Japan Trip Plan 2023

By Green Snake

Introduction

This blog I will explain how I planned a trip. This will help you plan your own trip to your desires. I will say what went wrong and what went right. I will also provide my itinerary. I just stayed in Tokyo.

About Japan

Japan, Tokyo

Japan is an interesting place. I suggest everyone visits this country. If you can only go to one place, I suggest Tokyo. It's a very interest place that mixes the traditional and the modern. I would say the place is very different from New York City. Tokyo is much more massive. It's almost like being on another planet. It's wild.

Here are the various wards (subareas) of Tokyo. I believe the more interesting parts are near and around Chiyoda (center).(wiki: wards)


I went with a bunch of people, but I think less is better. Then you don't need group consensus.

The people are friendlier, the city is very clean, the crime is non-existent, and the food is excellent. Did you know Tokyo is the city with the most Michelin stars?(Wiki: michelin stars)

I recommend some planning to make things so smoothly and to maximize the number of things to do and see. Some people just go to foreign countries without any planning, and I think that's a bit wild. Those kinds of people probably look at me and think I'm wild.

Language

Many westerners may be fearful of the language barrier. To learn Japanese from English (and vice versa) is not easy. It's almost completely unrelated. If you think Japanese is hard, imagine how hard English is for the Japanese. Many of them did not speak English, because it's not America.

In a major area, such as Tokyo, there are many places that attempt to accommodate English-speakers. Restaurants will have English menus and train stations have english letters and signs. I did Duolingo Japanese for a year and I use a lot of mnemonics to memorize the alphabets and words. I recommended Duolingo since it's free and has a bunch of fun features.(duolingo)

The Japanese use multiple writing systems. The primary ones are: Hiragana (Japanese words), Katakana (foreign words), Kanji (Chinese pictographs), English.I would say, try to memorize Katakana. It'll take a few days using mnemonics. It's a lot of fun to be able to read even just a little bit. The amount of English Loan Words makes up about 10% of the total Japanese vocabulary.(source: Japanese National Language Research Institute)As for Kanji, it's useful, but it's going to take work. I'm still struggling.

Using my limited Japanese, I was able to ask for directions and receive directions. When I went to the Nintendo Store, I bought a red bag and I asked in Japanese if they had a green Luigi bag. They said no.

I used the Google Translate app and a pocket wifi. You can translate writings using your camera, and ask for simple stuff without any bad mistranslations.

I don't think learning Japanese is necessary, but it greatly enhances the experience.

Getting around

Plane

Your tickets may be more expensive on certain days of the week. The optimal time to buy a cheaper international ticket is somewhere between 1.5 - 5 months before departure. The most expensive months are Holiday-Winter, and Summer.

Flights are generally the most inexpensive between four months and three weeks before your departure date(Investopedia)

Flight time from NYC to Tokyo is 14 hours (non-stop).

Japanese-specific airlines are: Japan Airlines (fancy) and ANA. A roundtrip ticket from NY to Tokyo will cost around $940 - $1,500 (2016 prices).

• Checked on March 2016: $891 - $1179 for flights on Jul 25 - Aug 8.
• Checked on April 2023: $1604+ for flights on May 19 - 28. (JFK to Tokyo, any, 40+ hour flight)
• Checked on April 2023: $1900+ for flights on May 19 - 28. (JFK to Tokyo, any, 18 hour flight)

Cancellation Policy

Some companies allow you to cancel within 24 hours of booking. Airlines that are American are easier when it comes to refunds due to the English. For example, Delta may have a large cancellation fee and refund for flights booked a while ago.

Dealing with Jetlag

Tokyo timezone is NYC + 14 hours time zone. There's no clean solution. You're going to have to just power through your day. The Japanese sunlight during a time when you should go to sleep, will keep you awake longer. I woke up after 6 hours of sleep feeling ok. I took naps throughout the first day of traveling to Japan. Your body's sleep schedule can only shift an hour per day.
Caffeine's half life is 5 hours.

Airports

I hear you can fill out the "QR code customs form" just before you leave to Japan and you'll be put in a shorter customs line (customs). I hear good things on Reddit. Near Tokyo, there are two major airports:
Narita Airport (NRT)
The larger international airport of the two Tokyo airports. Although it is much farther, you can take the public railway to Tokyo (Narita Skyliner Express/Yamanote line) for ~$26. A taxi to Tokyo will cost ~$200.

Haneda Airport (HND) - Near Tokyo
The smaller of the two airports. There may be less options here and thus more expensive. This is closer to the city. You can take the public line to Tokyo (Tokyo Monorail/Yamanote) for ~$7.

Trains

I walked a lot, about 10 miles per day. Office workers are mostly sedentary. I am one and my feet were bumping. Be sure to exercise.

For the Tokyo area, buy an Integrated Circuit (IC) SUICA or PASMO (they're basically the same) card. If you have extra funds, you can get a refund from any attendant. Non-temp cards are recommended for souvenirs and refunds. Suica is ~$5 for the card. If you load up more, you can use the card to buy stuff elsewhere (like vending machines). One of these IC cards is enough for Tokyo.

Non-temp long-term cards last for 10 years. Welcome Suica, aka Temp cards, last 28 days and have no purchase cost. You can download apps that do stuff like this (no refunds for remaining balance).

