**Background**
I’m a late-20s Asian Male who has explored the Golden Route (Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka) twice, with the most recent trip being in March 2023 Tokyo, Fujikawaugchiko, Kyoto and Osaka-Nara. I had considered the idea of exploring other cities, but a snap idea came to my mind: Why not try to see most of them, feel the local vibes and then decide which cities to further dedicate in the future? Thus, I made the spontaneous decision to cover as much as I could on Honshu and touch a bit of Kyushu and Hokkaido.
Furthermore, I won the Osaka Marathon 2024 lottery as well, and I had a wonderful time running the marathon and broke my personal best by at least 51 minutes.
This was solo travel, with 28-inch luggage, 2 backpacks (1 stored in the luggage) and 1 expandable bag.
This trip occurred from mid-February 2024 to Early March 2024.
* Accommodation: All accommodation was booked on Booking.com. As far as possible, I had tried to book my accommodation near the major train stations, and this proved to be an excellent idea as I found myself struggling just 5 days through the trip with my luggage weight. |
* Luggage Forwarding & Storage: This was not possible due to my itinerary which saw me on the move, jumping from each city to each city no more than 1-2 nights per city. However, on the way to Niigata from Osaka, I booked storage service on Ecbo Cloak to store my luggage for JPY6000 as my 28-inch had already maxed out storage. However, I was curious if Sagawa would support my storage, and to my surprise, Sagawa helped me out and my eventual Tokyo Hotel would hold my luggage for 6 days until I arrived in Tokyo, which meant I only paid the forwarding cost Sagawa charged. I did, however, unfortunately, lose the money from Ecbo Cloak due to their no-refund policy on the day of the booking.
* Transportation: 11 Shinkansens, 2 Special Limited Expresses and a whole of Train & Buses in total! With such a packed & tight schedule, I had considered the whole of Japan Rail Pass (21 days), but my gripe was that I was limited to Hikari and Kodama on JR Central’s famous Tokaido Shinkansen. Furthermore, there were some trains where I wanted to try Green Class (Inaho Limited Express from Niigata to Akita) and Gran Class (Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto to Sendai). Therefore, I did the math and settled with:
* JR Central Segments: Buying Tokyo – Nagoya, Nagoya – Shin-Osaka and Shin-Osaka to Tokyo exclusively on the SmartEX App.
* JR West Segments: Milked the Sanyo-San’in Northern Kyushu Pass like crazy. Worth purchasing and saved A LOT of money.
* JR East Segments: Bought the JR-East South Hokkaido Pass, but also bought individual tickets for the Green Class Inaho Limited Express and the Gran Class tickets. I also bought my Tokyo to Niigata ticket as a single journey here as well. In hindsight, I could have saved JPY9,000 and just bought the class ticket for the Gran Class. But I wasn’t too sure and there was a lack of information, so now I know. I would have saved some money if I knew the combination.
* Cash: Most of my cash was exchanged before I arrived in Japan. I carried 50% on a Multi-Currency Card (think Wise/Revolut) and 50% cash. I managed to spend most of my cash first and found myself using the international ATM to withdraw about JPY20,000.
**Cities Covered**
1. Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture
2. Okayama, Okayama Prefecture
3. Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture
4. Miyajima Island, Hiroshima Prefecture
5. Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture
6. Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture
7. Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture
8. Osaka, Osaka Prefecture
9. Niigata, Niigata Prefecture
10. Akita, Akita Prefecture
11. Aomori, Aomori Prefecutre
12. Hakodate, Hokkaido Prefecture
13. Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture
14. Matsushita (Bay), Miyagi Prefecture
15. Tokyo, Tokyo
I won’t go into an exact detailed breakdown but here’s a summary based on what I can say. If anyone has specific questions on a detailed part of an itinerary, let me know so that I can answer them!
**Day 1: Tokyo & Nagoya**
* Landed at Narita, Took NEX to Tokyo station & stored my luggage there.
* Dashed around Harajuku and Tokyo to wrap up some shopping.
* Took a 9 pm train to Nagoya, and had dinner with delicious Ekiben.
**Day 2 : Nagoya**
* Explored Nagoya Castle, Osu Kannon & Osu Shopping District, Atsuta Jinggu, Chubu Electric Power Mirai Tower & Nearby Shopping Districts.
