Hi all, currently doing some planning for our upcoming trip in March and would appreciate any feedback.
The focus of the trip is the cherry blossom viewing. I’ll be travelling with two elderly parents – one of them has bad knees, so I’m a little concerned with the areas with a lot of stairs.
I’m also hoping that I have not packed too much in a day – would appreciate any thoughts – open to suggestions on how to best optimise the order of the locations etc.
Thank you so much 😊
**Day 0 (21 March, Thursday) – Tokyo**
We arrive at Narita Airport around 5:30pm. We’ll be staying close to Shinjuku station.
**Day 1 (22 March, Friday) – Tokyo**
Meiji-jingu
Yoyogi Park
Meguro River / Naka-Meguro Station
Shibuya Sky at sunset (book tickets for approx. an hour before)
Shibuya/Ometo-sando area for dinner, visit the famous crossing
**Day 2 (23 March, Saturday) – Tokyo**
Tsukiji Fish Market
Ginza
Chidorigafuchi Moat
Shinjuku-Gyoen
**Day 3 (24 March, Sunday) Tokyo**
Asakusa /Sensoji & Nakamise Shopping Street
Ueno Park
Ameyoko Shopping District next to Ueno Station
Sumida Park
**Day 4 (25 March, Monday) Tokyo**
A spare day in Tokyo to catch up on anything we missed.
Alternatively, consider a day trip (Kamakura/ Odaiba/ Mt Takao etc.)
**Day 5 (26 March, Tuesday) Tokyo – Kawaguchiko**
Travel from Tokyo (Shinjuku) to Kawaguchiko. We’ll be staying next to Fuji-Q Highland.
Arrive at Kawaguchiko in the afternoon (around 2-3pm).
Visit the Chureito Pagoda/ Arakuyama Sengen Park for sunset.
Head back towards Kawaguchiko station for dinner.
Then, take a taxi back to the hotel (not sure of public transport options in this area during night time).
**Day 6 (27 March, Wednesday) – Kawaguchiko**
Full Day Sightseeing – Mt Fuji & surrounds:
Lake Kawaguchiko, Oishi Park, Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway
If there is time: consider Tenku no torii, Oshino Hakkai
Undecided on whether to rely on public transport (the sightseeing bus) or book a private driver for the day.
**Day 7 (28 March, Thursday) – Kawaguchiko – Kyoto**
Travel from Kawaguchiko to Kyoto.
Leave in the late morning, should arrive in Kyoto around \~4pm.
We’ll be staying at a Ryokan for 1 night, near Nishiki Market.
Dinner at the Ryokan.
**Day 8 (29 March, Friday) – Kyoto**
Traditional breakfast at the Ryokan
Kiyomizu-dera, Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka, Yasaka Pagoda
Check out the traditional Starbucks at Kyoto Ninenzaka Yasaka Chaye, have lunch around the area.
Gion
Maruyama Park
We’ll be checking into our next hotel near Kyoto Station, where we will be staying for the remaining of the trip.
**Day 9 (30 March, Saturday) – Kyoto**
Philosopher’s Path / Tetsugaku-no-michi
Keage Incline
Kinkaku-ji
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest (will be skipping the monkey park due to the stairs)
The Sagano Romantic Train
**Day 10 (31 March, Sunday) – Kyoto**
Fushimi Inari
Spend the afternoon at Uji
**Day 11 (1 April, Monday) – Osaka (staying in Kyoto)**
Osaka Castle
Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street
Kema Sakuranomiya Park/ Okawa River
Osaka Mint (if they are open)
Expo ’70 Commemorative Park
(may move some of the above to the next day)
**Day 12 (2 April, Tuesday) – Osaka (staying in Kyoto)**
Shinsaibashi Shopping Arcade
Dotonbori – Street food, river cruise
Kuromon Ichiba markets
**Day 13 (3 April, Wednesday) – Nara (staying in Kyoto)**
Nara – day trip (was thinking of taking the Aoniyoshi train).
**Day 14 (4 April, Thursday) – Kyoto**
A spare day to catch up on anything we missed.
Alternatively, consider a day trip (Himeji/ Miyajima)
**Day 15 (5 April, Friday)**
Depart from Kansai International Airport.
Our flight doesn’t leave until night time, so we may spend the day at Nishiki Market/ surrounding areas.
by taxseasoned
1 comment
22 March: The places you have chosen involve a *lot* of walking for someone with bad knees. Consider skipping both Yoyogi Park and Meiji Jingu: neither is distinguished by anything but location—you’ll be seeing prettier places in Kyoto—and neither is historic (in a sense). Meiji Jingu was built in 1920. Yoyogi Park does have some interesting history—it was a military training ground before and during World War II, then a housing area for the occupying US military, then the Olympic Village (for the 1964 Olympics—but, for easily guessed reasons, most traces of that history have been erased). (The buildings of the Olympic Village are still in use, but I’m not sure you can enter the area.)
Be sure to take the train to Naka-Meguro Station to go to the Meguro River. Although the spot looks close to Shibuya Station, the river is at the bottom of a steep hill.
25 March: Choose between Kamakura or Odaiba. Mt. Takao would involve too much climbing. I’d recommend Kamakura.
27 March: If you can, take a look at photographs of or a video of the Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway. The entrance is up a fairly steep hill and has a bunch of stairs.
29 March: What on earth is a ‘traditional Starbucks’?