2 Weeks in Japan - Our Honeymoon!
We just got back from the most unforgettable two-week trip through Japan for our honeymoon. We love food & culture, so wanted to deep dive into both! I feel like it was the perfect mix of food, traditional japanese culture, relaxing, and exploring. Here's our full itinerary, broken down day by day, with activities, dining spots, and my tips.
General Tips
Don’t rush. It’s okay to skip something if you’re really enjoying where you are. It’s tempting to fill every hour, but leaving room for spontaneity and rest makes the experience so much more enjoyable.
Stay near a train station. Easy access makes every day smoother.
✈️ Day 0: Travel Day
Our flight path: RDU → LAX → Narita Airport. With the time difference and flight duration, we technically lost a day in transit.
📍 Day 1: Arrival in Tokyo
We landed around 2PM at Narita and headed straight to our hotel via the Airport Limousine Bus, highly recommend this option! It’s easy to book buy tickets at the airport kiosk and most importantly, it saves you from navigating Tokyo’s train stations for the first time, with luggage, right after a long flight.
We stayed at Hyatt Regency Tokyo, which was a convenient base in Shinjuku. It was close to a train station, which is definitively a must!
For our first night, we did a big 7-eleven haul, located in our hotel, which was amazing and walked around Shinjuku.
Checked out Omoide Yokocho, a narrow alley packed with yakitori stalls and pubs.
🍣 Day 2: Markets & Digital Art
Tsukiji Outer Market for the freshest sushi and street snacks.
Walked through Imperial Palace East Gardens, but we could only see it from afar, because it is closed on Monday!
Afternoon exploring Odaiba, which has a shopping mall, including Gundam Base (this was a childhood dream to see for my husband).
Evening tickets to teamLab Borderless, an immersive digital art museum.
🥞 Day 3: Food & Shopping
Breakfast at A Happy Pancake Ginza, I am still dreaming about these. We are trying to make them at home, and it is just not the same.
Tip: go before they open (10:30AM), to get on the waitlist! We got there at 10AM, only had to wait about a hour. But since it is Ginza, there is plenty of stores to explore while you wait.
Vintage and designer browsing in Ginza. We really enjoyed all the stores here, I could have spent all day in Ginza!
Headed to Akihabara, the district for electronics and anime culture. This was a really busy area!
We had our favorite ramen of the entire trip here, at Chūkasoba Senmon Tanaka Sobaten Akihabara.
Shinjuku Bar Hopping Tour, a guided crawl through izakayas, which included food and all-you-can-drink at one bar! This was fun to get a tour from a local, so we could ask all our questions.
⛩️ Day 4: Temples & City Views
Morning at Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa, there are cool shops to explore here too.
Meiji Shrine, tucked away in Yoyogi Park, this was a serene experience.
Explored Harajuku & Takeshita Street - cool fashion!
We wrapped up the night with tickets to Shibuya Sky, an open-air observation deck overlooking the city. The views were incredible. That said, in my opinion, we could’ve skipped it. If you’ve been to a major city with skyline views (like NYC), the experience feels pretty similar. But if it’s your first time seeing a city from that height, it might absolutely be worth it!
Then we walked around Shibuya and did Shibuya crossing!
🌊 Day 5: Tokyo to Izu Coast
Since it was our honeymoon, we wanted a more ‘romantic’ part of the trip. So, we opted to spend two days at a traditional onsen ryokan. These inns offer a unique cultural experience, with Japanese-style rooms, futon bedding, hot spring onsens, and traditional food.
Traveled to Izu Peninsula via the JR Limited Express train, it took about 3 hours.
Checked into Hanafubuki Ryokan - only a 10 minute walk from Izu-Kogen station.
We went straight to the onsen to relax.
5PM in-room massages - only $50 USD each for a hour!
Dinner at the Ryokan, multi-course kaiseki style. The food here was definitely more adventurous for me.
🌿 Day 6: Nature & Onsen
Breakfast at the Ryokan - I opted for the western style.
Another reason we chose this ryokan was its proximity to the coastline, so we spent the day hiking along the stunning Jogasaki Coast.
After a few hours of hiking, we soaked at the onsens, and had another traditional dinner.
