Tokyo-Osaka-Kyoto Itinerary Advice

Devil7

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Hi everyone, I just briefly done up my itinerary. Need some advice to check whether the itinerary need any further adjustments. Main purpose of the trip is to catch cherry blossom plus sighting seeing. I have been to Tokyo once but not Osaka & Kyoto. Accommodation & flight has been booked. May need some lunch/dinner suggestions for Kyoto. Therefore, need you guys to help advice whether the itinerary below makes sense:


26th March
- Reached Tokyo 6am. Check in to Shinjuku Airbnb straight.
- Shinjuku/Shibuya
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Observatories (night/optional)
- Omoide Yokocho (Memory Lane) 'Piss Alley' (not sure if worth going)


27th Marc
- Disneysea (whole day)


28th March
- Tsukiji Fish Market (for bf only. not catching tuna auction)
- Ueno Park (See cherry blossom)
- Ameya-Yokocho Market
- Asakusa (Lunch & shopping)
- Tokyo station (Dinner & Walk around)


29th March
- Leave for Osaka by shinkansen early morning
- Drop luggage at Airbnb 1pm (Stay near Namba)
- Grab quick lunch at Luke's lobster (Shinsaibashi)
- Shitenno-ji Temple
- Osaka Castle & Nishinomaru Garden
- Kema Sakuranomiya Park (See cherry blossom if have time)
- Namba-Dotonbori-Shinsaibashi (rest of evening)
- Umeda Sky building (optional)


30th March
- Universal Studio
- Namba-Dotonbori-Shinsaibashi (Evening)


31th March
- Leave for Kyoto
- Drop luggage at Airbnb 10am (Stay near Sai-in station)
- Nishiki Market/Shijo Dori
- Nara Park (See deer)
- Todai-ji Temple
- Himeji Castle (Not sure if feasible to put on this day)
- Dinner At Gion/Pontocho alley (Any recommendation???)


1st April
- Philosopher’s Path (See cherry blossom)
- Nanzenji Temple
- Maruyama Park
- Higashiyama Streets
- Kiyomizudera
- Nijo Castle (Take pic only. read there is night illumination starting 6pm)
- Kinkaku-ji Temple (Golden Pavilion)
- Dinner At Gion/Pontocho alley (Any recommendation???)


*** Not sure of it's too packed on this day. If so, which place/day can I shift to?

2nd April
- Arashiyama (trying to reach by 9am)-->- Sagano Scenic Railway (worth to take?)
- Tenryu-ji Temple
- Togetsukyo Bridge
- Bamboo groves
- Okochi-Sanso Villa
- Fushimi Inari Shrine (probably late afternoon)
- Any dinner/lunch suggestion for this day?


3rd April
- Leave for Tokyo by shinkansen
- check in to Keikyu EX Inn Shinagawa Ekimae Hotel
- Meguro River (See Cherry blossom)
- Yokohama (Chinatown & Minato Mirai 21)


4rd April
- F&E Shinjuku/Shibuya (Morning)
- Leave hotel 2pm catch 6pm flight back to sg


*ps: given the above itinerary, is there any special pass that I need to buy for traveling around osaka and kyoto region? So far I only bought the 7days jr pass which I plan to activate on the 29th March
 
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cpuer

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Hi everyone, I just briefly done up my itinerary. Need some advice to check whether the itinerary need any further adjustments. Main purpose of the trip is to catch cherry blossom plus sighting seeing. I have been to Tokyo once but not Osaka & Kyoto. Accommodation & flight has been booked. May need some lunch/dinner suggestions for Kyoto. Therefore, need you guys to help advice whether the itinerary below makes sense:


26th March
- Reached Tokyo 6am. Check in to Shinjuku Airbnb straight.
- Shinjuku/Shibuya
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Observatories (night/optional)
- Omoide Yokocho (Memory Lane) 'Piss Alley' (not sure if worth going)


27th Marc
- Disneysea (whole day)


28th March
- Tsukiji Fish Market (for bf only. not catching tuna auction)
- Ueno Park (See cherry blossom)
- Ameya-Yokocho Market
- Asakusa (Lunch & shopping)
- Tokyo station (Dinner & Walk around)


29th March
- Leave for Osaka by shinkansen early morning
- Drop luggage at Airbnb 1pm (Stay near Namba)
- Grab quick lunch at Luke's lobster (Shinsaibashi)
- Shitenno-ji Temple
- Osaka Castle & Nishinomaru Garden
- Kema Sakuranomiya Park (See cherry blossom if have time)
- Namba-Dotonbori-Shinsaibashi (rest of evening)
- Umeda Sky building (optional)


30th March
- Universal Studio
- Namba-Dotonbori-Shinsaibashi (Evening)


31th March
- Leave for Kyoto
- Drop luggage at Airbnb 10am (Stay near Sai-in station)
- Nishiki Market/Shijo Dori
- Nara Park (See deer)
- Todai-ji Temple
- Himeji Castle (Not sure if feasible to put on this day)
- Dinner At Gion/Pontocho alley (Any recommendation???)


