"Dad, have you finished the blog yet?"
For more than a decade, writing travel accounts has preserved memories far better than simply taking photos. When friends ask me little details from past trips, I turn to my own writing to recall those moments.
In recent years, my articles have drawn responses from overseas Chinese readers. I have also taken the liberty of translating my posts into English. Messages like “Your sharing has helped me a great deal” have come in from all corners of the globe. Beyond satisfying my passion for writing and preserving memories, these notes have given me a sense of mission to share with others.
This will be my seventh trip to Tokyo, yet I still keep discovering new things there. Before boarding the flight, I would like to share my planning thoughts, hoping to offer a lifeline to friends who are overwhelmed when arranging a trip — especially husbands who need to deliver a satisfying itinerary for their wives.
1. Align flight dates with Japanese public holidays
It goes without saying that flights set the framework for any travel schedule.
My arrival: 9:00 p.m., 16 July
Return departure: 10:00 p.m., 22 July
After checking the calendar, 20 July (Monday) is Japan’s Marine Day public holiday. That means the three-day holiday weekend (18–20 July) should ideally be avoided for theme park visits — prices are higher and crowds are massive.
In contrast, 17 July marks the end of the Japanese school term, making it a more suitable day for theme parks.
On the final day, 22 July, I need to reach the airport by 8:00 p.m. Therefore, the whole day’s itinerary is set for Ueno: Ueno Zoo in the morning, Ameya-Yokochō for souvenirs in the afternoon, and we head to the airport with luggage after 6:30 p.m.
2. Theme Parks
Tokyo Disneyland, DisneySea, Fuji-Q Highland and the Harry Potter Studio Tour were all on our initial list. Having visited DisneySea in 2024, my family wants to go to Tokyo Disneyland this time.
Theme parks demand huge physical stamina. Originally, I did not want to visit the park on 17 July right after checking in late on 16 July. However, after 17 July, Japanese summer vacation officially begins, pushing ticket prices and visitor numbers sharply upwards. Hence we settled on 17 July.
Meanwhile, my wife wants to revisit the Super Scary Labyrinth of Fear at Fuji-Q Highland. I initially scheduled it for 21 July (Tuesday), yet unstable weather forecasts for Yamanashi Prefecture made us shift the date to 19 July (Sunday), a day expected to be extremely crowded.
If possible, theme park visits should avoid public holidays. Ideally, plan them for the third day after arrival. This lets everyone recover energy, and leaves room to adjust plans if bad weather or delays arise.
3. Bookings required in advance
Our daughter wants to visit Shibuya Sky. Tickets go on sale 14 days ahead. The popular sunset times require early reservations, so we placed it on 18 July (Saturday). Unlike theme parks, visitor numbers do not surge drastically on public holidays here.
In addition, the family plans to visit TeamLab Planets Toyko. Official tickets are released one month before the visit date. Securing preferred entry times requires prompt action. We scheduled it on the morning of 20 July (Marine Day), grouping Toyosu and Odaiba destinations on the same day.
4. Requests from travel companions:
4A – Outlet shopping for my wife: Mitsui Outlet Park Makuhari, the most conveniently reachable outlet from central Tokyo. Originally planned for 19 July, we swapped the date with Fuji-Q Highland.
4B – Shibuya Sky requested by our daughter: Confirmed in the schedule.
4C – Tokyo Tower: The VR facility inside has closed. Together with Shibuya Sky already lined up for city views, we decided to skip Tokyo Tower. (We can catch sight of Tokyo Tower from Shibuya Sky, so why not just enjoy it as a distant view? Isn't that exactly how we did it when we visited Florence on a tour group years ago?)
5. Place we have not visited on my previous 6 trips to Tokyo: teamLab Planets Tokyo, Mitsui Outlet Park Makuhari, the giant unicorn statue at DiverCity, Ueno Zoo and Shibuya Sky
6. Accommodation
Tabist HOTEL UENO 39 in Ueno. It enjoys convenient transport links and offers adequate space for our family. I will share more details in later posts.
7. Transport
Staying in Ueno, we pre-booked Skyliner tickets for airport transfers.
Having visited Tokyo seven times, I can distinguish JR lines and Metro networks. Instead of rigid multi-day travel passes, my wife and I will use mobile Suica, while our two teenagers will each have a physical Suica card. Tourist edition red-and-white Suica cards can be purchased from vending machines next to the Skyliner counter at the airport.
