Hello,
I am traveling solo later this month, with my itinerary mostly concentrated around Osaka and Kyoto. I alternated early morning/long days just to give myself some flexibility.
I have the Kiyomizu-dera night viewing planned, but I would really like to add another. It looks like Nijo Castle or Osaka Castle are both an option. Are there others I should look into?
**March 28, Thursday – Arrive in the evening**
* Hotel is in Shinsaibashi
**March 29, Friday – Osaka**
* Osaka Castle
* Dotombori
* Make my way to Shinsekai for Food Tour by 5:00pm
**March 30, Saturday – Nara / Kyoto**
The route I am planning to take is the following: Isuien Garden, Todaiji Temple, Kasuga Taisha, Kofuku-ji. With about 6 hours, is this enough time? Looking to take the train to Kyoto at around 4:00pm. Ultimately, this is entirely flexible.
The night viewing of Kiyomizu-dera is one of the things I am really looking forward to. I can either go on this day or the next, whichever has the better weather forecast.
Other option at night: Yasaka Shrine / Maruyama Park
**March 31, Sunday – Kyoto**
* Kyoto Tour
I completely understand that this is going to be rushed. But with my limited time, I felt this was the best option. I do have an opportunity to revisit sites later on.
After the tour, Yasaka Shrine and Maruyama Park at night
**April 1, Monday – Himeji Castle**
* 10:32am Nozomi
I don’t have much of a plan for Himeji Castle but to wander around. Definitely could use some ideas for the afternoon.
Overall, I did want to keep this day relatively light as the next day is quite long.
**April 2,Tuesday – Hiroshima / Miyajima. Stay for sunset in Miyajima**
* 7:56am Nozomi
* Atomic Bomb Dome
* Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
* Miyajima Ropeway
Sunset is at 6:40pm. I should be back in Osaka around 11pm.
**April 3, Wednesday – Free/Open day**
My “things didn’t quite work out” day. Latest Cherry Blossom forecast also states that full bloom is this week.
* Forward Luggage to Tokyo Hotel
* Revisit sites that I felt needed more time
* Ideas or suggestions would be great
Options at night: Fushimi Inari / Nijo Castle / Something else?
**April 4, Thursday – Fuji Speedway Hotel (Oyama-Cho)**
* 9:48am Hikari to Mishima
Recovery / Relaxing day. Hopefully Mt. Fuji is visible from the hotel.
**April 5, Friday – Kawaguchiko**
The next two days is where I am struggling with planning as transportation options are very limited around the area.
* Taxi to Kawaguchiko in the morning
* Ropeway and Boat ride
* Oishi Park
* [Fuji-Kawaguchiko Cherry Blossom festival](https://en.kawaguchiko.net/event-en/fujikawaguchiko-cherry-blossoms-festival/)
I will walk from Oishi Park to the festival location. But the last sightseeing bus is around 6:20pm. And it doesn’t look like Taxis are an option around the area. I did find this [timetable](https://www.fujikyubus.co.jp/pdf/kofu/kofu_timetable_en.pdf), which will work as the last bus is at 8:20pm. But is this the only bus route available at night?
**April 6, Saturday – Lake Kawaguchiko/Tokyo**
* Chureito Pagoda by Sunrise (about a 45-60 minute walk).
* Open to ideas after a quick breakfast
* Head to Tokyo by noon
Just looking at the reserved seats already booked. It is going to be very busy at Otsuki Station. Is 15 minutes enough time to pick up my train ticket to Shinjuku? I assume there are no JR vending machines at Kawaguchiko, is it possible to attach an IC card to the reservation? (Similar to Smart-Ex). Ticket is booked via Eki-net.com.
The obvious answer is to take a later train to Shinjuku. Just want to see what my options are.
**Tokyo**
* Chidorigafuchi Park at night if Cherry Blossoms are still present
* Alternative is Shibuya Sky
**April 7, Sunday – Tokyo**
* Asakusa in the morning
* Oedo Antique Market – I want to visit this in hopes of finding unique items to take home. Basically, something more interesting than the mass produced things. I am just not sure if I will make it in time before the vendors start packing up. Where can I go as an alternative?
Options at night: Tokyo Tower, Meguro river
**April 8, Monday – Fly out of Narita early AM**
* 6:00am Skyliner to Narita
In regards to restaurants, reserving for one seems very hard. I am not trying to dine in extremely fancy places, but I do want to have a nice dinner for a couple of nights. Are walk-ins fine as solo?
Thanks!
by ryans_081