Japan,
Oct 25 – Nov 2

Flights

✈️ LAX ↔ Tokyo · airline and flight numbers to add

Hotels

First three nights set · the rest open

The calendar

One card per day: where you sleep, then the day top to bottom. Tap any place name to open it in Google Maps. TBD = still to pick.

23Fri → Sat

Oct 23 – 24 · travelFly to Tokyo

✈️ Overnight on the plane · no hotel

• Before📱Visit Japan Web filled in (QR for immigration + customs) · Suica added to Apple Wallet · eSIM installed.
• Fri 10 PM🚗Leave for LAX. The flight departs around 1 AM Saturday, so this is a Friday-night airport run.Confirm the exact departure time on the ticket.
• Sat ~1 AM✈️LAX → Tokyo, ~12 hr nonstop. Sleep right away. Saturday mostly disappears over the dateline.

25Sun

Day 1 · TokyoArrival · Shinjuku + the lucky cats

🏨 Park Hyatt Tokyo · Shinjuku

• 5:00 AM✈️Land. Immigration (Visit Japan Web QR), bags, cash from the 7-Eleven ATM in arrivals.Taxi to the Park Hyatt: 40 min from Haneda (~¥10,000), 80 min from Narita.
• 7:30 AM🏨Park Hyatt. Drop bags, or check in if early check-in was arranged. Breakfast at the hotel or a conbini.Room officially starts at 3 PM — ask for early check-in before the trip.
• 10:30 AM🐱Gōtokuji Temple — the lucky-cat temple. 45 min.Walk or hotel shuttle to Shinjuku Station → Odakyu line local → Gōtokuji station (15 min) → 5-min walk.
• 12:15 PM🍮Shiro-Hige's Cream Puff Factory — Totoro cream puffs + coffee. Light lunch.Odakyu 2 stops back → Setagaya-Daita → 5-min walk. Then Odakyu to Shinjuku, 10 min.
• 2:00 PM😴Check in. Nap — 90 min max, alarm on. Then daylight and a walk.
• 4:30 PM🌇Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building — free 45th-floor deck, 10-min walk. Sunset 4:50. Optional.
• 6:30 PM🍜Dinner: Shodai, Ebisu (the potato udon) if the reservation lands · 15-min taxi.
  Otherwise TBD · dinner in Shinjuku
• 8:30 PM🛍️Don Quijote Kabukichō — 24 hours, 10-min walk. Snacks, gifts, chaos.
• 9:30 PM🍸New York Bar, Park Hyatt 52F (cover charge after ~8 PM for the jazz). Bed by 10:30.

26Mon

Day 2 · TokyoEast side · temple, market, teamLab

🏨 Hotel Toranomon Hills · Unbound Collection by Hyatt

• 7:30 AM🚕Check out of the Park Hyatt → taxi 20 min → drop bags at Hotel Toranomon Hills (room at 3 PM).
• 8:15 AM🚇Ginza line Toranomon → Asakusa, 25 min direct.Toranomon Station is a 5-min walk from the hotel. Ride to the last stop.
• 8:45 AM⛩️Sensō-ji — Kaminarimon gate, Nakamise street, the temple. 75 min. Calm at 8:45; the stalls open while you're there.
• 10:30 AM🍣Tsukiji Outer Market brunch crawl — sushi, tamago on a stick, wagyu skewers, strawberries. 6–8 stalls. Open till ~2 PM.Taxi from Asakusa, 20 min (~¥2,500). Or Ginza line to Ueno → Hibiya line to Tsukiji, 30 min.
• 1:00 PM🎟️teamLab Planets, Toyosu — 2 hours. Barefoot, water rooms; wear pants you can roll up.Taxi 15 min from Tsukiji.TBD · book the 1:00 slot
• 4:00 PM🏨Back to Toranomon Hills (taxi 25 min). Check in, rest.
• 6:30 PM🍜TBD · dinner near Toranomon / GinzaWhole food floor downstairs in the towers; Ginza is 10 min away.