You can recharge in the train station or at a convenience store through the clerk if you run out while buying something. Or 7-11 atm. The Suica pass buying machine is in multiple languages (and English), at many stations.

Trains stop sometime at midnight. Tons of people go towards the center of Tokyo during rush hour. People leave the center at the end of the day. 8-10 am on a weekday and 6-8 pm on weeknights. Reduced service on weekends. Trains stop at midnight. 😴 Cabs are expensive.

People generally keep quiet on the trains, and don't eat there.

Two metro companies. Tokyo metro and Toei subway. You can get a Tokyo subway tourist card (1 - 3 days for ~$8 - 16) from the tokyo information center @ Ueno, Ginza, Shinjuku, Omeotesando, Narita, and Haneda Airports and some hotels. You need a passport to prove that you're a tourist.

Navigation

There is a green “circle” path that goes around the center of Tokyo. This is the Yamanote Line. This map initially hurts to look at.(Map)

Let's say you are in Ikebukuro (top of circle). You want to go to Akihabara (a bit east). So you get on the green Yamanote train south towards Shinjuku (you will be able to see the station map in English at the station). Then you get on the yellow line east towards Akihabara. Observe how the lines connect.

When you get to these stations, you should be able to read the maps, since they have English. These stations are color coded with letters. A yellow circle that says G - 09 is the Ginza Line, station # 9.
Looking at this picture, to go from Ueno Park to Shibuya, You just go take this Ginza Line from G-16 to G-01.

When in city, the average cost from point A to B is ~300 yen. You will be charged by distance. You tap in your card when you enter the station and again when you exit the station. Your fee will be calculated then. If you are out of money, you'll have to do the fee adjustment at the station.

Google maps works well for train travel.

JR Pass

JR Pass is for multiple cities. You may want to check out the day pass. JR Pass (possibly obsolete in the future). “28,300 yen for 7 days, 45,100 yen for 14 days, and 57,700 yen for 21 Even if you just get the seven-day pass, it's the same price as a round-trip train ticket from Osaka to Tokyo (14,250 yen each way!).” Buy it on the internet or travel agent. With this pass, you can reserve seats in person. Be careful that some lines are not supported. There are special JR Passes for tourists, you may have to buy these before visiting Japan.

Other Transportation

There are bus tours such as SkyBus, aka Sightseeing bus. Hop in, hop out, one day pass.

Lodging

I went with a suite hotel. I found that singular hotels are cheaper than hotels that need 4 people. Booking hotels last minute-ish means savings (2 weeks at most).(USA Today)There are generally stations everywhere in Tokyo. I stayed in the Chiyoda area, which is the center of Tokyo. This is good for avoiding the rush hour.
(Hotel - ホテル pronounced Ho-te'-ru)
Here are some options:

• Airbnb - Sleep in other people's houses for a low cost. You may meet cool locals. May have a language problem. May be bare or self service.
• Bus Hotel - Sleep on the way to another city
• Capsule Hotel - Bare minimum sleeping accommodations. All over the city and inside some airports.
• CouchSurfing.com - Bum it up for free with a complete stranger.
• Hotels - King of the castle with service. Some of them speak both English and Japanese so they can help you with reservations or whatnot.
• Internet Cafe, a temporary place for sleep
• Love Hotel - various goofy expensive themed hotels for couples
• Park Hyatt - The hotel from “Lost in translation”
• Tinder, 🥴
• TripAdvisor Cheap Hotels, Tokyo
• Yelp Hotels
• Traditional Ryokan inn

Sightseeing

You'll need to gather a list of things you want to see and do. I did a lot of reading and searching. If you want, you can check out my google map. Although, you will have to do some reading and writing, to suit your desires. Here is a list of lists below. Jot down anything of interest, with a small description. I organized locations by wards.

• List of Buzzfeed-featured ramen(buzzfeed)
• List of UNESCO sites(link)
• Wiki: List of special scenic places(wiki)
• Chinatown, Yokohama
• Fuji-Q Highland Amusement Park, large amusement park with rollercoasters, near Mount Fuji(wiki)
• Kamakura Beach, south of Tokyo. Also has Buddhist temples nearby.
• Kōtoku-in, Great Buddha statue, south of Tokyo (Kamakura)
• Moominvalley Park, quiet anime theme park
• Tokyo German Village (Chiba, Japan)
• Yomiuriland, theme park(site)
• One of the 11 - 13 Cat islands(list)
• Tottori Sakyu, Sand Dunes(japan guide)
• 100 Things to Do Way Outside(youtube)
• Buzzfeed Sushi video(buzzfeed)
• Cafe of Cat, Dog, Goat, Maid, Meerkat, Owl, Parrot, Snake(timeout)
• Eater's best Tokyo restaurants list(eater)
• Foot bath cafe(timeout)
• Kaiten Sushi, conveyor belt sushi(wiki)
• List of Tokyo Museums from Yelp(yelp)
• 🕹️ List of arcades in Tokyo(live japan)
• Lists of convenience stores (aka Conbini), The food here is pretty good and varied. Has free wifi, toilets,
  • 7-11
  • Family Mart
  • Lawson
  • Ministop
  • Daily Yamazaki
  • NewDays
  • Daiso (really an all-purpose store)
• List of English cafe(google)
• List of expat bars(tokyo cheapo)
• List of Japanese fast food(japan talk)
• List of nightlife, bars, clubs(yelp)
• List of festivals(japan talk)
• List of Tokyo hair salons(yelp)
• List of Tokyo malls(trip advisor)
• List of Tokyo nail salons(yelp)
• List of Tokyo pools(timeout)
• List of Snoopy Things (from Peanuts)(timeout)
• List of Tokyo bakeries and cafes(yelp)
• Lonely planet - Things to do in Tokyo(lonely planet)
• Michelin Star Tokyo, 1, 2, 3(michelin)(wiki)
• Things to do - Tripadvisor Japan(trip advisor)
• Things to do - Tripadvisor Tokyo(trip advisor)
• Time-Out Tokyo, To-Do(timeout)
• Tokyo Yelp shopping list(yelp)
• Tripadvisor's Best Tokyo Restaurants(trip advisor)
• Yelp Tokyo(yelp)
• Coco Ichibanya Curry House, A chain of popular curry houses. I get chicken, cheese, naan bread, reduced order of rice. Then I add the black sauce, add those pickled vegetable.
• Karaoke Places
• klook.com is a great place to get deals on tickets or entire packages of things to do. Check it out.

