9 days in Japan: Tokyo, Disney, and Kyoto

Kiki Travels
May 25, 2025
7 min read

Updated: Aug 9, 2025

In May, I finally ticked Japan off my bucket list with my beautiful son. Nine days of exploring - three nights in buzzing Tokyo, two magical nights at Disney, and three nights in beautiful Kyoto. The spring weather was hot, the crowds weren’t too bad, and every day was packed with food, sights, and little moments I’ll never forget. Here’s our itinerary with daily highlights, where we stayed, what we ate, and the little tips we picked up along the way.

Pre-trip and travel

When we went: Mid-May in the spring so not as busy as other times of the year,
Flights: Flew Air New Zealand from Auckland to Tokyo, and China Eastern via Shanghai from Kansai, Osaka on the way home
Arrival tips: Get the N’EX Narita Express bullet train from Narita airport, it's easy to get tickets and the trains run often.
Planning tools: We registered our details before we left on Japan Web which speeds up the immigration process.

Day-by-day itinerary

Tokyo – 3 nights

Day 1 – Arrival

Stay: JR Kyushu Blossom Shinjuku
Highlights: Busy but easy to navigate, our hotel was central but quiet, and the weather was lovely and warm. Also, bidet toilets everywhere, which I learned to love!
Food: It was late when we arrived but there was a Lawson convenience store outside our hotel (like a 7-Eleven) so we grabbed food from there - and their food is awesome.

Day 2 – Shibuya, Harajuku, and Shinjuku

Morning: Shibuya - Shibuya Scramble Crossing, Hachikō statue, Tower Records
Afternoon: Harajuku - Yoyogi Park, Meiji Shrine, and Takeshita Street
Evening: Shinjuku - Kabukicho, Godzilla head, Golden Gai, 3D cat billboard
Highlights:
- Hachikō was an Akita dog remembered for his remarkable loyalty to his owner, Hidesaburō Ueno, who he continued to wait for over nine years following Ueno's death. I was so moved by this story.
- If you love music, Tower Records is a must-see, five floors of different genres, great merch, and artists often have events there.
- Takeshita Street is so vibrant and colourful, lots of crepes, and animal cafes, so much to see. And of course, Uniqlo (they’re everywhere).
- Shinjuku at night is just awesome, it comes alive, everyone is out. The 3D cat billboard was fascinating.
Tips: It rained for all of our first day, grab an umbrella from a 7-Eleven. Jackets are useless when you have your phone in your hand all day. Everyone in Tokyo uses umbrellas, the clear ones. Look out for the umbrella stands at the front of shops, instead of leaving it outside, you punch it through a hole and it wraps it in a sleeve so you don’t drip water through the store - genius!

Day 3 – Ueno and Tokyo Tower

Morning: Ueno Zoo - giant pandas, naked mole rats, and so many crazy monkeys
Afternoon: Uneo Park- Shinobazu Pond and Ueno Toshogu Shrine
Evening: Tokyo Tower - one of the tallest towers in the world, inspired by the Eiffel Tower
Highlights:
- Ueno Park is a good option for the kids and it’s nice to be out of the hustle and bustle of the main tourist centres.
- Tokyo Tower was fantastic. Recommend going at night, the city lights are incredible. Going right up the top and having a drink and a photo to bring home made it even more memorable.
Tips: We got the premium package for Tokyo Tower which takes you up even higher than the standard viewing deck, plus a glass of wine and a photo at the top.

Tokyo Disney – 2 nights

Day 4 – Tokyo Disneyland

Stay: Grand Nikko Tokyo Bay Maihama
Highlights: Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, It’s a Small World, Monster’s Inc
Food: So many different flavours of popcorn, Mickey Mouse themed everything
Tips: Definitely worth saving time and getting the FastPass or priority pass, the rides have long lines. Wear good shoes, you’ll walk a lot.

Day 5 – Tokyo DisneySea

Highlights: Raging Spirits, Tower of Terror, Rapunzel, Aladdin
Food: Order your food through the app so you don’t have to wait. We had burgers.
Tips: I honestly think having a mid-day break back at the hotel is the best strategy. It’s an exhausting day otherwise. Plus it’s awesome at night so to go away and come back is better than slogging it out from 9 til 9. I was dead after two days, I don’t know how people do more.

Kyoto – 3 nights

Day 6 – Kyoto

Stay: Daiwa Roynet Hotel Kyoto Terrace Hachijo Premier
Morning: Bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto
Afternoon: To-ji Temple and Hachijo
Evening: Kyoto Skyway and Sky Garden, Kyoto Tower
Highlights:
- This central part of Kyoto is super modern and there are lots of cool attractions. Like Tokyo, it’s better at night, it all lights up and there are so many people out. I found Kyoto much busier than Tokyo, way more tourists, but it feels safe and it’s easy to walk everywhere.
- Kyoto Tower Sando Food Hall at the bottom of Kyoto Tower has heaps of meal options and a really cool vibe.
Tips: There are two different sides of the station. We stayed on the south side in Hachijo, but if I was visiting again, I’d stay on the north side in Karasuma. We had to keep crossing through the station to get to the restaurants and shops near Kyoto Tower, and the station is hectic - there are so many people so it takes a while to move through it.