27Tue

Day 3 · TokyoHarajuku → Shibuya · ends at Shibuya Sky

🏨 Hotel Toranomon Hills · Unbound Collection by Hyatt

• 9:30 AM🚇Ginza line Toranomon → Omotesandō, 12 min + 8-min walk into Harajuku.Meiji Jingū's forest shrine is right there if you want a quiet 30 min first.
• 10:00 AM🐶Samoyed Café moffu — the samoyed café, Harajuku.TBD · book the 10:00 session
• 11:15 AM☕Latte Pocket — the 4D latte. 5-min walk, short line, 30 min. Then Takeshita Street and Cat Street heading south.
• 12:45 PM🍜Lunch: Katsudon-ya Zuichō — get in line (30–45 min), worth it. Eat ~1:30.20-min walk from Harajuku. Backup if the line is wild: Gyukatsu Katsugyu on Dogenzaka, 5 min away.
• 2:45 PM🍵RURU for matcha → MEGA Don Quijote (if Day 1's didn't happen) or Miyashita Park / Parco.
• 4:15 PM🌆Shibuya Sky — 4:00–4:20 entry. Sunset 4:50; stay through blue hour till ~5:45. Cross the Scramble on the way out.TBD · book the sunset slot
• 6:30 PM🍔Dinner: Hikiniku to Come, Shibuya, if the reservation lands.
  Otherwise TBD · dinner in ShibuyaHome: Ginza line Shibuya → Toranomon direct, 13 min.
• or⛰️Fuji or Hakone day instead — leave Shinjuku 7:30 AM, back ~6 PM (see Fuji / Hakone). The Harajuku + Shibuya block then moves to Day 1 afternoon; Shibuya is 10 min from the Park Hyatt.

28Wed

Day 4 · Tokyo → KyotoBullet train · teamLab straight off the train

🏨 TBD · Kyoto hotel Gion / Kawaramachi / Higashiyama side

• 8:15 AM🚕Check out → taxi 15 min to Tokyo Station. Grab an ekiben (train bento) in the basement.
• 9:00 AM🚄Nozomi Shinkansen → Kyoto, arrive 11:15.Right side (E seats) for Mt. Fuji ~45 min in, if clear.TBD · book on Smart-EX
• 11:30 AM🧳Kyoto Station: suitcases into the big lockers (~¥700) — teamLab is right here.
  Lunch TBD · at Kyoto StationThe station's 10th floor is a whole ramen street if nothing else.
• 1:00 PM🎟️teamLab Biovortex Kyoto — 7-min walk, ~2 hours.TBD · book the 1:00 slot
• 3:30 PM🏨Bags → taxi → hotel. Check in, rest.
• 5:00 PM🏮Gion sunset walk — Yasaka Shrine lanterns, Hanamikōji street, the Shirakawa canal, then Pontochō along the river. Sunset 5:05.
• 6:30 PM🍜TBD · dinner in Gion / Pontochō
• or♨️Hakone overnight (Option C): Hakone in the morning, Kyoto by ~4 PM, teamLab moves to Day 8.

29Thu

Day 5 · KyotoKimono day in Higashiyama

🏨 TBD · Kyoto hotel

• 9:00 AM👘Kimono rental near Kiyomizu / Gion — dressing and hair ~45 min. Pick a shop within minutes of Kiyomizu-dera.TBD · book the rental
• 10:00 AM🍵Matcha tasting / tea ceremony, in the kimono. 45–60 min.TBD · book the tea ceremony
• 11:15 AM⛩️Kiyomizu-dera (¥500) — the wooden stage over the hillside. 10-min walk uphill, 45 min there.
• 12:15 PM🏯The Higashiyama walk, downhill on foot: Sannenzaka → Ninenzaka stone lanes → Hōkan-ji (the Yasaka Pagoda — the photo) → Yasaka Shrine → Gion. ~90 min, lots of photos.
• 2:00 PM🍢Lunch: Nishiki Market — graze five blocks of stalls. Eat standing at the stall, not walking.Taxi 10 min or walk 25 from Gion.
• 3:30 PM👘Return the kimono (usually due by 5–6 PM) · taxi 10 min. Short rest at the hotel.
• 4:30 PM🍸K36 The Bar & Rooftop — Hotel Seiryu, next to Hōkan-ji. Pizza + cocktails looking straight at the pagoda. Sunset 5:05.TBD · reserve
• 7:30 PM🍜Dinner: Kyoto Ramen Yukichi Honpo — central Kyoto, 10–15 min taxi, walk-in. One more Pontochō walk after if there's energy.

30Fri

Day 6 · KyotoArashiyama by boat, then the Golden Pavilion

🏨 TBD · Kyoto hotel

• 8:00 AM🚆JR Sagano line, Kyoto Station → Kameoka, 25 min.Boat dock is an 8-min walk from JR Kameoka. Be there 20 min early.
• 9:00 AM🚣Hozugawa river boat — 2 hours down the gorge in a wooden boat, light rapids. Ends at the Arashiyama bridge ~11:00.TBD · book the 9:00 boat
• 11:15 AM🎋Togetsukyō bridge → bamboo forest (10-min walk, 10-min path). Busy by now; still the bamboo forest.
• 12:30 PM🍜TBD · lunch in ArashiyamaThe main street by the bridge is lined with options.
• 1:30 PM🐒Iwatayama Monkey Park — south end of the bridge. 20-min steep climb, macaques, city view. ~1 hr round trip.
• 3:00 PM✨Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion (¥500). Last entry 5 PM; 40 min is plenty.Taxi 25 min from Arashiyama (~¥3,000).
• 4:30 PM🚕Back to central Kyoto, bus or taxi 25 min. Rest.
• 6:30 PM🥩Dinner: Gyukatsu Katsugyu, Kyoto branch — walk-in. The beef cutlet you sear yourself.