Food

I found the food scene to be interesting. The prices are affordable, and the food is wacky, so you may find some lines to be hours long. But remember, long lines means hype.

For some places (like a ramen shop), you may have to get to the place early, get a time ticket, and come back at that time. Some places take no reservations. Some places require that a Japanese person takes the reservation (to avoid ghosting). Some places don't allow foreigners due to the risk of miscommunication.

The Japanese version of Yelp is Tabelog.com/en/

Shopping

I'm more of a minimalist, so I didn't do much shopping. But there's plenty of interesting fashion to buy in various malls here. You can do tax-free purchases (duty-free) using your passport. To get your tax removed, some stores do it at the register, or you may have to go to a specific place in the building.

When to Go

During Spring time, you'll see plenty of pink cherry blossoms in bloom. In summer, it may be so hot, you may need to use an umbrella. They even grow citrus in Tokyo. There are even rain seasons where it doesn't stop raining (mid-june). During the autumn, you'll see beautiful foliage. Personally, I'll go whenever. During winter, the snowfall is not heavy unless you go up North towards the Hokkaido area. The snowfall there is pretty high. In some areas, 15m per year ☃️. You can check historical weather data for a better idea.

Golden week is a week of Japanese holidays (late April). It'll be crowded.(Golden week)

During the day, shops open up after 8am or 10:30am, which I found odd.

Etiquette

The list of things to do and not do is lengthy. It's not America, so please be mindful. If you do something goofy, people will probably give you a pass since you're a foreigner. I didn't know how to use the train turnstile and the guard came out and showed me how. I said thank you.

• Just do what locals do
• Tipping is frowned upon and not done here.
• Drinking alcohol on the street is legal.
• Don't be loud on subways.
• It is good etiquette to not crease or fold the Yen.
• Deep Bow in front of shrine gates (wiki: Torii). And when you leave, face the shrine, and deep bow. I don't see many tourists doing this 🥴
• Wash hands at shrines (wash left hand, right hand, water in left-hand to rinse (don't drink) mouth, left hand, wash ladle by making it vertical). There is a location under to place the dirty water (not the main basin).
• Tie bad fortunes to a designated area in the Shrine.
• For shrine / temple prayer, rattle bells, drop offering coin (more is considered greedy? People use 5 yen since. it sounds like good luck), two bows, two claps, and a bow again
• Shrines (shinto religion) have big Torii gates. They normally house a deity. Temples (buddhist) have house-like gates (sanmon wiki).(link)
• In these shrines / temples, there's no dress code. But look ok.
• You shouldn't walk down the center path of a Torii. This is for the deities. Walk on the left side.
• Some places need you to take off your shoes
• Trash bins are sparse so you'll need to keep your trash. This is to minimize terrorism risk.
• You can't take pictures inside some places and of certain people.
• Doing a tiny crime may land you in jail for a year.(youtube: guy goes to jail for a year for a ball of rice)
• Bringing drugs (even legal in the US) may land you in jail for a long time.
• No jaywalking
• It is more polite to give and receive things with both hands (like money).
• Don't walk and eat. It is rude to not enjoy your food. Or eat on the train unless it's the bullet train.
• Learn to use chopsticks
• People are very quiet on trains.
• Tattoos are frown upon due to its association with gangsters. You may be turned away from onsens.
• Some toilets have digital bidets. Look up button icons.
• Japanese people may not correct your bizarre behavior, so be mindful
• Business cards are an extension of a person's self. Please be careful with it and do not put it away until after you leave.
• People stay on the left side of the escalators so people who are in a rush can push forward on the right. This may be different in other cities.
• People will get irritated when you move around with large luggage everywhere. There are occasional coin lockers
• in certain areas (like stations). Or you can send your luggage to your hotel from the airport.
• Cars are driven forward on the left side of the road.
• Slurping ramen is ok
• Spitting on the streets is frowned upon.
• Don't urinate in the streets
• You can only smoke in designated areas. Like in conbinis (convenience stores).
• There is more, but it'll be ok.