* Food was mainly Konibini, but managed to try Nagoya’s speciality – Miso – in my case, Miso Chicken Cutlet.
**Day 3: Nagoya to Okayama**
* Took a 10 am Nozomi to Shin-Osaka, Went out, got my JR West Sanyo-San’in Northern Kyushu Pass, and went back onto another Nozomi to Okayama.
* Explored Kibitsu Jinjna (Rural but LOVELY!) and went back to Okayama Station and transferred over to go to Kursashiki
* Explored Kurashiki Bilkan Historical Quarter (shops were mostly closed 🙁 ) and the Mitsui Outlet and Area
* Food was mainly, again, Konbini & ended my day with a hearty meal from Nakau (So value for money!)
Day 4: Okayama to Hiroshima
* Explored Okayama Korakuen and Okayama Castle (slipped and fell here a bit lol due to the wet rocks) but the place was serene
* Went back to Okayama station, bought Kibidango and Okayama Peach snacks and took theNozomi to Hiroshima at Noon with lunch at Hiroshima Station (Oysters, yum!)
* Went straight to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and Peace Memorial Hall
* Stopped by Honodri Shopping District and had the best Oyster Okonomiyaki Soba EVER for dinner!
**Day 5: Hiroshima (Miyajima Island)**
* Took the train & ferry to Miyajima Island
* Walked around & in Itsukushima Jinja
* Walked to Momijidani Park & Misen Ropeway but it was closed for maintenance; Walked to Daishoin
* Walked back to Omotesando Street, and had the best Teishoku (Fried Oyster, Conger Eel and Beef) ever for lunch; had grilled oyster (Yum), Fried & non-fried Momiji Manju (they were so good I bought 2 boxes!)
* Commenced shopping on the same street for souvenirs & hung around the Itsukjinja shrine to the lowest tide possible. Took photos and left the island afterwards
* Went back to Hondori Shopping District & Hiroshima Station for final souvenir shopping
**Day 6: Hiroshima to Fukuoka**
* Stopped by Hiroshima Castle for the final stop
* Went to Hiroshima Station, took the Nozomi to Hakata (Fukuoka) in the afternoon
* Went straight to Sumiyoshi Jinja, Kushida Shrine, Kawabata Shopping District, and Tenjin Shopping District & ended my day in Canal City (Shopping Haven!)
* Food was mainly..another Ekiben (yes I’m trying as much as I can haha) and konbinis; didn’t manage to try a lot due to moving a lot
**Day 7: Fukuoka – Kumamoto – Fukuoka**
* Took the Kyushu Shinkansen to Kurume, Fukuoka but realised not much going on in the city after visiting 1-2 nearby sites
* Took the same train to Kumamoto instead to visit Kumamoto Castle and the Suizenji Jojuen Garden, which was awesome! Kumamoto Castle was still rebuilding over the 2016 earthquake, so you could still see the traces!
* Grabbed Kumamoto Snacks and had a meat Kumamoto Bento (which was good!) to eat on the shinkansen back to Fukuoka.
* Went back again to Canal City to shop for my souvenirs, and had the best Strawberries from Kyushu and all of Japan.
* Went straight to Fukuoka Tower to watch the night view to wrap up the day. It was beautiful and I enjoyed my time.
**Day 8: Fukuoka to Osaka**
* Had konibini breakfast in my hotel and then took the Nozomi to Osaka in the afternoon. Grabbed a Kyushu Ekiben as it looked different from JR West’s one.
* Checked into my hotel and went off to INTEX Osaka for the Osaka Marathon Expo.
* Went to Shinsaibashi afterwards to look around and subsequently settled for dinner at Sushiro.
* As I had already been to Osaka twice, I wasn’t too fond of exploring the city.
**Day 9: Osaka**
* Rested in my hotel mainly for this day, and did my shakeout run along the O River.
* Went to Osaka-Umeda in the evening to look around and had dinner at Coco Ichibanya: I Ate Japanese Curry as my good luck meal for the Marathon. Also had one of the best strawberry parfait at the Hankyu Umeda shopping side.
**Day 10: Osaka – Marathon**
* Ran the cold, wet and windy Osaka Marathon finishing under 4 hours!
* Rested at the hotel and then spent the evening at Solaiwa Onsen Osaka Bay Tower. Had the Sashimi Ship Set for like 3980 Yen. It was massive! But I devoured it like crazy after the Marathon after all.
