3 Nights in. Tokyo - 4 Nights in Kyoto - 2 Nights in Tokyo w. Mt. Fuji Day Trip - 2 Nights in Nikko - 2 Nights in Tokyo

Sharing our Japan Itinerary for our 2nd 2-week Trip to Japan but this time with friends!

(The “More To Do” lists will be updated since I have another Japan trip coming up 👀)

THINGS TO NOTE

• You don’t need to tip, this includes spa services at hotels, etc.

• Although cards are widely accepted, you should still carry cash and coins with you so be sure to carry a coin purse.

• Be prepared to hang on to your trash, they’re not on every corner and are very specific about what trash can be tossed where.

• JR Passes are great if you plan on traveling from city to city. There is a tool on the site to see if it’s more cost effective to book the pass or just book the tickets regularly. Tickets Here

• English is not widely spoken, but don’t be afraid to use Google Translate to help you converse.

• Learn small phrases such as:

  • “thank you” - Arigatōgozaimasu (どうもありがとうございます)

  • “please” - Onegaishimasu (お願いします)

  • “hello” - Kon'nichiwa (こんにちは)

  • “good morning” - Ohayo (おはよう)

  • “good evening” - Konbanwa (こんばんは)

  • “pardon me” - Sumimasen (すみません)

• Get used to bowing a lot, it is a way to greet people and part of proper etiquette in Japan.

• Be respectful when entering sacred places and shrines. Guide here.

• Stand / Walk on the correct side of the street, corridor, stairs, escalator, etc. Can vary between cities.

• Do not eat while walking. Small drinks and snacks are okay but for the most part, eating at the convenience stores / businesses are recommended. (Shops will also only accept their own trash.)

• Quiet on the trains/keep noise to a minimum.

• Bring a compact umbrella for the unpredictable weather.

• Comfy shoes only, you’ll be doing a lot of walking.

• The Suica card is seamless for transportation. This can be loaded onto your phone and you can just tap and go. Also works at shops, convenience stores, etc.

• A lot of places don’t open until 10:30AM/11AM in major cities.

• Use Tabelog to check for restaurant reservations and open hours. Book reservations at restaurants that you definitely want to try if it’s an option.

• Avoid commuting during the rush hours especially if you are moving around with your luggage. Trains get very packed.

• Try to book your accomodations at places to stay that can be conveniently reached by train.

• See if your hotels/bookings will include pajamas. All of our hotels provided them.

• Leave space in your luggage for the souvenirs you will be bringing back.

• Utilize the luggage forwarding system if you can.

• Bring a reusable shopping bag for the convenience stores and other misc. shopping.

• Use an e-sim instead of a pocket wi-fi. We used Holafly.

• Pre-book the experiences you want ahead of time. Things sell out quickly for Shibuya Sky, Disney, TeamLab, etc.

APPS

• MyMizu - Helps you locate places to refill your water bottle. Very useful if you go in the summer.

• Ecbo Cloak - Locations of nearby storage places

• Timeshifter - App I use for helping minimize jet-lag when traveling

• Payke - Helps you get information on a product in english.

• Holafly - E-sim for service during your trip! Loved our experience with Holafly.

• Tabelog - Restaurant Reservations

• Ramen Beast - Ramen Guide

• Smart EX - Booking Shinkansen Tickets

• Klook - Book Trips / Tickets

TRAVEL MUST HAVES

TOKYO - 3 NIGHTS

We stayed at Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi again after enjoying our time here in 2023.

We were the last of our group of 8 to arrive and I’d like to emphasize that this trip is a bit scattered in order to make certain things work for everyone’s itinerary! Otherwise, certain cities might have shifted, such as extending this Tokyo stay so that we could squeeze the Mt. Fuji in this time around instead of going back and forth. However we did make it work and loved experiencing this trip with friends and family! Also just want to note that since this wasn’t our first time in Tokyo and wanted flexibility to meet up with our friends, we didn’t have a super firm / tight itinerary and we also skipped some things that we already did in our 2023 trip.

DAY 1

• Arrival at Airport

• Take NRT Express train to Tokyo. This train takes 1 hour. If you fly into HND, it’s a bit closer to Tokyo.

• Check-in to Hotel

• Meet with Friends for Dinner: Sato Yosuke Ginza Inaniwa Udon

• Arcade & Gacha Games in Akihabara

DAY 2

• Breakfast at Hotel (Most places were not open yet and we woke up around 6AM. Always recommend booking a hotel that has breakfast)

• Shopping and exploring around Shibuya and Harajuku Area. (Be sure to bring your passport with you!)

• Vintage Shopping: My List (Duty free shopping rules may change in 2025! Currently you can get a lower tax-free price at check out but it may change to declaring your tax free goods at the airport)

• Lunch: Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu

• Hotel Break / Drop off Bags

• Meet with friends for Shibuya Sky. Tickets sell out so be sure to book in advance! Buy Tickets Here

• Sandos at Ginza Sand.

