When I say get serious, I mean it is time to break out my secret weapon. Yes, it's spreadsheet time. I start out with a general rough draft page. This is where I list what days will be spent where and try to get a handle on the general trip. Japan is a trip we will likely only make once, so I want to be sure we don't miss something really awesome by one day if at all possible. I make a guesstimation of how long a trip we will want, then I list any items that are only available on certain days so we can start to decide what day to leave on. For example, in Tokyo the best day to see Harajuku is reportedly Sunday because that's the day it is most likely to be filled with teens in their hottest styles and costumes.
Once I get all the items listed that are specific to a certain day, I can begin to fill in with other information. That's when I create a tab for each day of the visit. I try to fill each tab except the last with a little more than we can ever hope to see in that one day. People make fun of me for over-planning, but I have found it works well for those little unforeseen incidents. Suppose I get to the first location, only to discover it closed due to something unplanned, like burst pipes? Or perhaps it will be open, but they have changed the opening an hour and a half later, or maybe there is some special exhibit grand opening, and the place is so packed you can't get in without waiting for hours. With big cities like Tokyo that have so much to see you could never see it in an average vacation anyway, by having an extensive list of things I would like to see in a general area, it becomes easy to move on to the next on the list. I leave the last day rather open so that we can pick up a missed sight we really wanted to see, or go explore that cool whatever we came across unexpectedly just before it closed so we didn't get to really experience it. If we by some strange miracle of tourism don't have anything like that for the last day, Tokyo has so many wonderful parks I'm sure we can find something enjoyable to do that day.
I've been working on my rough draft page for a day or so now, and I thought I would just put my ideas up here for anyone to comment on, laugh about, whatever floats your boat.
Friday - Arrive, train to Tokyo, find hotel, walk a bit, dinner near hotel, early bed
Saturday - Tokyo Tower, Imperial Palace East Gardans, Imperial Palace Tour if can reserve, Tokyo Station, Ueno street market and park on the way to Asakusa, Nakamise walkway, Sensoji Temple
;)
Tokyo Tower and Rainbow Bridge, courtesy of Japan Guide
;)
Sensoji Temple courtesy of UnrulyJulie of Sacred Destinations
Sunday - Harajuku, check out the teens, shop a little, giant 100 yen shop, see the park, visit Chocomilk Jinguumae Head Store, The Body Shop Omotesando, Kiddy Land, and generally gawk
;)
Image courtesy of Beautiful Women's Blog
Monday - Akihabra - See the lights, check out the Anime shops like Animate (careful pickpocket paradise) – aren't there gamer funsites here? Sumida River cruise, visit park, eat in area
Ok, I admit I just threw that river cruise in there, but I'm hoping I can entice the teen out of the anime shops before the end of time with promise of a little cruise. I don't even think it is in the same area and will entail a ride in the subways, but I'll iron the rest of that day out better when I get to the page-per-day planning.
;)
Thanks, wikipedia
Tuesday - Tsukiji Market early am limited, may just do inner and outer with sushi meal, Tsukishima and Sumiyoshi Shrine with it's cool bridge & Monjayaki dinner, try to find tsukudani snack
;)
Photo ganked from Wikipedia - KENPEI's photo creative commons license
Wednesday - Sanrio Puroland - Have been assured this won't take all day, probably return for dinner, perhaps move river cruise here
;)
Image courtesy Hyptyo blog, check it out for great Tokyo info!
Also courtesy of the Hyptyo blog, can't wait for dancing pink fuzzy hamburgers ;-P
Thursday - Edo Wonderland, hope to try all the cool stuff like stilt walking, return to Tokyo possibly for dinner, have been told this park possibly won't take all day, possibly spend the night at a local Onsen as I understand there are hot springs nearby
Of course, there is always Mother Farm if we have a lot of time to play with. Doesn't it look cool? I can hear my daughter now when we get to the milking experience. I bet you'd be able to hear her whining all the way from Japan, but it really does look like a kinda fun day to me. Maybe they even have dancing emu, ya think?
;)
Mother Farm
After that, things are still a little blurry. I'd like to visit Kyoto for all the cool stuff to do I found there, and perhaps Osaka, we want to go to Hiroshima, and I really want to stop by the Kiso Valley. It seems like a lot to achieve in just one more week, considering I have several days of plans for Kyoto alone - Kimono-style painting on t-shirts, drumming class, and dressing up like a Maiko anyone?
;)
Be sure to compliment Alfonso on his great photo!
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