11 — Pre-Trip Action Checklist

Trip: October 1–18, 2026
Family: 2 adults, daughter (16), son (12)
Purpose: one operational list for what to do, when to do it and where to do it.

Check items here as the family completes them. Ticket dates and official booking links remain governed by the detailed guides; the daily itinerary remains the route source of truth.

This Week — July 24–31

Done	What	When	Where / how	Who
[ ]	Buy new walking shoes for everyone	By July 31	Local running/outdoor shop; fit late in the day with the socks each person will use in Japan	All 4
[ ]	Start breaking in the new shoes	From the first week after purchase	Three short walks, then one 8–10 km family test; exchange immediately if there are hot spots	All 4
[ ]	Enter Nintendo Museum lottery for Oct 15	By July 31, 23:59 JST	Official Nintendo Museum ticket calendar	Adult lead
[ ]	Complete Tokyo guest passport submission and confirm late self-check-in	Now	Airbnb chat only; obtain written acceptance and save it in the private lodging folder	Adult lead
[ ]	Complete Kyoto guest registration and save access guide	Now	Host form + Airbnb chat; keep door code out of the public itinerary	Adult lead
[ ]	Book Osaka Oct 13–15 and final Tokyo Oct 15–17	Now	Chosen booking platform; refundable option preferred until the route is fully locked	Adults
[ ]	Buy/confirm family travel insurance	Now	Insurer site; include medical care, disruption and booked-ticket cancellation where available	Adults
[ ]	Check all four passports and names	Now	At home against airline and booking records; record expiry dates privately	Adults
[ ]	Complete the Ethiopian e-ticket record	Now	Save PNR/e-ticket numbers, terminals, purchased baggage, seats/meals, paid total and disruption contacts in the private flight folder	Adults

Bookings and Tickets

Done	What	When	Where / how	Who
[ ]	Buy teamLab Planets timed entry for Oct 4 morning	Now	Official teamLab store	Adult lead
[ ]	Buy Mundo Pixar for Oct 4, targeting a timed 11:45/12:00 slot	Now	Official exhibition calendar/prices; current family total about JPY 20,100 plus fees	Adult lead
[ ]	Buy KAWAII MONSTER LAND timed entry for Oct 6	Now	Official attraction page	Adult lead
[ ]	Buy USJ Studio Pass + a current Express product that names the wanted Nintendo rides and guaranteed area entry	Now	Official USJ tickets	Adults + children choose rides
[ ]	Monitor only official PokéPark inventory for Oct 5	Weekly; decide fallback by mid-September	Official overseas store; no Fiverr, broker or unofficial reseller	Adult lead
[ ]	If PokéPark fails, buy DisneySea for Oct 5	At the fallback decision	Official DisneySea calendar	Adults
[ ]	Buy DRUM TAO HIBIKI for Oct 12 at 19:00	When the two-month window opens; start checking Aug 12	Official HIBIKI tickets	Adult lead
[ ]	Buy Mizuekai for Oct 11 at 13:00	As soon as the official sales method is published	Official Miyagawacho page	Adult lead
[ ]	Reserve Shiro-Hige Totoro cream-puff pickup for Oct 9	When the October window opens	Official store contact listed in the food guide	Adult lead
[ ]	Buy Ghibli Museum entry for Oct 8 at 10:00	Sept 10 at 10:00 JST / 04:00 Israel time	Official Ghibli ticket page	One adult books; second adult ready as backup
[ ]	Reserve Pokémon Café for Oct 16	When October booking rules are announced	Official café news; never pay a reservation reseller	Adult lead
[ ]	Reserve Cat Cafe Temari no Oshiro at Kichijōji Petit Mura for Oct 8	2–4 weeks before	Official site; ages 10+, about JPY 1,200 + tax per person on weekdays	Adult lead
[ ]	Optional: decide on the Oct 16 Sumida Aquarium finale	Final week, by energy	Official tickets; no advance commitment needed — the animal side quests (otters/small animals/snakes) are walk-ins and need no booking	Family vote
[ ]	Record every ticket, entry name, cancellation rule and backup	Immediately after each purchase	Shared cloud folder + offline copy on both adults’ phones	Buyer

6–8 Weeks Before — August

Done	What	When	Where / how	Who
[ ]	Choose eSIM/SIM/roaming plan for two independent adult phones	By Aug 20	Provider site; confirm Japan coverage, hotspot allowance and activation steps	Adults
[ ]	Decide how to book the Tokyo–Kyoto and Kyoto–Tokyo Shinkansen legs	By Aug 20	SmartEX or station purchase; use the transport guide’s luggage rules	Adults
[ ]	Confirm international payment setup	By Aug 20	Bank/card apps: travel notice if required, PINs known, two separate cards, fee check	Adults
[ ]	Check regular medicines and obtain prescription copies	By Aug 31	Family doctor/pharmacy; keep medicines in original packaging and carry-on	Each traveler
[ ]	Test the full walking kit	By Aug 31	8–10 km family day wearing new shoes, socks and daypacks	All 4
[ ]	Decide luggage-forwarding plan and verify each apartment can receive bags	By Aug 31	Ask hosts in writing; do not assume unstaffed lodging accepts takkyubin	Adults

