Our 1 week Tokyo Itinerary

A lot of people have been asking me for our itinerary when we went to Japan last November so I'll share it here with you. Actually, I also asked some friends for help and also based this on sample itineraries found online like in Japan-guide.com.

But it really depends on your preferences and the season I think. Like we were there during the peak of autumn so I really wanted to go to the parks to see the beautiful fall foliage. And there were also winter illuminations during that time, so we made it a point to visit those attractions. A lot can also depend on the weather and if places are closed on certain days. And of course, if you're with young kids then you'll probably go to more places which will interest them.

We were originally planning a side trip to Osaka and Kyoto at first, but we changed our minds when we saw how many places we can visit in Tokyo alone. Although you most certainly can do a Tokyo-Osaka-Kyoto trip in a week, I personally feel it will be too rushed and tiring. But anyway, hope this still helps those planning a trip to Japan soon. :)


Day 1 (November 26, Thursday)
- Arrival in Haneda Airport - 1:30pm
- Check-in at our Airbnb in Shinjuku - 3pm
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office (Observation Deck)
- Walk around Shinjuku area
- Dinner at Omoide Yokocho

Day 2 (November 27, Friday)
- Ueno Park
- Tokyo National Museum
- Rikugien Garden (autumn illumination)
- Akihabara

Day 3 (November 28, Saturday)
- Tsukiji Fish Market (we didn't visit the tuna auction anymore)
- Ginza - walk along the central Chuo Dori street which becomes a large pedestrian zone on weekend afternoons
- Odaiba - DiverCity Tokyo Plaza (where the giant Gundam is), Aquacity, Rainbow Bridge
- Shiodome - to see the Caretta winter illumination

Day 4 (November 29, Sunday)
- Mt. Fuji & Hakone Tour

Day 5 (November 30, Monday)
- Tokyo Skytree
- Asakusa - Sensoji Temple, Nakamise Shopping Street
- Roppongi Hills - to see the winter illumination displays around the base of Mori Tower and along Keyakizaka Street
- Tokyo Midtown - to see the "Starlight Garden" winter display

Day 6 (December 1, Tuesday)
- DisneySea

Day 7 (December 2, Wednesday)
- Shinjuku Gyoen
- Meiji Shrine
- Harajuku - Omotesando, Kiddy Land, Oriental Bazaar
- Shibuya - Hachiko Statue, Shibuya 109

Day 8 (December 3, Thursday)
- Check-out at our Airbnb - 10am
- Flight back to Manila - 3pm

I'll be going into more detail on the places we visited in the coming posts. Just want to share though that we did so much walking on this trip, my knees practically gave up on me on the 3rd day pa lang lol! We averaged about 20k steps per day, the highest was almost 30k! But it was worth it since Tokyo was so beautiful and is definitely one of the nicest countries we've ever been to. Hoping to be back soon to explore Osaka and Kyoto next time. :)