Hi there! My husband and I are finally going on our honeymoon/10 year anniversary after it got cancelled 4 years ago due to lockdown. We are so excited for our first trip solo (without the kiddo), and would appreciate your feedback/tips regarding our itinerary/questions below.
We’ve been looking at Reddit threads, different blogs with itineraries and watching YouTube videos too! I have a spreadsheet of restaurants/cafes/bars and it is so long and overwhelming because of the sheer amount of things to do and see.
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Here it is:
**Day 1 / flying into NRT**
We’re flying into NARITA in the afternoon, and will catch a train to Shimbashi for our first night at the only “higher end” accommodation we booked. I don’t think I’ll make dinner reservations just in case the flight gets delayed, but do you have any recs for a good walk-in dinner in the area? Otherwise we might want to check out Kunisawa Brewing!
**Day 2-3 / Tokyo to Kanazawa**
After hotel breakfast we’re hoping to walk around the park a bit and catch the Shinkansen to Kanazawa around noon. We booked a lovely machi-ya/townhouse for 2 nights.
We’re looking forward to exploring the Kazue District, Omicho Market, the Samurai District, Oyama Shrine, KenrokuEn & trying a couple of their lovely tea houses. A youtube video I watched recommended to try Kirari Zushi for a fancy & fun sushi dinner out; The sushi comes to you on a conveyor belt on a shinkansen train!
**Day 4-5 / Kanazawa to Takayama**
We will be taking a bus in the morning from Kanazawa to Takayama for 2 nights. Question: in your experience/opinion, is it really worth it to make a stop at Shirakawa-go Village for a half day?
I’m so excited for the Showa era museum in Takayama, but also for the views on the river, old town and Hida beef of course.
We are trying to book the Antique Inn Sumiyoshi (the ryokan we had originally booked 4 years ago) but nobody is getting back to us via email, and I read that the Japanese don’t usually open bookings this far in advance. Do you have any other personal recs for staying in Takayama? Otherwise we will book an AirBnb.
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**Day 6-7-8 / Takayama to Kyoto**
Finally we’re taking the train to go to Kyoto a we’re staying 3 nights (or maybe 2, see question below). We’re hoping to book a Machiya/Townhouse by the “philosopher’s path”.
We are looking forward to strolling along the path, the Fushimi Inari Taisha of course, Kinkakuji, Arashiyama (bamboo grove, Tenryuji Temple), Higashiyama and the Kiyomizudera.
We will have dinner at Tempura Endo Yasaka and explore Pontocho alley.
We are planning our anniversary dinner / night out in Osaka (as part of a day trip there to see the Osaka Castle & Shinsekai retro district to eat Kushikatsu with beer) because it will fall on a Saturday! My spreadsheet has a few restaurant names, but do you have a personal special dinner spot in Osaka (and why is it special)? Of course the night will ideally take us to Dotonbori before heading back to Kyoto to spend the night.
**Day 9-10 / Kyoto to Tokyo**
***Here’s the dilemma:*** *staying in Kyoto for 3 nights means we are not eligible for the 7-day JR rail pass (internal travel span being over 8 days). I tried estimating costs for trains and transportation without the pass and it’s a difficult estimate to make with the info available online. Do you think the pass would make a big difference, given our itinerary? If so, we might consider staying one less night in Kyoto and go back to Tokyo within the 7 day window to take advantage of the JR pass.*
We are looking at staying in Asakusa for this final stretch of the trip. No plans, yet, but no real worries either. We might check out Kamakura or Yokohama, we are playing it by ear really.
Thanks for taking the time to look at all this! We’d love to read your feedback on what we’ve got so far.