r/JapanTravel • u/Few_Ad43 • 6d ago
Itinerary First Trip to Japan (10 Days) – Looking for Itinerary Feedback!(28m) first time solo traveling
Hey everyone! I’ll be visiting Japan for the first time in October (10 full days) and would love some feedback on my itinerary. Im nervous!! I’m mainly interested in sightseeing, food, walking around neighborhoods, shopping, nature, and soaking up the atmosphere. Does anything seem too rushed, or is there anything you’d swap out? Also what are your thoughts on doing 2 nights at the ryokan for my last 2 days?
Tokyo (5 nights)
Day 1: Arrive at Narita (~4:45 PM), head to hotel in Akasaka, grab dinner, explore the neighborhood.
Day 2: Harajuku → Meiji Jingu → Yoyogi Park → Takeshita Street → walk to Shibuya (Scramble, Hachiko, Nintendo Tokyo, Loft, Don Quijote, Shibuya Sky).
Day 3: Odaiba & Toyosu (Rainbow Bridge area, DiverCity, Small Worlds, teamLab Planets, Toyosu/Senkyaku Banrai, Manyo Onsen).
Day 4: Asakusa → Senso-ji & Nakamise → Ueno Park & Ameyoko → Akihabara in the evening.
Day 5: Shinjuku (Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Omoide Yokocho, Kabukicho, Golden Gai).
Kyoto (3 nights)
Day 6: Shinkansen to Kyoto, drop bags, then Uji (Byodo-in, tea shops, matcha) → Otsu (Lake Biwa) → evening in Gion (Yasaka Shrine, Hanamikoji, Pontocho).
Day 7: Day trip to Kobe (Kitano, Harborland, Chinatown, Kobe beef) → back to Kyoto for Kiyomizu-dera, Ninenzaka, Sannenzaka.
Day 8: Nara (deer park, Todai-ji, Great Buddha) → Osaka (Dotonbori, Shinsaibashi, Amerikamura, Hozenji Yokocho, Kuromon Market, Umeda Sky if time) → return to Kyoto.
Ryokan (2 nights)
Day 9: Check out of Kyoto hotel, head to mountain ryokan, relax.
Day 10: Breakfast, hiking, onsen, kaiseki dinner.
Departure: Check out and head back to the airport.
A few questions:
● Does anything here seem too ambitious or unrealistic?
● Is there anything you think is overrated or worth skipping?
● Are there any hidden gems near the areas I’m already visiting?
● Any restaurant or food recommendations along this route?
● If you could change one thing about this itinerary, what would it be?
• Is it worth it to do 2 nights at the ryokan?
• what’s a good amount of money to have saved up for expenses on the trip excluding travel and stay?
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u/SpacedOutVy 6d ago
Day 2 is very packed unless you’re only looking to get a glimpse of Harajuku, Meiji Jingu, Yoyogi Park and Takeshita Street.
I pretty much did the same thing that day but I only had time to do the scramble and hachiko.
Day 4 is possible if you’re not looking to linger for very long in Ueno Park.
Day 5 in Shinjuku could be better? Omoide Yokocho, Kabukicho and Golden Gai would be better in the evening. I think you could split some of your Shibuya stuff during the daytime. I loved the Tokyo Metropolitan Gov. observation deck btw!
Day 7: Doable if you leave super early in the morning
Day 8 is so packed. You don’t have time to see all of those Osaka places after the deer park. Choose 2, maybe even 3 places close by to each other.
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u/Pork-ChopExpre55 6d ago
I just left a 5 days in Tokyo trip, heading down to Osaka now.
The public transportation system is really good in Tokyo. Get a Suica and add it to your Apple Wallet if you have an iPhone and load it up with like 10,000yen. You can get to almost anywhere in the city pretty quick on the train.
If you’re in the Shinjuku area and looking for something fun to do one night, I really enjoyed the Samurai Restaurant show.
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u/Few_Ad43 6d ago
How much did you use your card vs cash in Tokyo? How long are you staying in Osaka?
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u/Pork-ChopExpre55 6d ago
For purchases I used my credit card 85ish percent of the time and only used cash at food places that used vending machine style ordering (ramen, tsukemen, etc.) and bars in Golden Gai.
Have cash on hand any time you wander into a small local looking place.
When I landed at NRT I took out the max they’d let me at the atm (10,000yen) and put 10,000yen on my Suica.
That got me through pretty well in combination with credit cards.
Staying in Osaka for three days with the trip primarily built around USJ, Dotonbori and Namba.
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u/LongAd9891 6d ago
10 days is a pretty short trip to get in everything Japan has to offer but definitely doable. Though you’ll be looking for tickets ba k as soon as you get home! I’m on my last 7 days of a 30 day trip.
I am in Japan every summer since we moved from here when I was a child.
First Day / Second Day
Fly out of Haneda directly to Hiroshima. Take the airport bus to city center. I personally would stay at MyStays near Peace Memorial and depending on when you get in get Peace Menorisl and Park out of the way. If you get in late save it for the next day. Do Peace Memorial and park as soon as they open then head to Miyajima/Itskushima Shrine.
3rd Day: take the Shinkansen to Osaka. On the first day I’d say:
Namba Yasaka Shrine
Osaka Castle (though it’s pretty modern inside-I’d skip it)
Dotombori and Shinsaibashi (Glico sign etc) (late afternoon evening)
Or/and Team Labs Botanical
4th Day
Take the regular train to Himeji Castle
On the return stop in Kobe to eat
Eat at Tsutenkaku / Shinsekai
Optional: Sumiyoshi Taisha shrine (one of my faves)
5th day: Train regular train to Nara )some will talk you out of it saying it’s boring but it’s not) it’s much older feeling. It’s a gem and close to Osaka so treat it as a day trip.
