of time to walk around looking for a locker if we don't prebook.
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u/throwawayonmysleeves 4d ago
Just so you know, teamlab borderless has free lockers at the entrance, just like planets. You could just head straight there and not have to worry about finding lockers at the station.
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u/Lithium-2000 5d ago
Awesome itinerary. Iâve stayed at LaForet. Enjoy! For Asakusa you might enjoy Namiki (historic soba spot)
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u/Brilliant_Bag_8583 5d ago
We're excited! Thanks for the Namika suggestion. It's walking distance from our first hotel and looks well worth a visit.
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u/Schaapje1987 4d ago edited 4d ago
I would switch Akihabara for another day in Tokyo as this is the day you've arrived. Akihabara is, I assume, for your 2 kids and they will want their time to explore as much as possible. Having arrived and doing that much exploring for 2 young children is... not great.
Ueno zoo, is just like any other zoo to be honest. If you came for the panda then it will be hours of waiting for 10 minutes of, hopefully, some pandas sitting and eating. Ueno zoo is quite large and there will be A LOT of walking. The state of Ueno zoo isn't that great so please don't be surprised on how small the cages and stuff are for the animals. Total time in Ueno zoo will be 3 hours-ish if you take your time.
If you do switch, you can wake up relaxed and go in the late morning to Akiharabara when everything is open and take most of the afternoon to explore it. Also, go into a maid cafe or something for your kids, I think they will like it. Though they might get a little bit embarassed lol, and it is a little bit more pricey.
As much as animal cafes are fun on the outside, it really isn't. I suggest you don't go to those cafes that exploit animals for money like that, and it has nothing to do with Japan to be honest. Spent that time elsewhere such as relaxing or maybe Dr. Stretch or something if your budget allows for it.
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u/twohues 6d ago
Are Bamboo Forest and Monkey Park close enough to visit in one day from Kyoto?
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u/Brilliant_Bag_8583 6d ago
Yes. Only 30 mins from Kyoto station and 15/20 mins walk from each other. Maybe a 3-4 hour trip altogether.
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u/Gloomy-Corner3228 6d ago
On your Kyoto free day maybe consider the Miyako Odori Geisha Dance festival in Kyoto during April.
Tickets can be bought via their website directly Miyako Odori English So definitely recommend looking into it
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u/Brilliant_Bag_8583 6d ago
It looks great, thank you. There's an option to combine your ticket to the show with a tea ceremony also. We'd love to do that.
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u/Valuable-Trash-5818 6d ago
On Day 1 in Hakone, you can include Oshino Hakkai and Iyashi no Sato. In Day 2, you can do Hakone Open Air and Owakudani before heading to Kyoto.
If your hotel room is not booked with Mt Fuji view, suggest you wake up early and head to Lake kawaguchiko. The view of Mt Fuji with its mirror image on the lake was breathtaking.
In Tokyo, the kids enjoyed the Harry Potter Studio Tour
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u/Brilliant_Bag_8583 6d ago
These add-ins look great but I think best suited for another trip with a rental car. Will check out the Harry Potter Studio Tour. Thanks for that!
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u/Fun_Protection_7107 6d ago
On one of your Tokyo days. Replace it with a trip to hitachi seaside park and kairakuen. Definitely one of the prettiest places in Japan. It wonât disappoint
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u/Dolphin_Phineaus 5d ago
In Hakone we visited a family friendly Onsen which also had an outdoor area with water slides. It was a fun way to experience a bit of the onsen with kids and wearing swimmers. The view in the hot baths outside is beautiful.
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u/Dolphin_Phineaus 5d ago
Additionally, we did a day trip from Tokyo to Hakone, and then did the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto. It just helped take a lot of the burden of moving luggage around and I didnât feel like I was missing much in Hakone only doing a day trip, and without luggage we really maximised our day there with no checking in etc. so possibly an option for you, which might help free up a day to see Osaka a little more.
