Annie & Adrian’s
JAPAN

Non-stop, Airbus A330, Economy Classic Plus · Duration: 9h55

International arrivals

Pick up a Suica/Welcome Suica IC card here before you leave the airport — saves fumbling with ticket machines later · Getting there: Follow arrivals signage · Duration: ~45–60 min

Adrian's comment: Klook has transfers for ~$88. This is the same price we paid last time. · Getting there: Airport transfer to be purchased. See TODO List. · Duration: 45–70 min

Website to Ebisuholic Hotel

Casual, stays open late — good for a jet-lagged first night. No sightseeing planned today by design · Getting there: ~5 min walk from hotel

Yurikamome is elevated and driverless — good views over Rainbow Bridge · Getting there: JR Yamanote Line Ebisu→Shimbashi (10 min), transfer to Yurikamome Line to Telecom Center Station (20 min) · Duration: ~35–40 min

Opens 10am, last entry 4:30pm. Book timed entry online in advance — Geo-Cosmos globe, robotics demos, JAXA space exhibits · Getting there: 4 min walk from Telecom Center Station · Duration: ~2.5–3 hrs

Getting there: ~10 min walk, or one Yurikamome stop, from Miraikan · Duration: ~1 hr

Swapped out teamLab Planets (Toyosu) for a Shibuya-based modern-Tokyo afternoon instead · Getting there: Yurikamome Line to Shimbashi (~25 min), transfer to JR Yamanote Line to Shibuya (~15 min) · Duration: ~40 min

Book timed entry online in advance. Open-air rooftop deck, good late-afternoon light over the city — a different kind of "modern Tokyo" than Odaiba's tech-park feel · Getting there: ~2 min walk from Shibuya Station · Duration: ~1–1.5 hrs

The famous crossing — worth seeing on foot once, even briefly · Getting there: Street level, right outside Shibuya Sky · Duration: ~15–20 min

Just to relax. · Getting there: ~5 min walk from the crossing · Duration: ~45 min

Daiso's upmarket lifestyle-goods store — quick browse for homeware/design pieces · Getting there: ~5 min walk from Shibuya PARCO · Duration: ~30 min

Good night for a mid-range izakaya dinner given the full afternoon · Getting there: Shibuya→Ebisu is one JR Yamanote stop (~5 min) if you'd rather eat near the hotel

Getting there: JR Yamanote Line, direct · Duration: ~25 min

Japan's largest museum, strong on traditional art and artefacts · Getting there: ~10 min walk from Ueno Station · Duration: 2–3 hrs

Casual market-street food options · Getting there: ~5–10 min walk from museum · Duration: ~1 hr

Weather-dependent, easy to skip if short on time · Duration: Flexible

Free entry, optional tasting · Getting there: JR Yamanote Line Ueno→Ebisu, ~30 min · Duration: ~1 hr

Nakameguro has a livelier bar scene if you want a modern/nightlife contrast tonight · Getting there: Nakameguro is one stop / ~15 min from Ebisu

Getting there: JR Yamanote Line, direct · Duration: ~20 min

Note from Adrian: This needs to be booked.. Online: seats open for booking one month before the travel date via Odakyu's EMot Online Tickets site — you could do this from home before you fly, or from your phone once you're in Japan. In person: Odakyu Sightseeing Service Centers at Shinjuku (English support at both West and South exits) can book it for you on arrival, or via ticket machines on the platform · Getting there: Reserved-seat limited express — book seats ahead, especially in peak season · Duration: ~85–90 min

Confirm the ryokan's shuttle pickup times in advance · Getting there: Hakone Tozan Line/bus to Gora, then ryokan shuttle or taxi · Duration: ~30–40 min

Pirate-ship-style boats run regularly — aim for a clear-weather slot for Mt Fuji views · Getting there: Hakone Tozan Bus from Gora area, ~30–40 min · Duration: ~1 hr cruise + travel

Kaiseki-style, typical for this class of ryokan

Use the outdoor rotenburo if the ryokan has one, not just the indoor bath

Sculpture park with a strong Picasso collection · Getting there: Hakone Tozan train, or short bus/taxi from ryokan · Duration: 2–2.5 hrs

Active volcanic crater, sulphur vents, kuro-tamago black eggs · Getting there: Ropeway from Sounzan Station, short walk/bus from Gora · Duration: ~15 min ropeway + time on site

Getting there: Ropeway + Tozan train/bus back · Duration: ~40 min

Second dedicated onsen night

Suggested — not booked yet. · Getting there: Hakone Tozan Line/bus + train · Duration: ~40 min

Suggested — not booked yet. · Getting there: Tokaido Shinkansen (Hikari) — reserve seats ahead in peak season · Duration: ~2h50

Suggested — not booked yet.

Suggested — not booked yet. · Glico running-man sign, canal-side energy, easy first taste of the city · Getting there: Subway/walk from most central Osaka hotels · Duration: 2–3 hrs

Suggested — not booked yet. · Takoyaki, okonomiyaki, kushikatsu — Osaka's street-food culture is the main event here · Getting there: On foot

Suggested — not booked yet. · Getting there: Subway (Tanimachi or Chuo Line) to Tanimachi 4-chome or Osakajokoen Station · Duration: 2–2.5 hrs

Suggested — not booked yet.