Check out the vlog for more details:
🚅 Day 7: Off to Kyoto
Took the shinkansen to Kyoto.
Tip: You can buy your shinkansen tickets on the SmartEx app and then connect them to your IC card in your apple wallet. So nice to not have to worry about a physical ticket.
We checked into Hyatt Place Kyoto. It’s located right on a train station and even has a coffee shop on the ground floor.
That afternoon, we headed to the Levi’s Tailor Shop to buy and customize a pair of jeans. Such a fun, unique souvenir.
In the evening, we took a peaceful walk through Gion, Kyoto’s historic geisha district. The narrow streets, wooden buildings, and soft lanterns really made us feel like we’d stepped back in time.
Dinner was at Gion Kappa, a cozy spot with a super wide menu. We really liked this place. it had something for everyone and felt both casual and traditional.
🐒 Day 8: Arashiyama
We took a taxi and then had a morning climb to the Monkey Park Iwatayama.
It took us about 20 minutes to hike it, but is worth it! Not only do you get to see and feed wild monkeys, but there are great views of Kyoto.
Explored two lesser-known, beautiful temples. We first took the bus from the monky park to Otagi Nenbutsuji, and were able to walk to our next stop from there!
Otagi Nenbutsuji: On the outskirts of Arashiyama with 1200 unique statues. This was my favorite temple.
Adashino Nenbutsuji, which has its own bamboo grove.
Evening stroll through Pontocho Alley, which is on the river and has lots of bars. Our favorite stop was Bar Alchemist, a speakeasy style bar with unique cocktails.
🚲 Day 9: Bike & Bites
8:30AM e-bike tour through Kyoto’s hidden gems.
Was fun to see some more quiet temples. Also, a great break from walking everywhere!
Lunch and browsing at Nishiki Market.
Sunset drinks at "In the Moon", a rooftop bar over the river.
🍵 Day 10: Uji & Fushimi Inari
Half day trip to Uji, known for the world’s best matcha. As a matcha lover, this was cool. Uji is very peaceful, not as touristy. There is a beautiful temple, which was one of my favorites. We tried lots of matcha flavored things, like matcha soba!
Walking tour including a traditional tea ceremony.
I think you could easily do Uji on your own. The tea ceremony is hosted at the Uji tourist center!
Went to Fushimi Inari Shrine at sunset, hiking through thousands of torii gates. Really unique temple.
Check out the vlog!
🏙️ Day 11: Kyoto → Osaka
Traveled to Osaka, and stayed at Caption by Hyatt. Another great hotel.
Our hotel was right by Kuromon Market, so we checked that out. Of all the markets we explored, this one ended up being our favorite, it had so much variety!
Sake tasting at Shimada store sake. I found this hidden gem, a family business of 70 years. The sake was 222 yen per glass. It was a fun way to catch a buzz and learn more about sake!
Explored Amerikamura and went to the pokemon center.
🎏 Day 12: Food & Views
Walked Dotonbori in the morning, including a river cruise.
We spent a few hours shopping and exploring don quijote.
Omakase dinner at Sushi Hoshiyama. We knew one must for us on this trip was experiencing Michelin star sushi, and this was a first for both of us. It was truly an incredible, intimate experience. The chef was explained every dish, answered our questions, and made us feel completely welcome. Chefs at this level train for years, and the sushi was truly the best I have ever had.
🦌 Day 13: Half day in Nara
Took a half day trip to Nara and fed the bowing deer in Nara Park!
Returned to Osaka to visit Osaka Castle, and capped off our final night with drinks at Blue Birds Rooftop Bar. This was a grill-your-own food meal, with all you can drink! The views were great, and I love an activity.
I think the perfect way to spend your last night in a city is at a rooftop bar, it is the perfect place to look over the city and reflect.
Of course, I vlogged it all.
✈️ Departure Day
Bittersweet goodbyes, Japan was everything we hoped for and more.
We flew from Osaka to Tokyo to catch our flight back to the USA.
If you’re planning a trip and want the perfect mix of culture, nature, food, and city energy, this route hits it all. Let me know if you want help planning or have questions about anything we did!
