Anje,

Many people say late march when the cherry blossom season is happening is the best time to visit. April and May are also great months because it’s not too hot yet.

We’re a family of 4, with a 6 year old and a 2 year old kids.
We are hoping to visit Disney Tokyo as well.
What is the best time to visit Tokyo?

Thank you!

Anje

John,

It sort of depends. Tokyo is pretty massive, you could spend a week there and not see everything. That said, I would probably dedicate 3-4 days in Kyoto (with a day trip to Nara or Osaka). If you prefer to just stay in Tokyo, you can take a day trips to Yokohama, Nikko, and Kamakura.

Lulu,

I think 4 days is fine since the odds are you’ll likely make a day trip to Osaka or Nara one of those days.

That said, you could catch a late train your day in Kyoto and sleep in Tokyo. This way you can hit the ground running.

I was wondering if staying in Kyoto for 4 nights would be too much or should we add another night in Tokyo. Do you have any suggestion as to where to visit in Japan?

Thanks and looking forward to hear from you.

Thank you for your insight. It helped me rework my trip and save 4-5 hours of train travel that I’ll spend sightseeing instead.

Keep posting this great content.

Ivor,

Since you’re coming from Narita and then going to Shizuoka the next day, you might be better off staying near TOkyo station the first night as the Shinkansen will drop you off there and you need to depart from there the following day.

I haven’t used the luggage shipping service before, but it’s quite common – http://www.global-yamato.com/en/hands-free-travel/scene02.html. There are indeed lockers in just about every station, but if you’re going for Rugy, others are likely thinking the same way as you. Lockers are first come, first serve.

I’m not sure where you’re coming from, but there’s a good chance when you land you’ll be super excited. For example, I live in Toronto which is a 12 hour time difference, but I still stayed up til about 10 pm local time due to excitement. I was up for like 32 hours before I fell asleep. Even from Tokyo station, it doesn’t take long to get to any of the other areas. Also note that Sensoji is open 24 hours (but not the stores leading up to it).

You basically want to minimize your time on the trains since you only have a short time in Japan.

Ivor,

Is there a reason you’re going to Kyoto right away if you need to be in Shizuoka the next day? That seems like you would be backtracking no? You might be better off spending your first day in Tokyo. The second day, ship your luggage to your hotel in Kyoto while you enjoy another half day in Tokyo before heading to Shizuoka for your match. Alternatively, you can bring your luggage with you to Shizuoka and put it in a locker there. Once your match finishes, go to Kyoto to spend the night (or get a hotel in Shizuoka) and head to Kyoto early in the morning). Spend 1-3 days there doing whatever before heading back to Tokyo.

Kyoto has MANY MANY more temples than Tokyo. Nara is an easy side trip if you’ve seen enough of Kyoto and can be done at any moment.

As for Tokyo, Shinjuku is the best to be near everything. Ginza is nice, but it’s really just high end shopping. Roppongi is also nice, but not on a JR line so I would prioritize Shinjuku or Ginza over those. If you just want a cheap place to stay, consider other locations on the JR Yamanote line.