Hello, I will be going to Japan for about 2.5 weeks in May/June, mostly in the Tohoku region, with 3 days in Tokyo. I will be primarily using the 14-day JR Pass, and am uncertain if my proposed itinerary is feasible or reasonable given the transportation limitations. I am open to renting a car, but it adds a level of potential complexity, since my understanding is that the cars will need to be returned in the prefecture they were rented from. I don’t speak Japanese and plan to rely primarily on Google Maps/Translate and charades.
I plan to do a combination of cultural (museums, historical sites), and nature (hiking), as well as some train and city activities. The last time I was in Japan was about 10 years ago, and I have done the Golden Route (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara etc) several times.
I would be extremely grateful if I could get feedback on 1) cities to stay in given below itinerary, 2) whether my itinerary is too full, 3) other recommendations that I’ve missed or should avoid.
My proposed itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive Narita in the afternoon, JR to Fukushima
Day 2: Tsuruga Castle, Aizu Bukeyashiki, Ouichi-juku
Day 3: Take the train to Sendai, then to Rissyakuji Temple, Yamadera
Day 4: Kokeshi in Shiroishi City Miyagi Prefecture, shopping in Sendai, train to Ginzan Onsen Town
Day 5: Ginzan Onsen Town
Day 6: Train to Yamagata, Somaro Maiko House, Kamo Aquarium, train to a shukubo
Day 7: Dewa Sanzan (climb Yudono, Haguro-san)
Day 8: Dewa Sanzan (climb Gas-san), Churenji Dainichibo
Day 9: Geibiki gorge, Pokemon Joyful Train
Day 10: Hanamaki Onsen, Wanko Soba at Hatsukoma, Kakunodate Bukeyashiki-dori
Day 11: Aomori City, Inakadate Tanbo, Nebuta Museum
Day 12: Takayama Inari shrine
Day 13: Matsumoto City Museum of Art or Tokyo
Day 14: Tokyo
Day 15 – 16: Tokyo
Day 17: PM flight from Haneda
I’d love to do Namahage Museum in Oga (Akita), strawberry picking in Yamamoto (prob late for the season, tbh), and Mt Azuma but honestly have no idea how to make that work given the time and transport limitations.
Thank you very much for any assistance in advance!
PS, I’ll probably post in the Kintsugi and urushi forums as well, but if anyone has suggestions on where to buy kintsugi supplies (black, red urushi, tonoko, etc) in Japan, that’d be greatly appreciated as well!
by KintsugiCat123