Hello reddit,
My gf (29 and 22) are travelling to Japan for the first time in March/April. I have never travelled further than Europe, so this trip will be my biggest journey ever. I am really excited to visit Japan!
To make sure I have the best experience, I would be truly grateful for your feedback on our itinerary so far. I am unsure if we have planned far too much, so any guidance on how to optimize our travel is much appreciated. I have also used the JR Calculator and so far, it seems as if the JR Pass is not worth it. Is it exhausting to get tickets separately, though, or is that not an issue? Thank you in advance.
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**March 19th: Arrival late in Tokyo Narita (staying in Taito)**
— Nothing planned except checking-in and maybe grab something to eat
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**March 20th: Exploring Tokyo, Part I (Taito / Sumida)**
— Asakusa shrine and Hōzōmon gate, Ueno park, Kameido shrine, Skytree
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**March 21st: Travel to next hotel in Osaka**
— Travel to Osaka (our stay is near Shinsaibashi, we have booked Osaka instead of Kyoto because it was MUCH cheaper and the available hotels in Kyoto weren’t great)
— shopping in Shinsaibashi, later Dotonbori for food & drinks (we are meeting friends there who also staying in Osaka for the next couple of days)
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**March 22nd: Osaka**
— Sumiyoshi Taisha, Kayukan Aquarium, Tsutenskaku, Shinsekai
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**March 23rd: Day trip to Nara**
— Exploring Nara
— Feed / Pet some deer
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**March 24th: Osaka**
— Kuromon Ichiba Market, Osaka Castle, Umeda Sky Building
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**March 25th: Day trip to Kyoto, Part I**
— sightseeing west of Kyoto (Arashiyama, Nijo Castle, Imperial Palace, Kamishichiken Kabukai)
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**March 26th: Day trip to Kyoto, Part II**
— sightseeing east of Kyoto station (Kiyomizu-dera, Gion, Yasaka-shrine, Tetsugaku-no-michi / Philosopher’s walk, Nishiki market
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**March 27th: Departure from Osaka and one-night stay in Kobe**
— We are staying in a Ryokan for one night near the Arima Onsen and plan to have steak in Kobe
— Regarding the onsen we are unsure, if my gfs two small tattoos could be an issue there?
— We want to visit the Nunobiki waterfall and / or the Nunobiki Herb Gardens
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**March 28th: Departure from Kobe and travel to Fukuoka**
— travel to Fukuoka (no hotel booked atm, most likely in Tenjin)
— depending on when we arrive, probably little exploring and grabbing food at a yatai stall
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**March 29th: Fukuoka**
— not much planned so far, most likely Ohori Park, Kushida Shrine, Fukuoka Tower, maybe take a cooking class?
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**March 30th: Fukuoka**
— we are unsure if there is still something to see in Fukuoka or if we should do a day trip to some nearby city (Yanagawa). Perhaps we should depart at this point to spend more time in Tokyo
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**March 31st: Departure from Fukuoka and travel to Tokyo**
— we would like to stay near Shibuya or Shinjuku
— most likely, we’re travelling via plane as it seems to take less time overall
— depending on where we are going to stay, we do some small exploration of things in the vicinity
— We want to try some teppanaki and this day seems to be perfect for that
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**April 1st: Day trip to Nikko**
— Exploring Nikko and it’s shrines / nature
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**April 2nd: Tokyo**
— Meiji shrine, Yoyogi park, Shibuya crosswalk, Tokyo tower
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**April 3rd: Day trip to see Mt. Fuji**
— Destination is Hakone or Kawaguchiko lake
— We are not planning on doing much hiking as I had knee surgery last year and while I can walk long distances without issue going on a hike will most likely be too much for me
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**April 4th: Tokyo (“Day trip” to Yokohama)**
— Visiting the Tsukiji market early to grab fresh sushi / fish
— Yokohama harbour, Chinatown, Sankeien Garden
— Maybe the Cup Noodles Museum
— Landmark Tower / Sky Garden
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**April 5th: Tokyo**
Departure from Japan at Haneda Airport (early)
by Leinus
