12 Days in Japan

For more details about our adventure to Japan, visit Arigatou Gozaimasu, Tokyo and Tackling Tokyo Disney.

Outside of hotel accommodations and flights, places you’ll want to reserve ahead of your trip are:

Mount Fuji and Hakone tour – plan for day 3 of your trip
Mipig Cafe
Shibuya Sky – plan for a sunset reservation, if possible
Shinkansen train tickets – we took this bullet train from Kyoto to Tokyo
Universal Studios Japan – you can buy these tickets day of, but it’s more convenient booking ahead of time especially if you want to go to Super Nintendo World which can book up before park opening
Disneyland/DisneySea – you can either buy park passes or get a package deal with a Disney-affiliated hotel

Arrive at Narita International Airport
Locate your airport transfer you booked through Klook and depart for MIMARU Tokyo Station East
Find dinner around the hotel or just head on down to the 711 directly beside the hotel and load up on snacks to eat in the hotel room

From the hotel, walk to Hatchobori Station (2 minute walk) and get off at Kokkaigijido-Mae Station (~¥178). From there, walk to Hie Shrine (1 minute walk)
After visiting Hie Shrine, walk to the Imperial Palace (30-minute walk)
Walk to Tokyo Station and check out Character Street
Take the train to Asakusa Station and visit Senso-Ji Temple and Nakamise-dori Street. Just around the corner from the Senso-Ji Temple is a kid’s playground. Spend some time here for a little bit to run out some of the kids’ energy.
If you’re feeling up to it, take the train to DiverCity and watch the Unicorn Gundam Statue transform

Take the Mount Fuji and Hakone tour through Klook. You’ll visit Lake Heiwa no Torii, Hakone Ropeway, Owakudani (try the black eggs to extend your life 7 years!), Yamanakako Swan Lake, and Oshino Hakkai

Walk over to Royal Host for breakfast
Take the subway to Ueno and head towards the Ueno Zoo via the Ueno Park. Be sure to check the Ueno Zoo website ahead of your trip to note opening hours. You’ll want to get there 30-45 minutes early so you can see the giant pandas without having to wait in large lines
Take the train from Ueno to Harajuku and walk over to Mipig Cafe
After hanging out with the mini pigs, walk through Takeshita Street and find a capsule toy shop
Walk or take a train over to Shibuya Sky
After Shibuya Sky, head downstairs to TsuroTonTan Udon for dinner
Walk across Shibuya Crossing (busiest pedestrian crossing in the world)

Take a train or flight to Osaka
Locate your airport transfer you booked through Klook and depart for The Singulari Hotel & SkySpa at Universal Studios Japan
Walk over to dinner at Gottie’s Beef (*although this restaurant doesn’t have the best reviews online, we loved it and had dinner here two nights in a row*)

Take the subway to Kids Plaza Osaka
After visiting the children’s museum, walk to Chouette Owl Cafe. Make sure you save some time to get the ice cream! (*we reserved our spot on the day of)
Head to Dotonbori and take a river cruise with Pirates of Osaka
Explore and grab dinner in Dotonbori
Wait in line for the melon pan

Take the train from Osaka to Nara to see the free-roaming deer
Find a lunch spot in Nara. We stopped at Mamejica Kitchen. Although the food and strawberry soda were decent, it was overpriced
Take the train from Nara to Kyoto
Walk to MONday Apart Premium Kyoto Station

Rent kimonos from Aiwafuku via Klook
Take the train to Fushimi Inari-taisha and explore the red gates
Have lunch at 7 Taps Tavern
Return the kimonos
Go to the Kyoto Aquarium
Exit the aquarium and walk around the corner to Umekoji Park and have the kids play at the playground

Take the train to the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
Walk down to the Kasura river and take a boat ride
After the boat ride, walk to Iwatayama Monkey Park. *Note: the walk to the monkey park is not for the faint of heart. It is a very steep walk and can be pretty taxing, especially in the heat of summer. Bring lots of water!
After the monkey park, head to the train station and take the Shinkensen train back to Tokyo
Head to either the Hilton Tokyo Bay (non-Disney affiliated but on the Disney rail track) or Tokyo Disneyland Hotel (Disney-affiliated and directly outside the Disneyland gates)