1st April
- Philosopher’s Path (See cherry blossom)
- Nanzenji Temple
- Maruyama Park
- Higashiyama Streets
- Kiyomizudera
- Nijo Castle (Take pic only. read there is night illumination starting 6pm)
- Kinkaku-ji Temple (Golden Pavilion)
- Dinner At Gion/Pontocho alley (Any recommendation???)


*** Not sure of it's too packed on this day. If so, which place/day can I shift to?

2nd April
- Arashiyama (trying to reach by 9am)-->- Sagano Scenic Railway (worth to take?)
- Tenryu-ji Temple
- Togetsukyo Bridge
- Bamboo groves
- Okochi-Sanso Villa
- Fushimi Inari Shrine (probably late afternoon)
- Any dinner/lunch suggestion for this day?


3rd April
- Leave for Tokyo by shinkansen
- check in to Keikyu EX Inn Shinagawa Ekimae Hotel
- Meguro River (See Cherry blossom)
- Yokohama (Chinatown & Minato Mirai 21)


4rd April
- F&E Shinjuku/Shibuya (Morning)
- Leave hotel 2pm catch 6pm flight back to sg

Himeji seem too ambitious.
 

deodorant

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26th March
- Omoide Yokocho (Memory Lane) 'Piss Alley' (not sure if worth going)

28th March
- Tsukiji Fish Market (for bf only. not catching tuna auction)

31th March
- Leave for Kyoto
- Drop luggage at Airbnb 10am (Stay near Sai-in station)
- Nishiki Market/Shijo Dori
- Nara Park (See deer)
- Todai-ji Temple
- Himeji Castle (Not sure if feasible to put on this day)
- Dinner At Gion/Pontocho alley (Any recommendation???)
26th mar omoide yokocho is nothing special or worth purposely visiting. It's just a collection of small eateries so I'd only go if I was already in the area and needed dinner anyway.

28th mar if you're not planning to at least wander the inner/outer markets for a while then IMO don't even bother going to tsukiji. "having breakfast there" is overrated; plenty of better sushi places or other eateries elsewhere.

31st mar impossibly packed. nara itself can take up an entire day.
 

Devil7

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Cpuer & Deodorant,

If I take out himeji castle on the 31st Mar,does the itinerary for the rest of the day looks ok? If not, should I shift certain activities from other day to replace the Himeji part to spread out the activities?

As for the tsukiji mkt, yes I have plan to explore the inner/outer mkt for a while after bf. I remember there was some nice street food and some snacks which I may want to buy back as gifts
 
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cpuer

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Will you feel bad if you don go Yokohama Chinatown? Go Kamakura/Enoshima during day time and end your evening at MinatoMirai area to take the Cosmo ferris wheel, if you still have any strength left.
 

MajiMax

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Can consider this for 29th March.

- Leave for himeji by shinkansen early morning, store luggage at train station locker
- Himeji Castle & Kokoen Garden
- Leave for Osaka by shinkansen afternoon
- Drop luggage at Airbnb (Stay near Namba)
- Kema Sakuranomiya Park (See cherry blossom if have time)
- Namba-Dotonbori-Shinsaibashi (rest of evening)
- Umeda Sky building (optional)

I would visit original castle (Himeji Castle) than reconstructed castle (Osaka Castle).
 

MajiMax

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2nd April
- Arashiyama (trying to reach by 9am)-->- Sagano Scenic Railway (worth to take?)

There are certain departure timing for it, imo skip it since the period you going not autumn, and you have to make return trip to visit the rest places of interest.
 

Gixxerfied

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Ya, the scenic route is nicer during autumn..

I took jr to Umahori then start from Kameoka to arashiyama
 

Devil7

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Will you feel bad if you don go Yokohama Chinatown? Go Kamakura/Enoshima during day time and end your evening at MinatoMirai area to take the Cosmo ferris wheel, if you still have any strength left.

Hmm... just thought of dropping by Chinatown to check it out only since didn't manage to go on my last trip. But your suggestion above on kamakura/enoshima and evening at Minato Mirai looks like something I could explore. Will go read up more on these places and consider for my itinerary. Thanks for the suggestion :)
 

Devil7

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Can consider this for 29th March.

- Leave for himeji by shinkansen early morning, store luggage at train station locker
- Himeji Castle & Kokoen Garden
- Leave for Osaka by shinkansen afternoon
- Drop luggage at Airbnb (Stay near Namba)
- Kema Sakuranomiya Park (See cherry blossom if have time)
- Namba-Dotonbori-Shinsaibashi (rest of evening)
- Umeda Sky building (optional)

I would visit original castle (Himeji Castle) than reconstructed castle (Osaka Castle).