DAY 3

• Breakfast at Hotel

• TeamLab Borderless: This exhibit allows you to keep your shoes on compared to Planets, which we did in 2023. Buy Tickets Here

• Lunch at Sushiro

• More shopping around Shibuya / Harajuku / Aoyama

• Exploring Ginza

• Hotel Break

• Dinner at Ginza Steak

• C-Pla Capsule

• Drinks with Friends at Virtu (Great views of the city at night, at Four Seasons Hotel Otemachi)

• Pack for Kyoto

DAY 4

• Breakfast at Hotel

• Check Out and go to Tokyo Station

• Grab food at Daimaru Tokyo Station Food Hall. This is where you can pick up your bento boxes to enjoy on the train.

• 3 Hours from Tokyo to Kyoto

KYOTO - 4 NIGHTS

4 Nights in Kyoto. 2 Nights in Park Hotel Kyoto and 2 Nights at Roku Kyoto.
We had a packed schedule the first two days so we spent no time at Park Hotel Kyoto. This was under $200 a night so it was really solid for the budget before we transferred to Roku, the more relaxed part of our time in Kyoto since the group split off at this time. I recommend not spending too much on a hotel if you’re not spending much time there and splurge if you know you’ll be enjoying all the amenities. I also recommend making Kyoto the first leg of your trip since a lot of temples and gardens are open early in the morning if you’d like to maximize your time. I always underestimate how much there is to do here so I’d like to plan for a week here the next time I am back in Kyoto.

DAY 4:

• Arrive in Kyoto - Check-in to Hotel

• Check out a coffee shop. (Group took a nap)

• Explore Gion District

• Kiyomizu-dera

• Late lunch / Early Dinner at Ichiran

• Meet with friends at Round One. (Arcade with Bowling and other games)

• Convenience Store Run

• Back to Hotel

DAY 5:

• Coffee at Weekender’s Coffee

• Breakfast at Panel Cafe

• Walk around Pontocho Street

• Coffee at Le Labo Machiya

• Nintendo Kyoto

• Lunch at Tendon Makino Kyoto Teramachi (Lines get long but it’s one of my fave meals. Near one of the shopping areas so you can put your name down and wander a little)

• Train to Nara

• Coffee and Matcha at Chami

• Mochi at Nakatanidou (Be sure not to go too late since the live pounding show only happens at certain times)

• Feed the deer / explore Nara

• Train to Fushimi Inari Shrine

• Since we went in 2023, while our friends walked up Fushimi Inari, we got foot massages around the corner lol.

• Dinner at Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu

DAY 6:

• Transfer Hotels / Drop off Bags

• Go to Arashiyama

• %Arabica Arashiyama (Go early, you can also order ahead on the app)

• Had streetfood for early lunch.

• Bamboo Forest

• You can also squeeze in the Monkey Park. We’ve yet to do this on any of our Kyoto trips though lol.

• Met up with the group in Gion

• Dinner at Sushiro

• Wandering around Nishiki Market and the Shopping Arcades

• Back to Hotel

DAY 7:

• Breakfast at Hotel

• Coffee at Walden Woods Kyoto

• Go to Le Labo for the Kyoto Exclusive fragrance (It’s so good but go to the Shinpuhkan location for a shorter wait. Go to Machiya for the cafe)

• Ceramics Shopping

• Exploring Temples

• Walking up Chawan-zaka towards Gion

• Lunch at Komefuku Shijo Karasuma

• Back to Hotel for the rest of the day

• Massages at Hotel

• Room Service Dinner at Hotel

DAY 8:

• In room breakfast

• Kinkaku-ji Temple

• Ryoan-ji

• Head to Kyoto Station

• Have lunch at Kyoto Station

• Train back to Tokyo

MORE TO DO

MORE THINGS TO DO IN KYOTO IF YOUR SCHEDULE ALLOWS

• Day trip to Uji (This is on my list for my next time in Kyoto. It’s the Matcha Capital of Japan)

• Kazariya Teahouse

• Otagi Nenbutsu-Ji Temple

• Arashiyama Kimono Walk

• Daigo-ji Temple

• Hozugawa River Boat Ride

• Silver Pavilion

• Old Mitsui Family Shimogamo Villa

• Kyoto Imperial Palace

FOOD / CAFES

• Itsuki Chaya Arashiyama

• Ujicha Kigetsudo

• Hikiniku

• Hatoya Ryoyousha

• Wife & Husband

• Honkye Owariya

• Kurasu Ebisugawa

MT. FUJI DAY TRIP - 2 NIGHTS IN TOKYO

We went back to Tokyo for 2 nights so we could do a day trip to Mt. Fuji with friends before most of the group flew home. Otherwise, we probably would have done this during the first Tokyo leg or before flying home. Another option was to stay around Mt. Fuji but unfortunately the places we wanted to stay at were all booked. It is beautiful though and the winter has the highest odds of visibility.

We were really happy with the day trip via private transfer. Book here.

DAY 8:

• Check into Hotel. 2 Nights at Shangri-La Tokyo. This location was so convenient since it’s right next to Tokyo Station.

