Hi everyone,
This will be my 3rd time visiting Japan, first being in September 2018 (solo) and second being September 2019 (with my parents).
In addition to returning to some of my favorites, I’m trying to plan in a few things I haven’t done during my previous visits, and my schedule looks to be pretty busy, but I think I should be able to manage it.
Nevertheless, I’d appreciate any suggestions/advice on anything I may have overlooked.
Day 1 (Monday):
* Arrival at Narita in the morning.
* Buy a data SIM card.
* Take Keisei Skyliner to hotel (in Shinjuku).
* Relax, enjoy nice food and arcades.
* Plan to sleep very early and long to deal with jetlag (most likely I won’t sleep on the plane).
Day 2 (Tuesday):
* Early Highway Bus to Highland Resort Hotel and Spa (already booked).
* Day at Fuji-Q Highland.
* Buy ticket at the hotel for early access to the park.
* Onsen in the evening.
Day 3 (Wednesday):
* Highway bus to Mishima Station (already booked) + Shinkansen to Kyoto.
* Nothing specific planned; I’ll probably just take it easy (I’ve already seen a lot in Kyoto during my last trip).
Day 4 (Thursday):
* Day trip to Omi Hachiman (walking, museums, etc.)
Day 5 (Friday):
* Morning Inari Shrine (I’ve done it before, but I’d like to go again).
* Afternoon trip to Uji.
Day 6 (Saturday):
* Travel to next hotel in Osaka.
* Nothing specific planned, I’ll probably have a look around shops, arcades, etc.
Day 7 (Sunday):
* Probably a day trip to Nara (I’ve been before, but I want to go again)
Day 8 (Monday):
* Day at Universal Studios Japan (Already booked)
Day 9 (Tuesday):
* Travel to next hotel near Onomichi.
* No specific plans; I’ll figure out things to do at the time.
Day 10 (Wednesday):
* Get up early to rent a bicycle.
* Leave luggage in a coin locker.
* Cycle first half of Shimanami Kaido route.
* I’m not planning to rush this, I want to take my time to appreciate it and see things along the way.
* Stay at hostel halfway along route.
Day 11 (Thursday):
* Second half of Shimanami Kaido route.
* Stay in hotel at end of Shimanami Kaido route.
Day 12 (Friday):
* Take bus back to Onomichi.
* Collect luggage from coin locker.
* Shinkansen to Hiroshima.
* Memorial Park and museum (maybe, I went there already last time, but I’d like to see again).
* Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki
Day 13 (Saturday):
* Day trip to Itsukushima.
* I want to try walking both up and down (last time with my parents, we took the cable car up and only walked down).
Day 14 (Sunday):
* JAL flight from Hiroshima back to Tokyo.
* Souvenir shopping, arcades, etc. (I might buy a large case to check-in depending on how much stuff I want to bring back).
Day 15 (Monday):
* Sega Joypolis (I’ve been before, but I really liked this place).
* Not yet decided what to do in the evening. Maybe Tokyo Dome City if I have time.
Day 16 (Tuesday):
* Flight home.
3 comments
I think most days seems great especially because you’ve been to Japan twice and it’s not really too pack.
A few suggestions is on day 9 if you’re close by onomichi, I really enjoyed Tomonoura, which is like half an hour away by car (I drove there so not sure about the trains). But it’s a nice port town with good views, just very relaxing in general.
The other is that if you’re not keen on the memorial park (I’ve been once and while I recommend everyone to go, it can be a very depressing place.), the nearby orizuru tower is really good as well. There’s an observation deck at the top where you can see straight towards the park and it’s just right beside the peace dome. It also talks a fair bit about the history but not as detailed as the memorial park.
The last thing is that Hiroshima’s airport is actually kinda far and only accessible by bus, taking into account of the time, it might be better to just take the Shinkansen if you haven’t booked the flight. And a local train from onomichi to Hiroshima is probably better value and just a fraction of time more (shin onomichi is also kinda out of the way). It might also be worth sending your luggage straight to Hiroshima considering it will cost you the full 3 days and I’m under the impression that some lockers are cleared out daily.
just use ubigi if your phone supports esim.
it’ll be my 5th time visint ghtis friday and i still have no idea what im doing other than going sapporo winter festival and kyushu. I’m 100% winging my own trip. Have fun!