**Day 11: Osaka to Tokyo to Niigata**
* Left Osaka in the early morning to Tokyo. Grabbed souvenirs at Shin-Osaka Station as usual.
* Upon reaching Tokyo station, dropped my luggage at Sagawa (it was already 23kg /50 lbs and carried my travel bag and an expandable bag. Went to Shibuya to shop for something and went back to Tokyo station afterwards to catch my Shinkansen to Niigata.
* Reached Niigata to see that most of the station was renovating and terrible weather (wet + super windy)
* Due to the strong wind gusts and limited time, only managed to go to shop around Niigtata Station, Bandai City Center and Befco Bakauke Observation Deck Tower. Got knocked down onto the pavement with 55km/hr wind gusts with no one around me – that was super scary.
* I returned to the hotel afterwards and did my souvenir shopping at the shops that were limited but available at Niigata station.
* Had dinner at Royal Host beside the station – Had the best 250g hamburg ever.
**Day 12: Niigata to Akita**
* Left Niigata early to catch the Limited Express Inaho at 8:22 on one of the best seats – Greenn Class. One of the best train rides ever, with a clear view of the Sea of Japan. Was windy and the waves were rough and we were delayed by 16 minutes, but each minute spent on that train was amazing with all of the sea views that were violent and rough. It was spectacular to see it all. The journey time was 4 hours.
* Reached Akita and had lunch (Radish Udon) at Akita station before going to the hotel.
* Went around Senshu Park, and didn’t get to go into the sole building that was the Kubota Castle remnant due to it being closed.
* Shopped for goodies at the consolidated Akita Prefectural Goods Plaza “Akitano”! Very convenient as they had all the snack boxes and the local crafts in one central location. Prices were good, so if you ever go to Akita, drop by here! Got to try the Batsubera Ice Cream too!
* Walked around the shopping complexes near Akita Station & shopped and explored a bit.
* Went back to the hotel to rest but decided to embrace the cold and walk to Mega Donki Akita to shop and see. There was so much to look around for! It was dinner time as well, so the food at Donki was discounted! Walked back to my hotel and passed Kawabata Street. Overall, a very peaceful and serene place.
**Day 13: Akita to Aomori**
* Decided to slow down and just visit the Akita Citizen Market to see what’s there – they had fresh produce and veggies for the locals, and some good food too!
* Went back to Akita Station to catch my Limited Express Tsugaru from Akita to Aomori at noon and took about 3 hours. This train was AMAZING. The first half of the trip was mainly flat fields and snowy mountain ranges, but the other half – you know that you entered Aomori Prefecture when all you see is SNOW. Fields and fields of Snow. It was truly one of the most beautiful sights I’ve seen on the train, a past contrast from the day’s rough sea and waves.
* Reached Aomori City at 3:30 pm and quickly checked into my hotel and went out to Nebuta Museum Wa Rasse to check out the floats. After which, visited A Factory, which was a dedicated “warehouse” / shopping building dedicated to, you guessed it – Aomori Apples! Bought Aomori Apple Pies, Ate one on the spot too, and had the best Aomori Apple Juice, Aomori Apple Chocolate Donut. Aomori Apple Jelly. This place was truly Aomori Apple heaven.
* Went to the Aomori Prefecture Tourism Information Center ASPAM to get local goodies and merchandise. The perfect way to the end of the evening. Went back to my hotel early to rest because my next day would have been early, but I think I saw enough in Aomori.
**Day 14: Aomori to Hakodate to Sendai**
* Caught the sole 5:45 am train to Shin-Aomori and the sole 6.32 am Shinkansen to Shin Hakodate Hokuto, before transferring over and reaching Hakodate station at 8:05 am.
* Grabbed Brunch at Japan’s #1 voted fast food chain – Lucky Pierrot. Grabbed the Traditional Chinese Burger set for only 982 Yen. It was one of the best burgers I’ve had in my life.
* Went to Hakodate Morning Market to try some buttery and juicy uni (sea urchin) while grabbing some souvenirs before dashing to the Mount Hakodate Ropeway. Took the first ropeway up and WOW. That was the most beautiful sight to behold. I felt in awe and felt blessed to be there.
