Day-by-Day Itinerary
Kaleb & Lacey's own separate Japan plans, Dec 17–28, 2026 — a standalone reference, kept apart from the family itinerary. Sourced from their trip PDF.
- 🔗 Dec 18 — Both at Tokyo DisneySea
- 🔗 Dec 21 — Both doing the identical Hakone loop: Open Air Museum → ropeway → Hakone Shrine → Lake Ashi cruise
- 🔗 Dec 25 — Both at Senso-ji Temple & Nakamise in Asakusa
Wed
- Puroland
- Golden Gai
Thu
Fri
- PokéPark Kanto
- Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
Sat
- Fujikyu Railway to Kawaguchiko Station
- Chureito Pagoda
- Fuji-Q Highland
- Panoramic Ropeway
Sun
- Hakone Open Air Museum
- Hakone Ropeway
- Hakone Shrine
- Lake Ashi cruise
Mon
- Hakone Venetian Glass Museum
- Yoyogi Park
Tue
- Ghibli Museum (Mitaka, Tokyo)
- Ghibli Park (Nagakute, Aichi — near Nagoya)
Wed
- Osaka Castle
- Universal Studios Japan
- Nara Park
- Sumiyoshi Taisha
- Katsuo-ji Temple
Thu
- Senso-ji Temple
- Nakamise Shopping Street
- Akihabara
Fri
- Fushimi Inari Shrine
- Otagi Nenbutsu-ji
- Hokan-ji Temple (Yasaka Pagoda)
- Nishiki Market
Sat
- Gotokuji Temple (cat train)
- Sylvanian Families Solamachi
Sun
🎡 Tokyo — Arrival & Early Days
🎀 Sanrio Puroland
Indoor Sanrio theme park in Tama, west Tokyo — Hello Kitty and friends, parades, and shows, mostly indoors so it works regardless of weather.
🍶 Golden Gai
A tiny warren of alleys in Shinjuku packed with 200+ closet-sized bars, each with its own theme and regulars. Some bars welcome visitors, others don't — worth a little research or asking before sitting down, and some charge a seating cover fee.
🎢 Tokyo DisneySea 🔗 Overlap
The family is at DisneySea the same day — full transit directions, ticket timing, and Fantasy Springs notes are on the main trip page rather than duplicated here.
🔴 PokéPark Kanto
Pokémon-themed area inside Yomiuriland amusement park, on the Tokyo/Kanagawa border. Booking is famously competitive — set an alarm for 8pm exactly two months ahead.
🌳 Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
A large landscaped park blending Japanese, French formal, and English landscape garden styles — a peaceful contrast to Shinjuku's neon just outside the gates.
🗻 Lake Kawaguchi
Dec 20 — a full day out at the Fuji Five Lakes, roughly 2 hours from central Tokyo via the Fujikyu Railway.
🚃 Fujikyu Railway
The rail line connecting Otsuki to Kawaguchiko Station — the gateway to the Fuji Five Lakes region.
🏯 Chureito Pagoda
The classic postcard shot — a five-story pagoda framed against Mt. Fuji. Reaching the viewpoint means a short but steep climb of stairs up the hillside.
🎢 Fuji-Q Highland
Amusement park at the base of Mt. Fuji, famous for record-breaking coasters including Eejanaika and Takabisha.
🚡 Kawaguchiko Panoramic Ropeway
Cable car up Mt. Tenjo for panoramic views over Mt. Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi.
🏔️ Hakone
Dec 21–22. 🔗 The family is doing the same Open Air Museum → ropeway → shrine → cruise loop on Dec 21 — see the family's Hakone page for the recommended routes from Tokyo and the ropeway closure warning.
🖼️ Hakone Open Air Museum 🔗 Overlap
Sculpture park with a Mt. Fuji backdrop — the family visits the same day.
🚡 Hakone Ropeway 🔗 Overlap
Cable car over the volcanic Owakudani valley between Sounzan and Togendai.
⛩️ Hakone Shrine 🔗 Overlap
Beautiful lakeside shrine on Lake Ashi, famous for its red torii gate standing in the water.
⛴️ Lake Ashi Cruise 🔗 Overlap
Pirate-ship-style sightseeing cruise across Lake Ashi.
🔷 Hakone Venetian Glass Museum
Italian-glass museum and garden — the family is also still in Hakone this morning (private onsen) before heading back to Tokyo.
🌳 Yoyogi Park
One of Tokyo's largest parks, right next to Meiji Shrine — likely the stop after heading back from Hakone.
🎨 Ghibli Museum & Park
🏛️ Ghibli Museum
Whimsical museum designed by Hayao Miyazaki — tickets sell out almost immediately when they're released.
🌲 Ghibli Park
A larger, more spread-out theme-park-style attraction inside a public park near Nagoya — a genuinely separate trip from the Tokyo museum.
🏯 Osaka Day Trip
🏯 Osaka Castle
Osaka's central landmark — castle keep, museum, and park grounds.
🎢 Universal Studios Japan
Major theme park in Osaka — Super Nintendo World, Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and more.
🦌 Nara Park
Famous for hundreds of freely roaming, bowing deer; adjacent to Todai-ji temple.
⛩️ Sumiyoshi Taisha
One of Japan's oldest Shinto shrines, known for its distinctive Sumiyoshi-zukuri architecture and arched bridge.
🙏 Katsuo-ji Temple
Famous for thousands of daruma dolls left by visitors, symbolizing perseverance and good luck.
⛩️ Senso-ji & Akihabara
Dec 25 — Christmas Day for the family too.
⛩️ Senso-ji Temple 🔗 Overlap
Tokyo's oldest and most famous temple, in Asakusa — the family is here the same day.
🎏 Nakamise Shopping Street 🔗 Overlap
The traditional shopping street leading up to Senso-ji, lined with snack and souvenir stalls.
🎮 Akihabara 🔗 Same place, diff. day
Tokyo's electronics and anime district. The family visits Akihabara too, 5 days earlier on Dec 20.
⛩️ Kyoto
Dec 26.
⛩️ Fushimi Inari Taisha
Kyoto's iconic shrine, famous for thousands of vermilion torii gates winding up the mountainside.
🗿 Otagi Nenbutsu-ji
Quiet temple in northwest Kyoto with around 1,200 individually carved stone rakan statues, each with a different expression.
🏯 Hokan-ji Temple (Yasaka Pagoda)
Iconic five-story pagoda in the Higashiyama district — one of Kyoto's most photographed landmarks.
🍱 Nishiki Market
Kyoto's famous covered market street, nicknamed "Kyoto's Kitchen" — food stalls, produce, and local specialties.
🐱 Gotokuji & Sylvanian Families
Dec 27 — the family's loose/shopping day too, though different specific plans.
🐱 Gotokuji Temple
The birthplace of the maneki-neko "lucky cat," with thousands of white beckoning-cat figurines on display. The Setagaya Line's decorated "cat train" runs to the nearest station.
🐰 Sylvanian Families Solamachi
A dedicated Sylvanian Families (Calico Critters) shop inside Tokyo Solamachi, the shopping complex at the base of Tokyo Skytree.
Sourced from Kaleb & Lacey's trip PDF · Prepared Jul 2026 with Claude · Official links and Google Maps links added for every stop