Suggested — not booked yet. · Retro, slightly kitsch old-Osaka district — good contrast to the castle's grandeur · Getting there: Subway to Ebisucho or Dobutsuenmae Station · Duration: 1.5–2 hrs

Suggested — not booked yet. · Aim to arrive for sunset · Getting there: Subway/train to Osaka/Umeda Station, then short walk · Duration: ~1 hr

Suggested — not booked yet.

Suggested — not booked yet. · Getting there: Tokaido Shinkansen, direct · Duration: ~2h30

Suggested — not booked yet.

Confirm exact route once the hotel is booked · Getting there: JR Sobu Line or Toei Oedo Line from a Shibuya/Shinjuku-area hotel, ~30–40 min depending on line/transfers · Duration: ~30–40 min

Annie's suggestion — genuine training session (warm-ups, drills, practice bouts), not a tourist show. Not cheap, but reviewers say it's the real deal. Book online ahead. Note: Nakamura-beya runs on a later schedule than most stables, often starting around 3pm rather than early morning — double-check the exact start time when you book, this slot may need adjusting · Duration: ~90 min

Ryogoku Kokugikan (sumo stadium) and the Sumo Museum are right here if there's time and interest

Suggested — not booked yet. · Easy night after a travel day plus the sumo session

Suggested — not booked yet. · Anime/manga/electronics district, arcades, retro game shops · Getting there: JR Yamanote/Chuo-Sobu Line from Shibuya/Shinjuku, ~20–25 min · Duration: 2–3 hrs

Suggested — not booked yet.

Suggested — not booked yet. · Takeshita Street for pop-culture/fashion energy, Meiji Shrine's forest for a quieter contrast right next door · Getting there: JR Yamanote Line from Akihabara, ~25 min · Duration: 2–3 hrs

Suggested — not booked yet. · Getting there: Short train ride from Harajuku, ~5 min

Suggested — not booked yet. · A genuine Shibuya institution — 10,000+ records, no menu, no chatter, just the owner (Kobayashi-san) and the sound. Cash-focused, and can close unexpectedly, so treat it as a strong first stop rather than the only plan · Getting there: ~5 min walk from Shibuya Station · Duration: ~1–1.5 hrs

Suggested — not booked yet. · More of a bar-with-a-serious-sound-system than a hushed listening room — a good second stop with a livelier register than JBS. Puts you in Shinjuku if you'd rather finish the night at Golden Gai or Omoide Yokocho instead · Getting there: JR Yamanote/subway from Shibuya to Shinjuku, ~10–15 min

Suggested — not booked yet. · Klook tour (https://shorturl.at/JLJZZ): group day tour, guide-led, ~AUD 60/person for the standard option, more for hotel pick-up/small-group. 4.8/5 over 1.3K reviews. Book ahead — it's a fixed-departure tour, not walk-up · Getting there: Book the "Hotel Pick-up (Small Group)" package option on Klook so the coach collects you directly rather than at a fixed meeting point · Duration: 8.5–9.5 hrs total

Suggested — not booked yet. · The bronze Amitabha Buddha, Kamakura's signature sight · Getting there: By tour coach, as part of the group itinerary · Duration: Included in tour

Suggested — not booked yet. · Scenic retro railway; the station crossing is a well-known anime photo spot (Slam Dunk) · Getting there: Included in tour (train ticket covered) · Duration: Included in tour

Suggested — not booked yet. · Tour itinerary allows for a lunch break — not included in the tour price · Getting there: Free time built into the tour schedule

Suggested — not booked yet. · Coastal walk, shrine, sea views — this is the one thing our self-planned version didn't have · Getting there: Included in tour · Duration: Included in tour

Suggested — not booked yet. · Major Shinto shrine, syncretic Shinto/Buddhist history · Getting there: Included in tour · Duration: Included in tour

Suggested — not booked yet. · Confirm exact return time once booked — group tours can run late depending on traffic · Getting there: Coach transfer, included in tour

Suggested — not booked yet. · A Tokyo listening bar to replace the one dropped from Osaka · Getting there: Short walk if staying near Ebisu, otherwise a train ride from Shinjuku/Shibuya

Suggested — not booked yet. · Tokyo's oldest temple and its classic approach street of stalls — a bit of traditional Tokyo that's otherwise missing now that Kyoto's out of the trip · Getting there: Ginza Line or Asakusa Line from most central Tokyo hotels, ~20–25 min · Duration: 2 hrs

Suggested — not booked yet. · Getting there: On foot

Suggested — not booked yet. · Book timed entry online ahead. Good old-meets-new pairing with Senso-ji right next door · Getting there: ~10 min walk from Asakusa, or one stop on the Tobu Skytree Line · Duration: 1.5–2 hrs

Suggested — not booked yet. · Good spot for anything else missed earlier, or just to rest before the early flight

Suggested — not booked yet. · Keep it light and early — 6:55am flight the next morning

Getting there: Taxi recommended — first trains likely won't be running yet this early · Duration: 60–90 min depending on hotel location

International check-in closes 60 min before departure

Non-stop, Airbus A330, Economy Sale · Duration: ~10h05