Hi! I am in my young 20s and have been blessed with the opportunity to work remotely in Japan for a couple months! I plan to be there from 5/13 - 7/27 and was hoping to get some suggestions on this general itinerary! I dont necessarily plan to do everything on the list, these are just highlights and ideas per city. This will be my second time in Japan, last time I went was in October with some friends for 1.5 weeks and we basically only hit popular tourist attractions in Tokyo and Kyoto.

The gist of my trip this time will be outlined below, but the first two weeks will be with friends my girlfriend, and the next ~11 weeks will be solo travel. It is during the solo travel time that I will also be working remotely. My hours will be quite strange, working late in the night basically so weekdays it may be harder to plan night activities.

During the first two weeks I will likely primarily be in Tokyo or Tokyo 1 other place (please suggest what you think is best, was thinking prob Osaka). Then I plan to stay a little longer in Tokyo solo just to adjust to working JST and then start north and move south. I also want to do more touristy things the first two weeks with my friends because it will be their first time in Japan, then solo travel I want to still do common tourism things, but include less "popular" tourism attractions (ive mostly just scrolled through travel websites and tiktok for suggestions so far). I am open to anything but I feel the primary focus of attractions I want to hit are relaxing nature related, onsens, food, shopping (please suggest things I should buy, for example I heard denim in Japan is especially good), and festivals. I also have not gone in the summer time before and heard horror stories so any packing tips would be appreciated as well. If you think the general route I am taking needs changes, or if there are prefectures or cities I am missing out on let me know! Tips on meeting people through local activities or online forums would be awesome too! Appreciate all the advice and looking forward to the trip.

Vacation 5/13 - 5/24 —2 weeks — Total 5 people week 1, Total 2 people week 2

Tokyo (2 weeks)

• Explore popular districts like Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Ginza.
• Shinjuku:
  • Kabukicho
  • Golden Gai
  • Wagyu Beef at Yoroniku or Sumibi Yakiniku Nakahara.
• Shibuya:
  • Shibuya Crossing
  • Shibuya Sky
  • Center Gai for shopping and dining.
  • Sushi at Sushi no Midori Sohonten
  • Authentic Japanese cuisine at Toritake Shibuya.
• Ginza:
  • Chuo-dori street for upscale shopping.
  • Sukiyabashi Jiro Honten, one of the world's most famous sushi restaurants.
• Roppongi (nightlife)
• Tokyo Tower
• Meiji Shrine
• Imperial Palace.
• Don Quijote or Tokyu Hands.
• Teamlabs Planets
• Day Trips to Nikko, Hakone, Chiba, Kanagawa or Kawagoe
• Tea ceremonies and kimono rentals in Asakusa.
• sushi
  • Genki Sushi: conveyor belt sushi, budget-friendly dining.
  • Sushi Dai: Tsukiji Fish Market, known for its high-quality sushi.
• ramen at Ichiran
• tempura at Tempura Kondo
• Yurakucho tokyo inshokugai / yurakucho farm to table dining alley
• Tokyo omoide yokocho is a bar district
• Sanrio Puroland
• Visit the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Tokyo
  • Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. (JST) on the 10th of each month for the following month.
  • Consider getting a personal shopper from Japan (heard of people using fiverr) because tickets are apparently really hard to secure
• Tokyo Disneyland
• Tokyo DisneySea
• Akihabara
  • Radio kaikan
  • Ami ami
  • K-books
  • Gigo arcade
  • Super potato
  • Maid Cafes
• Shop for Japanese denim
  • Uniqlo, Beams, or The Flat Head for high-quality jeans.
• Get a haircut
• Japanese beauty and skincare products at drugstores like Matsumoto Kiyoshi or specialty stores like Shiseido.
• personal color appointment
• Buy ramen to take back home as souvenirs.
• Foreign Friendly Clubs
  • Club Camelot

Work 5/27 - 7/26 — 11 weeks — solo travel
Tokyo (3-4 weeks, get use to working in different timezone)

• Continue exploring areas not covered during the previous stay.
• Tokyo National Museum
• Mori Art Museum.
• Shimokitazawa or Yanaka.
• mitaka park
• Sanja Matsuri
  • Venue: Sensoji Temple When: May 17th - May 19th 2024
• Kanda Matsuri
  • Venue: Kanda Myojin Shrine When: Mid May 2024
• Sanno Matsuri
  • Venue: Hie Shrine When: Early - Mid Jun 2024
• Sumida River Fireworks Festival
  • Venue: Taito Riverside Sports Center When: Late July 2024
    

