Japan, Oct 3–17

Tokyo (4) → Hakone (2) → Osaka (2) → Kyoto (4) → Tokyo (2). Fifteen days, five travelers, one shared spine with room to peel off.

Troy Aaron Sarah K Sarah G — list pending Fairuz Will — Tokyo local resource

Status: Sarah G's list still to come — some branch items may upgrade to group blocks once it lands. Lodging (except Matsuzakaya + first Tokyo Airbnb) and train times still open.

Group block Independent / branch Locked anchor Travel day ⚠ needs verifying

Tokyo Oct 3–7 · 4 nights

Sat, Oct 3 — Day 1

Arrival

~4:00pm

Land Haneda (United PE), clear customs, set up Suica/Passmo, head to lodging.

lodging — booked ✓

SHIN House, Shinjuku (Airbnb)
Hot tub · 10 min to Golden Gai · Shinjuku station for the Romancecar to Hakone.

independentEvening

Everyone's jet-lagged — easy neighborhood dinner near lodging, early night.

If energy allows: first walk through Shibuya; Troy Common or SG Club for one drink.

Note: Tokyo City Flea Market runs weekends — tomorrow (Sun) is the better flea day if jet lag wins tonight.

Sun, Oct 4 — Day 2 · Aaron's Birthday

Flea market, then birthday dinner

groupLate morningTroy

Tokyo City Flea Market — low-commitment, jet-lag-friendly. Oi Racecourse or a central Sunday market. ⚠ verify it's running, weather-dependent

independentAfternoon

Open window before the evening.

Aaron+Fairuz Kudochi Onsen private sauna, birthday reset ⚠ advance booking only
Sarah K Yayoi Kusama Museum, timed entry ⚠ books out — reserve ahead
Others: rest or Shibuya shopping

groupLate afternoon

Nakano Broadway — Taco Che, record shops, arcade nostalgia. All one neighborhood, no train needed for the rest of the night.

groupPre-dinner

Cocktails at BAR23, Nakano.

locked7:30pm

Birthday dinner — Maguro Mart, Nakano. Tuna omakase; scrape-your-own backbone. ⚠ cash only · books 1 month ahead — reserve now

groupAfter dinner

Bar crawl, all within the neighborhood: JUKE 80's (music request bar) → JET BAR / SNA BAR → VICTORIA nightcap.

Mon, Oct 5 — Day 3

Tsukiji + Asakusa day

group~8:00am

Tsukiji Market breakfast — tamagoyaki skewers → counter sushi → knife stalls. Eat standing at stalls; cash helps. ⚠ verify Mon open

groupMidday

Asakusa + Senso-ji + Kappabashi — temple, old-town streets, kitchenware street (knives, ceramics, fake food). ⚠ ~30% of Kappabashi closed Sundays — Monday is good

Aaron craft shops: Dengama ceramics, Kama-Asa knives, Sato Sample fake food. Sarah K mingei-adjacent. Yanaka is one neighborhood north for a late wander.

groupEveningTroy

Sumo Wrestler Dinner, Asakusa — chankonabe. ⚠ reserve ahead

Branch: Yanaka at sunset, Yuyake Dandan stairs before dinner — quiet old-Tokyo wander.

Tue, Oct 6 — Day 4

Cats + Kusama

groupMorning

Gotokuji Cat Temple + Setagaya tram — Shibuya → Sangenjaya → tram → temple (lucky-cat origin shrine).

groupAfternoon

Yayoi Kusama Museum — polka dots + infinity rooms. ⚠ timed entry — book well ahead, sells out

groupEvening

Golden Gai — the one everyone's been wanting to see. Labyrinthine alley bars, each with its own personality.

branch (2–4 people)EveningAaron

Bar Gen Yamamoto — cocktail omakase, 8 seats, realistically not all five. ⚠ phone-only, opens exactly 7 days out — Will to call ~Oct 6. Closed Sun/Mon, Tue works.

Parallel for everyone else: Golden Gai, SG Club or "Common" (Troy picks), or Ni-chōme.

