The Perfect 2-Week Trip to Japan for First-Time Visitors
I’ve always loved planning trips, and for our first trip to Japan you bet we planned to try and hit everything we could. Towards the end, we were getting tired and decided to take it easy, but we still packed so many things into this trip. It was one of the best vacations I’ve ever gone on and I‘m happy to share with you guys everything we planned!
I hope this can be a guide to anyone planning to go to Japan. This trip took about two years on and off of planning, looking at videos, and trying to find the best places to see. Granted our style of travel, we cared more about seeing things than we did about shopping, or always eating at super nice places. We just wanted to get out there and experience the most. That means though that most of our breakfast were eaten at 711 and sometimes we’d just grab dinner from somewhere close, instead of “the best udon restaurant” or something like that. We didn’t want to eat at the restaurants that had lines outside and if it was packed we found somewhere else.
Logistics of this trip — we flew in and out of Narita airport, meaning we started and ended the trip in Tokyo. I got the 14-day JR pass, and for this trip, it was WELL worth the cost even with the increased rate. I picked up the pocket wifi before I left, if you live in Hawaii there are a ton of places that rent them here. I’ll have more info at the end of the daily breakdowns about where we stayed and other useful tips!
Day 1 Tokyo:
Travel day! Land in Tokyo (at whatever time) get to the hotel, and after a long day of travel, we keep it chill.
- Check into hotel
- Train passes (if you got JR)
- Explore the area around the hotel
- Explore the hotel — vending machines, laundry, complimentary snacks?
Day 1 has no major plans, just get your bearings in Japan. This way if there are any travel delays or you are just exhausted you don't have to worry about missing anything.
Day 2 Tokyo:
Shibuya + Harajuku! Start the day early, and get breakfast from 711 (which for us was downstairs from our hotel). Catch the train to Harajuku in the morning, either eat lunch in Harajuku or head over to Shibuya and eat lunch. Spend the afternoon in Shibuya and finish it by watching the sunset at Shibuya Sky. If you aren’t exhausted then I’d recommend getting dinner in Shibuya as well, there are so many great food places. What to see:
- Meiji Jinu shrine (recommended first thing you do! It gets packed)
- Takeshita Street — try the street food!
- Tokyu Plaza (there's also a cool Starbucks on the top floor)
- B-side label (amazing sticker store)
- Lunch options: Kura Sushi, Torikatsu Chicken, Yakiniku Like
- Shibuya Crossing, just cross it a couple of different ways because why not?
- Hachiko Memorial Statue
- MEGA Don Quijote
- Shibuya 109
- Magnet store
- Shibuya Sky (if you want to get the sunset tickets reserve it a month in advance!)
This was pretty much the order we did everything. We started the day around 8 AM and were out of Shibuya Sky around 7 PM. We just grabbed food at 711 for dinner because we were exhausted.
Day 3 Tokyo:
Asakusa + Akahabara + SUMO! We lucked out and booked our trip perfectly during sumo season. Tickers were also hard to get but we scored through a reselling website. We started the day in Asakusa, get here as early as you can if you want any chance of seeing this place without a crowd. If I did this day over again I would have gone to Asakusa and walked around early morning, grabbed some basic breakfast, and found a nice place to eat it while all the shops slowly started opening up. Tons of great food spots over here so eat a light breakfast and be prepared to snack! Afterward, catch a quick train down to Akihabara. If you are an anime and game nerd like us you’ll want to spend a lot of time here. We ended up getting a late lunch/dinner at one of the food halls and then caught a train over to SUMO!
If you get a chance to see sumo here are my tips.
- You don't have to stay all day, the tournaments are from 8 am to 6 pm. We got there at 2 pm and saw some of the pretty good sumo athletes before the main event with all the top-ranking athletes everyone loves.
- Find the gift shop first!! We didn’t know there was a gift shop till the arena started filling up and we noticed people had souvenirs. Don't skip this, they have some pretty cool things!
- Getting early means fewer lines for all the snacks food and drinks! Find your seats then check out what food is around you!
As for what to see in Asakusa and Akihabara here is our list:
- Senso-ji
- Kaminarimon Gate
- Five Story Pagoda
- Uniqlo Asakusa (Don Quijote is across the street too!)