* Went back down and went back to Hakodate Station to head back to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto to catch my Shinkansen to Sendai. I opted for Gran Class for this train, and all I can say is – that it is truly an indeed luxury experience. One that I will never forget, but not likely pay for it again though. On the way to Sendai, caught the train coupling at Morioka Station, that was amazing!
* Once I reached Sendai, I went straight to the Aobadori Shopping district to eat and see what was there. Had Sendai’s speciality – Gyutan for dinner! Walked back to the hotel as I was frankly tired due to the early rise for Hakodate.
**Day 15: Sendai**
* Took the Sendai Loople to Zuihoden Temple (steep)!, Aoba Castle Honmaru Hall (aka Former Sendai Castle) and what an amazing view and full of history and rich culture! Then afterwards took a look at the National Treasure Osaki Hachiman Shrine and appreciated what was there.
* Seeing that I was done early in Sendai City for most of the tourist sights, I made the quick decision to go to Matsushima to catch the sightseeing ferry at Matsushima Bay! Gotta say, I enjoyed that one despite having to dash to the boat (they gave me only 15 minutes to run to the boat from the train station LOL) but the actual sights on the Bay were amazing! The different rock formations and their historical significance were so inteesting! I Ate Curry Oyster Bread and no Sendai trip is complete without drinking the Zunda Shake!
* Went back to Sendai by 4 pm to have dinner and shop for souvenirs and clothes near Sendai Station and the shopping district, and had another round of Gyutan for dinner before calling the day to the end.
**Day 16: Sendai to Tokyo**
* By this time, my expandable bag was already weighing 20kg / 44 lbs. I lugged my backpack and luggage to Sendai Station to catch my final Shinkansen to Tokyo and reached by noon.
* Went to Big Sight to see the Tokyo Marathon Expo and then went to Ueno to check into my hotel.
* Went straight to Harajuku, Shinjuku, Shibuya & Ikebukuro to shop and just enjoy the familiar Tokyo vibe.
* I’ve been to Tokyo on my previous trips, so this was just for me to enjoy the whole vibe without much of a plan.
**Day 17: Tokyo**
* Went back to Ikebukuro and Harajuku to shop for my goods. After which, detoured to Ginnza to check out the shopping districts as well.
* Headed on the Ginza Line back to Asakusa to Sensoji to shop for final Japanese souvenirs and also to pull a fortune from the temple. Headed to Skytree afterwards to shop for more food!
* Went to Akihabara just for the vibes and to relieve memories of my previous trips.
* After which, I just slowly headed back to my hotel to pack everything and rest.
**Day 18: Time to Leave Japan!**
* Walked around Ueno Park.
* Went to Tokyo Station to look at any final souvenirs I wanted.
* Headed to Keisei Ueno to take my Keisei Skyliner back to Narita (NEX was suspended due to a cable fault)
* Spent the remaining amount of Yen for final souvenirs and of course, the post-custosms Akihabara Tax Free shops!
* Took my flight and went home.
In short, I briefly managed to capture nearly every single corner of Honshu, along with the tip of Kyushu and Hokkaido. I wished I had more time to see it all, but I intended to recce. From this trip, I’ve more or less pinpointed the following:
1. I desire to visit Kyushu for my next trip. It was one of the most enjoyable places I’ve ever been, and it it’s much more peaceful and relaxing as compared to other parts of Japan that are similar in size.
2. I have to return to Hiroshima & Miyajima again to slowly stroll along the city and the island itself. It was so amazing to see it all – from the history to the island itself, and the desire to see the view at the top of Mount Misen!
3. Aomori, Hakodate. You two are the BEST peaceful cities I’ve been to in the Tohoku and Hokkaido regions. Especially Hakodate, I was in awe and wanted to tear up at how peaceful, beautiful, and serene everything was. Not to mention the ropeway played tear-jerking music on the way up/down.
4. Osaka and Tokyo remain a key staple to visit regardless of shopping and food paradise.
5. Akita, Okayama & Sendai are worth stopping! But for Akita, I would add a day trip outside the city!
6. Niigata and Nagoya were a bit of a downer for me, but I won’t dismiss them entirely – will see if I should revisit them soon!
This was a long one to write, but it is truly a once-in-a-lifetime itinerary! I am happy that I’ve done it, notably that I was solo and free to dictate my movements, and I will return to Japan again to continue exploring! Happy to answer if anyone has questions!
by FireArcanine