Hokkaido (2-3 weeks)

• Sapporo Beer Museum.
• hiking in Daisetsuzan National Park
• skiing in Niseko.
• Noboribetsu Onsen and relax in natural hot springs (stay overnight?)
• Yosakoi Soran Festival held in Sapporo in June.
  • Venue: Odori street When: Early - Mid Jun 2024
• Sample fresh seafood at Nijo Fish Market
• They are known for ice cream?
• otaru

Kyoto (1 week)

• Furukawa Shopping Street
• Arashiyama bamboo forest
• Hanno daidokoro better Wagyu
• Temples?
• Aoi matsuri
  Venue: Kamigamo Shrine When: Mid May 2024
  

Nara (Deer) (3-4 days)

• Todai-ji Temple and the famous Great Buddha statue.
• Nara Park and feed the friendly deer roaming freely (no reservation needed)
• Kasuga Taisha Shrine known for its lanterns.

Osaka (2-3 weeks)

• Osaka Castle
• Dotonbori
• Universal Studios Japan
• Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
• Tenjin Matsuri — One of the three greatest summer festivals in Japan
  Venue: Tenmangu Shrine When: Late Jul 2024
• Shinsaibashi Shopping Street
• luxury brands at Grand Front Osaka.
• Sumo Competitions
• Ritsurin Garden
• kuromon ichiba market
• shinsaibashi
• umeda sky building
• sumiyoshi taishi shrine

Kobe (Scenery) (3-4 days)

• Nunobiki Herb Garden
• Hike up Mount Rokko
• Kitano district
• Kobe beef
  • Kobe Beef Steak Land or Mouriya Honten

Hiroshima (3-4 days)

• Peace Memorial Park and Museum
• Hiroshima Castle and Shukkeien Garden.
• biking in onomichi
  • shimanami kaido is a famous bike route
• Try Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki
  • Okonomimura
• Hiroshima Flower Festival held in early May.
  • Venue: Peace Boulevard When: Mid Jun 2024

Okinawa Miyajima Ishigaki Ojima Island (1-2 weeks)

• Beaches
• Snorkeling or diving.
• Whale Watching
• Aquariums
• Shurijo Castle
• Take a ferry to Miyajima Island
  • Itsukushima Shrine
• Ishigaki Island
  • Kabira Bay.
• Ojima Island
  • CATSSSS

General Activities:

• hitachi seaside park
• hakone open air museum
• ESIM
• moss phlox park
• monkeys hot spring

Travel Order:

Tokyo -> Hokkaido -> Nara -> Osaka -> Kobe -> Hiroshima -> Okinawa

Accommodation:

hotels, airbnb, sharehouse, hostel, ryokans, guesthouses,

hotels and airbnb more expensive but better location, sharehouse good mix of experiences people recommend as a solo traveler, hostels attract too many short-term and foreign/budget travelers checking places off their lists (a lot of thoughts on this),

• Tokyo:
  • Airbnb for a wide range of options in different neighborhoods, more local experience.
  • Hostels like Khaosan Tokyo Samurai
  • hotels such as Park Hyatt Tokyo
  • a sharehouse in Shinjuku
  • Shibuya and Harajuku are younger, hip and shopping areas
• Osaka:
  • Hostels like Hostel 64 Osaka
  • Airbnb options can offer budget-friendly stays.
  • For a luxurious experience, consider hotels like Swissotel Nankai Osaka.
• Kobe:
  • Airbnb accommodations in the city center offer convenient access to attractions.
  • Kobe Portopia Hotel and guesthouses like Guesthouse Maya Kobe
• Nara:
  • Guesthouses like Nara Guesthouse Kamunabi
  • traditional ryokans such as Nara Hotel
• Hiroshima:
  • Hostels like J-Hoppers Hiroshima Guesthouse
  • hotels such as Sheraton Grand Hiroshima Hotel
• Hokkaido:
  • cozy guesthouses or hotels in Sapporo, such as Grids Sapporo Hotel & Hostel or Mercure Sapporo.
  • onsen resorts like Noboribetsu Grand Hotel
• Okinawa
  • Resorts like Rizzan Sea-Park Hotel Tancha Bay
  • Airbnb beachfront properties
  • Traditional ryokans or modern hotels