Overwhelmed! Please help with my itinerary!

I%26#39;ll be traveling to Japan in July for two weeks for the first time. I%26#39;m usually pretty good at planning and filling in my itineraries but I find it quite overwhelming this time around planning for Japan. Here%26#39;s a quick look at my itinerary...advice and suggestions are welcome and encouraged :)!

TOKYO

Day 1: Sanrio Land

Day 2: Shinjuku, Shibuya, Meiji Shrine, Harajuku (crosplay %26amp; Kiddyland), Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Ginza, Sony, Tokyo tower (?)

Day 3: Disney Sea

Day 4: Tsukiji Fish Market, Super Autobacs, Akihabara

Day 5: Ghibli Museum

HIROSHIMA

Day 6: Hiroshima, atomic dome, peace park, peace museum, ferry to Miyajima

Day 7: Asakusa temple (?)

Day 8: Trip to Hakone

KYOTO

Day 9: Kiyomizudera Temple, Kinkakuji, Ryoanji-Temple, Gion district: Geishas sightings?, Toji-Temple Markets

Day 10: Arashiyama, park and Monkey Park Iwatayama

Day 11: bike-riding, Shijo, Sanjo, Teramachi, Shinkyogoku and Kawaramachi

OSAKA

Day 12: Osaka Aquarium

Day 13: Dotonbori district, Umeda

I%26#39;m looking at purchasing a JR pass but I%26#39;m not sure if I should get a 7 day or a 14 day pass. Any suggestions? Looking at this myself makes me want to pull my hair out but I am very much looking forward to this trip.

Please feel free to comment :)

Overwhelmed! Please help with my itinerary!

Don´t know if you know but Sanrio Puroland is in Tama, not in ';central'; Tokyo and it takes a while to reach it by train (like 30min).

I recommend to spend a day in Tama-area and visit the zoo also. I honestly think there isn´t enough to do at Sanrio Puroland for the whole day :)

Also your day #2 seems quite packed.

If you don´t care about animals in Tama Zoo I suggest that maybe visit Sanrio Puroland at the morning of day #1 and then come back to Tokyo and explore some of those areas for the rest of the day.

Overwhelmed! Please help with my itinerary!

Sokerikukko,

Thank you very much for your reply :). I think I might just do that: leave early to Sanrio Land and when I%26#39;m done there, I%26#39;ll take the train back to Tokyo and explore.

I%26#39;m a little bit confused about your days 6, 7 %26amp; 8...Hiroshima will take some time to get to - about four and a half hours by bullet train from Tokyo. So you%26#39;d have to make an early start to get there, have time to see the park, dome %26amp; museum, and then still get over to Miyajima. I think it%26#39;s a lot, but if you don%26#39;t linger you can certainly do it. I recently arrived in central Hiroshima around 12:30 and got on a boat to Miyajima from the Peace Park around 3:45, having taked some photos of the dome, gone around the museum (skipping the end parts, though, which are repetitious though heartbreaking) and peeped at the major monuments.

Then you are staying overnight at Miyajima? Or did you really plan on being back in Tokyo to go to Asakusa the next day?

I would go to Kyoto from Hiroshima, or Hiroshima from Kyoto, and then get Hakone as a day trip from Tokyo or on the way back from Kyoto.

Hiroshima to Hakone to Kyoto back to Tokyo is zig-zagging around too much.

Spendthrift,

Thank you for bringing that up. I had no idea Hiroshima was that far from Tokyo! Taking your advice, I have revised my itinerary and will be taking a day trip to Hiroshima from Kyoto and back.

Revised itinerary:

TOKYO

Day 1: Sanrio Land, Shibuya %26amp; Harajuku (if there%26#39;s time)

Day 2: Shinjuku, Shibuya, Meiji Shrine, Harajuku (crosplay %26amp; Kiddyland), Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Ginza, Sony, Tokyo tower (?)