8. Checklist for bookings and preparations
8A Flight tickets
8B Hotel booking (In my opinion, Ueno is the most practical base for a family of four)
8C Tokyo Disneyland: Tickets can be bought as late as one day before departure. That said, it is essential to log your tickets on the official apps, Install the apps ahead of time so you can get comfortable navigating them, and also look up the usual waiting time for each attraction. If your name is Lau Tak Wai, please enter your name as "Lau Takwai" rather than "Lau Tak Wai" when registering. This determines whether you can successfully purchase express passes.
8D Fuji-Q Highland: Tickets are easy to obtain, yet intercity bus tickets should be reserved several days early. Most direct buses depart from Shinjuku. If you prefer to travel directly from Ueno, one platform sells round-trip packages connecting Ueno and Fuji-Q Highland, which must be purchased four days before travel.
8E teamLab Planets Tokyo: Book one month prior to departure
8F Shibuya Sky: If aiming for sunset slots, book two weeks ahead. Tickets are released at midnight Japan time across platforms.
8G Skyliner between Ueno and Narita Airport: Tickets can even be bought on the travel day. One platform offers the lowest price; you can scan the QR code to collect reserved-seat tickets at airport kiosks.
Note: Services may be fully booked during peak hours. If this happens, there are two options.
Option one: Catch the next available Skyliner (longer waiting time at the airport).
Option two: Use your Skyliner ticket on ordinary limited express or local trains bound for Ueno, with a longer journey time.
I suggest asking staff on site to decide which choice works better.
8H SIM cards: My wife uses an eSIM. As the teenagers will split off for some activities, the children and I each have a "Cxxxx Mobile 8G SIM". Reception performance is unsatisfactory, with frequent signal drops. (However, China Mxxx is really super cheap; if you don't want the kids getting glued to their phones during the trip, you could stick with it.)
8I Pre-filing Visit Japan Web
Personally, I think filling it out one day before departure is sufficient. (Admittedly, I once forgot to complete the declaration for my mother-in-law; Although it is technically possible to sort it out in a rush at Narita Airport, your hands will likely be shaking from the stress.)
8J Region Setting for Media & Purchases on Mobile Devices
This tip is well worth noting. Certain Japanese attractions such as Fuji-Q Highland offer useful apps that are only available on the Japanese regional App Store.
To download these applications, you need to switch your Media & Purchases region from Hong Kong to Japan. You will also be required to enter a valid Japanese address when changing regions.
My suggestion: Asl an AI to generate a properly formatted Japanese address that fills all required fields. (I cannot come up with one myself)
9. Final itinerary (the part most readers care about)
16 July (Thu): Check-in at hotel at 23:00
17 July (Fri): Tokyo Disneyland
18 July (Sat)
Dad’s group: Akihabara → Shibuya → Shibuya Sky
Mum’s group: Shinjuku → Shibuya → Shibuya Sky
19 July (Sun): Fuji-Q Highland
20 July (Mon): teamLab Planets Tokyo → LaLaport Toyosu → DiverCity Tokyo Plaza (Odaiba)
21 July (Tue): Mitsui Outlet Park Makuhari
22 July (Wed): Ueno Zoo → Ameya-Yokochō → Airport
“Dad, have you finished your Tokyo blog yet?”
“Son, planning a trip is never easy.”
Tokyo Trip Planner Diary 2026 — To be continued
Tokyo Trip Planner Diary 2026 (Busily working on my write-up...)
Tokyo Trip Planner Diary 2026 - Pre-Trip Preparation Checklist
Tokyo Again 2025
Tokyo Again 2025(1) - 72 hours of traveling in Tokyo (3 -days Itinerary plan, plus 7-days in 2024) NEW!!
Tokyo Again 2025 (2) - Tokyo Transportation - Simplified Package for Dummies NEW!!
Tokyo Again 2025 (3) -APA Hotel Ueno Ekimae - with Movie NEW!!
Tokyo Again 2025 (4) The First Night in Ueno（GYU STAR All you can eat BBQ / Donki in Ueno) NEW!!
Tokyo Again 2025 (5) - Karuizawa Day Trip (Part 1 - How Did We Go?) NEW!!
Tokyo Again 2025 (6) - Karuizawa Day Trip (Part 2 - Leisurely Stroll......Kumoba Pond) NEW!!
Tokyo Again 2025 (9) - Under the cherry blossom trees (Ueno Park / Tsukiji Market) NEW!!
Tokyo Again 2025 (10) - First Avenue Tokyo Station - Tokyo Character Street NEW!!
Tokyo Again 2025 (11) - Shopping Paradise (Ginza) NEW!!