Recently, there have been nuisance streamers who have gotten caught. To give an example of what will happen to them, here's a video of a guy who "dun-goofed" and is now wasting away in a small Japanese prison by marching like a robot while getting yelled at nonstop. BRUTAL!

Money $ (USD) to ¥ (Yen)

You get a lower rate using US Cash and not a credit card. You may get a better exchange rate in Japan. They use a lot of cash in Japan. You can get yen at a 7-11 atm.

An ATM with your debit card may give a better rate. Before you do an ATM withdrawal, you'll be given two choices.Yen (your card's rates) and USD (7-11 rates 🤡). Pick Yen (good rates). It will be itemized and you'll see semi-clearly that the machine adds 3% for USD for no reason. This accepts many major cards (Visa, mastercard, AMEX, etc)

You can get yen at post offices ATMs. 1% charge.

You can get yen at the hotels (worse rate?)

Your credit card may have good exchange rates or it may have foreign exchange fees.

Currency exchange shops are ok?

Some atms have a closure time.

I got some Yen (like $200) at my local US bank. The rates were better in the country.

2023-Summer = 1 USD is 135 yen

Planning

In this section, I will talk about actual planning.

Planning - Gathering Consensus

When doing some basic research on places, you'll need to write it down.

I suggest using Google Docs to write down and share the basic plan. You can even collaborate with others. Google Sheets to initially write down the list of places, costs, and see what people want to do. I suggest people give a number from 0 - 10 instead of a thumbs down or up. It'll become clearer. Also, try to get a daily budget estimate (flight, food, housing, transportation, fun, shopping).

Planning - Planning Logistics and Itinerary

After I gathered a list of places people want to go to, I placed everything of interest onto a custom Google Map. Once you do this, it becomes easier to see where the areas of heavy interest are. You can then plan your daily trip around visiting these clusters of interest.

I would attempt to make a path going from point A to D to Z, without backtracking, to maximize visited places. I measured the travel times using Google Map, and by setting the departure date and time to around the time we left. I also looked up how long people stay at certain places on average. I grouped the type of places by color (Primary places, secondary places, fast food places, places that are too far).

I would try to visit 1 or 2 wards per day (such as Shibuya, Shinjuku, Chiyoda, etc).

After trying a couple of paths, and removing some places, I ended up with a decent plan. Lastly, you have to write out everything in a simple Google Doc which was downloaded and shared with people. This doc gave an hour by hour plan and gave us reminders of things to do throughout the day. I used colors and bolding to help make the doc easier to read.

One thing that was mildly anxiety-inducing was keeping appointments or getting somewhere before it closes. Being continually mindful of this, is called 'background stress' or 'ambient stress' Ideally, you try to keep it to a minimum or pad enough time so you can relax more.

Planning - Emergencies

There may be emergencies. They probably won't happen, but it's good to plan for them so you don't need to panic.

• Medical? Call 119.
• Lose Passport in Japan? You'll need to go to the US Embassy 🙁 and fill out a few forms, wait a few weeks (days in specific cases) for an Emergency Travel Passport. Just don't lose your passport 🙂(us embassy)
• Electrical Power Socket adapter? Japan uses slightly different voltages. Same sockets. Be careful not to use heavy duty appliances such as a hair dryer. Hotels will probably accommodate you.
• Earthquakes?

One time to-dos

• Update passports. This may take 6 months. Expires in 10 years
  • Keep on you. It's Japanese law.(travel.state.gov, local law)
  • Getting checked by authorities is rare.
  • Vacation Visa limit up to 90 days.
• Automate bills
• Reserve pocket wifi
• You can get a SUICA card online or at the airport
• You may have to alert your banks to prevent anti-fraud lockups
• Get yen before hand, although you can get a bit at the airport
• Get flight tickets (I went to Haneda)
• Reserve Hotel
• Reserve events (restaurants). If possible, I reserved a few days before, in case someone got sick.
• Download Google Translate
• Download Google maps or a map app
• Apple Air tags for baggage tracking
• Download your itinerary offline
• Read this travel.state.gov guide(travel.state.gov)
• Read this jp.usembassy.gov guide(jp.usembassy.gov)

Sample Itinerary

This is an abridged version. I removed a lot of the timings, information, formatting, and the reminders.

Day 0 📜👀

Before the trip.

• Pack bags using checklists
• Bring passport
• Register for Pocket Wifi
• Get to airport at least 3 hours early for international flights.
• (Optional: get yen)

Day 1 🛬🧳

Arrive, get food, and pass out.

• Get pocket wifi. I got Ninja Wifi
• Buy PASMO or SUICA card (Integrated Circuit Card).
• Go from airport to -specific train station-, X minutes
• Go on train from -specific train station- to -other station-, Y minutes
• Walk from -other station- to hotel, Z minutes
• Walk around Chiyoda area (do some minor Day 3 stuff)
• To deal with the strange time schedules. We can stay up a few hours more than extra. (Our bodies can only shift our sleep schedules by an hour).
• Daimaru Tokyo, department store
• First Avenue Tokyo Station, a mall with a Rilakkuma and gachapon store.
• Eat dinner somewhere, Fast food, Sushi go round
• Ginza area nearby has a lot of fancy stuff

Day 2 🥠🐰

There are no reservations today 🎉.
Today is a day with a moderate amount of walking. Go to the tallest tower in Tokyo, the Tokyo Skytree, then the Temple Area, then go to Ueno Park, then spend the rest of the day wandering Akihabara.