- Asahi Head Office Building (they have food and beer on the top floor)
- Animate Akihabara
- Ameyoko Shopping District
- Super Potato Akihabaraa
Day 4 Tokyo + Travel:
We were going to take an overnight sleeper train to our next destination but the tickets were all booked out by the time we landed. We ended up just spending the morning in Tokyo and taking a later Shinkansen to Hiroshima. Half day in Tokyo starts early with Tsukiji outer market, you’ll probably need to check out of your hotel after that. Have the hotel keep your luggage so you don’t have to worry about it. Then go to either Team Labs Tokyo (make a reservation one month in advance!) or head over to Ginza and do some shopping! Muji, Loft, and Uniqlo are highly recommended. In the afternoon, go back to the hotel to grab your luggage, and head over to Tokyo Station to catch the Shinkansen to your next destination! Grabbing bentos at the station is also a must! Our next stop was Hiroshima so we checked in late and just knocked out. So here is our list for a half day in Tokyo:
- Tsukiji outer market (early morning)
- Ginza shopping
- Team Labs Tokyo
- Getting bentos for the Shinkansen (this is a must)
This isn't a lot of things but you’d be surprised how long these things can take! I always hate cramming too much into a day and you don't get to enjoy your day.
Day 5 Hiroshima + Miyajima:
Miyajima is by far one of my favorite places we went to on this trip. I was expecting it to be fun but for some reason, I just loved everything about that island. We started off our day there, got lunch right outside the ferry station (one of my favorite lunch spots of the trip), and then spent the afternoon in Hiroshima. We only stayed in Hiroshima for one night so after we were done site seeing we grabbed our luggage from our hotel and then hopped on a train to Kyoto! Here is our list for the day:
- Miyajima omotesando shopping street
- Itsukishima Shrine
- Kiyomori Shrine
- Miyajima Ropeway (ended up not doing this because it was packed)
- You HAVE to eat Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki (we ate ours right outside of Miyajimamaguchi Station)
- Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
- Hiroshima Castle
Day 6 Kyoto ( South East):
We split Kyoto into two days, one spent on the south/ east side, the other on the west side. This day started with the Fushimi Inari Shrine (again the earlier you can get there the better). After we caught a train up to Kiyomizu-Dera and walked around the Nineizaka area. We honestly just snacked so much in the Nineizaka area and then went to Nishiki market after, so we didn't have a set lunch place, we just ate bits and pieces everywhere. The Philosopher's Path and Higashiyama Jisho-ji were also on the list but the weather got rainy so we decided just to head back to the hotel and go around central Kyoto. Here is our list for south/east Kyoto:
- Fushimi Inari Taisha
- Kiyomizu-Dera
- Nineizaka
- Nishiki Market
- Philosophers Path
- Higashiyama Jisho-ji
Day 7 Nara:
I mean we couldn’t not do a day trip to Nara, and this was by far one of my favorite places. Start as early as you can! Are you seeing a trend? Get some fresh Mochi from Nakatanidou, then go explore all the temples and deer parks in Nara. I think we went the reverse of the normal path (we started with Kofuki-Ji Gojunoto) and it was all great. There are some food places scattered through Nara, we ate at a place outside the Todai-ji Naigatsudo Temple (SUPER GOOD!). Also buying deer crackers is a MUST. We ended up getting extra and kept it in a ziplock bag to give some of the “old man” deer that were just lying around. Our last site to see was walking through Nara Park, then we did some souvenir shopping and got food on one of the side streets (we just went to a Gyoza house). Here is our list for Nara:
- Nakatanidou Mochi
- Kofuku-ji Gojunoto
- Todai-ji (GO INSIDE!!!)
