Hi All,
My husband and I are planning our first trip to Japan for early March. Wanted to get some feedback on the reasonableness of our itinerary and if we’re missing any must-do’s:
|Day 1 Sunday (Tokyo) |Arrive at Haneda 3:30 PM / Check into hotel near Tokyo Station / Dinner at Tokyo Station Ramen Street|
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|Day 2 (Tokyo)|6 AM – 12 PM: food tour (Toyosu, Tsujiki, Senso-ji, Kaiseki lunch) / Kappabashi Kitchen Shopping Street / Return to hotel for quick rest / Train to Shibuya / Shibuya Scramble & Shibuya Sky (try for reservations around sunset) / Casual dinner in Shibuya or Tokyo Station|
|Day 3 (Tokyo)|Ueno Park and Tokyo National Museum / Lunch, shopping, arcades in Akihabara / Dinner reservations in Ginza|
|Day 4 (Hakone)|Ship luggage to Osaka / Morning train to Matsuda (1 hr) / Walk to Matsuda Yama Herb Garden to see the early cherry blossoms / Travel to Hakone (90 min) and spend evening in ryokan|
|Day 5 (Osaka)|Travel to Osaka (3-4 hrs) arriving at hotel in Namba mid afternoon / Namba Yasaka Shrine / Dinner in Dotonbori|
|Day 6 (Nara)|Train to Nara in morning / Nara park, Todai-ji / Sake tasting at Harushika Brewing / Return to Osaka in afternoon / Dinner reservations in Shinsaibashi / Harukas 300 observation deck|
|Day 7 (Himeji / Kobe)|Train to Himeji in morning / Himeji Castle, Kokoen Gardens / Train to Kobe to visit friends for afternoon / Return to Osaka in evening|
|Day 8 Sunday (Kyoto)|Ship luggage to Kyoto / Early train to Fushimi Inari, spend 2-3 hrs hiking here / Train to Keage Station / Nanzenji temple / Lunch / Walk Philosopher’s Path to Ginkakuji / Mt Daimonji Hike (1 hr) / Check into hotel near Sanjo station / Ponchoto Alley in evening|
|Day 9 (Kyoto)|Kiyomizu-dera by 8 AM / Wander Sannen Zaka and Ninen Zaka Path / Kenninji Temple / Lunch / Yasaka Shrine and Maruyama park / Dinner in Gion|
|Day 10 (Kyoto)|Arashiyama Bamboo Grove (arrive by 8:30 AM) / Okochi Sanso Villa / Togetsukyo Bridge / Wandering around / lunch in Arashiyama / Nijo Castle|
|Day 11 (Kyoto)|Kurama to Kibune Hike / Free afternoon (more exploring, visit any locations missed from prior days, or maybe railway museum?)|
|Day 12 (Tokyo)|Ship luggage to Tokyo / Shinkansen from Kyoto to Tokyo / Check into Hotel in Shinjuku / Shopping/exploring in Shinjuku / Golden Gai|
|Day 13 (Tokyo)|Shinjuku Goen / Harajuku / Last minute shopping and preparing for flight home / Omakase Sushi dinner in Roppongi|
|Day 14 (Tokyo)|Fly home to USA|
I also had a couple specific questions:
\- If anyone has been to see the early cherry blossoms in Matsuda, is it worth the stop on the way to Hakone? We are travelling earlier in March so this will likely be our only shot to see any blossoms.
\- How critical is it to book dinner reservations in advance, particularly in touristy places like Kyoto? We’re huge foodies and I’m happy to book reservations for most nights if needed to to avoid long waits / full restaurants, but wasn’t sure how necessary that is or if we’d miss out on some great local places by doing so.