Start

• Eat light breakfast.
• Start about 9 am or earlier.

Temple Area

• Walk to nearby Kaminarimon Gate
• People bow before entering such a gate
• Eat a little more at the nearby stalls: Toyofuku Curry Pan,Mochi Ice cream
• Walk to Senso-ji Temple (5 minutes, 200 m)
• Senso-ji Temple, Buddhist Temple with fortune telling.
  • Open all days. 6 am to 5 pm. About 1 - 2 hour here
  • Wash hands (procedure in Etiquette)
  • Put a coin in the offering box (5 yen is considered good fortune. Too much is greedy?), bow twice, clap twice, hold hands + pray, then bow.
  • Tie bad fortunes here
• Walk to Ueno Park (23 minutes, 1.4 miles)

Ueno Park

• Running total: 3 hours
• Ueno Onshi Park, Shinobugaoka Inari Shrine (Ana Inari)
• Ueno Zoo
  • Closes every Monday, ~$6, 2 - 3 hours
• More Museums are here but let's just go to one.
• Museums are generally closed on Monday
• Tokyo National Museum (4.5 goog rating)
  • Closed Monday, 9:30 to 5 pm, $10 for adults, ~2 hours
• Walk to Akihabara (17 minutes, 0.8 miles)

Akihabara

• Running total: ~7.5 hours
• Should be ~4:30 pm
• Eat lunch here, maybe at the Bunny's Guild 🐇 Check spots?
• Check out Akihabara 🐇
• One pachinko at Akihabara
• Akihabara Don Quijote, shop, Open 24 / 7
• Active AKIBA Golf Club ⛳
  • All days, 10:30 am to 10 pm.
• Active Akiba Batting Cage Centre ⚾
• TAITO Station Akihabara 🕹️
  • All hours 10:30 am to 11 pm.
• GiGO Akihabara 3 (Sega arcade) 🕹️
  • All hours 10:30 am to 11 pm.
• Bunny's Guild, maid cafe for lunch 🐇, scout out.
• Eat dinner
• Return To Base before midnight (trains stop. taxis are expensive)

Day 2.5 Detour to Chuo City and Sumida City 👻💀

A hodgepodge of leftover stuff. The Tsukiji Outer Fish Market is on Shinjuku Day.

• Can detour here from Chiyoda or Taito City or Koto City
• Kabukiza (kabuki theater) (In Chuo)
• Kyubey, expensive sushi (In Chuo, Ginza), Probably need to reserve through our hotel
• Ryōgoku Kokugikan, sumo (In Sumida)
• Sumida Aquarium, near Skytree (In Sumida)
• Tsukiji Outer Fish Market, famous fish market (In Chuo),
  • Many shops
  • Open all days except maybe Wednesday or Sunday, Generally 5 am to 2 pm
• Sushi Yoshitake, 3 michelin stars, ~$360 (Ginza), Fully booked 😭
• Chukasoba Ginza Hachigou
  • Michelin Star ramen
  • Closed Sat / Sun, 11 am to 4pm
  • Cash only, Seats six
• Wagyu to Worldwide, #1 trip ad in Chuo. Burger place. Middle of nowhere though.

Day 3 🕹️🎨

Explore Koto, Teamlab, Round 1 and Gundam Statue
👺 1 Major reservation, TeamLabs
🍖 1 optional restaurant reservation (need consensus).

We go to the Round 1 Arcade area and then the hot spot, TeamLab. Prepare to walk in knee-high water for Teamlab.

Start

• Start at 9 or 10 am.
• Check the QR code for Teamlab and store it offline.
• (Optional) Download the Teamlab app for a deeper understanding (link-removed)
• Light breakfast somewhere
• From -our station-, go to Round 1 Area

Round 1 Area

• Eat lunch somewhere: Fast food, Sushi Go Round, Stuff in the dinner list
• Tokyo Trick Art Museum (In Minato but really in Koto)
• Open all days, 11am to 8pm (9pm on sat / sun)
• Up to 3 hours
• Tokyo Joypolis, an indoor theme park (In Minato but really in Koto)
  • All days open, 10 am - 8 pm (9 pm on some days)
  • You can reserve the day pass, but not needed. You can spend at least 4 hours here or more.
• Statue of Liberty (photo op)
• Diver City Tokyo Plaza
• Round One Stadium, All days, 8 am to 11 pm
• Gundam statue (photo op), turns on every 0th minute of the hour
• Miraikan Museum of Emerging science
  • Closed Tuesday, 10 am to 5 pm
  • $6.50 admission
  • Up to 5 hours
• Shiokaze Park, nice park by the water, 30 minutes
• Running total: 9.5 hours
• Eat dinner somewhere
• The Grill on 30th, steakhouse, good views (need reservations)
• Trattoria Restaurant CARESS (italian)
• Indian Restaurant Mumbai AQUA CiTY ODAIBA
• BLUE TABLE, modern izakaya
• Running total: 10.5 hours
• Should be: ~5:00 pm. Prepare to move to Teamlab soon.
• From Round 1 Stadium, go to TeamLab
• Train: From Aomi Station take Yurikamome to Shin-Toyosu Station (24 minutes)