- Toda-Ji Nigatsudo (February hall)
- Nara Park
- Kasuga-taisha
- Nakatanidou Mochi (again)
Day 8 Kyoto West + Travel:
Another day started early. Our hotel for the night was in Osaka, our next destination so when we got up, we got ready and then checked out of the hotel and had them hold out bags before we began the day. We took the train to the Arashiyama bamboo forest. Wandered around there for a while, and got some snacks and some mochi to bring back as gifts. We also went to the Arashiyama Monkey Park. Be warned if you do this it's a solid walk up a hill, not recommended when it's hot but it's amazing when you get up there. After eating snacks on the riverbank we walked through the Kimono forest and took a bus over to Kinkaku-ji. The route to get there by train was a little rough so we took our chance and used the bus. Kyoto was the only city we used the bus, mostly we used trains but the bus system helped a lot in getting to some of these locations! After Kinkaku-ji we got some ice cream and headed back to our hotel.
Funny enough we booked a last-minute train to Osaka using the JR Rail pass website, and I ended up booking a Hello Kitty train. To say I was excited was an understatement, so we had a fun ride from Kyoto to Osaka. Highly recommended to try and get this train, it is a fun little tidbit. Here is our list for North/West Kyoto:
- Arashiyama bamboo forest
- Arashiyama observation deck
- Arashiyama Monkey Park (not during the summer*)
- Trying mochi and eating snacks by the riverbank
- Arashiyama kimono forest
- Kinkaku-ji
We wrapped up this day by checking into our hotel which was located right at the entrance of Shinsekai (10/10 recommend). Dinner was easy because there were so many great places to eat right outside the hotel! We went with Kura Sushi.
Day 9 Osaka
We started the morning by catching the train to Osaka Castle and grabbing some breakfast from Lawsons. We went inside the castle and enjoyed it, but we only spent 30 or so minutes inside, it started to get crowded so we buzzed through some exhibits. After that, we hopped on a train down to the Osaka Aquarium, get your tickets in advance if you can. Very cool place to visit, the tanks there are huge! Pro tip, when you first see the whale shark viewing point don't stop, keep going! There are tons of spots to look inside the big tank that are much less crowded. When we were done we hopped on a train back to Shinsekai, walked around there in the daytime, and then got ready for dinner. We stopped by the Pokemon Center and the Mugiwara store (we geeked out here and ran out of time so we ended up going back the next day). Our dinner was an Airbnb Experience, it was a Sashimi, Sake, and wagyu-tasting at a teppanyaki restaurant. The experience was amazing and the food was to die for. Here is what we’d recommend for a day in Osaka:
- Osaka Castle (get here early!)
- Osaka Aquarium (reservations online)
- Pokemon Center / Mugiwara store
- Shinsekai before sunset — then watch the sunset from the Tsūtenkaku tower — also a great lunch or dinner place!
- This Airbnb experience
Day 10 Osaka
Day two in Osaka was all about Shopping and eating. Got breakfast in the morning then headed over to do some shopping, sightseeing, and visit the famous Dontonbori. We spend so much time shopping that we didn’t get to do everything on the agenda.
- A Happy Pancake (fluffy Japanese pancakes!)
- Umeda Sky Building
- Pokemon Center Osaka (we spent so much time, there's so much more than just the Pokemon store here that's why we came back)
- Dontonbori (got lunch here!)
- Don Quijote Dontonbori Ferris Wheel
- Kuromon Ichiba Market
- Namba Yasaka Shrine
- Shinsekai at night (dinner!)
- TeamLabs Osaka!
For lunch, we ate at a Yakiniku place in Dontonbori, but there are so many food places and street food to pick from, this is the best place to get lunch. For dinner, there is a fishing restaurant in Shinsekai that we tried. You can make a reservation and get seated on the boat in the middle of the water. The whole concept is the fish are swimming around the restaurant and you get a fishing pole to catch them. Once you catch one you can select how you want it prepared. Overall the fish were hard to catch but the ambiance was great, so if you decide to go here just order off the menu. Catching the fish takes forever and isn’t worth it.
Day 11 Osaka + Travel to Hakone
This was a slow day, you will honestly need it after 11 days of go-go-go. We lounged around in the hotel room, walked around Don Quijote, got some more gifts in the area, grabbed some food, and headed to the train station. We reserved the Shinkansen ticket in advance, so our train was heading from Shin-Osaka station to Odawara. From Odawara, you take the Hakone Tozan Line which will take you to Hakone-Yumoto Station. We wanted to get to our Onsen hotel right at check-in to enjoy the most out of it.
