u/jtourjeman

My fiancée and I are trying to figure out what time to go to Fushimi Inari for a nighttime visit. We explicitly want to do nighttime because I think the gates lit up are beautiful and eerie, I like the idea of less crowds, and I'm kind of into the slightly scary aspect of this.

My open question is around what time the crowds actually thin out. We're going in early October, so sunset should be around 5:30 p.m., and I'm not sure if we could show up shortly after that or if we need to wait much until like 7pm. I imagine that the crowds thin shortly after sunset? I can’t find any reliable information on this though.

Thanks!!

Open to any feedback to improve! I tried to not fill every second but wanted to get us into different areas that I thought we might enjoy.

Anything you think I’m missing that we should try to do are have I already scheduled enough? Anything you think I should remove?

We’re going for our honeymoon. Visiting from NYC. Newly married gay couple in our 30s/early 40s. Love culture, shopping, food, pretty places, and experiences. We don’t really love museums to be honest (when we travel, at least)

—

Tokyo (5 nights, Hotel Groove Shinjuku)

Day 1 (Wed Sep 23)
Arrive 4:15 PM and Shinjuku hotel check in

Omoide Yokocho or easy dinner somewhere

Day 2, Harajuku/Aoyama/Shibuya (Thu Sep 24)
Meiji at dawn, then relax at Yoyogi

Micasadeco pancakes brunch

Wander/shopping (Cat Street, Ura-Harajuku)

7:20 PM Shibuya Sky (booked)

Dinner from the Isetan depachika (something easy)

Day 3, TeamLab + Jimbocho + Shimokita (Fri 25)
8:30 AM TeamLab Borderless

Jimbocho for curry lunch and wandering

7 PM Sushi Fukumoto omakase (booked)

Day 4, Koenji + Night out ni chome (Sat Sep 26)
Loose morning

2 PM kintsugi class in koenji (booked)

Koenji thrift shopping later in the afternoon

9:30 PM Zoetrope whisky bar, then Ni-chome night out (any suggestions??)

Day 5, Ginza + Asakusa (Sun Sep 27)
11 AM Higashiya tea (booked)

Foot and back Massage in Ginza

Head to Asakusa

5 PM Kaguwa oiran show asakusa — seats by 4:30

Hoppy Street dinner, Senso-ji at night

Day 6, Last Tokyo morning -> Disney (Mon Sep 28)
Pack; forward suitcases to Hakone

Maisen tonkatsu for lunch (Aoyama)

Design Festa nearby for fun art

Highway bus to Disney, check into Toy Story Hotel

DisneySea
Day 7, DisneySea (Tue Sep 29)

Any park suggestions? We are open to whatever.

Day 8, Disney -> Hakone (Wed Sep 30)
9:20 AM hotel breakfast (lotso garden)

Train to Hakone, lunch + wander in Hakone-Yumoto

3 PM check into Kinnotake Tonosawa

7:30 PM kaiseki dinner

Hakone (3 nights, Kinnotake Tonosawa)
Day 9, Hakone (Thu Oct 1)
Open Air Museum, Naraya Cafe for lunch

Open afternoon at the ryokan

Day 10, Hakone (Fri Oct 2)
Owakudani, Lake Ashi, Hakone Shrine

6:30 PM teppanyaki (booked)

Day 11, Hakone -> Kyoto (Sat Oct 3)

\~10:30 AM train to Kyoto

Rent bikes and bike the Kamogawa, no real plan

Gion at dusk, dinner wherever

Kyoto (5 nights, Gion)
Day 12, Kyoto (Sun Oct 4)
9 AM zazen meditation at temple (booked)

Philosopher’s Path

6:30 PM Unagi Toishi eel dinner (booked)

Day 13, Arashiyama (Mon Oct 5)
9 AM Hozugawa boat to Arashiyama

Monkey park, Hiranoya, nenbutsu-ji then walk down

Day 14, Nara (Tue Oct 6)
Nara all day/until ready to back

Pontocho dinner

Day 15, Kyoto (Wed Oct 7)
Fushimi Inari at dawn

Open day otherwise

7 PM Kyoboshi tempura — farewell dinner (booked)

Day 16, last day (Thu Oct 8)
early Kiyomizu temple

Afternoon train back to Tokyo

Leave Tokyo

Open to any feedback to improve! I tried to not fill every second but wanted to get us into different areas that I thought we might enjoy.

Anything you think I’m missing that we should try to do are have I already scheduled enough? Anything you think I should remove?