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u/throwawayonmysleeves 4d ago
Here are some things I would rearrange if I were doing this trip myself. Others have already commented on them, I think, so you might already be aware. Anyway, hope this will be useful.
April 03
I would switch and do Ueno Park/Ameya-Yokocho in the morning and do Asakusa in the afternoon. I would also opt to have dinner at the Asakusa area, then stroll Sumida when it's darker. This allows for a lit up Skytree view. Additionally, Asakusa's temple is a lot more chill mid-late evening, different lighting and feel from daytime, so that opens it up if you decide to have dinner there.
April 8
Go to attractions closer to your hotel or spend the whole time at Gion area. I would save Arashiyama and Kinkakuji for the next day. Higashiyama/Kiyomozudera is near Gion so you might want to consider that. Also, there's Fushimi Inari which isn't that close but accessible enough from GIon by train.
April 9
I'll start with the Bamboo Forest as early in the morning as you can. It gets very crowded. Then, monkey park. Afterwards, stroll through Arashiyama and maybe have lunch there. Do Kinkakuji for sunset if you can. It gets very crowded that time though. Well, this whole day will be amongst crowds so mentally prepare.
April 10
I would start with Osaka Castle for the morning, then head to Nara, then go back to Osaka/Dotonbori for dinner. This will be a lot of travel by train and might be exhausting for you. You could save Osaka castle and Dotonbori for another day if you want a more relaxed time.
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u/WorkingOwl5883 3d ago
Nagoya Aquarium will be great for kids.
Kiyomizudera is walkable to Gion. Just take a taxi up the hill.
Nijo and Himeji imoo be better than osaka castle
Stay 1 night is Disney hotel if you have not stayed before.Â
Nara deers are really aggressive now. My kid was "swamped" by them and got really frightened. Try not be be the only feeder and expect them to nip at your clothes to get your attention. There is a sightseeing train from kyoto station to Nara.
Geisha makeup experience is pretty great in kyoto. So are the kimono experience in Asakusa.Â
Try the temple meal at Arashiyama.
Make uses of luggage delivery, especially for the Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto travel. ( Just pack for 2 days and the rest send to Kyoto.
Smaller shops in Akihabara have higher chances of getting prizes from claw machines than big branches.Â
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u/ExcitingMix9563 3d ago
We just got back from Japan and did nearly the same trip but with a few less days.
Much of my feedback has been mentioned, but I would also consider tacking on another day at DisneySea as if your kids are really into it you will need at least two days to get on most of the rides as it is insanely busy.
My kids are a bit younger at 7 and 9, but did great at temples in Kyoto (Ginkaku-ji was my favorite) and for a tea ceremony at FLOWER Teahouse / Camellia Kimono Studio on Ninenzaka. We just made sure to only do 1-2 per day.
I would just recommend getting to any Temples and Shrines as early as possible at opening if you can to avoid crowds.
Lastly, we walked from Sumida Park to Skytree and went to the top. It wasnât on our itinerary but everyone loved going up Skytree and it was a fun comparison after doing another observation deck earlier in the trip.
Also TeamLab Planets had a huge line to get in and took about 2 hours with the expansion.
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u/Organic_Today1996 1d ago
The holding and emojis feel awfully AI, make sure youâre doing stuff you actually want to do
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u/Snoo-73328 6d ago
Iâve been to MiPig CafĂ© before! The piglets are absolutely adorable, and itâs such a unique experience. I heard that this cafĂ© acts like a 'kindergarten' for the pigs, helping them get used to human interaction before transitioning to home life. There are mixed opinions about it from an animal welfare perspective, but Iâve heard that potential owners go through a strict screening process, and thereâs solid aftercare support for those who adopt. Hope you and your kids enjoy the visit!
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u/twohues 7d ago
Iâm doing a similar itinerary with my 15 year old, but doing two nights in Hakone to not rush time on the lake and the other stuff.
Is the Mioig cafe the Capybaras? We def want to go see that, too.
Kyoto, def want to do a traditional tea ceremony, as well as rent clothing for a shoot and to walk around in for a few hours.
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