Japan Trip 2026

It starts at Arlanda, 09:35 on Thursday Oct 29 — you land in Tokyo the next morning. Four nights in Shinjuku from there. Suica at the airport, capsule hotel for a few hours, then Shinjuku. Samurai Restaurant in Kabukicho at 16:20 (booked) to beat the jet lag, then Omoide Yokocho for a short first evening: smoky yakitori alley, cold Sapporo, strangers. Day two hits hard: Meiji Shrine first thing, Harajuku and Omotesando through the morning, tonkatsu at Maisen, then Shibuya in the evening — cross the scramble at street level and up to Shibuya Sky for the city lights from 50 floors — sunset slot booked. Day three is the gaming deep-dive: Akihabara in the morning — Super Potato, Yodobashi, Mandarake — then Ginza in the afternoon for the total change of pace, Hokosha Tengoku turning the main street pedestrian-only on Sundays. Evening: Korea Town in Shin-Okubo, one stop north of Shinjuku, for a spontaneous dinner, then Golden Gai — karaoke if there's energy. Day four goes south: kimukatsu in Ebisu at opening, the Yebisu Museum of Beer at noon, then the Nakameguro canal and Daikanyama through the afternoon. Back through Shinjuku for Nakano Broadway, the serious collectors' version of Akihabara, then ramen wherever looks good for dinner. Last evening before the Shinkansen west.

Three nights arriving Tuesday Nov 3 (Culture Day, public holiday) — on the Nozomi 21, Tokyo 09:30 → Kyoto 11:44, booked. Drop bags at TSUGU Kyoto Sanjo first, then Nishiki Market for lunch — 5–6 min walk from the hotel — and a soft landing into the city. Teramachi arcades or the Manga Museum after, depending on energy. Evening: wagyu counter in Pontocho (booked), drinks at Bar Pontostand. Day two starts at Fushimi Inari at 6am before anyone shows up, sake district after, Kiyomizu-dera as the maples begin to turn — then the afternoon is yours. Simple dinner, no booking, and Funaoka Onsen or the Kodai-ji night light-up if there's anything left. Day three: teamLab Biovortex at 10:30, then Uji for lunch and matcha, then the Nintendo Museum at 15:30 and an evening walk through Gion. Bags go ahead to Osaka by takkyubin that day (hand them to reception in the morning), so the last night is light.

The food city. Louder than Kyoto, cheaper than Tokyo, completely fine with both. Arrive via Nara on day one, walk straight into Dotonbori, eat everything — knife shopping at Doguyasuji and Shinsekai, both close to the hotel. Day two is the main shopping day: Samurai Jeans in Nakatsu at opening, then south along the Midosuji line, ending with a proper wagyu dinner at Matsuzaka Gyu Yakiniku M. Day three starts at Osaka Castle in the morning, then straight on to the Osaka Derby — leave about 11:15 for Gamba Osaka vs Cerezo Osaka at Panasonic Stadium Suita, one of the most intense football atmospheres in Japan — then the group splits for the run down to Fukuoka via Hiroshima.

Two nights on Kyushu. All four leave Osaka on the same Shinkansen; three get off in Hiroshima for the Dome, the Peace Museum and okonomiyaki, Chris continues to Hakata for ramen and an afternoon of record and denim shops, and everyone regroups at the yatai on the Naka River around 18:00. Day two is Kyushu Basho Day 3 of the November sumo tournament — the group is still chasing tickets (BuySumoTickets refunded; trying official resale and Ticket Oozumo). If they land, it's a full day at Fukuoka Kokusai Center. If not, Fukuoka has plenty: Dazaifu, Ohori Park, Kushida Shrine, tonkotsu ramen, and the yatai stalls again.