PRO TIP: Reserve the “E” side seats to get a view of Mt Fuji, no matter what direction you going it will always be those seats since the train never turns around. Granted we went after summer so Mt Fuji was just a very large very brown mountain.
This day was just travel and hang out at the hotel. I do recommend getting the Shinkansen bentos at the Shin-Osaka station. The bento booth is right next to the Shinkansen tracks so you can't miss it! It was so good and I kept the bento container as a souvenir.
Hakone is a beautiful place to stay, and it was a great break from the craziness that was this trip. It was our relaxing two-night stay. We chose a hotel that offered an onsen in the room and breakfast/dinner included. This was perfect, we didn't have to figure out meals for the most part and we got to relax and enjoy the beauty that is Hakone. There aren’t a ton of restaurants easily accessible in the area (depending on where you’re staying) so getting breakfast and dinner is recommended. This just made it easy so once we got there, we already had dinner plans, the next day breakfast and dinner were taken care of, and the last day we got a good breakfast before heading to Tokyo.
Day 12 Hakone
Lots to do in Hakone, but it's not as easy to get around as the other major cities. This is a mountain town with limited train transportation so you will have to rely on buses a lot. Leave as early as you can, or stay an extra day would be my best advice. There is so much to do and see in Hakone. You can do this route in the same order we did it or in reverse but I recommend using this order. It puts all the activities so that way transportation is easiest.
- Hakone Open Air Museum
- Gora Station — take the cable car to the ropeway
- Owakudani — Volcanic Steam Vents
- Hakone Sightseeing cruise
- Hakone Shrine
All of that took us an entire day and we got to Hakone Shrine at sunset, we pretty much ran out of time. If we had more time we were also going to go to:
- Narukawa Art Museum (great view of the Hakone Shrine)
- Taikanzan Observatory (view of Mt. Fuji)
- Hakone Sekisho (Edo-era military checkpoint)
We stayed near the Hakone- Yumoto station at Hotel Okada (highly recommended by the way). To get from the station to our hotel we had to take a bus, there are people at the station and the bus stops can assist you. From Hakone-Yumoto you can take a train to the Hakone Open Air Museum, and then to Gora Station where you will transfer to the cable car and ropeway to head up to the top of the mountain. At Owakudani you can get the black eggs — these eggs can extend your lifespan by seven years, but mine did give me a solid stomach ache. After that, you take the cable car down on the other side of the mountain towards Lake Ashi and catch the Hakone sightseeing cruise over to the Hakone Shrine. From the shrine, you will have to take a bus back to either your hotel or the Hakone-Yumoto station.
We got the Hakone Freepass for 3 days just to make transportation much easier. You get the train transportation, most bus routes, cable car, ropeway, and sightseeing cruises all covered in this pass. You also get a discount at select restaurants and Museums. To us, it was worth it, similar to the JR pass it just helps you think less about transportation and more about just going the places worry-free!
Day 13 Travel + Tokyo
After the relaxation that was Hakone, we were back to the big city for our last stop. We stayed in the hotel as long as possible then hopped on a quick Shinkansen to Tokyo and got to our last hotel. This time we stayed in the heart of Shinjuku. These last two days are about hitting everything you missed in Tokyo and souvenir shopping or just shopping in general.
- Shopping
- Shinjuku at night
- FOOD!!!
Day 14 Tokyo
Our flight was out of Narita at 6 PM. We got a late check out from the hotel, packed up all our stuff, and then just walked around and ate all morning. We made sure to get all the snacks, and food that we wanted before leaving. It's hard not to buy things during this time but our suitcases were extremely full with no more room. We even bought an extra suitcase! It was hot but our original plans were to walk around Ueno Park, grab some food before and after, and then take the train around the city one last time for no good reason. More walking means that you can eat more food was our logic. Narita airport has a great gift shop and food hall in the airport so save some time (and room in your suitcase) for that as well!
Then fly home and plan your next trip back because this one was amazing!
When researching for this trip I stumbled upon other’s articles like this one. I’m writing this in the hope that you will take some of the things that we did or days that we organized and it will help you plan your amazing trip. I’ll be writing more (that I’ll link below) about where we stayed and other little tips and tricks we learned on this trip.
Happy travels!