TeamLab Area

• Running total: 11 hours
• Brief walk to Teamlab
• Arrive at Teamlab at the Admission time of 6 pm - 6 : 30 pm and wait in line for 30 minutes. Use QR
code to get in Teamlab Planets (formerly Borderless), an art facility
• Note, the nearby ramen and ice cream shop closes at 7pm.
• Open all days, 9 am to 9 pm (Sat / Sun 10 pm) , ~$25.
• Buy tickets online (on their official site) or it may not be available. You can buy at the entrance, but there may be no openings or long waits.
• 2 hour line 🥴 (was really 30 minutes).
• Weekends are booked fast. No refunds!
• You can still enter if you are late. I wouldn't push it though.
• Wear underwear for the mirrored floors
• You will walk in knee high water.
• ~2 hours here
• Vegan Ramen UZU Tokyo teamLab Flower Shop & Art, A vegan ramen restaurant and ice cream.
  • Open all days, Closes at 7 pm, Should be: ~8:30 pm.
• Return To Base before midnight

Day 4 🐟🍺

No reservations today 🎉

Get some of that famous Tsukiji Outer Fish Market food, then go to Shinjuku.

• For breakfast, go to Tsukiji Outer Fish Market (In Chuo).
• Go to Shinjuku
• Walk to nearby Shinjuku Gyoen National Gardens
  • Closed Monday
  • $5 fee
  • Buy at gate, no advance booking needed
• Takashimaya Times Square, big mall
  • Open all days, 10:30 to 7:30 pm
• Club Sega arcade, Open all days, 10 to 11 pm
• 3D Billboard, big cat, east exit of Shinjuku Station
• Golden Gai, dense bar street, All days, really late
• Shinjuku Don Quixote, random store, All days, open 24 / 7
• Hanazono Shrine, fertility shrine
  • All days, open 24 / 7
  • Fortune telling and you can write an "ema" (wish tablet)
• Thermae-Yu, bath, All days, open 24 / 7
• Godzilla Head, All days, open 24 / 7
• SODLAND, a cafe run by adult actresses
  • All days
  • Mon - Fri, 6 pm to 11 pm
  • Sat / Sun, 3 pm to 11 pm, $55 for an hour
• Tokyo Kabukicho Tower, new attraction with Namco arcade on 3rd floor (47 floors high), Open 24 / 7
• Kabukicho, shady host and hostess clubs
• Sunset at 6:45 PM
• Shinjuku Marui Main Building (rooftop garden) to see the sunset
• Eat dinner somewhere
• Return To Base before midnight by train
• New York Bar (from that movie, Lost in Translation)
  • $25 cover fee
  • No cover fee before 7pm
  • Great views, A little bit west.

Day 5 🗼🧟

Explore A bit of Minato and Mostly Shibuya's Crowded streets
👺 1 Major Reservation, Tokyo Tower
⚠️ Meiji Jingu Shrine closes at 5 pm
We go to Tokyo Tower, then walk to the “In between point” to get lunch at the Aoyama Flower Tea Market House. Afterwards, hop a train to Meiji Shrine and then wander Shibuya. Ending at Shibuya Sky.

Start

• Tokyo Tower, big view of Tokyo (Minato) 🗼
  • Open all days
  • 9 am to 10:30 pm
  • $30 (buy online for $28) for top (250m) and main (150m) deck.
  • Top deck needs reservations.
  • Free binoculars in the top deck
  • About an hour here.
• (Optional) Can go to nearby Atago Jinja Shrine and climb the stairs to success. (8 minute walk)
• Go from Tokyo Tower to Aoyama Flower Market (30 minutes)
• Akabanebashi Station Oedo Line to Aoyama-Itchome Station
• Hanzomon Line to Omote-Sando Station
• Then walk 5 minutes

In-between

• Running total: 3.5 hours
• Should be ~1:30 pm
• 👺 Don't miss Meiji Jingu (closes 5 pm)
• Aoyama Flower Market Tea House for lunch (Minato)
  • Open all days
  • 10 to 9 pm
  • No Reservations
  • 1 Hour here
• Should be ~2:30 pm
• Take train to Yoyogi Park
• Note: ended up walking to Shibuya and getting matcha ice cream.

Northern Shibuya

• ~2:30 pm now
• From Yoyogi Park walk to Meiji Jingu Shrine (17 minute walk, 0.8 mile)
• Meiji Jingu (shrine) (at minato)
  • Open all days
  • 5 am to 5:20 pm
  • About 1 hour
• Yoyogi park
  • large Thai festival in early-summer
  • Open 24 hours, Free
  • Up to 3 hours
• Wander Harajuku
• Takeshita Street, an interesting place for fashion and food
• Totti Candy Factory, big cotton candy
  • Open all days
  • 10 to 7 pm (sat / sun closes 8 pm)
• Harajuku Zoo Land for lunch.
  • You don't need reservations if you are here for 30 minutes.
• Check out Omotesando, mirror entrance
• 3D Billboard (Takeshita Street and Meiji Street)
• Shibuya Cat Street, no cats here. Interesting fashion.
• MOMA Design store, Open all days, 11 am to 8 pm
• Walking from the Middle of Yoyogi Park to Shibuya Sky is 19 minutes.