3–4 Weeks Before — Early September

Done	What	When	Where / how	Who
[ ]	Install/update essential apps	By Sept 10	App Store / Google Play; list below	All phones as assigned
[ ]	Log in and test every attraction app	By Sept 10	Home Wi-Fi; verify passwords and ticket/account visibility	Adults
[ ]	Download offline Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka maps	By Sept 10	Google Maps	Both adults
[ ]	Download Japanese for offline translation	By Sept 10	Google Translate	All family phones
[ ]	Make the private family ticket folder and naming scheme	By Sept 10	Shared cloud drive; offline on both adult phones	Adult lead
[ ]	Save passport copies, insurance, prescriptions and emergency contacts offline	By Sept 10	Encrypted/private folder, separate from originals	Adults
[ ]	Prepare cash and the agreed IC-card plan	By Sept 15	Buy four TOURIST PASMO cards at Narita; prepare cash for small reloads and keep two independent payment cards	Adults
[ ]	Resolve Oct 15 luggage handling for Nintendo Museum day	By Sept 15	Hotel/locker/forwarding confirmation in writing	Adults
[ ]	Decide PokéPark vs DisneySea and lock the Oct 5 ticket	By Sept 15	Official channel only	Family
[ ]	Prepare exact Roman/katakana spellings for four Yūzen chopstick engravings	By Sept 15	Shared family note; do not assume the unverified JPY 1,100 Instagram price	All 4

Essential Apps

Done	App / service	Why	Install on
[ ]	Airline app	Check-in, disruption alerts and boarding passes	Both adults
[ ]	Google Maps	Navigation and offline city maps	All family phones
[ ]	Google Translate	Camera/menu translation + offline Japanese	All family phones
[ ]	Safety Tips	Officially supervised English alerts for earthquakes, tsunami and severe weather	Both adults; notifications on
[ ]	Official USJ app	Park map, waits and timed-area handling	Both adults
[ ]	Official PokéPark app	Required trip-day functions if tickets succeed	Both adults
[ ]	SmartEX or chosen rail service	Shinkansen booking/changes	Booking adult + backup adult
[ ]	Shared family notes/list app	Next-day plan, meeting point and “cut first” item	All family phones

Do not install a large bundle of speculative travel apps. Use the smallest set that supports this itinerary, review permissions and remove trip-only apps afterward.

Weather and What to Wear

October is usually comfortable for walking, but the route needs both warm-day and wet/cool-evening options. Japan Meteorological Agency 1991–2020 October normals are:

City	Typical daytime high	Typical nighttime low	October rainfall
Tokyo	22.0°C	14.8°C	234.8 mm
Kyoto	23.4°C	14.4°C	143.2 mm
Osaka	23.7°C	16.0°C	136.0 mm

These are monthly climate normals, not the 2026 forecast. October is generally fair, but rain and an occasional typhoon can still affect transport. Sources: JMA Tokyo normals, JMA Kyoto normals, JMA Osaka normals, JNTO October guide, JMA typhoon normals. Confidence: HIGH.

Wear system per person

• one breathable T-shirt or light base;
• one light overshirt, cardigan or thin fleece that fits in the daypack;
• long trousers or comfortable travel bottoms;
• broken-in walking shoes plus moisture-managing socks;
• packable waterproof rain shell; compact umbrella is useful in cities;
• cap and sunscreen for exposed park/coast days;
• optional warmer layer for Enoshima sunset, Awata night procession and late theme-park hours.

Do not plan around a heavy winter coat. Pack layers that can be removed on trains and indoors. For teamLab, follow the attraction’s clothing guidance separately. For the Petit Mura cat café, carry clean socks.

Final 7 Days — September 24–30

Done	What	When	Where / how	Who
[ ]	Check the real forecast for Tokyo, Kamakura/Enoshima, Kyoto and Osaka	Daily from Sept 24	JMA weather + Safety Tips alerts	Adult lead
[ ]	Adjust layers and rain gear from the real forecast	Sept 27–29	At home; pack one modular system per person	All 4
[ ]	Check typhoon, heavy-rain and transport notices	Daily from Sept 24	JMA, airline, JR/SmartEX and attraction official notices	Adults
[ ]	Recheck attraction closures, maintenance, age/height rules and festival timing	Sept 24–28	Official sites only	Adults
[ ]	Check whether the Oct 10 Tokyo Night & Light rotation includes the Pokémon work and record the earliest practical slot	Sept 24–Oct 9	Official timetable; ignore Instagram times	Adult lead
[ ]	Confirm Yūzen Fushimi is open Tue Oct 13 at 09:30 and that four engravings fit before checkout	Sept 24–Oct 9	Official shop account / 075-641-5744	Adult lead
[ ]	Complete Visit Japan Web if the family chooses to use it	Final week	Official Visit Japan Web only; keep backup travel details available	Adults
[ ]	Download all QR codes and PDFs; screenshot timed entries	By Sept 28	Offline ticket folder on both adult phones	Adults
[ ]	Verify names against passports where required	By Sept 28	Ticket folder + physical passports	Adults
[ ]	Confirm Narita terminal, departure train and airport arrival time	Sept 29	Airline + rail planner	Adults
[ ]	Pack medicines, chargers, power banks and one change of clothes in carry-on	Sept 29–30	Home	Each traveler
[ ]	Photograph/scan the final luggage contents	Sept 30	Family cloud folder	One adult

48 Hours and Departure Day

• Check in with the airline when available and save boarding passes offline.
• Charge phones, power banks, earbuds and trackers; pack charging cables and plug adapters.
• Put passports, payment cards, medicines and all first-night essentials in carry-on.
• Confirm the Tokyo host has accepted the arrival window and that late entry instructions work offline.
• Set one family meeting point for each airport and make sure both children have both adults’ numbers.
• Wear the broken-in walking shoes on the flight or keep one proven pair in carry-on.
• Recheck JMA/airline notices before leaving home.

Completion Rule

A purchase is not “done” until the confirmation is saved offline. An app is not “done” until it is installed, logged in and tested. A shoe is not “done” until it has passed a long walk without hot spots.

Research refreshed July 25, 2026. Replace climate normals with the real JMA forecast during the final week.