Itinerary Check + Questions for Japan in June

Hello! I recently returned from my first trip to Tokyo in November, and as soon as I got to Narita, I knew that I had to come back as soon as possible. I am planning to return in June, and since I spent all of my time in Tokyo (besides a day trip to Mt. Takao), I am trying to include Kyoto and Osaka this time as well. So far, this is the itinerary that I am working with, but I am open to suggestions as well, especially in regards to day trips, or interesting things to see in the areas I have down.

Travel dates are June 4th-June 28th (although I can possibly extend that by a few days since tickets haven't been purchased yet).

June 4th: Fly from Ohio, USA to Tokyo.

June 5th: Arrive in Narita, take the Skyliner/Yamanote line to my hotel for the evening in the Ikebukuro area. Dinner and breakfast for the next day from convenience store, relax.

June 6th: Shopping in Ikebukuro for clothes and anime/manga goods ~ Animate, Mandarake, k-books, Sunshine City. Brunch at A Happy Pancake, Lunch at Kua Aina, and dinner at Kura sushi, but I am open to suggestions, especially for dinner!

June 7th: After breakfast, head to Harajuku to Takeshita street. Shopping and snacking. I loved Yoyogi park, so I would like to return for a late lunch in the park. Late afternoon/early evening, head to Shibuya for more shopping at 109 and Tower Records.

June 8th: Sanno Festival.

June 9th: Late morning at Shinjuku Gyoen national garden, which I only saw briefly in November. I am planning on packing a picnic and just enjoying the garden (again, if weather allows!). Late afternoon and evening I left free because I am waiting for exhibit/pop-up shop/event information to be released for that time period. Otherwise, I will spend this time exploring the Shinjuku area.

June 10th: Check-out of hotel at 10:00 and leave for Kyoto via the Shinkansen. I am hoping to arrive in Kyoto ~13:00, and staying at a hotel near Kyoto station so I can leave my bags at reception and explore Kyoto while waiting for check-in. However, if there is a more convenient area to stay in Kyoto, I am more than willing to change locations! After lunch (possibly at Katsukura - Kyoto Porta), head to the Kyoto Manga Museum to explore the exhibits. Evening (17:00-21:00) exploring the area around Nishiki and the Daimaru department store as well as Gion.

June 11th: After breakfast, take an early taxi to Kiyomizu-dera temple. So far, this day is as follows:
6:30 - Taxi to Kiyomizu-dera
7:00 - 8:00 - Kiyomizu-dera
8:00-8:45 - Sannen-zaka
9:00 - 10:00 - Maruyama Park
10:00 - 10:30 - Chion-in temple
11:00 - 12:00 - Nanzen-ji
12:00 - 13:00 - Lunch
13:00 - 14:30 - Path of Philosophy/Philosophers path
14:30 - 15:30 - Ginkaku-ji
15:30 - Taxi to Fushimi Inari Taisha from 16:30-19:00
19:00 - Return to hotel, for a late dinner.

June 12th: Morning in Arashiyama, afternoon at Kinkaku-ji, with the evening free for anything that was missed in the two previous days.

June 13th: Leave Kyoto for Osaka. After leaving bags at hotel (likely the hotel Granvia Osaka), spend the rest of the morning and early afternoon at Osaka Castle and the surrounding park are. The rest of the afternoon and evening in the Dotonbori area, eating, shopping, and just letting myself explore the area at a relaxed pace.
Late evening possibly in Doyama, although unsure as I have been sober for more than 2 years now and am unsure if I will be able to drink only non-alcoholic drinks or if thats a bit of a faux pas in the Osaka lesbian/gay bar scene.

June 14th: Late morning is open, and I am willing to hear any suggestions especially for historical of food related areas! Late afternoon and evening in Universal Studios Japan.

June 15th: Full day at Universal Studios Japan.

June 16th: Minoh Park, falls trail, the falls, etc. Would love to know if there are any other short hiking trails in the area that are worth adding onto this day! Alternatively, if I am able to get tickets, I will be spending the day doing Takarazuka Revue.

June 17th: Leave Osaka to head back to Tokyo, with a 13:00 arrival. Spend the evening in the Ikspiari shopping complex.

June 18th-21st: Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea (I know this is a lot of days, but I am meeting with my best friend and spending these days with her, her partner, and their three kids and am really looking forward to it!)

June 22nd: Change hotels from the Disney area hotel to one in Ueno. Afternoon in Asakusa, evening in Akihabara.

June 23rd: Relaxed day in Ginza. Take in a performance or a film, depending on ticket availability. Takarazuka would once again be priority.

June 24th: Day trip to Kawaguchiko.

June 25th: Rest day, possibly explore one of the museums in the Ueno area or Ameyoko in the evening.

June 26th: Mount Mitake day trip.