Southern Shibuya

• T4 Tokyo, Ping pong
  • Open all days
  • 11 am to 11 pm
• Fight club 428, nightly fight bar
  • 12 - 10 pm (Sat / Sun closes at 8 pm)
• MaidDreamin Tokyo, maid cafe
  • Open all days
  • 11:30 am to 11 pm
  • Reservations possible but 😴
• MEGA Don Quijote Shibuya Honten, famous random goods store, Open 24 hours
• Nintendo Store
  • Open all days
  • 11 to 9 pm
• Kinokuniya, book store
  • Open all days
  • 10 to 8 pm
• Hachiko statue, famous dog statue. This dog waited for his owner everyday.
• Shibuya 3D Billboard (at Shibuya crossing)
• Shibuya Scramble Crossing, cross the Shibuya scramble, Busy at night
• Mag's Park Rooftop Shibuya Crossing (optional), To see the crossing.
  • Open all days
  • 11 am to 9 pm
  • $6, buy from ticket on 8th floor
• Sunset is 6:47pm
• Go to Shibuya Parco for sunset (better odds than Shibuya)
• Cé La Vi Tokyo, rooftop bar (Can reserve before hand, a little loud)
  • Dinner starts at 5pm, open late
• 👺 Shibuya sky, high observatory. Can also see the crossing (14th floor). And there is a rooftop bar (47th floor).
  • Open all days
  • 10 am to 10:30 pm
  • $20 adult. Buy at the door. Online for a small discount. Restricted to a specific viewing hour.
  • About 30 minutes here
• Should be: ~7 pm.
• Eat dinner somewhere
• Gonpachi Nishiazabu, Kill Bill restaurant, but out of the way (Minato)
• MaidDreamin Shibuya (cafe) for dinner? May have to check in person beforehand.
• Tsuta Ramen (Michelin star, get a ticket, come back after 1-4 hours), far off
• Pizza Slice (NY pizza restaurant)
• Return To Base before midnight

Day 6 👑💸

👺 1 Major Reservation, Fancy Dinner (wear non-casual attire. Business-casual)
Today, we'll be checking out the Palace area, walking around Ginza, and eating Fancy Food.

Chiyoda

• Bring non-casual attire for Fancy Restaurants.
• Eat moderate breakfast
• Start at 10 am-ish
• Walk towards nearby Imperial Palace, you'll need a tour guide (free, twice a day) to go inside certain areas 😕. You can explore the northern areas without one. Inner Grounds are open to the public on the New Year's Speech and the Emperor's birthday. Western Grounds are closed to public, Free.
• Walk to Otemon Gate (10 minutes, 700 m), the opening to the East Gardens.
• Otemon Gate
  • Closed Monday and Friday
  • 9 am to 4:30 pm., Free
• East Gardens
  • Open to the Public.
  • Closed Monday and Friday
  • Up to 2 hours
• National Museum of Modern Art (MOMAT)
  • Closed Monday
  • 9:30 to 5 pm
  • $18
  • 1.5 hours here
• Go to boat pier. (9 minute, 800 m)
• Chidorigafuchi Boat Pier, do a boat on the moat. Excellent during Cherry Blossom season. Note: This place ended up being empty at the time we went.
  • Closed Monday
  • 9:30 am to 8 pm
  • $10 for 1 hour. No reservations
  • Afternoon is busy. Possibly hours in a line 🤡
• Running Total: 7 hours
• Should be: ~5 pm.
• Go to Ginza by bus
• 都０３ bus to Ginza (27 minutes)
• Another way is to go from Kudanshita Station's Tozai Line to Nihombashi Station. Then take the Ginza line to Ginza. (29 minutes)
• Or Walk, 46 minutes of pain.

Ginza

• Should be: ~5:30pm
• 👺Reserved dinner at 7 pm
• Walk around around Ginza
• Ginza Uniqlo, clothing store (closes 9pm)
• Go to Ginza Six Rooftop Garden and see the sunset
• Tsutaya Books Ginza, fancy book store. Note: I got some interesting sushi books.
• Ginza 300, expat bar
• Fancy restaurant, Ginza Fukuju, 2 Michelin stars
  • Chef name: Onodera
  • Review: This food was delicious, but even more interesting
• Do More bougie Ginza stuff
• Return to base

Day 7 🐭🏰

We could have gone to DisneySea but everyone was tired from walking. DisneySea (not to be confused with DisneyLand) is a more for older people. I went to check out Akihabara's arcades and food.

• Go to Tokyo DisneySea Station by train.
• DisneySea, this can eat up two days. Not to be confused with DisneyLand.
  • Open all days
  • 9 am to 9 pm (~$84 ticket)
  • Can get tickets at the gate
  • Get tickets ahead of time online at least 1 - 2 days ahead.

Optional

• Tokyo German Village (Chiba), a quiet place, really far away
• Oedo Onsen (Chiba) really far away hot springs theme park

Day 8 🍫💪

👺 1 major reservation, Muscle Girl Bar
Everything else is within a 1 mile walking distance. Only Muscle Girl Bar appointment today. Got about at least 8 - 10 hours of random stuff to do before the Muscle Girls.This is around the Ikebukuro Area.

