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. Omoide Yokocho that 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. Book timed entry in advance. Day three is the gaming deep-dive: Akihabara in the morning — Super Potato, Yodobashi, Mandarake — then Nakano Broadway in the afternoon for the serious collectors' version of the same. Evening: small-bar karaoke near Golden Gai, then the crawl itself. Day four: teamLab Borderless at Azabudai Hills in the morning, then Ginza — draught Sapporo at Ginza Lion in that original 1934 interior, yakitori under the Yurakucho train tracks, Yamanote back to Shinjuku. Last evening before the Shinkansen west.

Three nights arriving Tuesday Nov 3 — quieter than the weekend, good timing. Drop bags at TSUGU Kyoto Sanjo first, then Nishiki Market for lunch 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 is the full day: Fushimi Inari at 6am before anyone shows up, sake district after, Kiyomizu-dera as the maples begin to turn, knife sharpening class, then the one properly booked dinner — yakitori omakase, skewer by skewer, completely drink-friendly. End the night at Funaoka Onsen, 1923 bathhouse, outdoor bath. Day three: a possible Yamazaki Distillery morning, then Nintendo Museum in Uji — confirmed and paid, 15:30 entry — followed by an evening walk through Gion. Leaving day: bags go ahead to Osaka via takuhaibin, travel light, Nara on the way.

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. Day two: Katsuoji Temple in the Minoh mountains, covered in thousands of daruma dolls and autumn foliage, then Nipponbashi in the afternoon and a proper wagyu dinner at night. Third day is a relaxed morning at Osaka Castle before the Osaka Derby — 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. Getting here is a split day — three of you take the Shinkansen via Hiroshima for Peace Memorial Park and okonomiyaki, Chris runs straight down for a solo loop through Hakata's Old Town temples and a bowl of tonkotsu ramen, everyone regroups in Hakata for yatai on the Naka River. Day two is the reason to come: the Grand Sumo Tournament, a full day at Fukuoka Kokusai Center from the lower-division bouts in the morning through to makuuchi finishing around 6pm — the only tournament day on the trip, so make the most of it. Ramen or mentaiko in Nakasu after.