12 day Japan itinerary: Kyoto, Gero, Tokyo

This 12-day Japan itinerary was a Multi-generational holiday. My parents joined us on their first international trip and left all the planning up to me. We wanted to show them an overview of Japan, with the old and the new. As we loved Kyoto so much, we were happy to return to show them some fabulous sights. We had two kids now, so we wanted to avoid over-planning. As we were a larger group, we decided against hiring a car, as we had done previously.

Our 12-day Japan itinerary included Kyoto and Tokyo, with one night in the middle. We chose Gero Onsen as an overnight stop to experience a different area than the typical cities and stay in a ryokan. As we were relying on public transport, we wanted somewhere that was easy to get to with minimal transfers.

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Our 12-day Japan itinerary :

Day 0: Narita Airport

Our flight Landed at Narita Airport in the evening and we took a shuttle bus to Narita Tobu Hotel.

Day 1: Narita Airport to Kyoto

In the morning we took the shuttle bus back to the airport and rode the Narita Express to Shinagawa. From there we got a Shinkansen to Kyoto. We walked around the city and visited Nishiki Market. We had two rooms at the Citadines which had a small kitchen and a sofa bed, unfortunately, it is now closed.

Day 2: Old Kyoto and a day trip to Nara

We left Kyoto in the morning for a day trip to Nara. While in Nara we viewed temples, walked through the city and of course visited Nara Park to see the deer. Back in Kyoto, we spent the afternoon strolling in the Higashiyama area.

Day 3: Sightseeing in Kyoto

We took a bus from near our hotel to Nijojo. At Nijo Castle, we viewed the beautifully detailed exterior and gardens and walked through the interior. After Nijojo we made our way to Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavillion. We rode a bus to Kyoto Station and then walked to The Kyoto Railway Museum. In the evening we walked along the Kamo River and back up through Kiyamachi Dori, a popular nightlife spot.

Read: Kyoto with kids

Day 4: Day trip to Himeji Castle and Osaka

In the morning we took a shinkansen from Kyoto to Himeji. We stopped in a Hello Kitty cafe before walking to Himeji Castle.
After the castle, we went to Osaka for the afternoon and visited Shitennoji Temple and the Dotonbori area.
We then returned to our hotel in Kyoto.

Day 5: Fushimi Inari and day trip to Uji

Having visited Fushimi Inari previously, we left my parents to view it on their own while we wandered around. From there we took a train to Uji and then walked to Byodo-In Temple.

Day 6: Kyoto to Gero Onsen

From our hotel, we walked to Higashi Honganji and went to the Yodabashi store to buy baby food and nappies. After collecting our luggage we took a train from Kyoto to Gero Onsen. In Gero, we checked in to our accommodation and then walked to Gero Onsen Gassho Mura, an open-air museum with traditional thatched-roof houses.

Day 7: Gero Onsen to Tokyo

We had a traditional breakfast in our ryokan, then spent time walking around Gero Onsen in the rain. After taking the shuttle to the station, we got a train from Gero to Tokyo. Once in Tokyo, we made our way to our Airbnb house.

Day 8: Sightseeing in Tokyo

This was a walking day where we saw Asakusa, Sensoji Temple and Tokyo Skytree. We spent time in Tokyo Station and saw the city from above at The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Read: Tokyo with a toddler

Day 9: Train store, Shimokitazawa and Akihabara

My Dad, husband and 4-year-old went to the Kato train store. My Mum, 9-month-old and I went to Shimokitazawa, where we walked around looking at the shops. We all met up and spent the afternoon in Akihabara.

Day 10: Ueno Park, Ryogoku and Shinjuku Gyoen

We strolled through Ueno Park and Fletcher had fun in the small amusement park. Ryogoku is known as Sumo town but unfortunately, when we visited, the museum was closed and we didn’t spot any Sumo during our walk around. Our son wanted to see a garden so we went to Shinjuku Gyoen. Unfortunately, it was close to closing time so we didn’t have long to view the gardens. What we did see was lovely though.

Day 11: Disneyland

On the worst weather day, we had tickets for Disneyland. We spent the day there and it rained the entire time, we all left soaked. The 4-year-old never complained and still had a great day.

Day 12: Shibuya, Harajuku and Meiji Shrine.

We walked around Shibuya and had drinks in Starbucks, overlooking the famous scramble crossing. We shopped in Harajuku and had a convenience store lunch in a park after walking through Meiji Shrine.