Tokyo Again 2025 (12) - Ueno Again NEW!!
Tokyo Again 2025 (13) - Prepare for Next Tokyo Trip NEW!!
Tokyo 2024
Tokyo 2024 - 7 days itinerary (Family of 4 - Attractions and Shopping Experience) NEW!!
Disney Sea Tokyo 1 - Basic Information and Tips for your journey NEW!!
Dinery Sea Tokyo 3 - Busy Second Half Having fun (Peter Pan / Toy Story Mania)
The Making of Harry Potter (Tokyo)
Hotel in Ikebukuro (Hotel Hisoca Ikebukuro)
USJ Osaka 2023
Universal Studio Japan (Osaka) 1 - Basic Information and Some Tips for your journey
Universal Studio Japan (Osaka) 2 - Preparation with Kids
Universal Studio Japan (Osaka) Part 6 - Harry Porter and His Magic Wand
Universal Studio Japan (Osaka) Part 7 - Our Forbidden Journey
Universal Studio Japan (Osaka) 8 - Universal Wonderland and Others
Those below are articles about Japan Visit, written in Chinese. Please feel free to leave your comments or questions. I am glad to reply and give advice according to my limited experience.
2024 Tokyo (in Chinese)
七年無事又東京（二）新宿事變（六歌仙新店 + 歌舞伎町Tower)
七年無事又東京（四）進擊的上野 （上野Yamashiroya + 阿美橫丁）
七年無事又東京（五）迪士尼海洋Disneysea1 - 簡單易明基本概念及小提議
七年無事又東京（六）迪士尼海洋Disneysea2 忙於操作的上半場（驚魂古塔 / 地心探險記 / 樂佩公主天燈盛會）
七年無事又東京（七）迪士尼海洋Disneysea3 總動員的下半場
七年無事又東京（十）天旋地轉與膽量挑戰 (台場Joypolis1F）
七年同事有東京（十一）動感（台場Joypolis 2F - VR, House of the Dead, Transformer）
七年無事又東京（十二）獻出心臟"爸"！（台場Joypolis 3F - 進擊的巨人 + 全日通結算 + 輕鬆推介）
七年無事又東京（十三）雨中的陽光（池袋Sunshine City）
七年無事又東京（十四）池袋的超強CP值酒店（Hotel Hisoca 池袋 - 有片）
七年無事又東京（十五）與機場進餐（Marroad Hotel International)
七年無事又東京（十六）最後分組活動（酒酒井OUTLET / 成田機場T2)
七年無事又東京（十七）東京遊2024 總結 + 後記 （各景點評分）
2023 Osaka (in Chinese)
2019 Kyushu Self-Driving Tour
九州日誌（二）互動（九州野生動物園 / Hello Kitty Harmony Land )
九州日誌(四) - 雨天（湯布院大街 / 福崗OUTLET)
九州日誌(七) - 天地（天神地下街 / MARK IS......)
2018 - Okinawa Self-Driving Tour
自駕衝衝沖繩之旅(二） Day1,2,3 沒有浪花的季節 (谷茶灣Rizzan海洋公園酒店)
自駕衝衝沖繩之旅(三） Day 2 「魚」出驚人 (沖繩美麗海水族館 + 大家 + 水果樂園 + 萬座毛)
自駕衝衝沖繩之旅(四） Day 3 在水中央 (海中展望塔 + 伊波公園 )
自駕衝衝沖繩之旅(五） Day 4 雨程 (琉球之牛，Aeon Mall Okinawa Rycom)
自駕衝衝沖繩之旅(六）- Day 5-1 與小象的約會 (沖繩動物王國)
自駕衝衝沖繩之旅(七）- Day 5-2 沖繩最強「浦」點 （浦添大公園 - 有片 + 美國村）
自駕衝衝沖繩之旅(八）- Day 6-1 人人彈起（中城公園)
自駕衝衝沖繩之旅(九）- Day 6-2 Round 1 Fight!!（Round 1 Stadium)
自駕衝衝沖繩之旅(十）- Day 7-1 最後的公園（國際通 + 第一牧志市場 + 奧武山公園）
自駕衝衝沖繩之旅(十一）- Day 7-2 「瀨」住唔走 （瀨長島溫泉酒店）
自駕衝衝沖繩之旅(十二）- Day 8 來去沖沖 (ASHIBINAA OUTLET + 給自駕者的話)
2017 - Yokohama and Tokyo
「橫東」直撞七天遊二 (Day 2-1) - 全包宴 (橫濱麵包超人館)