Wed, Oct 7 — Day 5 · Travel

Tokyo → Hakone

Morning

Last Tokyo window / pack. ⚠ Kappabashi or any missed item can happen here if the train's not too early

travelMidday

Odakyu Romancecar, ~90 min. ⚠ train time TBD

🎒 Backpacks only — main suitcases are being forwarded directly to Osaka. Hakone is light.

lodging — booked ✓

Lake Side Inn MIRAHAKONE, Moto-Hakone — lakefront, right by the shrine.

groupAfternoon

Hakone Open-Air Museum — sculpture park + foot bath. ⚠ open 9:00–17:00, last entry 16:30

Hakone Oct 7–9 · 2 nights

Thu, Oct 8 — Day 6 · Locked: Matsuzakaya ryokan night

Ryokan day

groupSunrise

Hakone Shrine + Lake Ashi torii gate — best at sunrise for Fuji visibility and no crowds. Free. Lakefront lodging puts us right there.

groupMorning

Cable car up to Owakudani — sulfur valley, black eggs, Fuji views from the top.

Sarah K Okada Museum of Art + Hakone Museum of Art (moss garden) near Gora as an alternative branch.

locked — all booked ✓3:00pm SHARP

Check into Matsuzakaya Honten — everyone. Private open-air bath rooms, kaiseki dinner + breakfast built in. Book the private onsen session at front desk on arrival. Tattoo-friendly confirmed.

Fairuz's Mt Fuji day trip option also lives here if splitting off from the group.

Fri, Oct 9 — Day 7 · Travel

Hakone → Osaka

Morning

Ryokan breakfast / slow start. Ryokan car service to the station.

travelMidday

Backtrack to Odawara, Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka, ~3 hrs total. ⚠ exact routing/time TBD

groupEvening

Arrive Osaka, settle in.

Easy first night: Dotonbori lights + street food / takoyaki (Troy), if energy allows — or rest.

lodging — booked ✓

Candeo Hotels Osaka Namba — rooftop onsen · 8 min from Dotonbori.

Osaka Oct 9–11 · 2 nights

Sat, Oct 10 — Day 8 · Fairuz's Birthday

Fairuz's day — held loose on purpose

independentDaytime

Free morning — Fairuz's birthday, so the day takes her shape.

Troy Osaka Aquarium (Kaiyukan), vintage shopping
Sarah K Nakanoshima Museum of Art / National Museum of Art / Osaka Folk Crafts Museum
Doyama (gay district, Umeda) for nightlife later

groupAfternoon

Osaka Castle — history anchor for the city. ⚠ check if timed tickets required

groupEvening

Dotonbori + Hozenji Yokocho — lantern-lit alley, moss shrine, Dotonbori chaos. Best after dark.

placeholderEvening

Fairuz's Birthday Dinner — anchor once Fairuz weighs in.

Kushikatsu Bon (Aaron) ⚠ reserve 2–4 wks
Kitan Hibiki wagyu (Aaron) ⚠ reserve
551 Horai / takoyaki (Troy) — looser vibe

Sun, Oct 11 — Day 9 · Travel

Osaka → Kyoto

Morning

Last Osaka window. ⚠ anything missed — a market, 551 Horai for the road

travelMidday

Shinkansen ~15 min or local ~45 min. Short hop. ⚠ time TBD

Detour option: Nara sits between Osaka and Kyoto — Troy's Nara day could slot here for whoever wants it, while others go straight to Kyoto. ⚠ luggage logistics to confirm

groupAfternoon

Arrive Kyoto, settle into lodging.

lodging — booked ✓

Kyomachiya "Yasuno Kado" — 100-year-old traditional townhouse, near Nijo Castle.

Kyoto Oct 11–15 · 4 nights

Mon, Oct 12 — Day 10

Arashiyama convergence day

groupEarly morning

Hozugawa River Boat Ride — Kameoka → Arashiyama, ~2 hrs. Boat in first, then explore. ⚠ reserve ahead — sells out in autumn

groupLate morning

Bamboo Grove + Sagano temple walk — taxi up to Otagi Nenbutsuji (mossy statues), walk downhill to Adashino (quiet hidden bamboo). ~2.5 hrs, mostly downhill. ⚠ Otagi closed Wed & Sat — Mon is fine, verify

group-optionalAfternoon

Foot bath cafe, Cafe Hassui riverside tea, otter cafe (central Kyoto).