We’re going for our honeymoon. Visiting from NYC. Newly married gay couple in our 30s/early 40s. Love culture, shopping, food, pretty places, and experiences. We don’t really love museums to be honest (when we travel, at least)

—

Tokyo (5 nights, Hotel Groove Shinjuku)

Day 1, Arrival (Wed Sep 23)
4:15 PM arrive and train to Shinjuku hotel

Omoide Yokocho or easy dinner somewhere

Day 2, Harajuku/Aoyama/Shibuya (Thu Sep 24)
Meiji at dawn, then relax at Yoyogi

Micasadeco pancakes brunch

Wander/shopping (Cat Street, Ura-Harajuku)

7:20 PM Shibuya Sky (booked)

Dinner from the Isetan depachika (something easy)

Day 3, TeamLab + Jimbocho + Shimokita (Fri 25)
8:30 AM TeamLab Borderless

Jimbocho for curry lunch and wandering

7 PM Sushi Fukumoto omakase (booked)

Day 4, Koenji + Ni-chome (Sat Sep 26)
Loose morning

2 PM kintsugi class in koenji (booked)

Koenji thrift shopping later in the afternoon

9:30 PM Zoetrope whisky bar, then Ni-chome night out (any suggestions??)

Day 5, Ginza + Asakusa (Sun Sep 27)
11 AM Higashiya tea (booked)

Foot and back Massage in Ginza (booked)

Head to Asakusa

5 PM Kaguwa oiran show asakusa — seats by 4:30

Hoppy Street dinner, Senso-ji at night

Day 6, Last Tokyo morning → Disney (Mon Sep 28)
Pack; forward suitcases to Hakone

Maisen tonkatsu for lunch (Aoyama)

Design Festa nearby for art

Highway bus to Disney, check into Toy Story Hotel

DisneySea + transit
Day 7, DisneySea (Tue Sep 29)

**Any park suggestions? We are open to whatever.

Day 8, Disney → Hakone (Wed Sep 30)
9:20 AM hotel breakfast (booked)

Train to Hakone, lunch + wander in Hakone-Yumoto

3 PM check into Kinnotake Tonosawa

7:30 PM kaiseki dinner

Hakone (3 nights, Kinnotake Tonosawa)
Day 9, Hakone (Thu Oct 1)
Open Air Museum, Naraya Cafe for lunch

Long free afternoon at the ryokan

Day 10, Hakone (Fri Oct 2)
Owakudani, Lake Ashi, Hakone Shrine

6:30 PM teppanyaki (booked)

Day 11, Hakone → Kyoto (Sat Oct 3)

~10:30 AM train to Kyoto

Rent bikes and bike the Kamogawa, no real plan

Gion at dusk, dinner wherever

Kyoto (5 nights, Gion)
Day 12, Kyoto (Sun Oct 4)
9 AM zazen meditation at temple (booked)

Philosopher’s Path

6:30 PM Unagi Toishi eel dinner (booked)

Day 13, Arashiyama (Mon Oct 5)
9 AM Hozugawa boat to Arashiyama

Monkey park, Hiranoya, nenbutsu-ji then walk down

Day 14, Nara (Tue Oct 6)
Nara all day/until ready to back

Pontocho dinner

Day 15, Kyoto (Wed Oct 7)
Fushimi Inari at dawn

Open day otherwise

7 PM Kyoboshi tempura — farewell dinner (booked)

Day 16, Fly home (Thu Oct 8)
early Kiyomizu temple

Afternoon train back to Tokyo

Late PM flight home or Tokyo

Selling 2 gold admission tickets (enter first hour) for We Belong Here: Brooklyn 2026, 6/20
Great line-up!

Price: $70 each or $120 for both!

(99% sold out and currently selling for $150 each)

Address: Brooklyn Army Terminal, 80 58th St, Brooklyn, NY 11220, USA

Hey everyone, so my fiancé and I are honeymooning in Japan this September/October. Neither of us has been before. We've been planning it and I think we've landed somewhere good, but I'd really value a gut check from others! I based this on our interests and a hybrid from other itineraries I found.

Quick context on us for context: two men (new married!) in our 30s/early 40s living in NYC, around $10K budget total. We're both food people. We don't really love photo tourism or museum-style sightseeing, we'd rather walk a neighborhood and actually experienc thigns.

DisneySea was a requirement from my fiance, so thats not negotiable (haha).

Posting the full day-by-day below, and honest feedback is welcome!!

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Tokyo (5 nights, Hotel Groove Shinjuku)

Day 1, Arrival

• 4:15 PM land HND (16 hour flight from NYC)
• train to Shinjuku hotel
• ~8 PM yakitori at Omoide Yokocho and a drink in Golden Gai

Day 2, Harajuku/Aoyama/Shibuya

• 7:15 AM Meiji Shrine (hoping it's empty)
• 9 AM Aoyama coffee, 11 AM Ura-Harajuku wander
• 1 PM Maisen tonkatsu
• 2:30 PM hotel reset
• 4:45 PM Shibuya Sky
• Casual dinner near hotel

Day 3, TeamLab + Yanaka

• Open morning no plans
• 10 AM TeamLab Borderless
• 1 PM Azegami soba in Yanaka & wander around after
• 7:30 PM omakase dinner (haven't booked, getting recommendations from hotel concierge)

