3 week trip planning.

I have a couple questions about planning a 3 week trip to Japan, in April.

Some people on this forum have told me to plan a lot. Should I have every detail planned?

Should the time of each activity be planned out? Should I decide where I will be eating, figure out the cost of each thing I buy? ect... before I even get to Japan?


I have a very very rough itinerary basically of places I do plan to go, and I am not looking to have a rushed trip. I expect to have a lot of free time based on where I want to go.

day 1 - Arive
day 2 - Shinjuku
day 3 - Shinjuku
day 4 - Shibuya, Akihabara
day 5 - Harajuku, Shibuya
day 6 - Asakusa
day 7 - Odaiba
day 8 - imperial palace
day 9 - side trip, Kamakura
day 10 - side trip, Yokohama
day 11 - get to kyoto hotel
day 12 - Kinkakuji
day 13 - Kiyomizudera
day 14 - gion
day 15 - osaka
day 16 - Himeji
day 17 - Iga Ueno
day 18 - Arashiyama
day 19 - Toei Eigamura
day 20 - Ginkakuji
day 21 - get to airport, depart.

This is a rough idea of where I want to go, and I do not have my plane ticket booked yet, so I am not yet sure where I will be ariving and departing.

I know some of these places may not be big enough to spend a whole days time, so I am looking for tips to fill up my day, while for the most part staying in the area I have given for each day.
Also, could someone give me some tips as to what exactly I should have planned out for my trip?

Thanks for reading, and I will appreciate any help!

Some people on this forum have told me to plan a lot. Should I have every detail planned?

It is up to you!

On personal trips, I personally like to plan it to a detail where I decide how much time I spend in each place and roughly what sites I want to see in each place. Maybe group them geographically.

There is no need to plan it to a detail of where to eat what when, unless you are there as a food journalist.

Your itinerary is very slow paced and, indeed, there is still quite a lot of time to fill in other attractions or even another city or two. This depends on your personally preferred travel pace.

Some places you wont need as much time as a whole day i think. For example Asakusa and Akihabara you can see in one day. You can take the train or even walk ^^ .In Kyoto its the same. You might be able to see three temples in one day. Be sure to check opening times though! You can plan more sights or you spend the time wandering about and find interessting things by chance. Have fun ^^

You should research for more places to go that interests you. You don't need 2 days in Shinjuku. Most of your other days are spent doing only one thing? Like Kinkakuji? You don't need one day for that.


day 1 - Arive
day 2 - Shinjuku
day 3 - Shinjuku
day 4 - Shibuya, Akihabara
day 5 - Harajuku, Shibuya
day 6 - Asakusa
day 7 - Odaiba
day 8 - imperial palace
day 9 - side trip, Kamakura
day 10 - side trip, Yokohama
day 11 - get to kyoto hotel
day 12 - Kinkakuji
day 13 - Kiyomizudera
day 14 - gion
day 15 - osaka
day 16 - Himeji
day 17 - Iga Ueno
day 18 - Arashiyama
day 19 - Toei Eigamura
day 20 - Ginkakuji
day 21 - get to airport, depart.

I'd advise planning your itinerary rather closely, and then adjust as needed when you're there, but no need to plan exactly where to eat or exact costs of each item you plan to buy. For instance, weather might dictate when you see a certain site or feature. You have plenty of time in your itinerary to add and subtract as needed. Mostly, I think you've budgeted too much time for each location. For example, Toei Uzumasa doesn't warrant a full day unless you're really a movie nut.
Do a lot of research on transport modes and routes and on finding good places to stay.
I envy your trip! Have fun.

day 2 - Shinjuku
day 3 - Shinjuku

2 days? Shinjuku is indeed huge, but 1 day should be enough to cover the main spots (mainly shops)

day 4 - Shibuya, Akihabara
day 5 - Harajuku, Shibuya
day 6 - Asakusa

Unless you are a big fan of japanimation or videogames, you could see all this spots in 1 single day... or spend a whole single day on Akihabara and another one on the rest

day 8 - imperial palace

You need a reservation / permission for that, not anyone enters the palace


day 11 - get to kyoto hotel
day 12 - Kinkakuji

You could see Kinkakuji the same day...

day 13 - Kiyomizudera
day 14 - gion

These two are to close, you could see them the same day.

day 16 - Himeji

This is just the castle, and you take less than half a day to see it.

day 19 - Toei Eigamura

IMHO, don't waste your time here, Eigamura sucks.

Day 1 - Arive
Day 2 - Shinjuku, Shibuya
Day 3 - Shibuya, Harajuku, Yebisu Garden Place
Day 4 - Akihabara, Asakusa
Day 5 - Tokyo Tower, Roppongi
Day 6 - Odaiba
Day 7 - Shiodome, Ginza, Nihonbashi
Day 8 - Kawagoe side trip
Day 9 - Kamakura side trip
Day 10 - Yokohama side trip
Day 11 - Leave Tokyo, get to Kyoto, Kinkakuji
Day 12 - Kiyomizudera, Gion
Day 13 - Leave Kyoto, get to Osaka, maybe Osaka Aquarium
Day 14 - Osaka Castle, Umeda Sky Building
Day 15 - Minami
Day 16 - Kobe side trip
Day 17 - Himeji side trip,
Day 18 -
Day 19 -
Day 20 -
Day 21 - Get to airport, depart.

I changed my itinerary a bit.

About Minami in Osaka, should it be split up into a couple of days? Or can I see Dotonbori, Shinsaibashi, Amerikamura, ect... All in one day?

Also, as you can see I have 3 empty days, plus time after Himeji, so I was hoping to get some suggestions.
Part of me wants to spend more time in Tokyo. Are there some other places or things to see in Tokyo that you would suggest?

Hopefully I can get my flight into Narita, and out of Kansai, so I would like to end my trip in Osaka.

Overall though, I tried to fill up my days more. Please let me know if it all seems reasonable. Thanks!

try to go further. too much time in Tokyo.

Is this your very first time?

Tokyo is like a big metro city like New York or Toronto or London or Milan. No need to spend too much time there. You will see malls--shopping.

If I were you I would visit the southernmost tip of Japan which is Kagoshima. Then head even more south to Ibusuki for a day trip to try the Japanese sand bath. They bury you in sand and make you plump like a fresh tomato. Really good. You will feel 30 years younger.

If you have a JR pass, you can ride the Tsubame which is the newest like for JR. super fast over 300miles per hour.zoom!

First half of Aril is cherry blossom season in bot Tokyo and Kyoto. So it'd be a good idea to book hotels early especially for Kyoto.

It seems like you are a slow traveler and that's nice to see for a change but I agree with everyone that you really don't need that much time in Tokyo unless you are truly interested in otaku culture or something of that nature.

Why not spend one week in Tokyo, spend another week in Kyoto, and other week exploring a different region? Shikoku, Nagano, Kyusu, Noto, or even Hokkaido?

To be honest, I want to keep my trip relatively simple.

Especially considering it will be my first time abroad, I will be just 19 when I go, I will be alone and I dont speak Japanese.

I would like to visit other areas too, but for future trips. I just want to keep this one mainly within Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.

I do appreciate the help, but can you guys suggest areas closer to Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka? Thanks.