Planning my daily activities for my one week in Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto) and I have a big dilemma. Please help. Do I use one day for a trip to Mt. Fuji? Or stay in Tokyo? Here's what my frame looks like for now:
Monday - land at 4 pm
Tuesday - full day Tokyo
Wednesday - Tokyo or Mt. Fuji
Thursday-Friday - Kyoto
Saturday - Tokyo
Sunday - depart at 1 pm.

One week in Tokyo with a day trip or one week in Kyoto with a day trip. Choose.

I am actually hoping to do both, but will cut out Mt Fuji! thanks for the suggestion!

Even though I previously recommended Hakone... now looking at your itinerary I’d highly suggest to save it for your next visit. I would recommend a minimum of 2 days in Kyoto. One day can be done but you’ll end up using pricey taxi a lot. also count in the travel time and costs to Kyoto and back. Kyoto is definitely worth it even for only two days but just keep in mind the itinerary has to stay tight for the time you have. Don’t try to get it all done at once. Remember once you visit Japan, you won’t stop- I haven’t at least. I go yearly and almost always run out of time.

Kyoto and Nara are far more interesting, in my opinion. Plus Mr Fuji might be closed for the season now. I'd check into that. Plus it's Extremely cold even at level 5 so unless you have winter clothing skip that.

You are probably not going to have time to do both Kyoto and Tokyo. I would do one of the two cities plus a day trip.

thank you!

Hi!
It is not impossible but might be stressful for you this schedule.
I suggest you to get one day for Mt Fuji. At least it takes 2hours from Tokyo by bus or train. If you just want to see My Fuji , you don't need to go there. You could see it from Goura in Hakone (Kanagawa prefecture) where hot springs city if weather is good.
What are you the most interested in ? Food, sightseeing places or night life? Seems like you don't have much time in Japan. You might need to arrange based on what you are really want to do in Tokyo or Kyoto!
I am sure you will have so much fun in Japan even though you don't have much time
I hope you will not suffer from jetlag!!
Hope you would love Japan

I hope I don’t have jet lag, too! It’s a 12 hour time difference, it might be tough. I am ery excited; I am sure I will love Japan!

This is a whistle stop tour. Do-able but you’re limiting what you see. We did 3 days Tokyo and 2 days Kyoto (really 1 day Osaka and 1 day Kyoto) and 1 day Nara. We couldn’t do Fuji. If you’re not likely to go back anytime soon I would do the day trip to Mt Fuji. If you haven’t booked flights maybe consider flying out of Osaka to avoid the train back to Tokyo.

thanks for the input! This is my “intro to Japan” trip; I plan on going multiple times.

unless you want to go to every temple I Kyoto, I think you’ll be fine (consider taking the Shinkansen / bullet train to save time)
Kyoto has a lot to offer but you can do a condensed version in 2 days.
Again, consider what kind of experience you want. If you only want to go up to station 5 by bus or car to Mount Fuji then you can do it. If however you want to hike to the top, then maybe leave it for another day.
Also remember. Once you’re on Mount Fuji it just feels like any mountain. It’s just as special to view it from far because it’s such a popular landmark.
If you need help with a specific itinerary message me. I used to live in Japan. And have helped many friends plan trips

I recommend adding a second day in Kyoto instead. There is a lot to see and do, and we had to make some hard choices on our list of activities by the second day of our trip. Besides, we found that Kyoto rewards a wandering, leisurely pace.

Stay in one city... Tokyo is a big place and lots to see and do...

Mt Fuji/Hakone

someone else also mentioned Hakone; I am looking into it. Thanks!

Second hakone. Beauty.

Definitely Hakone - take the Odakyu romance train there and Shinkansen back! Check out https://thetravelintern.com/hakone-day-trip-from-tokyo.../ for more info

I was in tokyo for four days and it didn't feel like enough time. Would def skip the day trip. Don't forget to get the tourist metro pass for tokyo...

I just came back from a 9 days trip to Tokyo - Osaka - Kyoto and it wasn't enough. I wish I stayed for 2 weeks. There's so much to see in Tokyo alone

did you like Osaka more than Kyoto?

Alexandr I love Kyoto more just because I'm a country girl. There are a lot of Shrines and Temples and the feel of old Japan

I stopped by Mt. Fuji for a weekend on my 2 week trip and saw it for literally 1 hour. The rest of the time it was covered in clouds. Now is not a good time to see it since it's the rainy season, and Japan has really low clouds.

that’s what I was worried about. That the weather won’t be good and I am spending my time on a bus/train and very little time on the mountain...

Same for me. Waste of a trip because it was all covered with clouds. Stay in the city and don't risk your time.

Wayne d'Eon...maybe you can help

Don't bother doing anything but tokyo. I personally enjoy staying in one place rather than spending endless amount of time on transit. Also, Hakone is a doable day trip but let me warn you the transit is horrendous. If you decide to go to Hakone, start early and end early. Once the sun sets, busses run hourly...

I thought their transit was very organized and fast... thanks for the heads-up!

It really depends on where you go. In Kyoto, everything is by bus. Tokyo, mostly subway. Hakone is bus and train

Alexandr it is..... you can go any where you need to by transit in Japan.....I totally disagree about just staying in Tokyo...you MUST see Kyoto ...there is so much to do and see and the traditional side as well and the new modern traditions are all seen around the different places in Kyoto....when you get there make sure you do to the tourist information desk located right in the station, there you will find English speaking tourist specialists who can help you plan your day depending on what you would like to see and do and they will also provide maps and transit passes for a cost of course but they are the best and wouldnt go without see them first...they also give specific travel times to make the best time options for planning your day ....these tourist information kiosks are located throughout Japan at major train stations....just ask an employee, speak slow and clear and most will understand and direct you. Hope this helps Alexandr

I suggested Tokyo only because she only has 7 days including travel dates. I, too, enjoyed Kyoto but its unrealistic to go to kyoto and tokyo in 7 days.