Day 4, Shimokita + Ginza + Kabuki

• 9 AM Flipper's Shimokitazawa
• 11 AM thrifting in Shimokitazawa
• ~2 PM Tenkuni Ginza Honten (tempura)
• 4:30 PM Kabuki-za (Act 1 only)
• 6:30 PM hotel break
• ~8 PM walk-in ramen (suggestions???)
• 9 PM Bar Zoetrope (whisky bar)

Day 5, Nakameguro + Ginza + Asakusa at night

• 9 AM Nakameguro canal walk
• 11 AM Daikanyama T-Site
• 1 PM kaiten sushi in Shibuya (unsure about this one)
• 2 to 4:30 PM hotel rest and reset
• 5 PM Higashiya Ginza (wagashi + tea ceremony)
• 7 PM Asakusa Hoppy Street, izakaya dinner
• 8:30 PM Senso-ji at night (we don't want the crazy tourist crowds)

Tokyo Disney (2 nights, Toy Story Hotel)

Day 6, Last Tokyo morning -> Disney

• 11 AM checkout, leave bags at hotel
• 11:30 AM Hama-rikyu Gardens + matcha at the floating teahouse
• 1:30 PM lunch Shiodome/Tsukiji
• 3 PM back to hotel, collect bags
• 4 PM bus to Tokyo Disney Resort
• Check in at Toy Story Hotel, and dinner

Day 7, DisneySea full day

• Not overplanning this. My fiance will lead Disney (not my forte)

Hakone (3 nights, ryokan w/ private onsen)

Day 8, Disney -> Hakone

• 10 AM depart Toy Story Hotel
• Shinkansen + Tozan line, arrive Hakone-Yumoto ~11:30 AM
• 12 PM drop bags at ryokan (real check-in 3 PM)
• 12:30 PM lunch in town, maybe just konbini
• 1:30 to 3 PM wander Yumoto, free foot bath
• 3 PM check-in, first onsen
• 7:30 PM kaiseki dinner

Day 9, Hakone loop

• 7 AM morning onsen, 8 AM kaiseki breakfast
• 10 AM Hakone Open Air Museum
• 12 PM Owakudani ropeway + lunch + black eggs
• 2:30 PM Lake Ashi pirate ship
• 4 PM bus back, get to ryokan ~5:30 PM
• Onsen + kaiseki dinner

Day 10, rest day at the ryokan

• Onsen/relax day, maybe massages or something
• Final kaiseki here

Kyoto (3 nights, machiya in Higashiyama)

Day 11, Hakone -> Kyoto

• Morning Shinkansen with Mt. Fuji view, Tai Meshi ekiben for lunch
• 1 to 4 PM afternoon free in Higashiyama (Ninenzaka/Sannenzaka)
• 4 PM check-in at machiya (Yamato bags arrive 4-6 PM)
• 6:15 PM brief Kamo River walk at dusk
• 7:30 PM dinner at Gion Ichiho (tiny husband-wife counter sushi, mamezushi/temarizushi)

Day 12, Kyoto

• 9 AM Zen meditation with a monk at a temple near Kodaiji (Airbnb experience, in English, includes matcha + Q&A)
• 11 AM Philosopher's Path + Ginkaku-ji
• 1 PM Omen Ginkaku-ji Branch (udon) + Kanoshojuan teahouse for matcha and wagashi
• 2:30 PM Fushimi Inari full hike to summit (we like hiking!)
• 7 PM Wagyu Ryotei Bungo Gion for dinner

Day 13, Arashiyama + central Kyoto

• Sleep in, no morning plans rn
• 10:30 AM Gioji moss garden
• 12 PM Arashiyama Itsukichaya riverside kaiseki lunch
• 1:30 PM Sagano Scenic Railway
• 3 PM Tenryu-ji and bamboo grove at sunset (Should we just skip??)
• 6 PM Arashiyu footbath
• 7 PM back to central Kyoto for Nishiki Market + Pontocho dinner

Nara + Osaka (1 night, Kamon Hotel)

Day 14, Kyoto -> Nara -> Osaka

• 10:45 AM JR rapid to Nara
• 11:30 AM to 1 PM Todai-ji, deer park
• 1 PM Hiraso kakinoha sushi lunch
• 2 PM Kintetsu to Osaka Namba
• 3 PM walk through Kuromon Market
• 4 PM Kamon Hotel rest
• 7 PM Dotonbori crawl: Aizuya Sennichimae takoyaki, Daruma kushikatsu in Shinsekai, Glico sign

Day 15, Departure day

• Quick breakfast in Osaka
• Train back to Tokyo
• Fly home at 5PM

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Some specific things I'd love feedback on

1. Is Osaka under-served at 1 night, or fine given how full the rest of the trip is? I actually could extend the trip a day without meaningful cost (flight change is free, Osaka hotel is cheap).
2. Anything obvious we're going to regret skipping?
3. Anything we should probably skip?