Solo Travel to Japan - Itinerary check!

Ryujin on 18/10/2017 - 19:58

Hey all! I'll be heading out to Japan for two weeks by myself. This will be my first ever trip going solo. I have a basic itinerary set up but my days are mostly empty! Feel free to make suggestions or leave any hints/tips/advice! Thanks <3
Also, I'd also be very interested to see some of the Japanese car culture while I'm there, any one know of any places?

Day 1 - Nov 8 - Wednesday

*Arrive at Haneda airport 5:05 am
*Shinjuku Hotel Check in at 3:00pm (Can anyone suggest anything to do whilst I wait to book in to my hotel?)
*Free night feel free to suggest something

Day 2 - Nov 9 - Thursday

*Morning tour of tokyo from 8:30 - 12:30pm
*Wanting to visit the pokemon centre and see general attractions around
*Head to Shibuya at night

Day 3 - Nov 10 - Friday

*Mostly a free day, feel free to suggest!
*Thinking of heading to Akihabara and just doing a little shopping here and there

Day 4 - Nov 11 - Saturday

*Thinking of visitng Miyazaki Museum (Studio Ghibli museum) Should I do this on a weekday rather than a weekend?
*Free Night

Day 5 - Nov 12 - Sunday

*Visting Meiji Shrine
*Trip down to Odaiba
*Maybe Robot Restaurant close to night time?

Day 6 - Nov 13 - Monday

*Day tour trip to Mt. Fuji with an onsen on the way! Super excited for this one.

Day 7 - Nov 14- - Tuesday

*Check out at Shinjuku Hotel
*Use my 7 day JR Rail pass (Only stating this just incase anyone wanted to suggest a place to go to via JR Pass)
*Train from Tokyo - Kyoto
*Check in at 2:00pm at Karasuma *Explore Higashiyama/ Karasuma

Day 8 - Nov 15 - Wednesday

*Free night
*Head down to Fushimi Inari Shrine
* I also wanted to head down to Arashiyama bamboo forest, is this possible to do in a day?

Day 9 - Nov 16 - Thursday

*Nara Morning Tour

Day 10 - Nov 17 - Friday

Checkout at Kyoto 10am
*Train to Osaka Shinsaibashi
*Free day at Osaka

Day 11- Nov 18 - Saturday Free day
Day 12 - Nov 19 - Sunday Free morning

*7:00 pm Itami Airport to Tokyo
*Tokyo to Sydney (Heading back home) :(
*Any tips on how to get to Itami airport? trainline doesn't go directly there

Travel

Comments

  • kawinuyo on 18/10/2017 - 20:12
    +1

    If you haven't bought tickets to studio ghibli it's almost impossible to just rock up. In shinjuku there is a vr zone which was pretty awesome. The Mario kart game was amazing. I would also suggest the ninja class at ninja dojo in Kyoto. Highlight of my trip.

    • Ryujin on 20/10/2017 - 09:14

      Theres a Ninja Class/ Ninja dojo!? Holy! Definitely worth checking out. Thanks for the suggestion :)

  • MTWallet on 18/10/2017 - 20:50
    +1

    On your arrival day, may I suggest a visit to Shinjuku Gyoen.

    Might not be your thing, but you could pass some peaceful time there while waiting.

    For me Shinjuku is a pretty busy/overwhelming place.

    As you have the Rail Pass and will be in the Kyoto region, Himeji Castle is worth checking out.

    Maybe you could also shoot down to Hiroshima for a day and see the Peace Memorial Museum.

    Mazda Museum/Factory Tour is also there, could be done the same day.

    With the Rail Pass you can cover long distances in a day, lots of options for day trips.

    Ah, you arrive just after the Tokyo Motor Show. Maybe that would have been of interest to you too.

    Enjoy.

  • SydStrand on 18/10/2017 - 20:54
    +1

    Thinking of visitng Miyazaki Museum (Studio Ghibli museum)

    Get on this ASAP, then. Tickets often sell out weeks in advance.

  • Godric on 18/10/2017 - 21:29
    +2

    I went alone in June, do go do Maricar (you'll need an IDP + $80), 100% worth it : )

    Also I made a thread about visiting Japan and what to pack for the trip, there is some helpful comments in the thread, worth a read.
    Japan Travel Tips

    • Ryujin on 20/10/2017 - 09:32

      Man I had no idea about the Maricar thing! That sounds amazing, thanks for the suggestion!

  • sraymond on 18/10/2017 - 21:29
    +2

    Head over to whirlpool forums and you will find a mega Japan thread in Travel. Plenty of good ideas and tips.

  • Caped Baldy on 18/10/2017 - 21:57

    You might be able to leave luggage at the hotel beforehand. Just wander around Shinjuku, lots to see around there.
    If you want to see ghibli museum and you haven't got the tickets yet you may be too late…there are a few options:
    1) buy with an agent a few months before for $30ish
    2) buy online at 10am (japan time) on the 10th the month before. The site normally gets hammered so use multiple devices including phones. Tickets are only 1000yen.
    3) try buying it at Lawsons. I haven't tried this so can't elaborate much more.