• Shopping around Shibuya

• Dinner at Nadaman.

DAY 9:

• Breakfast at Hotel

• Private Transfer Pick-up at 7:30AM

• Drive to Mt. Fuji Sites

• Saiko Iyashi No Sato Nenba

• Lake Saiko

• Oishi Park

• Lunch at Lawson (Get the Chicken + Pancake though it’s the best from Family-Mart)

• Lawson at Kawaguchiko Station (The one with the famous view although it’s pretty crowded and I think theres a barrier up now)

• Honcho Street

• Chureito Pagoda (This is a HIKE)

• Drive back to Tokyo

• Ramen for dinner at Oreryu Shio-Ramen

• Shopping at Don Quijote for souvenirs

• Back to Hotel to Pack

DAY 10:

• Breakfast at the Hotel

• Pack Luggage - We requested the hotel forward our luggage to our next Tokyo Hotel since we didn’t want to bring everything to Nikko with us. Such a great decision that we will definitely be doing for future multi-city trips in Japan.

• Head to Tobu Asakusa Station for Spacia X Train to Nikko

MORE TO DO

NIKKO - 2 NIGHTS

Nikko was one of the places we wanted to check out on this trip and we’re so glad we did. Marco was able to book our stay at The Ritz-Carlton Nikko on points and it’s such a stunning property. One thing we would do differently is book a car rental once we arrived in Nikko. Book Spacia X here.

DAY 10:

• Check into Hotel. The road to RC Nikko is long and winding so if you get motion sickness, bring what you’ll need with you.

• Onsen Experience - Guide on how to properly enter an onsen.

• Dinner at the Hotel

DAY 11:

• Breakfast at the Hotel

• Walk to Kegon Falls

• Walk to the Akechidaira Ropeway

• Get the strawberry ice cream!

• Lunch at the Hotel

• Exploring around the Lake

• Spa and Massages

• Afuri Ramen

DAY 12:

• Breakfast at Hotel

• Pack

• Train back to Tokyo

TOKYO - 2 NIGHTS

Last leg of the trip before flying home! Still had 2 friends in Tokyo so we were able to meet up for dinner since we were here during Thanksgiving. I’d recommend having at least 3-4 nights in Tokyo before flying home if you’re looking to do your shopping at this point.

DAY 12:

• Tour of Janu Tokyo

• Go to Shibuya for Menchirashi (This is known for the Carbonara Udon. The line gets long, personally wouldn’t wait longer than 20-30 minutes for this spot, there’s tons of great udon spots in the city)

• BIC Camera - Shopping for some electronics and equipment

• Casetify at Parco

• Spa Treatment

• Food from Konbini

DAY 13:

• Breakfast at Janu Hotel

• Coffee at Arabica

• Tokyo Tower

• Bus to Ginza

• Explore Ginza / Ginza Six

• Order Custom Chopsticks from Ginza Natsuno

• Kaitenzushi Nemuro Hanamaru Ginza

• Nail appointment at Function Nails! Loved getting my nails done at the end of the trip, they held up so long once I got home. Book here!

• Dinner at Sumi

DAY 14:

• Breakfast at Hotel

• Coffee at Cafe Reissue

• Vintage Camera shopping at Kitamura (Definitely go here at the beginning of your trip so you can capture your days on film too!)

• Back to Hotel to Pack

• Head to Narita Airport

MORE TO DO

I recommend watching Vlogs / Content on Social Media to find places to go to and bookmark them on your Google Maps.
This way, you’ll be able to zone out certain activities if you’re in a particular neighborhood!

MORE THINGS TO DO IN TOKYO IF YOUR SCHEDULE ALLOWS

• Meiji Jingu Shrine

• Senso-ji

• Tokyo Skytree

• Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

• Ghibli Museum

• Imperial Palace

• TeamLab Planets

• Tsukiji Outer Market

• Yoyogi Park

• Kappabashi Kitchen Street

• Shimokitazawa (Great for thrifting)

• National Art Center

• Inokashira Park

• Gotokuji Temple

• Meguro River

FOOD PLACES & CAFES

• Seryna Sukiyaki

• Tonkatsu Maisen Aoyama

• Tempura Abe

• Tempura Miyashiro

• Onibus Coffee

• Imakatsu Ginza

• Seagen in Tsukiji

• Tsujihan

• Benitsuru Fluffy Pancakes

• Afuri Ramen

• Golden Gai

• Melon Pan from Asakusa Kagetsudo

• Rokurinsha

• Sushi Asaba

• Oedo for Unagi

• Ginza Fugetsudo

• Nakano

• Cremia Ice Cream

• Toyama Sushi Ginza

• Sushi No Midori

• Rare Tendon Ginza Mitsuyoshi

• Ramen Yamaguchi

• Tonkatsu Suzuki

• Mensho

• Ganso Mentainikomi

• Baggage Coffee

• Udon Shin

• Yakiuo Ishikawa

You can find my 2 week Itinerary that includes Osaka here.