December 2016
I have been living in Japan for just over 3 years now. This is the first time that anyone, family or friend, has come to visit me. I was finally able to convince my two brothers to come to Japan for the winter holiday.
We decided on the trip in September, so that is when I began my initial planning. It's their first time in Japan, in a foreign country even. What can I show them that is special about Japan? What do they WANT to see? We all know there are plenty of sights to see, and with both brothers in the opinion of "I'm up for anything" I decided that we would do the regular tour of the Japan, only we would see EVERYTHING, and I mean everything within two weeks.
Crazy, right? That should be nothing new haha.
So, first thing is first: the flight. It was a little more difficult to find a good, cheap flight because their time of travel was Christmas/New Year season. It was also their first SUPER long international flight, so I didn't want to burden them with layovers as much. In the end, they chose a DELTA Flight for about $1700, round trip from Detroit to Tokyo (Haneda) and one layover in Minneapolis. Not bad at all.
Second was the itinerary. Of course, I wanted them to get the most out of their trip, which meant traveling efficiently, BUT we were also on a budget. In most cases, I would recommend the Japan Rail Pass to anyone coming to visit Japan for at least a week. I recommended the same plan to my brothers, but in the end we chose not to get it. Why? It was really because they were coming to see me (and Japan), but essentially we would be together for the entire duration of the trip. I was their guide also; they couldn't get around as easily without me. That's fine and all, but since I am in Japan on a working VISA I am not eligible for the JR Pass. And unlike them, I did want to budget myself for the trip, which meant I didn't want to pay the cost for the bullet train. (This made some things a little difficult, but looking back I don't regret it).
The trip dates were set for December 22nd to January 2nd. Below is a copy of the itinerary as it was just before they came (there were some minor changes later, which I will mention in the daily recaps).
JAPAN
TRIP ITINERARY December 22nd
~ January 2nd
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Dec. 21
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Detroit
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Check-in at Detroit Metro Airport (DTW)
*NEED:
passport (ticket will be received at check-in, visa upon arrival)
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5 a.m.~
*2-3 hours prior |
Departure
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7:14 a.m.
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Dec. 22
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Tokyo
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*Bus
from Nagoya to Tokyo, Shinjuku > Haneda \610 50m
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6:15~12 p.m.
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Arrival at Haneda Airport (HND)
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2:10 p.m.
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Limousine Bus to HOTEL GPLEDAIBA, Odaiba 43min \520
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3:30 p.m.*
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GUNDAM FRONT
TOKYO (Diver
City 7F)
http://gundamfront-tokyo.com/jp/ Full Entrance \1200 |
4:30 p.m.
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Diver City (Gundam Café 2F, etc.)
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Fuji TV Building,
Rainbow Bridge Odaiba
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Bus / Train to Hotel, 1hr \380
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8:45 p.m.~
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Check-in (by 12 a.m.) at Best Western Tokyo Nishikasai
134-0088, Tokyo, Edogawa Ward, Edogawa-ku, Nishi
Kasai 6-17-9
03-3675-8900 \16,500
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~10 p.m.
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Dec. 23
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Tokyo
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Check-out (by
10 a.m.) TOKYO METRO DAY PASS \600
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8~8:30 a.m.
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Tokyo
Station Nishi Kasai > Tokyo (Tozai
Line) \200 24min
luggage storage (\600) JR
East Travel Service Center or locker*
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9:00
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Bunkyo Civic
Center
Observation Deck
Tokyo > Korakuen (Marunouchi Line) \170 13m
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Pokemon Center
MEGA Ikebukuro
Korakuen St. > Ikebukuro (Marunouchi Line) \170
12m
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MEIJI SHRINE (5 a.m.~6 p.m.) – HARAJUKU Crepes
Ikebukuro > Meiji jingu mae (Fukutoshin Line)
\200
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TOKYO TOWER (9 a.m.~11 p.m.) \900
Meiji jingu mae > Naka-meguro > Kamiyacho (Fukutoshin/Hibiya) \200 |
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AKIHABARA Homemade Curry (Bread), Anime
everything
Kamiyacho >Akihabara (Hibiya Line) \200 30m |
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Claim luggage at Tokyo Station (30 min walk from
Akihabara)**
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Train to Kamata (JR Keihintohoku Line, 34 min, \220~310)
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6 p.m.~
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Check-in at Guest
House Kamata (4-10 p.m.)