    I would avoid the bamboo forest. It is packed with tourists and is hardly dense. If you do go though the monkey park is more worthwhile. I found Osaka to be much nicer than Kyoto. I found it a bit too touristy and fake.

    Maricar is awesome as pointed out by Godric. Make sure to pick the right start location as they go to different locations. iirc akhibahara doesn't go across the Rainbow bridge.

    Robot Restaurant is good too. Buy tickets online as it's a bit cheaper than buying there iirc.

    There's surprisingly little traffic in Tokyo so getting to and from Narita airport on a bus is pretty straight forward and fast. You could catch the bullet train all the way back from Osaka and then bus/train to the airport. Your jr pass should cover you from days 6 to 12 (remember you have to specify which day it starts when you collect it).

    Car wise: there are a number of car museums and factories available to visit. Up to you which you want to see.
    There is also fun2drive around Hakone and Mt Fuji which lets you hire sports cars. Pricey but worth it to drive up Mt Fuji and Hakone Turnpike.

    You may have enough time to visit Hiroshima. Check out the Peace Park and Miyajima Island.

    Check out google maps and hyperdia for train information. And make sure to get a data sim card.

    • John Kimble on 19/10/2017 - 09:02
      +1

      I would avoid the bamboo forest. It is packed with tourists and is hardly dense. If you do go though the monkey park is more worthwhile. I found Osaka to be much nicer than Kyoto. I found it a bit too touristy and fake.

      Maybe we were lucky when we went, but the bamboo forest wasn't crowded at all. Only advice I would give is put on lots of DEET as I got eaten alive by mozzies walking around there.

      Agree that we enjoyed Osaka more than Kyoto. Probably because of the food and atmosphere (not saying food is bad in Kyoto).

      Just eat almost everything you can. In Osaka we ate/drank in tiny 3/4 pax bars, so awesome.

      Apart from the obvious ramen, udon, sashimi and beef, don't miss their desserts like soft serve and black sesame/green tea ice cream, 1000 layer cakes and Baumkuchen cakes!

      Lastly, I personally got sick of seeing temples and shrines after the 4th or 5th one. Just see the main unique ones. Highlight for us was the Nightingale one and the all gold one (sorry can't remember the names).

    • Ryujin on 20/10/2017 - 09:33

      Sadly it's all booked out during the days I'm there in Tokyo according to my travel agent:(. I'll try bagging tickets through the online site if possible!

      • Caped Baldy on 20/10/2017 - 09:51

        This is for Ghibli? I just had a check online it's already booked out for November. If you have a contact in Japan they could try and buy it for you. I think it may need to booked the month beforehand. You should do some extra research on this to confirm and other ways to get tickets.

  • [Deactivated] on 19/10/2017 - 00:06

    Imma gonna keep recommending people go to Gonpachi Nishi Azabu until someone does it. It's the basis for the Kill Bill restaurant that Tarantino asked to use and got rejected so had to build a knockoff sound stage. US presidents eat there and humble little you can too for about $10ish buck bargain. It's usually walk in after lunch peak. (I would factor inflation except Japan has deflation.) There's also the Akasaka 246 circuit you can ride/walk around from Gran Turismo. If you like any Tokyo scene from Lost in Translation I'm an information boss. Try me. Shinjuku is Lost in Translation central. Certain times of the year the Ueno lotus garden is nice, just North of Akihabara. A walk around the outside of the Emperor's palace is worthwhile. Central Tokyo roads are really empty on Sundays. Hire a bike and do a circuit of the Yamanote line. You can cruise empty 4 lane each way streets.

  • jennkei on 19/10/2017 - 12:16

    Good luck with Mount Fuji! It was shy when I was there, though we got a little lucky with clouds clearing on the second day.

    Drop your luggage off at your hotel, then walk around Shinjuku. Or drop your luggage off, then go somewhere else completely and check in late at night. :) (Provided late check in is ok..)

    If you're into food, Tsuta (soba-ramen), Nakajima (sardines, go for lunch), and Fuunji (ramen) were nice.

    If you don't already have a pocket wifi and are interested in possibly going out of your way for one, (I can see it for Sunday/Monday/Tuesday, it'll work on your way to Mount Fuji as well) Tokyo Skytree offered three days free for tourists when I was there. Gotta check if they still do.

    It sounds like a pretty full trip, have fun! :)

  • pat0809 on 22/10/2017 - 22:53

    I live near Tokyo so if you want to hang out and grab some food/drinks just send me a message.

    • Ryujin on 23/10/2017 - 18:09

      Thanks for the offer man, much appreciated! Will definitely keep that in mind.

      • pat0809 on 23/10/2017 - 23:45

        No problem. By the way, what Pokemon centre are you going to? There is one in Ikebukuro as well as a small, indoor anime theme park and quite a few game arcade places. you might be interested in it.

  • tank17 on 23/10/2017 - 14:00
    +2

    The itinerary seems fine i guess you like manga anime and gaming so …perfect i would say.
    I would recommend Asakusa and Ueno area as more old school tokyo. For good food Ikebukuro Meguro you find great places for cheap price and still on the Yamanote.
    If you have some time I would recommend to try to reach Hiroshima. It is a great place and the Museum for the victims of the bomb is a must see

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join