Day 1 (7/11): Tokyo
I have refrained from planning anything major on this day. A private car airport pickup, along with an assistant that will be holding a sign with your name on it to meet you as you exit Customs will be arranged on this day for when your partner arrives at the airport.
Activities:
- Airport pick-up
Planner's Notes: n/a
Day 2 (7/12): Tokyo
I wanted to start this day with a visit to a sumo stable. Sumo matches are an amazing thing to witness as it really gives you an understanding of how much strength is required to compete in that sport. Visiting a stable is a chance to see them practice and hold private matches for their morning keiko sessions up close, and as there won't be an actual tournament at the time, it should be a good chance to see them.
The next activity I want to plan is a guided trip to Akihabara. Akihabara is kind of the anime and manga mecca of Japan. It is full of arcades, manga/comic book stores, anime toy shops, and video game stores. It's also kind of a hub for anything electronic. There's even a shrine here where you can have an electronic device "blessed" by a shinto priest. There are pro-gamers that go there to bless their computers or consoles before a competition. It is heaven and home to many different forms of otaku culture, a guide showing you a few of the highlights is a great introduction.
The guide we use for the Akihabara tour is probably the most knowledgeable person in Japan on anime. He's seen over a 1,000 different series so he definitely knows his stuff. He could also take you guys to a maid cafe as well during the tour, and perhaps some of the other strange themed cafes that they have in Akihabara.
At night a food tour of Ueno is a great addition. Because it's a neighborhood that is rarely visited by tourists, the places are relatively unknown. Also, the person who hosts this tour is one of the best authorities on ramen in Japan, as he has been to all of the Michelin-star restaurants in Tokyo, and hundreds of the ramen spots. He is also a sake sommelier!
Activities (partially guided):
Anime tour in Akihabara- Sumo stable visit
- Ueno izakaya tour
Planner's Notes: This is quite possibly the most packed day in the entire itinerary. There were a lot of things that I wanted to include while you guys are in Tokyo, but I also wanted to be cognizant of leaving free time on some days to allow you guys to explore on your own as you requested. These three activities are definitely possible to do in a single day, however if you wish to move some of them to other days so that you can have a more relaxed pace, that is possible as well.
Day 3 (7/13): Tokyo
I would like to use this day to plan a fish market tour and sushi making lesson. We typically combine these two activities together, so usually your guide for the fish market is a sushi chef, or the same person who will also be teaching you how to make sushi. The fish that you choose at the market is the fish that you will be using to make sushi with. Your guide/chef should tell you about how to choose a good fish, and what makes a good fish... good. Toyosu is the currently used area for the fisherman who sell fish wholesale, and is the biggest fish market in Japan. The market used to be housed in Tsukiji, but that area has been shut down, and the land was repurposed for the Olympics. The outer market area is still a very nice place to visit for food though. It is possible to see both places in a single day.
For this day, I thought that it would also be a good idea to learn about sake as well, since you are learning about fish. A lot of our guides like to pair these activities, because you can learn about which type of sake pairs best with which type of fish. The place that I would like to send you is technically a learning center. They have sake from all over the country. Close to 100 or so different types of sake from nihonshu, to shochu and kijoshu and everything in between. It is absolutely one of my favorite places to visit in Tokyo.
Activities (partially guided):
- Toyosu Fish Market
- Sushi-making lesson
- Sake taste-testing at JSS (I’d like to join you guys)
Planner's Notes: This day is pretty straight forward. I don't know if you guys would be open to it, but I would like to join, or have one of our guides participate in the sake taste-testing, as it would also allow us pay for the experience since it isn't possible to pay in advance... I also just want to drink...
Day 4 (7/14): Tokyo
Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea are amazing theme parks, so we will leave the entire day open for you to dedicate towards enjoying Disney Sea.
Activities:
- Disney Sea
Planner's Notes: Please let me know if you would prefer to visit Disneyland over Disney Sea. Both are also possible.
Day 5 (7/15): Kyoto
*This day will be a free day after arriving in Kyoto. Previous plans are listed below, but currently this day will be used to travel from Tokyo to Kyoto.
This day will be completely dedicated to visiting the Ghibli Theme park.
Activities:
Studio Ghibli Park visit
Planner's Notes: The park includes many different "sections", however the tickets that we would like to buy are for Mononoke Village, and Ghibli's Grand Warehouse, which is the "main" section of the park. Please note that today will require a very early train ride from Tokyo to maximize time in the park.
Day 6 (7/16): Kyoto
*This day has been turned into a free day. I think that this may be the best day to visit Rika at Toei Kyoto Studio Park.
The first part of the day will be spent traveling to Kyoto from Nagoya, which is only about a 40 minute train ride. . Kibune is a small town north of Kyoto which is a beautiful place to enjoy a meal over the river around this time of year. The area itself is also very quaint and beautiful. A short hike of the countryside is a great way to take it in. The place that I have in mind for the dinner is here:
https://kibune-hiroya.com/
Activities (partially guided):
Countryside hike between Kurama and Kibune (around 4 hours total)Dinner over the river at Kibune - Hiroya
Planner's Notes: The dinner will be slightly early. The hike would be guided by a professional, and there would be multiple stops along the way for snacks, and shrine visits. For the meal, I've calculated for two "matsu" level kaiseki meals over the river, which are multi-course meals.
Day 7 (7/17): Kyoto
Today will be completely dedicated towards spending time at Universal Studios Japan in nearby Osaka.
Osaka is also known as Japan’s kitchen, and so I wanted to include something related to food (if you wanted to do something in the evening). The city is one of the best places for a streetfood tour where you can try some of Osaka's signature dishes.
