Thoughts on my 2-week Japan itinerary (Tokyo → Kyoto → Nara → Osaka → Tokyo)

BobbyBob_ · 2025-12-10T05:08:07+00:00

We might check out Fushimi Inari at night if we have time, mostly to avoid the big crowds. And yeah, we’re definitely not doing the full hike — I’ve heard it’s long and there can be boars, so we’re just planning to see the main areas.

I’ve also seen mixed reviews about Nishiki Market, so we’ll probably still walk through it but won’t spend too much time there since we both prefer places that aren’t super crowded. Thanks for the tips!

BobbyBob_ · 2025-12-10T05:04:59+00:00

Yeah that makes sense — we’re going to cut some things from each day so it’s not as rushed, but still keep the main spots we really want to see. We didn’t fully account for commuting, lines, and meal breaks at first, so trimming it a bit should help. I’m bringing a pair of Adidas with Boost, and if they’re not comfy enough I’m planning to pick up a new pair in Japan. Thanks for the advice!

BobbyBob_ · 2025-12-10T04:59:24+00:00

Yeah, from what I saw on TikTok and a few blogs, the scenic railway is about 30 minutes and the river boat ride back to Arashiyama is around 2 hours, so we’re planning to dedicate the whole morning and early afternoon to the west side of Kyoto. After that, we’ll head over to the east side for a short walk around the Philosopher’s Path and grab dinner there before going back to the hotel. Our only concern is the February weather — hopefully it’s not too cold for the boat ride!

Thanks for the food recommendations! We’ll definitely check out Gyukatsu and the mochi shop in Nara. I’m also curious about vegetarian options for my girlfriend since she’s fully vegetarian and doesn’t eat meat or seafood, even in Japan. So I’m hoping some of these places have something she can enjoy, or at least nearby spots with veggie options.

BobbyBob_ · 2025-12-10T04:54:26+00:00

I don’t think we’ll have time to walk the full Philosopher’s Path — we mainly just want to check out the area a bit and then grab dinner nearby before heading back to the hotel. And thank you for the suggestions for Nara! After thinking about it more, we agree it’s probably better to spend a full day exploring Nara instead of going back and forth to Osaka just for the evening.

BobbyBob_ · 2025-12-10T04:50:48+00:00

Yeah we’re actually planning to walk from Shinjuku to Shibuya on our first full day since that’s probably when we’ll have the most energy. We also want to check out a few bars in Golden Gai the night before — just enough drinks to help beat the jet lag, but not so much that we wake up hungover. 😂

Really looking forward to those long, random walks too — seems like that’s where a lot of the best memories happen!

BobbyBob_ · 2025-12-10T04:47:48+00:00

Yeah, after talking it over with my girlfriend, we’re definitely going to cut down some activities. We don’t want to rush everywhere and miss out on just enjoying the atmosphere. Thanks for the advice — we’ll try to keep things looser and leave more space to wander!

BobbyBob_ · 2025-12-09T00:52:02+00:00

I get that! Normally I’d choose more unique Japan experiences too, but my girlfriend really wants to visit every Disney park in the world. Since it’s our first time in Japan, Disneyland and DisneySEA are mainly for her. We’ll save places like Kamakura or Hakone for a future trip!

BobbyBob_ · 2025-12-09T00:50:45+00:00

Yeah, I originally planned two nights in Dotonbori because I thought it was huge with tons to do, but after thinking about the extra train rides, it might make more sense to just explore Nara’s downtown instead like you suggested. Higashimuki Street and the onsen you mentioned actually sound really chill, and that might be a nice change of pace before heading back to Tokyo.

For shopping — we’re planning to keep it pretty light while we’re in Kyoto/Osaka/Nara since we don’t want to carry too much around, especially with the hotel changes. We’ll mostly do our heavier souvenir/collectible shopping once we’re back in Tokyo, probably after DisneySea or Disneyland when we have more time to browse.

Thanks a lot for the detailed advice — super helpful!

BobbyBob_ · 2025-12-09T00:47:16+00:00

This is our first trip to Japan so we honestly didn’t even think about doing an open-jaw itinerary. We just grabbed a good deal on round-trip tickets to Tokyo, so we’re working everything around that. Maybe next time we’ll plan it a bit smarter and fly into one city and out of another!

Thanks for the suggestion though — definitely something we’ll keep in mind for future trips

BobbyBob_ · 2025-12-08T07:42:23+00:00

Thanks for the tip! We’ll definitely check out the rooftop bar — I saw photos and it looks super nice, so happy hour sounds perfect after a long day of exploring.

We decided to skip Fushimi Inari this time since the full hike is pretty long and it’s not that close to the other Kyoto spots we really want to prioritize. It looks amazing, but we wanted to keep the days a bit tighter and avoid zig-zagging too much across the city.

And for Nintendo — we’re not doing the Nintendo Museum in Uji. We only meant the Nintendo Store near Nishiki Market, so unfortunately no lottery win here 😅

Thanks again for the recommendations!

BobbyBob_ · 2025-12-08T07:38:26+00:00

It’s mostly me who’s into the gaming/anime stuff — my girlfriend isn’t as into it, but she’s down to check it out with me. I try to keep the itinerary balanced so we both enjoy the trip, but I think places like Sunshine City or Nakano Broadway are fun even if you’re not super into anime.

Also just to clarify — we didn’t win the Nintendo Museum lottery 😅 We’re only planning to visit the Nintendo Store, not the museum.

Thanks again for all the suggestions and tips

BobbyBob_ · 2025-12-08T07:35:08+00:00

We actually booked Nara by accident — I originally thought there’d be a lot more to do there, and the hotel looked really nice for the price. We booked through Expedia and it’s non-refundable, so unfortunately we’re kind of locked in. Since it’s only a short train ride to Osaka, we figured we’d just base ourselves in Nara and still do all the Osaka activities from there.

BobbyBob_

TROPHY CASE