144-0031, Tokyo,
Ota Ward, Ota-ku Higashi Kamata 2-6-7
070-3548-1408 \9,000
Food – Hamazushi 11m walk
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7 ~ 8 p.m.
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Dec. 24
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Yokohama
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Check-out 8-10 a.m.
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9 a.m.*
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Train to Yokohama Cup Noodles Museum
(Kamata Keihintohoku
Line > Sakuragicho, 52 min \310)
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Cup Noodle Museum 10 a.m.~
My CUPNOODLES Factory \300
Chicken Ramen Factory \500
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10 a.m.
~ 12 p.m.
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Red Brick Warehouse to Chinatown (24min walk)
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12 p.m. ~
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Train to Shinjuku
(Motomachi-Chukagai Minatomirai Line >> 1 hour 5min, \650)
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4 p.m.
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Bus: Shinjuku Bus Terminal 4F to Nagoya \5,200
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17:50
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Arrival in Nagoya
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23:20
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Dec. 25
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Okazaki
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Make MOCHI
at the Yamamoto Family’s house, Okazaki \620 (2)
(Lunch = Oden,
Dinner = Handmade Sushi)
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8
a.m.
~
8 p.m.
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Dec. 26
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Osaka
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Bus to USJ (3hr 20m \2,700)
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6:30 a.m.
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UNIVERSAL STUDIOS JAPAN
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9:50 a.m. ~
9 p.m.
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Universal
Citywalk Takoyaki
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Train
to Umeda Station, walk to Umeda Sky East
Sakurajima > Umeda \180 20m
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Bus to Hiroshima (Overnight, \5,510)
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24:00
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Dec. 27
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Hiroshima
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Arrival in Hiroshima
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5:30 a.m.
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Atomic Bomb Dome – Museum – Peace Park – Hiroshima
castle, etc.
ALL DAY SIGHTSEEING BUS PASS
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Hiroshima okonomiyaki
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Bus to Kyoto (Overnight, \5,010)
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24:20
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Dec. 28
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Kyoto
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Arrival in Kyoto
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6:45 a.m.
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Yasaka Shrine / Gion – Kiyomizu dera – Fushimi
Inari
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Bus to Nagoya: 2 hour 30min, \2,550
*tickets can be reserved one-month in advance |
Every 30 min from Kyoto St.
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Dec. 29
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Nagoya+
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Sakae, Oasis 21, Osu Kannon, Illuminations, Nagoya
Castle, Naan Curry
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Dec. 30
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Nagoya+
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Nagoya Aquarium, Yakiniku, Nabana no Sato?
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Dec. 31
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Nagoya+
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FREE DAY!!! Udon, Taiyaki
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Hatsumode in Gamagori
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Midnight
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Jan. 1
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Shizuoka
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Drive to Shizuoka from Gamagori (with Taka)
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Toyokawa Inari Shrine
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Check-in at Face
to Face Guesthouse
418-0056, Fujinomiya, Nishimachi 22-18
81-090-2680-9707 \10,000 (4 people)
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Jan. 2
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Tokyo /
Detroit
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Mt. Fuji morning
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SUNRISE
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Train to Haneda Airport
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9:30 a.m.
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Check-in at Haneda Airport
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1:30 p.m.~
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Departure from Haneda Airport (HND)
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4:25 p.m.
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Arrival at Detroit Metro Airport (DTW)
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6:14 p.m.
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As you can see, the first few days were very very detailed, and that first week itself was very busy. It was my first time ever planning such a trip, so I didn't want to miss a detail, or find myself unprepared. Most of our traveling between cities would be done by bus, a cheaper method, though it does take more time. We would visit the most popular places on the main island of Honshu, and try to get in some personal time too.
Our main points of travel were:
Tokyo > Yokohama > Okazaki > Osaka > Hiroshima > Kyoto > Nagoya > Gamagori > Mt. Fuji
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