Hot Spots: A Quick Trip From Hawai’i to Japan

2:10pm - Arrival at HNL (20 mins taxi to resort)

4:00pm - Check-in at Alohilani Resort Waikiki (2490 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96815)

6:30pm - Dinner at Restaurant Suntory. Minimalist, subdued Japanese restaurant offering traditional cuisine, including sushi & teppanyaki. 10 mins walk from resort. On the high-end for pricing, but worth it.

8:00am - You’ll most likely wake up early with the time difference. For breakfast, there is a McDonald’s down the street from your hotel, or you can go to the Hula Grill Waikiki. Hawaiian breakfast favorites include banana macadamia nut pancakes and Hawaiian-style eggs Benedict. 6-minute walk from resort.

Activity - With only one full day in Hawai’i my suggestion is to stay near Waikiki for surfing lessons or snorkeling.

• Hanauma Bay Snorkel Rental Co for gear near Hanauma Bay, a popular nature preserve featuring a beach, green sea turtles, parrotfish & more.
  

• Kahu Surf School for a 1-hour private lesson ($110 on Waikiki)

Lunch - Rainbow Drive-in Kapahulu location, famous for loco moco. 15-minute walk from the resort.

Afternoon - Free! You might need some relaxing time after the morning activity, or you could check out the Waikiki Aquarium.

Sunset Cruise 5:00pm - Pink Sails Sunset Cruise which includes whale watching ($57 per person, 2 hrs long.)

Dinner 7:30pm - House Without a Key, a beautiful outdoor restaurant featuring live Hawaiian music.

7:30am - Breakfast at Egg’s n Things, a Hawaiian staple down the street from your resort.

9:30am - Check-out and taxi to HNL for flight

12:30pm - Flight to NRT

4:00pm - Arrive at NRT. Hotel is 1hr 30mins by taxi or transit. Would recommend a taxi since you will be tired.

7:00pm - Check-in at The Prince Park Tower (4 Chome-8-1 Shibakoen, Minato City, Tokyo 105-8563, Japan)

7:30pm - Tonkatsu Iwai. Cash-only tonkatsu curry restaurant. Closes at 8:30pm on Fridays. 10mins walk from the hotel. Ramen THANK is a backup option near Tonkatsu Iwai in case you can’t get in for curry, open till 10pm.

9:00pm - If you’re feeling up to it, take the Oedo line from Akabanebashi Station to Shinjuku Station and walk 10mins to Arty Farty, a popular gay bar in Shinjuku Ni-Chome.

10:00am - teamLab Borderless Museum. Popular, immersive museum known for its colorful, futuristic digital art installations & photo ops. 20-minute walk from the hotel.

12:00pm - Lunch at Tenrai-ken, ramen restaurant. 10-minute walk from Borderless Museum.

2:00pm - Senso-ji Temple, 40 minutes by transit from Toranomon Station to Asakusa Station via the Ginza line. Lots of shopping and street stalls. Saturday might be a little busy.

5:00pm - Tokyo Sky Tree. 20-minute walk from Senso-ji.

7:00pm - Hitsumabushi Bincho Tokyo Solamachi. Unagi Restaurant at Tokyo Sky Tree.

• Day 6: Mario Kart Street Tour —> Train to Kyoto

Check-out - The hotel should offer you a late check-out or at least hold your bags all day.

10:00am - Street Kart Akihabara Tour. Mario Kart-style driving tour around Akihabara. Will need an international drivers license which you should be able to get at a AAA location. Must obtain in the US before coming to Japan.

11:30am - Tempura Hisago, 5-minute walk from Street Kart.

1:00pm - Final Fantasy Cafe, 10-minute walk from Tempura Hisago. Theme cafes usually have sugary drinks or desserts.

4:00pm - Shinkansen to Kyoto, 3.5hrs approx.

8:00pm - Check-in: Kanamean Nishitomiya (Tominokouji Rokkaku Sagaru Nakagyo-ku, KYOTO, 604-8064, JAPAN)

9:00pm - Dinner at Kaiseki (hotel restaurant) offers a traditional tasting menu, or Kaname Teppanyaki.

• Day 7: Donuts & Dumplings of Kyoto

9:00am - Breakfast at Koé Donuts Kyoto, 6-minute walk from hotel (Japan, 〒604-8042 Kyoto, Nakagyo Ward, Nakanocho, 557 京都松竹阪井座ビル 1)

10:00am - Fall Foliage at Tofuku-ji Temple, 12-minute taxi from Koé Donuts. Be sure to check out the Hojo Garden for the best views.

1:00pm - Lunch at Fukakusa Ramen Toriton, 20-minute walk from Tofuku-ji, on the way to Fushimi Inari.

2:30pm - Fushimi Inari Taisha. Iconic shrine with the long pathway of orange Tori gates.

4:30pm - Kiyomizu-dera, 13-minute taxi from Fushimi. Sun sets around 6:30pm and Kiyomizu-dera has amazing views.

7:00pm - Gyoza Hohei, 10-minute taxi from Kiyomizu-dera. Popular dumpling spot back near hotel.

9:00pm - Relax back at hotel or check out L’Escamoteur, Jeff Bezos recently went here, looks like a cool quirky bar. 10-minute walk from Gyoza Hohei or 15 minutes from hotel.

• Day 8: Nijo Castle, Heian Shrine, and Kinkaku-ji

9:00am - Matsunosuke Cafe & Pantry, 9-minute walk from hotel, on the way to Nijo Castle, 20-minute walk to Nijo.

10:00am - Nijo Castle / Imperial Palace / Heian Shrine. All in the same area, roughly 20-minute walk between each or 7-minute taxi. Would recommend starting at Nijo and working your way to Heian.

1:00pm - Yamamoto Tonkatsu (151 Tachibanayanagicho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-0914, Japan). 8-minute walk from Imperial Palace, on the way to Heian Shrine.

2:30pm - Heian Shrine

3:30pm - Kinkaku-ji (golden temple), 15-minute taxi from Heian. Closes at 5pm.

5:30pm - Early dinner (hungry from lots of walking) at Yakiniku, 5-minute taxi from Kinkaku-ji.

8:00pm - Rest at hotel.

• Day 9: Kyoto’s Geisha District and Okonomiyaki

9:00am - Breakfast at Le Petit Mec, 5-minute walk from hotel.

11:00am - Check out and move to Nohga Hotel. They should hold your luggage if early check-in isn’t available.

12:00pm - Lunch: Kagizen, or several options for Kyoto dipping noodle and sweet treat cafes in Gion.

1:30pm - Chion-in Temple, the vatican of Buddhism.

3:00pm - Gion Geisha District

4:30pm - Drink at Eltesoro

6:00pm - Okonomiyaki (花見会館, 1F, 123 Tominagacho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0078, Japan)

• Day 10: Breakfast & Bamboo

9:00am - Breakfast at hotel.

11:00am - Check out of hotel. Ask hotel to hold your bags.

12:00pm - Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, 40-minute taxi from hotel. Worth going to get out of the city for a little while and walk through the forest.

5:00pm - Flight home.