31Sat

Day 7 · Nara · HalloweenDeer and the Great Buddha

🏨 TBD · Kyoto hotel

• 8:30 AM🚆Kintetsu line, Kyoto Station → Kintetsu-Nara.Limited express: reserved, 35 min, ~¥1,300. Express: 45 min, ~¥760. Either.
• 9:30 AM🦌Nara Park — the deer. 15-min walk from the station. ¥200 crackers; keep them hidden until you're ready to be mobbed.
• 10:15 AM🏯Tōdai-ji (¥800) — the giant bronze Buddha in the world's biggest wooden hall. 45 min. Then the lantern path to Kasuga Taisha if you want 45 more.
• 12:30 PM🍡TBD · lunch in NaraCatch the mochi-pounding show at Nakatanidō on the walk back to the station.
• 2:00 PM🚆Back to Kyoto, ~45 min. Rest, or whatever got missed this week.
• 6:30 PM🍜TBD · dinner
• 8:30 PM🎃Halloween on a Saturday. The scene: Osaka's Dōtonbori (Shinkansen 15 min or JR 30 min; last trains back ~midnight) or the Kiyamachi bars in Kyoto. Pick one, or skip it.

1Sun · Nov

Day 8 · openKyoto, or back to Tokyo

🏨 TBD · Kyoto or Tokyo

• Option A🏯Stay in Kyoto. Morning: anything missed (teamLab if it moved; Fushimi Inari's torii tunnel at 7 AM is the one big Kyoto thing not on the list, 5 min by train). Afternoon: Kawaramachi shopping. Pack.
  Lunch TBD Dinner TBD
• Option B🚄Back to Tokyo tonight. 10:00 AM Shinkansen → Tokyo 12:15. Hotel near Shinagawa or at the airport. Last Tokyo afternoon for whatever got skipped.
  Hotel TBD Dinner TBD

2Mon · Nov

Day 9 · home6:00 PM flight

✈️ Lands LAX ~11 AM the same Monday

• From Kyoto🚄9:00 AM Shinkansen → Tokyo / Shinagawa 11:15. Haneda: Keikyu from Shinagawa, 15 min. Narita: Narita Express from Tokyo Station, 55 min. Airport by 1 PM; lunch there; check-in opens 3 PM.
• From Tokyo🏨Check out by 11, slow morning, airport by 3 PM.
• 6:00 PM✈️Tokyo → LAX, ~10 hr. Mobile Passport Control app skips the kiosk line at LAX.

The map

Every place on this page, colored by city. Tap a pin for which day it's on, then open it in Google Maps for directions. Pins are close, not exact.

Fuji / Hakone · if you want a mountain day

Considering one of these · three ways to do it

Pick one, or skip Decide

Mountain day

Option A · Fuji day trip from Tokyo (swap into Day 3)

Kawaguchiko (Fuji Five Lakes) — ~2 hr from Shinjuku by highway bus or the Fuji Excursion train. Chūreitō Pagoda (the pagoda-and-Fuji photo), Lake Kawaguchi, Oishi Park.

Closest, biggest Fuji views. Leave early — the mountain is clearest in the morning and often clouds over by afternoon. Late October is the start of clear-sky season.

Option B · Hakone day trip from Tokyo (swap into Day 3)

Hakone loop — Romancecar from Shinjuku (85 min) or bullet train to Odawara (35 min). Hakone Free Pass covers the mountain train, ropeway over the volcanic valley, pirate ship across Lake Ashi, and the red torii in the water at Hakone Shrine.

More variety than Fuji, hot springs, Fuji in the background if it's clear. Long day: ~10 hours door to door.

Option C · Hakone on the way to Kyoto (Day 4, overnight)

Ship suitcases Tokyo → Kyoto, stop in Hakone for a night at a hot-spring ryokan with dinner, continue to Kyoto next morning (2 hr 10 from Odawara).

Takes one Kyoto night. The most relaxed version, and the only one with an onsen soak.

