10 days · November 2026

Sahil & Shekhar
in Japan

25 November – 4 December 2026 · Tokyo → Osaka · with Kyoto & Mt Fuji day trips

🗼 Tokyo · 5 nights 🏯 Osaka · 3 nights ⛩️ Kyoto day trip 🗻 Mt Fuji day trip ⚠️ Booked: outbound flight only
01

✈️ Flight (confirmed)

DateFlightRouteTimes
Wed 25 NovVietJet VJ1802Bengaluru T2 → Ho Chi Minh City23:35 → 06:00 +1
Thu 26 NovVietJet VJ820Ho Chi Minh City → Tokyo Haneda T317:20 → 01:00 +1 (Fri 27)
🧳 11h20m layover at SGN (stay airside) · both boarding passes + bags checked through to HND; verify at BLR. 7 kg cabin + 20 kg checked each, both legs, already paid, so don't buy extra. Outbound cost ₹72,308 total, ₹36,154 each.
02

🏠 Accommodation (nothing booked yet)

CityDatesAreaKey condition
Tokyo26 Nov – 1 Dec (5n)Shinjuku / Higashi-Shinjuku Host must confirm in writing arrival after 01:00 on 27 Nov. A "self check-in" label alone isn't enough. Entire apartment, 2 real beds.
Osaka1 – 4 Dec (3n)Namba / Nipponbashi / Daikokucho Entire apartment, 2 real beds.
03

🗓️ Day by Day

DayPlan
Wed 25Depart BLR (T2 by 20:30). Docs + power bank + meds in hand luggage.
Thu 26SGN transit day. Rest, stay airside, skip the city.
Fri 27Land Haneda 01:00 → taxi or 02:20 limousine bus to apartment. Sleep in; check-in by 15:00. Evening: Kabukicho lights, dinner, optional Golden Gai. Early night.
Sat 28Morning: Senso-ji, Asakusa + Nakamise street. 13:00–18:30: Akihabara for GiGO/Taito arcades, retro-game & manga shops.
Sun 29Harajuku → Shibuya crossing, shops, lunch; optional Nintendo TOKYO. Evening: legal insured JDM tour (Daikoku PA possible, not guaranteed. Never illegal street runs.). End by ~22:00.
Mon 30Kawaguchiko / Mt Fuji: bus from Shinjuku (¥2,200/way, ~1h45), lakeside views, lunch, one extra stop max. Weather rule: check 48–72h ahead; swap with Sun if needed; if hidden → Nakano Broadway. No summit climb.
Tue 1Checkout → Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka (Nozomi ~¥14,520; reserve with luggage seats) → Namba apartment. Evening: Dotonbori + Hozenji Yokocho.
Wed 2Kyoto day trip (~07:30 train): Kiyomizu-dera → Sannenzaka/Ninenzaka → Gion, dinner, back. Don't add Arashiyama/Kinkaku-ji/Nara.
Thu 3Den Den Town (anime/games) + Shinsaibashi / America-mura shopping. Night: main Namba/Shinsaibashi nightlife.
Fri 4Fly home from KIX (recommended, not booked). If via Tokyo instead: add a Tokyo night on 3 Dec. Never a same-day Osaka→Tokyo connection.
04

