My Japan Itinerary
Now that I’m finished sharing both my summer and winter Japan diaries, and even my foodie bucket list, I want to now list my recommended itinerary for your next Japan visit! Thankfully, I have a lot of awesome people around me that ask for my suggestions on what to do in certain places on their travels, so I figured I would share what I would recommend to them when going to Japan.
I’ll start off with the cities I have visited that are usual stops for most travelers, listing things I have done and adding in things from my bucket list I want to do on future visits (that will be label with an *). Also, note that this is a generic, all-around list of things I feel like are a must do, but I can always curate lists based on the person, how well I know them and their interests.
Tokyo
Tokyo Tower
Zojoji Temple*
Senso-ji + Asakusa Temple
Akihabara
Try to win something in the arcades in Akihabara
Try Gachapon machines
Ueno Park
Ginza (popular shopping district)
Shibuya Crossing
See the Giant Godzilla head in Shinjuku
Shinjuku Gyoen (celebrate Hanami here during cherry blossom season)*
Harajuku
Meiji Shrine
Ikebukuro + Pokemon Megastore
Visit a themed cafe
Visit the fish market
Stay in a capsule hotel*
Eat lots of sushi, ramen or other foods listed in my previous blog post
Visit the Ghibli Museum*
Gotokuji Temple (famous for all their lucky cats)*
Imperial Palace grounds
Nakameguro (another perfect spot for cherry blossom viewing)*
Starbucks Reserve Roastery*
Rowboat @ Chidorigafuchi*
Visit Shiba Park @ night
Visit the More Art Museum
Visit the Samurai museum
Kyoto
Fushimi-inari Taisha
Higashiyama + Gion
Visit the Starbucks in Gion that was a former teahouse*
Pontocho Alley* (great at night)
Shirakawa-dori
Nishiki Market
Philosopher’s Path* (very popular during cherry blossom season)
Kiyomizu-dera
Yasaka pagoda
Kodai-ji Temple*
Arashiyama Bamboo forest
% Arabica Coffee shop in Arashiyama*
Kyoto Imperial Palace*
Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion)
Attend a tea ceremony*
A great city to bike or take a walking tour, weather permitting*
Day trip to Nara to see the deer
Osaka
Osaka Castle
Dotonbori + Glico Man*
Kuroman Market*
Eat Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki
Katsuo-ji Temple (known for all of its daruma figurines)*
Hike Mt. Fuji (summer activity)
Visit Kawaguchiko
Other
Visit an onsen
Try as many vending machines as possible
Visit 7/Eleven, Family Mart, and/or Lawson
Stay at a ryokan (traditional Japanese hotel)
Watch sumo wrestling
Visit a karaoke bar
Take a bullet train
Drink sake
Visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Miyajima Island
Visit Himeji (to see the castle)
Visit Okinawa
Visit Hakone for the onsens + shrine
Visit a standing sushi bar
Shop @ Don Quijote
Visit Matsumoto Castle
There are sooooooo many places to see and visit in Japan, and I feel like this barely scratches the surface. But it should be a great starting point for your adventures in Japan! I hope you enjoy and please let me know if you utilize my list!
Where to (next), Meg?
