Two Weeks in Japan – My Full Itinerary

I was not even going to share this! My first few days in Tokyo this past November & December were a colossal mess. Eight years in as a solo traveler, I thought I was pretty good at this. I was wrong. I was so confused getting around, and there were so many people, and oh, so crowded, I was completely overwhelmed! Some days, I didn’t even want to leave my hotel, to be honest. It was just TOO MUCH! I’m unsure if it was because I didn’t do much international travel last year or because it was my second time traveling to an Asian country. But whew, chile, I made it though.

And I’m proud to say that by day seven, I was using public transportation in Japan like a pro.

Anywho, below is my list of everything I did during my two weeks in Japan! Now, don’t get your hopes up. It is not the best list ever. I struggled in the beginning, but I made it. I got a good feel for the country, and I think I got my money’s worth and then some.

Day 1

Arrived at Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) around 2 pm. Customs entering Japan was very efficient, and it didn’t take long to get through! I booked the Limousine Bus online before arriving and used it to get to my hotel. I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Tokyo Bay and went to sleep as soon as I entered my hotel room; I didn’t even eat dinner!

Day 2

Since I woke up starving, I ate breakfast at the hotel. The breakfast buffet at Hyatt did not disappoint; it was a mix of local and American breakfast dishes. It was kinda pricey, but well worth it in my opinion. After breakfast, I took the hotel shuttle to Tokyo Disney Resort. I’m a huge Disney fan! I have been to all of them now except for Disneyland Shanghai! My experience was amazing and I was quite suprised at how affordable everything was there! To read ore about my experience, click here.

Day 3

I took a taxi to Shibuya and stayed in a capsule hotel! Taxis in Japan are expensive; I could have saved a lot of money by taking the train. But it was raining, and I didn’t feel like dragging my luggage around and getting wet. I checked into my hotel, the Millenials! I only had a few must-dos in Japan, and staying in a capsule hotel was one of them! It wasn’t mind-blowing, but it was a pretty cool experience (read more about my experience here)!

After checking in at the hotel, I shopped around the area and ate lunch. Later that evening, I enjoyed the Shibuya scramble crossing, the world’s busiest pedestrian street – over 2 million people cross it daily!

Day 4

Harajuki – Bought a bunch of stuff that I didn’t need, included some adorable Harajuku girl shoes! I also went to the world’s largest Nike store and got a custom shirt made. I tried all the wonderful snacks on Takeshita-Dori Street. Had some coffee at an owl cafe! After that, I went to Yoyogi Park and Meiji Shrine.

Day 5

Got lost and explored Tokyo and then I went to Ueno Park, and Tokyo National Museum. I did a Shinjuki Food Tour that evening.

Day 6

Sushi Making Class in Asakusa,  Senso-ji Temple & Shinjuki Bar Hopping Night Tour.

Day 7

Took the bullet train to Kyoto! Explored the area around my hotel.

Day 8

Kyoto – went to Nijo castle. Explored the Gion District. Tea ceremony with a Geisha. Nishiki Market. Tried Kobe and Waygu Beef for dinner! Best meat i’ve ever had in my mouth

Day 9

Kyoto – Visited Kiyomizu-dera. Yasaka Shrine. Arashiyama Bamboo Grove & Iwatayama Monkey Park. I spent less than one hour at all four! Each location was super crowded! The shrines were nice and I’ve already seen monkeys running around in Morocco and a similar bamboo park in Maui. I ate a few snacks and got back on the train.

Day 10

Visited Kinkaku-ji and took the train to Osaka. Explored Dotonbori and had a yummy kobe beef burger.

Day 11

Osaka: Visited Osaka Castle, Sumiyoshi Taisha and Cup of Noodles Museum

Day 12

Took to train to Nara: Visited the deer and enjoyed my hotel

Day 13

Took the bullet train back to Tokyo and saw Mt. Fuji from the train. Explored the Akihabara area at night. I was supposed to go to Teamlabs Planet, but my hotel had free sake during dinner, and I got too tipsy.

Day 14

Went to TeamLabs Planet that morning. I went back to Harajuku again for more shopping and caught a red eye flight back home.

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This list is not complete without the honorable mention of the clean streets and heated toilet seats in Japan. They are both unrelated to this post, but they made my visit so much more amazing.

As always, if you have any questions or anything, leave them below in the comments. I also wrote about how much I spent on my hotel, activities and all that good stuff while in Japan, here.