• Start 9:00 am or maybe 10 am.
• Go to Ikebukuro Station
• Takadanobaba Station to Sunshine Aquarium is a 12 minute walk (0.55 miles)
• Eat Lunch
• Get gift packets
• KitKat Chocolatory, good for rare chocolate kitkats as gifts
  • Open all days
  • 10 am to 9 pm. (closes 8 pm on Sundays)
  • No reservations
  • About 1 hour
• Sky Circus Observatory. Has some VR stuff. Note: We only went to one observatory overall.
  • Open all days
  • 12:00 - 21:00
  • General Admission ~$12
  • About 1 hour
• Gashapon Ikebukuro Main Store, The largest gashapon. Excellent for souvenirs or gifts.
  • Open all day
  • 10 am to 9 pm
  • About 1 hour
• Pokemon Mega Center
  • Open all hours
  • 10 am to 8 pm
  • About 1 hour.
• Sunshine Aquarium
  • Open 7 days a week
  • 8:30 - 21:00
  • Entry is ~$28. $20 on klook.com
  • 2 hours here.
• Sunshine Aquarium to Muscle Girls Bar is 18 minutes (0.86 miles)
• (optional) Round 1
• (optional) Check department stores near station
• SEIBU IKEBUKURO Main Store
• TOBU Department Store Ikebukuro, Buy expensive grapes, Probably an hour here
• Should be: ~5 pm. Begin to make movement soon.
• Muscle Girl Bar, a bar run by muscular girls
  • Location: 2-41-2 Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo Hayama Building 6F
  • Booking Number: XXX, at 00:00
  • Closed Tuesday
  • Reservations needed a few days. Or at least a week for better time slots. Check their website
  • 1 hour here
• Should be: ~7 pm
• Get dinner somewhere
• Mutekiya, ramen #1 on Trip ad. 30 minute wait.
  • Open all days
  • Closes 8 pm
• Tachiguimidori, Echika Ikebukuro, highly-rated sushi.
  • #5 trip advisor
  • Up to 22:00 for take out
• Gyukatsu Motomura Ikebukuro, Tonkatsu restaurant, high reviews.
  • #14 trip advisor
  • Open all days
  • Closes 10 pm
• Joe Shanghai New York, Great view.
  • #51 trip advisor
  • Open all days
  • Closes 10:30 pm (10pm on Sundays)
• Return To Base before midnight

Day 9 - 😭🛫

Departure day.

• Check your passport
• Prepare to be 3 hours early to your flight.
• Get more food. Probably at maid cafe 🥴.
• Check out of the hotel through the front desk (must be done before 11:00)
• From XXX, Go on a train to the Haneda Airport

Airport

• Return Pocket Wifi (before customs)
• (optional) Refund IC Suica or Pasmo card. Through the ticket counter or refund machine.
• (optional) Exchange yen to cash (or keep some for a souvenir).
• Buy a fridge magnet and postcards. Maybe buy some Tokyo Bananas at the airport. Like a fancy Twinkie.
• Go on plane and get your butt back to mars

To-Bring List

You should consider bringing these

• Passport. You're supposed to have this in person to prove to the police that you're a visitor. It's likely that you'll never get stopped.
• Clothes for 5 - 10 days. Hotels probably have laundry service. Select AirBnbs have laundry machines. (underwear, pants, shirts, fancy shirts, sweats, casual wear, shorts, socks)
• Slippers (hotel may provide)
• Walking Shoes (You'll take off your footwear often)
• Travel Hygiene (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, deodorant, mouth wash, face wash, acne cream, razors, feminine stuff (pads in Japan).) Or you can procure on-site. I recommend bringing non-compressed deodorant. Japanese people don't sweat as much and don't have body order problems.
• Towels (hotel may provide)
• Google Translator (Good for individual words)
• Umbrella (for rain and sun) and raincoat. Your hotel may provide.
• Portable Charger
• Phone + charger
• Wallet with ID and credit cards
• Lengthy airplane entertainment and comforts
• Entertainment for queues
• Books
• Writing Material
• Hand Sanitizer
• Backpack (with carabiner for hanging stuff off the bag)
• Cash for exchange (not required, but you'll get yen at lower rates than credit card).
• Non-casual collared shirt for fancy restaurants (suit is a bit much).
• Vitamin D, 4000 IU per day
• Mask, for some places
• Compass app
• Handkerchief, for drying your hands after washing them in some public bathrooms
• No Drugs, even legal US Drugs may land you in jail for a long time.
• No Pressured Things. May leak during flight.

Optional

• Guidebook (I use the Lonely Planet)
• Phrasebook
• Swimming stuff: trunks, flip flops, towels, sunscreen (probably a bit much)
• Polaroid
• Comb
• Computer
• Foot powder
• Mole Skin. For feet blisters. Place around the blister and not on them.
• Nail clippers

More Info

Wondering about Japan? Check these out

Films

• Lost In Translation(imdb)
• The Last Samurai(imdb)
• Tokyo Drift(imdb)

Youtubers

• Only in Japan(link)
• Japan walk around(link)
• Abroad in Japan(link)

Conclusion

I hope this helps you have a safe and smooth trip. You will have some things go awry, but that's life 🥴
I walked ~95.73 total miles. And here is how many trip went...(My Japan Trip 2023)

Here's my custom Google Map. You can see all the places that were of interest to me. It may be outdated.

Changelog

• 2025-03-15 - Mentioned passport rule and customs QR code.
• 2024-04-10 - Mentioned Tabelog, historical weather.