Hi! Would love an itinerary check, and any suggestions. I’m heading to Japan with a group of about 6 friends – we live in different countries so are meeting there for a couple of joint birthdays. My family is also coming along for the second half of the trip, which will be great!
If anyone has suggestions for fun hikes, boozy nights out, good coffee, queer things, museums, art, design/vintage shopping, gardens, onsen (tattoo friendly), ceramics shopping (both for beautiful finished ceramics, or great tools/supplies I can use in my own pottery!). Particularly any thoughts on locations for group meals for 6-12 people…also things I can take my 8 year old nephew to, that would be amazing….!
I’m also thinking about doing part of Shimanami Kaido – though I’m not sure as it would take a chunk of time out of the Osaka/Naoshima leg to get down there. If anyone could recommend any fun, scenic cycling routes around Osaka/Naoshima/Tokyo, that would be very appreciated. (Please note; while I cycle as my main way of getting around, I’m used to London which is notoriously flat!)
At this point our itinerary is pretty flexi; we will probably aim to lock down a few key things we need to get tickets for, and leave the rest as a ‘grab bag’ of activities so we can decide on the day what we want to do. We’ll probably split up into pairs/trios to get some healthy breaks from each other too…!
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13/4: Fly into Tokyo, train north somewhere to see cherry blossoms (??)
16-20/4: Tokyo, including Meiji Jingu & Yoyogi Park, Shinjuku Gyoen, Garden, Mori Art Museum, TeamLab (Borderless/Planets?), a couple big nights out.
21-24/4: Osaka: Family joining here; Universal Studios, Shitennoji Flea Market, daytrip to Kyoto, Nara Park, Mt Kasuga Primeval Forest, Dotonbori Canal, Horie
24-26/4: Naoshima; museum visits, cycling, cute wine bars
27-29/4: Back to Tokyo: Oedo Antique Market, an omakase birthday dinner, final shopping and flying out…
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Any major misses? Any delusions? Affirmations or wild curveballs?
by gluefingers