Activities (partially guided):
- Universal Studios Japan
- Osaka streetfood tour (optional)
Planner's Notes: The food tour would start around 6PM, and end around 9:30PM. It would be full of Osaka street food favorites, and it is also a great way to see the city at night.
Day 8 (7/18): Kyoto
Nara is one of Japan's ancient capitals, and a great place to visit to appreciate the country's tradition and history. The temple grounds of Todaiji will be your first stop. It is home to the largest bronze statue of Buddha in the world, and home to many deer which roam the temple grounds freely.
Activities (unguided):
- Todaiji temple
- Nara park
Planner's Notes: On this day, we have the option of either sending you guys to Hakata at night, or having you travel down there the next day. If you think that you want another free night in Kyoto on this day, then staying is the better option. If you do decide to stay here on this night, then I think switching days 9 and 10 would be best so that you don't have to travel to Hakata on day 9, and then to Hiroshima in the same day.
Day 9 (7/19): Hakata (day trip to Hiroshima)
In Japan, all school students are required to visit the Peace Memorial Park, and the A-Bomb dome in Hiroshima or the Peace Park in Nagasaki. It is part of their education. So when you do visit, don't be surprised if you see herds of school children visiting with you. The Peace Memorial Park is definitely a more somber day for the itinerary, but one that is perhaps an important visit for your young ones.
Today is definitely best experienced with a guide, who can either be with you while you're in the museum, and walking to the A-Bomb Dome, or just with you after you leave the museum to walk the grounds of the park. Many of the guides here are people who have been directly affected by what happened here. Either they have lost family members or they themselves were alive during that time, so the stories that they can impart to visitors is first-hand, or second-hand accounts of what happened that day.
Hiroshima is sadly not a widely recognized city for its food. It has some of the best food in the country in my mind. Especially its seafood. This area is of Japan is often called the Mediterranean of Japan because of the similar climate and lifestyle. I definitely recommend trying okonomiyaki while there. Also, Hiroshima is not a part of Kyushu, but its proximity has had an influence on its culinary culture. If you guys are adventurous eaters, you can find things like motsu nabe, which is like a pot dish that uses the innards of different animals. I do believe you can also find gyutan (cows tongue) at some restaurants here as well. So this region presents an opportunity to try some more adventurous items, should you guys be up for it.
I would like to take you guys to Itsukushima. Itsukushima is sometimes called Miyajima which roughly translates to "shrine island", not because there are a bunch of shrines on the island, but because the island itself was seen and treated as a god in the Shinto spiritual system. Today it is mostly known for the massive "floating" torii gate outside of the island's shrine, but in a bygone era there were many strict rules concerning visiting or living on the island. This is actually one of the reasons the torii gate is not on the island itself. Another really cool thing about visiting is that deer roam the island freely. Deer are seen as messengers of the gods, and so they are left to their own devices, and will approach you as you roam the island.
There will be several extremely interesting shrines and temples to visit here, and although Miyajima shrine is typically the first thing that people think about when they think of the island, I personally think that Daisho-in temple is one of the most beautiful and interesting places in this region.
Activities (partially guided):
- Peace Memorial Park
- Peace Memorial Museum
- Miyajima island
- Daisho-in
- Itsukushima Shrine
- Mt. Misen Ropeway
- Dinner arrangements - TBD (possibly Okonomimura, or similar experience)
Planner's Notes: I'd like to organize another early wake up for the train on this day, so that we can maximize your time in the area. Also, I'd very much like to arrange dinner in this area while you are here. I think that an oknomiyaki place may be nice to visit, especially one where the chef prepares the meal in front of you.
Day 10 (7/20): Hakata
This will be a free day for you to spend in Hakata.
Activities:
- Free day
Planner's Notes: n/a
Day 11 (7/21): Hakata ---> Tokyo
You'll travel to Tokyo today by bullet train. I wanted to leave your time free for you to settle, and make sure you didn't need to rush for anything, but today would be a great opportunity to make dinner reservations.
Activities (partially guided):
- Dinner arrangements - TBD (would like to book Locale)
Planner's Notes: Locale is one of my favorite places to eat at in Tokyo. It's a very small restaurant with only a few tables. The chef is from California, but she sources everything locally in Japan, and has a menu that is both Japanese and "California". I do understand that the focus will most likely be on Japanese food, and so we can definitely make other suggestions.
Day 12 (7/22): Tokyo
You'll head to Chiba today to spend your time exploring Kamogawa Sea World - another of Japan's amazing amusement parks.
Activities:
Sea World
Planner's Notes: n/a
Day 13 (7/23): Tokyo
TeamLab Borderless is the TeamLab experience that made the group famous. I thought that your partner may enjoy visiting one of their exhibitions, but I also did not want to put in Planets, since we will hopefully be visiting that location with the students. Borderless was closed down years ago, but they are going to reopen it in Azabu next February, so just in time for your visit. It is a bit different than Planets. Here is a video to give you an idea of what it looks like:
Activities (partially guided):
- TeamLab Borderless
Planner's Notes: With this trip, I'm trying to be aware of any overlap between your personal itinerary and the itinerary of the school. I know that there are some highlights that cannot be avoided, however where I can, I wanted to arrange things that would be new to you as well as your partner.
Day 14 (7/24): Tokyo
Today brings your trip to a close. I hope you've had an amazing time in Japan!
Activities (partially guided):
- Airport drop-off
Planner's Notes: We will arrange for a car to pick you guys up directly from your hotel and take you to the airport for your departure.