Day 3: Disney Sea

Day 4: Tsukiji Fish Market, Super Autobacs, Akihabara

Day 5: Ghibli Museum

Day 6: OPEN DAY

Day 7: Asakusa temple (?)

Day 8: Trip to Hakone

KYOTO

Day 9: Kiyomizudera Temple, Kinkakuji, Ryoanji-Temple, Gion district: Geishas sightings?, Toji-Temple Markets

Day 10: Arashiyama,Monkey Park Iwatayama (pending on time: Shijo, Sanjo, Teramachi, Shinkyogoku and Kawaramachi)

HIROSHIMA

Day 11: Hiroshima, atomic dome, peace park, peace museum, Miyajima. Back to KYOTO hostel

OSAKA

Day 12: Osaka Aquarium

Day 13: Dotonbori district, Umeda

Can anyone tell me If I should get a 7 day JR pass or a 14 day JR pass? The difference in price is quite big unfortunately.

Revised itinerary #1:

TOKYO

Day 1: Sanrio Land, Shibuya %26amp; Harajuku (if there%26#39;s time)

Day 2: Shinjuku, Shibuya, Meiji Shrine, Harajuku (crosplay %26amp; Kiddyland), Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Ginza, Sony, Tokyo tower (?)

Day 3: Disney Sea

Day 4: Tsukiji Fish Market, Super Autobacs, Akihabara

Day 5: Ghibli Museum

Day 6: OPEN DAY

Day 7: Asakusa temple (?)

Day 8: Trip to Hakone

KYOTO

Day 9: Kiyomizudera Temple, Kinkakuji, Ryoanji-Temple, Gion district: Geishas sightings?, Toji-Temple Markets

Day 10: Arashiyama,Monkey Park Iwatayama (pending on time: Shijo, Sanjo, Teramachi, Shinkyogoku and Kawaramachi)

HIROSHIMA

Day 11: Hiroshima, atomic dome, peace park, peace museum, Miyajima. Back to KYOTO hostel

OSAKA

Day 12: Osaka Aquarium

Day 13: Dotonbori district, Umeda

Are you flying out of Kansai Airport at the end of your trip?

Either way, you should get a 7-day JR pass and activate it for the trip from Tokyo to Kyoto. If day 13 is your last day, then activating the pass on day 7 gives you the most savings.

You can add individual ticket costs and compare the total to the face value of the pass (28,300 Yen) to determine your savings. Check Hyperdia for schedule and prices:

http://www.hyperdia.com

Sammyfloyd,

We%26#39;re actually departing on day 14, flying out from Narita Airport. So I%26#39;m anticipating for lots of traveling throughout this trip.

Are there any places I%26#39;m missing that you%26#39;d recommend visiting? I%26#39;ve never been to Japan and I want to make sure I hit the highlights! Thanks :)

Just a Tokyo tip -- the Imperial Palace East Gardens are not big, but VERY peaceful and relaxing if you need a rest. The stonework there is almost impossible to believe.

Also, July could be quite hot and humid. You might want to limit activity somewhat in the middle of the day.

Have fun!

You%26#39;re going to save a lot on a 7-day JR Pass. Activate it on Day 8 and it%26#39;ll cover you to the end of your trip.

You can do Osaka Aquarium, Umeda and Dotonbori easily in a day. Have you considered a day trip to Nara? It%26#39;s a charming little old town with lots of characters and can be reached in 35 minutes either from Osaka or Kyoto. See:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2165.html

Are you changing the hotels between Kyoto and Osaka? If you don%26#39;t want to pack and unpack, just stay in Kyoto. Kyoto to Osaka is a 30 minutes train ride (15 minutes if you use the Shinkansen.)

I agree with Shibuyakko. Most of what%26#39;s interesting in Osaka can be seen in a day. Umeda, Dotonbori, Namba and Shinsaibashi are all just different shopping areas so if pressed for time, leaving out one of these areas isn%26#39;t a big deal (and I would suggest you leave out Umeda).

Go to Nara with your spare day.