Good day everyone,
Previously I have seek some ideas and advise from the sub and this is my first time posting in here. Please do give some advise and suggestions on whether the itinerary works and manageable.
This is my second trip to Japan and will be travelling with my mum in her 50s. We will be going in the month of October this year by ourselves. For this trip, I am focused more to visiting the places I have not visiting in the west region and hunting for anime pilgrimage sightseeing.
Day 1
* Arrived at Kansai Airport late night
* Check in and exploring the nightlife of Osaka
Day 2 (Osaka)
* Namba Yasaka Shrine
* Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street
* Den den town and shopping malls near Namba
* Dotonbori
Day 3 (Kobe)
* Kitano Ijinkiai
* Kobe Port Tower
* Maiko Marine Promenade for Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge Sunset Viewing
* Return to Osaka for night stay
Day 4 (Himeji)
* Himeji Castle
* Koko-en garden
* Shiromidai Park
* Engyoji Temple
* Return to Osaka for night stay
Day 5 (Hiroshima)
* Mazda Museum
* Hiroshima
* Peace Memorial Park
* Atomic Bomb Dome
* Night stay at Hiroshima
Day 6 (Itsukushima/Okayama)
* Itsukushima Jinja
* Itsukushima Shrine Five Storey Pagoda
* Daigan-ji Temple
* Miyajima Ometesand Shopping Street
* Okayama Castle
* Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter
* Night stay in Okayama
Day 7 (Onomichi)
* Senkoji Park
* Cat Alley (Neko no Hosomichi)
* Return to Osaka for night stay
Day 8 (Nishinomiya)
* Spending most of the day in the area to do pilgrimage for The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Day 9 (Toyosato/Uji)
* Former Toyosato Elementary School for K-On Pilgrimage
* Pilgrimage hunting in Uji area for Hibike Euphonium
Day 10 (Fukui/Kanazawa)
* Gotanjoji temple
* Nagamichi District
* Kanazawa Castle Park
* Kenroku-en
* Shigure-tei for tea time break
* Night stay at Kanazawa
Day 11 (Kanazawa/Yuwaku Onsen)
* Spending half of the day at Yuwaku Onsen for pilgrimage sightseeing of Hanasaku Iroha
* Utatsuyama Park
* Night stay at Kanazawa
Day 12 (Nanao/Wakura Onsen)
* Spending whole day at both areas for anime pilgrimage sightseeing of Insomniacs After School
* Night stay at Kanazawa
Day 13 (Shirakawa-go/Toyama)
* Shirakawa-go Heritage Site
* Have not plan on what to do in Toyama. Please suggest places to visit in the area
* Night stay at Takayama
Day 14 (Takayama)
* Have not plan on what to do in Takayama. Please suggest places to visit in the area
* Last stop at Nagoya
Day 15 (Nagoya)
* Nagoya Castle
* Toyota Automobile Museum
* Atsuta Jingu Shrine
* Night stay at Nagoya
Day 16 (Nagoya)
* Grab breakfast before flight back home in the late morning
I have some questions.
* Should I cut down on doing anime pilgrimage?
* How long should I be spending time in Shirakawa-go?
* Should I rent a car driving around Nanao and Wakura Onsen?
* Any festivals happening around that time of travelling?
by thererekt
3 comments
As Himeji is on the Shinkansen line between Osaka and Hiroshima, I’d suggest leaving your luggage at the station (which has lots of lockers) and continuing onto Hiroshima rather than doubling back to Osaka unless there’s something you’re planning on doing there in the evening.
Changing locations most days would get a bit exhausting.
If you’re going to Himeji Castle I wouldn’t bother with the various other castles you have on the list: Himeji is one of the few remaining original castles, and is often considered the most impressive, while the others are reconstructions.
I think your day 6 is a little overloaded, getting to and from Itsukushima is going to burn like an hour and a half, then getting to Okayama is another 40 minutes on the shinkansen, the castle is another 10-15 minutes by tram, and Kurashiki is in another city entirely. It’s probably too much. Other than that, though, I think most of your days are pretty reasonable. Having not been to Shirakawa-go, I’m not sure of the timing.
If your anime pilgrimages are meaningful to you, keep them! We once made an ill-advised plan change for a trip that was meant to stay in Kansai to divert down to Karatsu in Kyushu for a Yuri on Ice pilgrimage because the town was doing an event for it. It made our trip a lot more hectic, but it was fun. (We also have a trip to Yuwaku onsen planned for the same reason as you!)
Shirakawago is small so you can explore the town in like 3 hours. You can also go direct from Shirakawago to Takayama if Toyama doesn’t interest you.