🗼 Places to Visit in Tokyo

Neon streets of Kabukicho after dark
Neon streets of Kabukicho after dark
The red gateway into the neon maze
The red lantern gate at the district entrance
Golden Gai's six alleys of tiny bars
Golden Gai's six alleys of tiny bars
The Godzilla head looming over the district
The Godzilla head on the Toho building
Fri eveningKabukicho & Golden GaiShinjuku nightlife · Fri eve
Kaminarimon's giant red lantern
Kaminarimon's giant red lantern
Nakamise's snack and souvenir stalls
Snack and souvenir stalls lining the approach
Incense and prayers at the main hall
Incense smoke drifting past the main hall
The five-storey pagoda at dusk
The five-storey pagoda at dusk
SatSenso-ji Temple + NakamiseAsakusa · Sat
Electric Town's shop-crammed streets
Block after block of game and electronics shops
Chuo-dori glowing after dark
Chuo-dori when the neon switches on
Neon light corridors
Side streets lit wall to wall
The crossing near the station at night
The crossing by the station, lit up
Sat afternoonAkihabaraGiGO, Taito, retro shops · Sat
The scramble from street level
The scramble from street level
The scramble seen from above
The scramble seen from above
Takeshita Street's teen-fashion chaos
Takeshita Street's crepe stands and teen fashion
Hachiko, the dog who waited
Hachiko, the dog who waited
SunHarajuku / Omotesando → Shibuya ScrambleShibuya · Sun
Shibuya PARCO's entrance
Shibuya PARCO's entrance
Inside Nintendo TOKYO's flagship
Inside Nintendo TOKYO's flagship floor
The mall's neon facade at dusk
The mall's neon facade at dusk
Sun · optionalNintendo TOKYOShibuya PARCO 6F · Sun
Daikoku PA, where the car meets happen
Daikoku PA, where the car meets happen
Spiral ramps over Tokyo Bay
Spiral ramps over Tokyo Bay
The bayshore junction by night
The bayshore junction by night
Sun eveningJDM Car NightTokyo Bay tour / Daikoku PA · Sun eve
Fuji mirrored in the calm lake
Fuji mirrored in the calm lake
Chureito Pagoda with Fuji beyond
Chureito Pagoda with Fuji beyond
Paddle boats out on the lake
Paddle boats out on the lake
The classic lakeside panorama
The postcard view from the north shore
Mon · day tripKawaguchiko & Mt Fuji viewsDay trip · Mon
The entrance under the green sign
The entrance under the green sign
Inside the collector's corridors
Corridors of used figures and vintage watches
BackupNakano BroadwayVintage/anime backup day
Yodobashi's megastore floors
Floor after floor of cameras and gadgets
Mega Don Quijote's packed aisles
Mega Don Quijote's packed aisles
Nearby Omoide Yokocho's smoky alleys
Omoide Yokocho's smoky yakitori alleys next door
Any eveningYodobashi Shinjuku & Mega Don QuijoteTax-free Seiko, gadgets, snacks
The 634-metre lattice tower
The 634-metre lattice tower
Looking straight up the steel frame
Looking straight up the steel frame
Tokyo's cityscape from the observation deck
The city from the deck, all the way to Fuji on clear days
Day trip from Asakusa sideTokyo Skytree634 m lattice tower & city views
05

🏯 Places to Visit in Osaka (+ Kyoto)

The canal and sign wall at night
The canal and sign wall at night
Neon reflecting on the water
Neon reflecting on the water
Ebisu Bridge's neon wall
Ebisu Bridge's neon wall
Glico and friends lighting the canal
The Glico running man in full glow
Tue eveningDotonboriGlico sign, street food · Tue eve
Lantern-lit alley after dark
Lantern-lit alley after dark
The moss-covered Fudo statue's alley
The moss-covered Fudo statue tucked in the alley
Tue eveningHozenji YokochoLantern-lit lanes, dinner · Tue eve
Kiyomizu-dera's pagoda in autumn maple
Kiyomizu-dera's pagoda in autumn maple
Sannenzaka's preserved sloped street
Sannenzaka's preserved sloped street
Gion's Hanamikoji geisha street
Gion's Hanamikoji geisha street
Wed · Kyoto day tripKiyomizu-dera → Higashiyama → GionKyoto · Wed
Den Den Town's anime storefronts
Den Den Town's anime storefronts
Electric street by day
The electronics street in daylight
Character stores stacked floor to ceiling
Character stores stacked floor to ceiling
ThuNipponbashi Den Den TownOsaka's Akihabara · Thu
A kilometre under the arcade roof
A kilometre under the arcade roof
Evening shoppers on the strip
Evening shoppers on the strip
America-mura's fashion crowds
America-mura, with its tiny Statue of Liberty
ThuShinsaibashi-suji & America-muraShopping · Thu
Namba's neon blocks after dark
Namba's neon blocks after dark
Izakaya glow in the Minami lanes
Izakaya glow in the Minami lanes
Thu eveningNamba NightlifeMain night out · Thu eve
The discount megastore on Midosuji
The discount megastore on Midosuji
Its neon home stretch at night
The canal outside, lit for the walk home
Tue / ThuDon Quijote DotonboriCheapest Seiko/souvenirs, tax-free
06

🎒 Practical Essentials

💳 Suica IC card (Apple Wallet)

  • Wallet → + → Transit Card → Suica → load ¥1,000–3,000. Indian iPhones work; if not listed, set phone Region to Japan temporarily.
  • Card to use: Axis Bank Mastercard is the reliable Indian card (Visa often declines · no UPI).
  • Load ¥5,000 to start; top up ¥3,000 whenever balance < ¥1,500. Week total ≈ ¥10–12k/person. Spend leftovers at the airport; there's no refund to India.
  • Fallback: physical Welcome Suica at Haneda T3 · skip the Welcome Suica Mobile app (not in Indian App Store).

📶 eSIM + 🗺️ Google Maps

  • Buy a Japan eSIM before flying: Ubigi, Airalo or Klook, 10 GB for about ₹1,000–1,800.
  • Install at home on Wi-Fi; activate when you land. Keep the Indian number on Wi-Fi calling for OTPs.
  • Google Maps shows train platforms, departure times, even which car to board near your exit. Use it for every move.
  • Download offline maps (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Kawaguchiko) + the Japanese offline pack in Google Translate.