TOKYO in 3 days

Day 0: Fly Into Tokyo and Check into your hotel

• I stayed in the Ginza/Chuo district at the Remm Plus Ginza Hotel ($200/night)

Day 1: Tokyo - Harajuku, Shinjuku, Shibuya Crossing

• Morning: Breakfast/Coffee at Hotel or nearby cafe

  • If you are an early riser, it's important to note that a LOT or all cafes do NOT open early - 10/11am is the norm. Lots of people in Japan actually drink 7-11 coffee and grab it quickly. It's not impossible, but HARD to find a cafe that opens early!

  • In Ginza/Chuo City, I went to Tsubakiya Coffee (opens at 10am, so will delay your morning) - which was NOT touristy at all! It was actually mostly Japanese businesspeople and offered a very unique/traditional experience of coffee + small sandwiches

  • Transportation to Harajuku area

• Late morning: Meiji Shrine, Yoyogi Park (2-3 hours)

• Walk around/Lunch in Harajuku - unique shopping, trendy cafes, etc.

  • RxTravelBug Rec: skip coffee near your hotel, grab something quick at 7-11/FamilyMart and head to Harajuku. Wait for the cafes to open in the area

• Afternoon: Check out a special Harajuku cafe (Cat Cafe, Hedgehog Cafe, Pig Cafe, Owl Cafe) and shopping

  • Harajuku Owl Cafe (and more...): requires reservations much ahead of time! Japan is filled with unique cafe themes of ALL kinds - so find the one you want to experience and research it (what city it's in, how long to spend there, how much time ahead of reservation it will take). NOTE: these cafes are a bit on the pricey end - requiring an entrance fee and usually a table minimum/per person, but you're paying for the show!

  • Omotesando = main street of Harajuku

  • Takeshita Street = trendy fashion, accessories

• Evening: Shibuya Crossing

  • Things to do there: Nintendo Store, Mega Don Quijote (discount shopping), Shibuya Crossing experience in daytime vs evening, Starbucks above Shibuya Crossing

  • Dinner in the area!

  • Try to catch sunset at Shibuya Sky Deck

• Late Evening: SG Club (one of the best bars in the world!)

  • Try their Parmesan Pisco Sour or their Tom Yum drink - if you're feeling adventurous!

Day 2: Tsukiji Market, Asakusa Shrine, Tokyo Skytree

• Morning: Tsukiji Outer Market (1-2 hours)

  • So many good things to try! Must haves: Matcha latte, Tamago popsicle, Seared/grilled ahi tuna, Strawberry Daifuku dessert, Otoro sushi

  • Get to Tsukiji EARLY (7-730am) and bring cash!

• Late Morning/Afternoon: Senso-ji Temple, Asakusa Shrine, and Akihabara District (3-4 hours)

  • Akihabara is known as the anime district, but also for electronics!

• Evening: Ginza shopping

• Dinner and an early day if you're planning Disneyland!

Day 3: Tokyo Disneyland OR Tokyo Disney Sea

• I went to Tokyo Disney Sea, which is considered more for adults (not for any X-rated reason, but the areas are set up as different famous city themes - so it feels like you're a tourist around the world.

• Fastpass in Tokyo is SO expensive - it's about $20 per ride. So, expect to either pay a lot or wait a little bit.

• Try to find the cutest-themed asian food from around the stands - my favorite was the Toy Story Alien Mochi heads!

TOKYO Places to eat:

Restaurants: Harajuku Gyozaro, Gyukatsu Motomura Harajuku, Oreryu Shio Ramen Jingu-mae, Katsumidori Seibu Shibuya (revolving sushi bar), Butagumi (tonkatsu), Sushi Ishiyama, Shutoku Ganso (omakase) for breakfast/brunch $65 for omakase, Chukasoba Ginza Hachigou, Seagen – bluefin tuna over rice

Bars: Ben Fiddich, SG club

OSAKA in 2 days

Day 4: Tokyo > Osaka Bullet Train, Osaka Castle, Umeda Sky Building, Osaka Aqauarium, Dotonburi

• Morning: Bullet Train Tokyo > Osaka (2.5h - 3h)

• Late Morning: Check into Hotel, Coffee/Lunch, Osaka Castle + Osaka Castle Park (2-3h)

• Afternoon/Early Evening: Umeda Sky Building, Osaka Aquarium (2-3h)

• Dinner/Nightlife in Dotonburi/Namba Area

• Bar to check out: Bar Nayuta

  • They make drinks to your flavor/liking - no preset menu. A fabulous experience!

Day 5: Kuromon Ichiba Market, Dotonburi/Shinsabaibashi Shopping OR Universal Studios (full day)

• Morning: Kuromon Ichiba Market (1-2h)

  • Great for eating different kinds of food from stands (cash only!), people-watching, avoiding the rain!

• Late Morning/Early Afternoon: Dotonburi District/Shinsaibashi Shopping (2-3h)

• Afternoon: Top Ramen Museum

• Early Evening: head to Kyoto

OSAKA Places to Eat

Restaurants: Torisoba Zagin Niboshi, Ramen Zundo-Ya Shinsaibashi (ramen was good but gyoza better), Matsusakagyu Yakinuki (amazingly tender meat, ~$80-100/pp)

Bars: Bar Nayuta

KYOTO in 2 days

Day 6: Fushimi Inari, Kiyomizu-dera, Sannenzaka Ninenzaka, Gion District

• Morning: Fushimi Inari Shrine (2-3h)

  • If you want to hike to the top, allocate a bit more time and this would probably take you a half-day. It's BREATHtaking, and as you get to the top, the crowds really thin out. It's a good stairstepper hike and not too long/hard in general!

• Late Morning/Early Afternoon: Kiyomizu-dera Temple & Sannenzaka Ninenzaka (2-3h)

• Early Evening: watch sunset at Park Hyatt bar OR Kodaiji Temple area

• Evening: Gion District & Geisha Spotting

Day 7: Nishiki Market

• Morning: Nijo Castle (1-2h)

• Late Morning: Nishiki Market (1-2h)

• Early Afternoon: Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) (1-2h) + Ninnaji Temple (1-2h), if time

• Late Afternoon/Early Evening: Arashiyama Bamboo Grove + Tenryu-ji Temple (2-3h)

  • The crowds will have started to thin out by this time, if you go in the afternoon

KYOTO places to eat:

Restaurants: Sushi Naratiya, Steak Otsuka, Umaimonyaki Sun (izakaya), Maguro Koya (if visiting Nara – AMAZING toro), Miyako Ramen

Bars: Bee’s Knees, L’escamateur, Rooftop at K36 for sunset (drinks are not-so-great here – but amazing view), Park Hyatt for Sunset

Note: it's truly possible to fit 7 days (or even shorter!) in Japan and see all the major things, but you're obviously not able to pack everything in and may be at a busy/not relaxing pace! I'd recommend 10 days as the OPTIMAL amount of time to spend in Japan :)

7-DAY Itinerary - Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka