**Overview**
* Meeting my friend Jim, doing 10 days together.
* We will enjoy physical challenges of skiing and hiking.
* Lots of onsens and sake to unwind in the evenings. We really love sake and want to sample plenty of it.
* We are making time to see the cities as well.
* We love socializing with fellow tourists.
* We have both been to Japan before and mostly know what we are doing for stuff like train tickets, SIM cards, payment methods and the usual logistics/etiquette.
* We are aware of Lunar New Year. We don’t anticipate it being an issue for our itinerary.
* Accommodation is all booked already, and we are confident in the overall plan. But it’s always good to check we haven’t made any serious errors and accidentally booked the impossible, while we still have some time to recover.
**Thursday 8th – I arrive Narita alone**
* Take the Skyliner train into Tokyo downtown.
* I will make sure my first landing spot is near a bic Camera to get us our SIMs.
* Buy the train tickets for the next day (see below)
* Buy sake. I want to buy several bottles of expensive sake. Try before you buy strongly preferred, even better if the place has a knowledgeable guide who can offer suggestions, eg “oh you like this one? Then you should try these ones”.
* Visit a micro pig cafe.
* Other boring shopping like buying camping stove gas and snacks.
* Previously in Tokyo I have made fast friends with other tourists in my hostel and we’ve gone out together. Obviously I can’t do that this time – I will look for a bar where I can have a few drinks and maybe socialize a bit with other tourists.
* Get the last train to Haneda. I will double check on the day, but it is usually ~23:30
**Friday 9th – Jim arrives in Haneda**
* Jim’s flight lands at 01:15
* We will nap for a few hours in Haneda, and get the first train/bus combination to Hakuba.
* Google says the first train journey leaves Haneda 05:26 and arrives Hakuba Happo bus terminal 09:30.
* I will make sure to have bought these tickets the day before.
* Leave luggage at Hakuba Happo bus terminal (google says there are lockers).
* Get in (most of) a day’s skiing.
* We need to hire ski gear. Apparently this can be done walking distance from Hakuba Happo bus terminal (ie in the town).
* We then have 8 resorts to choose from. We have lots of options, including just staying put and doing Happo. But youtube videos suggest that there are shuttle buses to and from Hakuba Happo bus terminal and each other resort, Goryu etc. And they are all great so we can’t go too far wrong.
* Onsen in town. (youtube said there are public onsens where this will be possible)
* Dinner in town early.
* Back to accomodation for early night.
* Unfortunately, our accomodation is 1.7 miles from Hakuba Happo bus terminal. We are both hikers and undaunted at the prospect of walking unburdened or wearing our backpack luggage. However, carrying skis and boots would be more annoying (but doable). Perhaps we would be allowed to leave our skis with the rental store?
**Saturday 10th – Ski again in Hakuba**
* Not much to say that hasn’t already been said above.
**Sunday 11th – Last day skiing in Hakuba**
* The important thing is we don’t miss the last transport to Nagano city.
* Google says there is a bus running 17:59 – 19:11. From Hakuba train station to Nagano train station.
* Our hotel is conveniently near Nagano train station.
* We are leaving room for spontaneity here. After getting checked in at the hotel, we’ll be looking for sake (either drinking that night on the premises, and or buying bottles to take on to the next stage of the journey), nice restaurant, a social bar (or even nightclub) in which to socialise with tourists. If you have any suggestions they would be very welcome.
**Monday 12th – On to Shibu Onsen**
* We may want to go sake shopping in Nagano city before leaving, or we may want to just get the train to Shibu Onsen as soon as possible.
* To be honest we chose Nagano because it’s equidistant between Hakuba and Shibu Onsen, not to see/do anything in particular. We will probably not want to spend long here on Monday. But if you have any suggestions for anything you think is unmissable in Nagano we’re all ears!
**Tuesday 13th, Wednesday 14th – Nights 2&3 at Shibu Onsen**
* We’ll be enjoying the onsens and doing hiking and day trips.
* Looking forward to doing at least one challenging (but safe) hike.
* Jigokudani Monkey Park is on the list. We know you can get updates from Facebook on the day saying if monkey sightings are likely or not.
* There is loads of info out there of day trips within easy distance, so we’re allowing some leeway here to vary based on our energy levels. We already have lots of pins in the map and hiking routes. If there are any you think are unmissable, please share!
**Thursday 15th – Day and a night in Tokyo**
* A couple we know are in Tokyo by coincidence (they are starting a cruise the next day).
* They have already chosen some things to do during the day. Mostly we are going to defer to them.
* For the evening, we are all staying at the same hotel in Shinjuku.
* As before, we’re looking for some sake spots in Shinjuku. There are some good leads on google maps, yay!
**Friday 16th, Saturday 17th – Kyoto by day, Osaka by night**
* By day Jim wants to see the temples of Kyoto.
* I’ve already explored Kyoto very thoroughly and still have the pins in my map. We have totally got this sorted. Jim will set the pace for how ambitious we want to be based on energy levels.
* We will absolutely be vising 浅野日本酒店KYOTO. I can strongly recommend this sake bar/store!
* Osaka food will be a highlight! To be honest I’ll probably just go back to places I have pins for from last time.
* We will want to enjoy Osaka’s Friday and Saturday nightlife. Our hotel is near the Drunken Clam bar. Last time I enjoyed socializing with tourists there and at similar foreigner-oriented bars nearby.
* Last time I didn’t go to an actual nightclub. Would you recommend it? To be honest, from pictures and online guides it seems kinda seedy(?) Best nightclub(s) to try? Or avoid nightclubs altogether?
**Sunday 18th – last day. Get to Tokyo via Mount Fuji**
* Our flights leave early Monday, so we’ll be getting the last trains from Tokyo to Narita and Haneda at the end of the night.
* For the day, we’re not going to be too ambitious – a few hours seeing Mount Fuji will be enough. (We might swap out for something else on the journey between Osaka and Tokyo – is Mount Fuji overrated?)
We’re just so excited. **Thank you for your help in reviewing!**
by ExeterLife