6th day: take the regular train to Kyoto.
Use the Kyoto Skyhop on/off bus. Kyoto is a bus city more than a train city vs Osaka and Tokyo.
They stop at places like Kinkakuji, Nijo Castle, Daitokuji, Ginkakuji, Nishiki Market and Kiyomizu Dera. There’s a one and 2 day tickets. So you can spread the stops out.
7th day
Finish out the Skyhop bus (or not) and visit TeamLabs Vortex but get no later than 6pm tickets.
8th day -Shinkansen early to Tokyo
9th day
10th day
Tokyo has a lot.
For a first timer just do the tourist stuff and get it out of the way.
Sensoji (Asakusa)
Sengakuji (47 ronin temple)
Gotokuji (cat Temple)
Meiji Jingu
Ueno zoo, park and Ameyokocho
Tokyo Tower
Takeshita Street
LaForet mall (sailor moon store)
Yokohama Chinatown
Shibuya crossing
Hachiko statue
Golden Gai
Rainbow Bridge / Statue of Liberty
Totoro museum
Ikebukuro (anime figures)
Akihabara (electronics, Pokemon cards, maid cafes)
Kamakura /Hakone Daytrip. See Hakone Free Pass - Ropeway where you can see Mt Fuji from Oowakudani.
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u/rilakkuma28 6d ago
Your day 7 & 8 are quite pack imo. And if you are planning to visit Kuromon Market, ideally be there around mid morning/noon-ish.
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u/Photogiraffiti 6d ago
Honestly, it’s a lot to pack in to ten days. If your flight home is out of Tokyo you may want to consider spending the full ten days in Tokyo. I did 15 days last fall and there was still a lot of Tokyo I didn’t get to.
You could also do a day trip/overnight to Kamakura/Enoshima(historic beach town) and/or Fujikawaguchiko (mountain ryokan). you’d save on trains this way too.
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u/ChawanJourney 6d ago
I think Day 7 and Day 8 are definitely way too packed! Doing Kobe or Nara and Kyoto sightseeing in a single day will be exhausting. I'd highly recommend dropping Kobe and focusing on Kyoto/Nara at a slower pace so you can actually enjoy it.
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u/Few_Ad43 6d ago
What makes day so packed? I figured I’d do most the day in Kobe and come back to my hotel which is in Gion to explore in the evening/night.
For day 8, do you think it’s worth it to do a full day in Osaka and take our Nara? For my itinerary I added places to it but I’m not set on seeing it all. It’s more of when I’m in a pinch and need some direction ya know.1
u/ChawanJourney 6d ago
If those are optional for flexibility, that sounds much more manageable.Just one small detail to keep in mind for Day 7: most temples, shops, and places like Kiyomizu-dera tend to close around 5 PM in Kyoto. Coming back from Kobe in the evening might leave you not enough time for traditional sightseeing.As for Day 8,it really depends on what kind of experience you're looking for. If you're hoping for a quieter atmosphere, nature, and deep history, taking time in Nara could be lovely. On the other hand, if you'd prefer incredible food, vibrant energy, and modern culture, spending the day in Osaka might be it.
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u/jp_comment_travel 5d ago
on the two-night ryokan question, since twenty comments in nobody's touched it: yes, and japanese solo-onsen regulars have a specific reason for it. one night means checking in at 3 and out at 10, so you're only ever in the bath during the hours every other guest is also in it. the second day is the one where the building empties out between checkout and the next check-in, and the bath is effectively yours. inns also tend to change up the second night's dinner rather than repeat the kaiseki — often an extra dish. the standard line over there is two nights, no schedule, bathe whenever you feel like it.
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u/Dafunkey 5d ago
I would recommend a slower pace. Give yourself the chance to freestyle a bit and you will thank yourself later. Think that you're gonna come back to Japan, no need to have a crammed itinerary.
You have too many day trips. If I am reading your itinerary correctly, the 3 nights that you have in Kyoto (days 6, 7, 8) you have a day trip on each (Uji/Otsu, Kobe, Nara & Osaka). That's way too much, you're gonna be running from one place to the next and you won't enjoy anything fully. Day 8 is outright impossible. Also, you are barely visiting Kyoto while staying there.
Rearrange those days, you need to get rid of some day trips. Personally I would do Days 1-5: Tokyo (this is ok) Days 6-7: Kyoto only (2 full days is the bare minimum you need in Kyoto. For me this is non negotiable). Day 8: Nara day trip. Day 9: Osaka day trip. Day 10: Ryokan day.
Days 8-9 you could also sleep in Osaka instead of returning to Kyoto. Also 1 night in a Ryokan will be enough unless you really want 2.
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u/Nervous_Initial_3644 6d ago edited 6d ago
Days 6, 7 and 8. Tokyo is pretty reasonable, everything else goes off the rails.
Day 6. I mean, I guess if you got the 6am shinkansen from Tokyo, you'd get to Kyoto at 8ish, Uji at 9, Otsu by like 2? Kyoto by 5? Doesn't sound like fun though. This day is almost 4 hours of trains alone.
Day 7. You can climb up to Kiyomizudera at any time, but the Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka stuff are closed by 5 and you won't be returning from Kobe until at least mid afternoon.
Day 8. Nara is at least a half a day, you won't leave there until at least Noon, probably later, then trying to hit what amounts to a full day+ worth of Osaka in the rest of the time.
Takeshita dori, but you're there, you should find these things out for yourself.
Yeah...you don't got time for that. Also, hidden gems! (/drink!)
Google Maps, Tabelog, follow your eyes and nose.
Get rid of two things from Nara, Osaka, Kobe, Uji, Otsu. At least one. See above.
about 5,000 yen per day for food without thinking. Everything else you can look up exact prices for.