So your suggestion is to give osaka castle a miss and go for himeji castle only? Will there be issue with luggage storage at train station since I am going during peak season and my luggage is 28 inch. Worried that I may not be able to find empty lockers to put my luggage even if I leave in the morning. Unless they have those luggage service counter at train station.
 

saffronsatire

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Osaka and shin-osaka station have luggage storage shop but they don't open till 8.30am i think.

Yokohama Chinatown can skip, not worth the time and trouble.
 

bladez87

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Wow Bro! You have the exact same travel route as I originally planned mine. But I didn't have a firm itinerary. Can you share the airbnb link so I can use your itinerary. Thanks man!
 

cpuer

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Hmm... just thought of dropping by Chinatown to check it out only since didn't manage to go on my last trip. But your suggestion above on kamakura/enoshima and evening at Minato Mirai looks like something I could explore. Will go read up more on these places and consider for my itinerary. Thanks for the suggestion :)

Unless u are on a mission to visit every Chinatown in the world, I think, I strongly think you wont miss much by skipping Chinatown(s) :s13:
 

purpleberry

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I strongly recommend Kamakura in the morning. Have lunch there and head to Yokohama Minato Mirai area. There's cup noodles museum if you are interested. If you want to visit Cosmo World, take note of their operating hours. They close on one of the weekdays.

I am not sure how many of you are travelling but the general rule is for popular eateries, do prepare to queue or visit 1-2hrs earlier. Luke Lobster is generally very crowded, even at 3pm! Famous ramen places are also very packed even outside meal times. So if you prefer to sightsee, do prioritize on that or else you might waste valuable time waiting and queuing.
 

Devil7

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Wow Bro! You have the exact same travel route as I originally planned mine. But I didn't have a firm itinerary. Can you share the airbnb link so I can use your itinerary. Thanks man!

Hmm... Actually you can just go straight to airbnb website to browse through to see which place u prefer because I have not stayed in my current accommodation before. Not sure how good it is. Moreover, it is dependent on how many pax staying, availability of the rooms during your date and the location you prefer to stay in. :s13:
 

Devil7

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Cpuer & Saffronsatire, I will give Chinatown a miss then. Thanks for the tip


Purpleberry: There are only 2 pax for this trip, including me. I have been to cup noodle museum before. So not going this time. As what some of you guys suggested, I might just go to Kamakura and Minato Mirai area instead since I have not been there before as well.


Btw, I still got 1 more question:

Can someone advise whether I need to buy any special transport pass besides the JR pass based on my itinerary above? I am super confused by the various pass needed to travel around, especially the Kyoto Osaka part as I have not been to that part of Japan before. :s11:
 

cpuer

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Cpuer & Saffronsatire, I will give Chinatown a miss then. Thanks for the tip


Purpleberry: There are only 2 pax for this trip, including me. I have been to cup noodle museum before. So not going this time. As what some of you guys suggested, I might just go to Kamakura and Minato Mirai area instead since I have not been there before as well.


Btw, I still got 1 more question:

Can someone advise whether I need to buy any special transport pass besides the JR pass based on my itinerary above? I am super confused by the various pass needed to travel around, especially the Kyoto Osaka part as I have not been to that part of Japan before. :s11:
If you have no JR pass, the pass to consider should be Kansai Through Pass for Kansai. But you have JR pass now, so you need to do you maths to see if you should spend the 4000 yen on 2 days Kansai Though Pass by squeezing your non JR friendly destinations or not. Or just use the IC card.
 

Devil7

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Can consider this for 29th March.

- Leave for himeji by shinkansen early morning, store luggage at train station locker
- Himeji Castle & Kokoen Garden
- Leave for Osaka by shinkansen afternoon
- Drop luggage at Airbnb (Stay near Namba)
- Kema Sakuranomiya Park (See cherry blossom if have time)
- Namba-Dotonbori-Shinsaibashi (rest of evening)
- Umeda Sky building (optional)

I would visit original castle (Himeji Castle) than reconstructed castle (Osaka Castle).



Hi, I have some questions regarding this part.


1. I am trying to find the train timing for the shinkansen so that I know which is the first train or what are the train timing that I can take from Shinjuku to Himeji. I was looking through this link and find it confusing: http://www.shinkansen.co.jp/jikoku_hyo/en/sanyou/sdh_tokyo.html


2. I read JR pass (which I already bought) can only use on Hikari train. The shinkansen (Hikari train) is direct train all the way from Shinjuku to Himeiji castle right? Or is there a need to transfer at Osaka? Am I right to assume my transport from Shinjuku to Himeiji is covered by this pass or do I need to buy a separate train ticket at Osaka to travel to Himeji?


3. The return trip from Himeji to my Osaka Airbnb is it also covered by my JR pass? Else what train should I take to transfer back to Osaka?


Sorry to ask so many questions. I am seriously confused by the various trains route and what pass I can use. :s11: Hopefully some kind soul can help me out
 
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