Day 7 – Osaka

Morning: Dontonburi food stalls, shopping, Glico Running Man sign
Afternoon: Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street, Don Quijote ferris wheel, Dontonburi River
Evening: Kyoto Tower Sando Food Hall
Highlights:
- All the crazy signs and street food
- The Don Quijote ferris wheel on the side of a building
- Shinsaibashi-Suji has awesome shopping and food all down one big long covered lane. Try the cream puffs!
Tips: I recommend getting the bullet train from Kyoto to Osaka. We got a different train line but it was more of a commuter train so it took way longer and had a lot more stops. If I did it again, I’d do a day tour so I could see other things in Osaka, and include a visit to Nara to see the deer. Trying to get around all of that on our own on a hot day was a lot, so we didn’t get to Nara or Osaka Castle which was a shame. Of everywhere we went, this was probably my least favorite place so if you’re pushed for time, you could skip it.

Day 8 – Gion

Morning: Hanamikoji Street, Yasaka Shrine, Shijo Street, Kennin-ji Temple
Afternoon: Hanamikoji Street, Nishiki Market
Evening: Kyoto Tower Sando Food Hall (we loved it here!)
Highlights:
- Hanamikoji Street was so beautiful, it’s lined with traditional wooden townhouses, and it leads to the temple.
- Loved the Kennin-ji Temple, we spent ages here. Beautiful gardens and ponds, so peaceful.
- Hanamikoji Street was also cool with all its bars and shops but some of them don’t open until later so don’t go early.
Tips: Take cash to Nishiki Market, none of the vendors accept cards.

Day 9 – Kyoto

Morning: Fushimi Inari Shrine
Afternoon: Bullet train to Kansai airport
Highlights:
- The shrine was incredible. It’s famous for its thousands of vermilion (red/orange) torii gates. A special and peaceful place.
- It’s set in the forest and is dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice. There are fox statues everywhere, foxes are said to be Inari's messengers, they’re huge.
Tips: Go early. It’s busy but everyone moves quite quickly (except for all the people trying to get a photo!)

Food highlights

Best street food: Not technically street food but Oreryū Shio Ramen was so good. We ate here in Shinjuku twice, and in Harajuku. I loved gyoza, the ramen, and the fried chicken. Order from a kiosk out the front which you can switch to english, fast service, affordable and delicious.
Most memorable restaurant meal: The Kyoto Tower Sando Food Hall was for sure a highlight - close to our hotel and had lots of options to choose from. We loved Nick Stock, my beef salad was something I’ll never forget and the wagyu burger was 10/10.
Snacks we’d eat again: everything from the 7-Elevens. There’s a reel on my instagram with everything we ate but the fried chicken and pancakes combo was a highlight, so were the ice creams, egg sandwiches, and the cream puffs. So many drink options too.

Accommodation recap

Tokyo: JR Kyushu Blossom Shinjuku Hotel was great, quite small rooms even though I had opted for a bigger room, but it was safe and quiet. Lots of amenities in the bathrooms and pajamas to wear. Really handy to the station and the nightlife. It was the most expensive hotel of our trip.
Disney area: Grand Nikko Tokyo Bay Maihama was right next to Disney Tokyo so you could use the Disney monorail to get from the hotel to the parks. It was massive, quite quiet but decent sized rooms and a lovely view of the bay.
Kyoto: Daiwa Roynet Hotel Kyoto Terrace Hachijo Premier was a modern hotel with a 7-Eleven downstairs and so many amenities, including free coffee. But location-wise, I’d choose to stay in a more traditional part of Kyoto. Initially we stayed by the station because we planned to do day trips but we changed our plans and decided to spend more time in Kyoto and being in Gion would have been a better option.

Travel tips

Transport: We used the Suica app for all of our train travel, super easy, just add it to your Apple Wallet and top up with your card. Except for the bullet trains, we got actual tickets at the station for those. The bullet trains are awesome, take a snack, everyone does. Google Maps makes it really easy to get around and even tells you what train to get, what platform, car etc. The stations can be hectic but once you’ve done your first couple of trips, it’s all good.
Budget range: I found Japan super affordable. Trains are cheap, food is cheap especially at 7-Elevens, the attractions were also generally well priced. I didn’t shop much but the few things I did buy were fine. I loved Don Quijote and so many of the beauty products are much cheaper than other countries.
Language barrier: Most people spoke a little english but also they have lots of screens and kiosks where you can select English. I think I only had two moments where I really struggled to communicate with someone and had to ask a person in the store to translate for me but I didn’t find the language barrier difficult.
Seasonal advice: We went in spring, it was lovely and hot. Didn’t wear a jacket or any layers the whole time. We had one day of rain but it was still warm. Great time of year to visit.

Final thoughts

Japan was everything I hoped for and more - busy streets, incredible food, stunning shrines and temples, and the easy to get around. I loved the mix of city vibes, Disney magic, and Kyoto’s traditional charm. I’d go back in a heartbeat… and probably spend just as much time in 7-Eleven.