June 27th: Head to Odaiba, late morning at Diver City and Gundam Front, after lunch at Diver City, spend the afternoon at Odaiba Marine Park and beach (if weather allows, though a little rain will not bother me). Evening at Aqua City, doing more shopping and eating.

June 28th: Depart Tokyo.

Thank you!!

Hey Maria!

Not sure how hot it gets in Ohio, but Kyoto in June is like being inside Satan's rectum. Unless there is some rain which can actually make it pretty pleasant, albeit humid. Tokyo is similar, not quite as hot usually.

I've had some great times in Kyoto in June over the years, but with it being so busy these days I wouldnt devote much time to it in the heat, 35 degree temps plus crowds are not a fantastic mix, also bear in mind a lot of the crowds are from countries where pushing and shoving is part of life, really if you are a stranger to that it can be pretty confronting and puts a pall on the trip. Arashiyama, Kiyomizudera, Golden Pavillion, Fushimi Inari which I guess are in the top 5 destinations can all be insanely busy and pretty awful in the heat.

If I was to go in June, I would spend a bit of time in the higher elevations, eg Karuizawa, Matsumoto, Kamikochi, and Takayama, and then if you are to tackle Kyoto I( would spend more time in Nara where it is more spread out and less crowded.

But if you are OK with crowds (like theme park crowds) then you will be fine, the heat is tolerable if you dont mind changing shirts often, the sky can be super blue and pretty so it is nice regardless

If you are fine with the pace overall it works.

For the day with Arashiyama and Kinkakuji, I’d start at Kinkakuji 10 min before it opens to avoid the worst crowds.

Regarding the heat, assuming you can’t reschedule to May or September then maybe consider starting in Kyoto and finishing in Tokyo. At the beginning of June often it is still somewhat bearable. Plus in Tokyo you have a lot of shopping days. So mainly indoors or at least with some air conditioning closeby.

LazyPious,
I am moving this spring to Ohio from Southern Florida, where it gets rather hot and humid for a good part of the year, so I suspect I will be able to handle the weather in Kyoto with a bit of planning. Like water, a personal fan/mister, moisture wicking clothes, which is what I would bring with me here if I was planning a lot of time outdoors? I am so glad about the heads up about the heat in Kyoto though, I had no idea it got so hot in June!! Pushing and shoving will be tolerable I suppose since I am used to crowds, especially theme park crowds since I worked at Disney World for a few years and visited those parks as a guest very often during that time. Thank you so so much for your advice, I appreciate it so much!

LikeBike,
I spent 16 days in Tokyo in November and I went at a very relaxed pace, which I regret very much now. Because I had to fill in remotely for some work emergencies that required me to be in constant contact with some supervisors I didn't leave the hotel until after 13:00 or 14:00 most days. So I think I am trying to make up for that, especially in Kyoto. Thank you for the advice on Kinkakuji, I never would have even thought about arriving before opening!! I wish I could go in May, but since I am moving in April I won't be able to get the time off before June, and in September-November of next year I will be on the road for work 90% of the time. Also, I think I will switch up my plan to do Kyoto and Osaka earlier in the trip, that sounds like an awesome idea! I may try to fly into Osaka then. Thank you again for your advice!!!

Regards,
Maria

The latter half of June can get extremely humid and the rainy season can bring a lot of rain. But if you are going to Kyoto at that time, why not take advantage of what the season offers too - go see the Mimurotoji Temple in Uji and Yoshiminedera in western Kyoto. The hydrangea there are as gorgeous as they are famous.
You might find that an hour is not quite enough to see Kiyomizudera, and if you are going through Sannenzaka early in the morning before most of the shops open, you can cut back on time there. Actually you look like your rushing through several places. But you certainly won't need an hour for Maruyama Park, and the Philosopher's Path you can be done with in 30 minutes - it can be nice in cherry blossom or autumn leaf season, but otherwise is a walk by a cement gully. The most interesting thing I saw there was a duck swimming in the water. But if you can also fit in Tenjuan and Nanzenin next to Nanzenji (the former is a subtemple), you'll be highly rewarded.
https://goo.gl/knQtMg

Ken,

Hydrangea are my favorite flowers, so I am incredibly thankful that you brought these areas to my attention!! I had suspected that I was rushing things a bit, so I am thinking that I may add a day to my stay in Kyoto so that I can try and do things at an easier pace, especially with the heat and humidity. Thank you so much for your advice, I will certainly be using it when revising my plans!

Thanks,
Maria

In my opinion you have too much squeezed in to that first day in Kyoto - and that’s coming from someone who usually squeezes too much in!
I would consider moving Fushimi-Inari to another day - preferably early morning (before 8am): beat the heat and beat the hordes…

15:30 - Taxi to Fushimi Inari Taisha from 16:30-19:00

While there are a lot of comments I could make, this line needs to be highlighted. Taxi (or walk - which can be interesting) from Ginkakuji to the subway and then train to Fushimi Inari. You don't need to waste you money on a lengthy taxi ride.