It depends on the forecast. I wouldn't go if it's cloudy.

Your Luggage is very important, i would say this trip isnt pushing anything at all, IF all you have is a carry on suitcase and backpack. Get the 7 day JR pass, it will do you wonders in terms of savings and most importantly, flexibility.

I have a small suitcase and tiny backpack. I am happy to hear some positive feedback on the schedule. I have all reservations booked and paid for (flight, hotels etc) so I can’t make big changes and give up one of the cities...

Use this calculator - https://m.jrpass.com/farecalculator - to see the costs of JR pass before buying but based on return trip from Kyoto I think you’ll get your money’s worth https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2357.html

They would need to spend about 900 Yen more to make it worth it.
If they want to do some subway hopping on the chuo line/ other JR subway lines in Tokyo they can probably break even. If they add in another shinkansen trip then it is definitely worth it.

I would personally use Hyperdia.com to calculate all my travel time and fare...I find it far more extensive than the JR one.

I loved Kyoto (over Tokyo) !! Would definitely recommend more time there , it’ll be my prime spot to return to when going to japan

Do you want to do Mt.
Fuji or the five lakes? Unless you are there to climb, hike the "suicide forest" or want to do Fuji Q Highland (theme park) you are probably better off going to Hakone. Get some eggs at the owakudani! There is a cool hotspring/waterpark in the area too.
However if you prefer shopping/food/arcades to themeparks/nature hikes/touristy things then explore more of Tokyo! There are so many different areas to explore!

If you like nature and temples then you may enjoy Nikko as a compliment to Kyoto.

thank you! I will do some research on Nikko.

Stay in Tokyo! It's the BEST

Mt. Fuji can be hit or miss depending on the weather - as someone who's lived here for year or so, I've only seen Fuji a handful of times because of the clouds! I'd recommend spending an extra day in Tokyo or Kyoto (or looking into a day trip to Hakone - super beautiful, lots of great onsens). If you take the Shinkansen between the two cities, you might just see Fuji anyways
Also, if you go to the Observation area on the top floor of the Hikari Building in Shibuya you can sometimes see Fuji from there!

Go to a ShinRin Yoku Forest and take a Forest Bathing Walk!

Forest bathing walk sounds amazing; I will look into it. thanks!

Skip Mt. Fuji and go to Kamakura instead - take the electric trolley, visit the giant Buddha, and feel like you're in a Studio Ghibli movie.

Kyoto and Nara are far more interesting, in my opinion. Plus Mr Fuji might be closed for the season now. I'd check into that. Plus it's Extremely cold even at level 5 so unless you have winter clothing skip that. Also you can't Mt Fuji when you are on it!

will it be cold in Tokyo, Kyoto? My weather app is saying 22-25 degrees (I would assume that is warm?).

Alexandr Yes in the ground it's nice. We were there exactly a year today for 3 weeks. It went as low as 8 Celsius. But if you climb Fuji. It will be freezing up there. I climbed it in August in 1995. on the ground it was 45C Fuji was 5C

Seeing Mt Fuji by train or even from Hakone. Is a crap shoot. In the 7 times I went past it by train I only saw it once. It's usually under cloud cover. And the clouds move fast!

I hope I get to see it a little bit from the train. thanks for letting me know about the wearher. I’ll pack a light jacket for the city.

It's rainy season now I think. It rained 6/7 days when we were in Tokyo last year...ask for a seat on the north side on train with back facing front of the train for best chance to see Fuji. I highly recommend the atomic bomb museum and peace park in Hiroshima !

I would skip mt fuji. Its getting a lot colder lately. There's tons of great look out spots to see mt fuji in Tokyo (if the weather is clear enough!)

Nisa I agree

Hummm you may need more time I Kyoto there is so much to do and see there some of the best temple and shrines in Kyoto ie ..the golden and silver temple, kyomizu dera, gion distrist, the Kyoto castle ...I feel you will need 2 days for Kyoto

it will be close to 2 days in Kyoto (Thursday and Friday,) I do have 2 nights booked for Kyoto.

Alexandr perfect wake up and head straight to the tourist information center they are loaded with info and maps and everything you need to start your day! Good luck and safe travels, please post your pics and your experiences!

thank you!

Alexandr anytime! I was just there 1 year ago today actually!

I'd skip Hakone if you just want to see Mt. Fuji - the visibility has to be very excellent before you can see it. When we went it was cloudy almost every day and we did not get to see Mt. Fuji from any angle.

You want to do Tokyo, Kyoto and Fuji in one week? That's an insanely packed itinerary. Of course logistically you can do it but it will mean you're seeing everything in a blur. Just skip Mount Fuji...That deserves a week on its own.

Stay in Lake Kawaguchi for 2 days. take a bus to 5th basecamp and enjoy Fuji. And thank me later, stranger.

Tokyo.
Tokyo is huge! Lots to see and do and eat. At this point you don’t have enough time scheduled there.

My son says skip Fuji and go to Kamakura but your limited amount of time is not near enough. He was there for 3 weeks and it was not near enough.

I would have a day trip to Hakone. It's 1.5 hours by Express train (Odakyu Romance car) from Shinjuku station in Tokyo, and you will have a great view of Mt. Fuji.