Tokyo list

Everything on the Tokyo calendar days, in one place · the right column says which day it lands on

🍜Food

Eat

★

Katsudon-ya Zuichō

Worth it. Tiny katsudon counter, no reservations, 30–45 min line, go anyway

Shibuya · Day 3 lunch

★

Gyukatsu Katsugyu

Breaded beef cutlet, sliced rare, you sear each piece on a hot stone · walk-in

Shibuya · backup

★

Tsukiji Outer Market

Breakfast crawl: sushi, tamago skewers, wagyu skewers, strawberries · stalls ~7 AM–2 PM · 10 min from Hotel Toranomon Hills

Tsukiji · Day 2

★

Shodai

Get the potato udon (wagyu beef udon with potato foam) · small counter, reservation needed

Ebisu · Day 1 dinner

★

Hikiniku to Come

The hamburg-steak-and-rice place · reservations open online and go fast, so book early

Shibuya · Day 3 dinner

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📍Do

Things to do

⛩️

Gōtokuji Temple

The lucky-cat temple, thousands of waving cats · quiet west-side neighborhood

Setagaya · Day 1

🍮

Shiro-Hige's Cream Puff Factory

Totoro-shaped cream puffs · a few stops from Gōtokuji, pair them

Setagaya · Day 1

⛩️

Sensō-ji Temple

Tokyo's oldest temple and the Nakamise street · go before 9 AM or after dark to skip the crowds

Asakusa · Day 2

🎟️

teamLab Planets

Barefoot through water and mirror rooms · timed ticket, book ahead · wear pants you can roll up

Toyosu · Day 2

🛍️

Don Quijote

The chaotic everything store · the Kabukichō one is 10 min from the Park Hyatt and open 24 h · MEGA Don Quijote Shibuya is the bigger one if you skip it on Day 1

Shinjuku · Day 1 night

🍵

RURU matcha

Matcha café · easy stop on a Shibuya food day

Shibuya · Day 3

🌆

Shibuya Sky

Open-air rooftop over the whole city · book the sunset slot (~4:45 PM in late October) online, weeks ahead — they sell out

Shibuya · Day 3 sunset

🐶

Samoyed Café moffu

Pet a giant fluffy samoyed · reservation required online, book early · 10 min walk from Shibuya

Harajuku · Day 3

☕

Latte Pocket

The 4D latte — a 3D foam figure on top of your drink · tiny café, expect a short line · pairs with moffu

Harajuku · Day 3

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Kyoto & Nara list

Everything on the Kyoto days, in one place · the right column says which day it lands on

🍜Food

Eat

★

Gyukatsu Katsugyu

Same beef cutlet as Tokyo, Kyoto branch · walk-in

Central · Day 6 dinner

★

K36 The Bar & Rooftop

Pizza and cocktails on the roof of Hotel Seiryu, looking straight at the Yasaka Pagoda · go for sunset (~5 PM), reserve or arrive early

Higashiyama · Day 5 sunset

★

Kyoto Ramen Yukichi Honpo

Refined Kyoto-style chicken-broth ramen · counter seats · walk-in

Central · Day 5 dinner

★

Nishiki Market

Five blocks of stalls — graze instead of lunch · closes around 6 PM

Central · Day 5 lunch

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📍Do

Things to do

🚣

Arashiyama day

Morning: train to Kameoka, Hozugawa river boat down the gorge (~2 hr, ends in Arashiyama) → bamboo forest → monkey park (steep 20-min climb, city view) · book the boat ahead

Day 6

✨

Kinkaku-ji

The Golden Pavilion · ~30 min from Arashiyama by bus or taxi, so pair it with that day

North · Day 6

🏯

Higashiyama ward walk + Hōkan-ji

Kiyomizu-dera → Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka stone lanes → Hōkan-ji (the Yasaka Pagoda) → Gion · all on foot · K36 is right across from the pagoda, so end here at sunset

Day 5

🦌

Nara day trip · deer + Tōdai-ji

~40 min by Kintetsu express · bowing deer in Nara Park (¥200 crackers), Tōdai-ji's giant bronze Buddha next to it · half a day is enough

Nara · Day 7

👘

Matcha tasting in kimono

Kimono rental + tea ceremony / matcha tasting · Higashiyama and Gion are full of places that do both · book ahead · do it in the morning and walk Higashiyama in the kimono

Higashiyama · Day 5 morning

🎟️

teamLab Biovortex Kyoto

The Kyoto teamLab · 7-min walk from Kyoto Station · timed ticket · easiest straight off the train on arrival day

Kyoto Station · Day 4

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Still needed

What this page is waiting on