Sarah K Kawai Kanjirō's House on the way back toward central Kyoto.

Tue, Oct 13 — Day 11

Temples + central Kyoto

groupEarly morning

Fushimi Inari — thousands of red torii gates. Best at dawn. Free.

Parallel branch: Aaron Ryoanji rock garden (8:00 opening) runs at the same time for garden lovers.

independentAfternoon

Central Kyoto open window.

Sarah K Kahitsukan contemporary art or Kyoto Museum of Crafts & Design
Troy snack/eating tour through central Kyoto + Nishiki Market (Loutre otter cafe nearby)
Aaron ramen at Toritani or a Kiyamachi wander

group-optionalEvening

Gion duck noodles, or Troy's woniwa (view + food).

Late branch: Hachimonjiya photographer bar on Kiyamachi (Aaron) + Taiho Ramen, same strip.

Wed, Oct 14 — Day 12

Flex / day-trip day

independentAll day

The big flex day. ⚠ Otagi Nenbutsuji CLOSED today (Wed)

Troy Nara day trip if it didn't happen on the 11th, or full-day Kyoto snack tour
Sarah K remaining museums
Aaron leftover Kyoto picks
Nijo Castle — right near our Kyomachiya, easy walk
Or: a genuine rest day before the move back to Tokyo

groupEvening

Loose group dinner — regroup, share the day, easy meal.

Thu, Oct 15 — Day 13 · Travel

Kyoto → Tokyo

Morning

Last Kyoto window / pack.

travelMidday

Shinkansen ~2 hr 15 min. ⚠ time TBD

groupAfternoon

Arrive Tokyo, check into final lodging — near Haneda for the early flight. Leaning Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu. ⚠ still to book

Evening branch: anything Tokyo missed first leg — Daikanyama, a final Golden Gai run, Kichijoji.

Tokyo (return) Oct 15–17 · 2 nights

Fri, Oct 16 — Day 14

Last full day

group-looseDaytime

Souvenir + final-want cleanup day. Deliberately unstructured after a long trip.

Tsukiji Outer Market a.m. (Aaron)
Ghibli Clock at Shiodome if near Ginza
Last shopping, Art Aquarium Ginza, anything that fell through the cracks

groupEvening

Farewell group dinner — last night together. ⚠ pick once neighborhood is known

Sat, Oct 17 — Day 15 · Departure

Haneda → home

lockedEarly

To Haneda. Flight 10:20am → be at airport by ~8:00am. ANA NH102.

Still to layer in

Sarah G's list — still to come. May upgrade some branch items to group blocks.
Lodging — booked ✓: SHIN House Shinjuku (Oct 3–7) · Lake Side Inn MIRAHAKONE (Oct 7) · Matsuzakaya Honten (Oct 8, all) · Candeo Hotels Osaka Namba (Oct 9–11) · Kyomachiya Yasuno Kado (Oct 11–15)
Lodging — still to book: Final Tokyo (Oct 15–17) — leaning Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu.
Luggage forwarding — main bags Tokyo → Osaka direct; confirm the service and drop-off/pickup logistics.
Train departures — every inter-city hop (Romancecar + all Shinkansen) needs reserved seats and real times.
Reservation cascade (act now): Maguro Mart Oct 4 (1 month ahead, cash only) · Yayoi Kusama Museum (timed entry, sells out) · Kudochi private onsen (Aaron + Fairuz) · Sumo dinner Oct 5 · Kushikatsu Bon / Kitan Hibiki Osaka (2–4 wks out) · Hozugawa River Boat (sells out in autumn) · Bar Gen Yamamoto (Will calls exactly 7 days out).
Nara placement — Oct 11 transit-day detour vs. Oct 14 flex day. Still deciding.
All ⚠ hours/closures above need human verification before booking.

15 days, 5 travelers

Japan, Oct 3–17

Still to layer in