Hi everyone! My partner and I (early 30s) are taking our first trip to Japan in October. We’ve booked the flights and have 15 full days in between. We’ve got a core base (Tokyo > Kyoto > Hiroshima > Osaka) but are also looking to include a couple of shorter stops in between. Very keen for any feedback, including thoughts on the “alternative” options I’ve included. Anything else you would change or think we’re missing that would work well on this trip?
In terms of what we what to see in Japan – tbh, everything! We want to eat all the food, experience all the quirky things, do some Pokémon stuff, Nintendo, manga, gundam etc, but also experience traditional and historical Japan and I’d really love to get in some ryokan stays and onsen experiences, shrines and temples, samurai culture. The Tokyo and Osaka bits are non-negotiable as that’s where we fly in and out of and we don’t want to reduce our time there at all, but very open for feedback on the rest of it!
* **Days 1-4: Tokyo**
We plan to just soak everything up – eat, shop, check out cafes, anything pokemon or gundam related, arcades, watching sumo training, perhaps a samurai lesson, maybe see a Japanese film (if they have any with subtitles) and of course see all the famous sights. Possibly a day trip to Mount Fuji but we will decide when we’re there, depending on if we think we can sacrifice a full day in Tokyo or not. Likely to stay at Hoshinoya Tokyo to get a bit of luxury + traditional ryokan experience that looks quite unique! The hotel itself also does some cool activities like a lesson with a samurai sword on the hotel roof, a green tea ceremony etc.
* **Days 5-6: Kanazawa**
We’d take the train from Tokyo in the morning and then have a day and a half to explore. Our main plans for Kanazawa are the Myoryuji temple, Nomura residence and any cool samurai stuff. There looks like some really cool private day or half day tours with a local so I expect we’ll do this.
**ALTERNATIVE TO KANAZAWA:**
* **Days 5-6: Hoshinoya Fuji**
We plan to arrive by around 3pm on day 5 so that we can have a lazy(ish) morning in Tokyo but still have time to settle in, experience the dinner and book activities for the following day. Hopefully relax and get some good views of Mount Fuji from our room! After what looks like it will be an amazing breakfast facing Mount Fuji on day 6, we plan to take up the hotel’s canoeing on the lake in the morning followed by a private e-bike tour around the forest in the afternoon. Then either hot pot or grill dinner on our terrace in the evening.
* **Days 7-9: Kyoto**
We’d travel by train here on the morning of day 7 (looks like it may take a few hours if coming from Hoshinoya Fuji). I’m keen to see the various shrines, temples, Nijo Castle and Imperial Palace, experience a green tea ceremony and spend a day in Arashiyma. Perhaps a private tour one evening of the geisha quarter. If we can fit it in, we would do a half day trip to Nara, but plan to play this by ear as we could also do it from Osaka instead.
If possible, I’m keen to stay the first night at a traditional ryokan and the other two nights at a hotel. I was really excited to stay at Tawaraya but they’ve said they don’t cater at all for dietary requirements (something I appreciate I will struggle with in other parts of Japan too) so I’m still looking for a suitable alternative here.
* **Day 10: Hiroshima**
We would take the train to Hiroshima in the morning and I expect we’ll spend most of the afternoon at the Peace Memorial and Park and, if we have time, Hiroshima Castle. We’ll stay at a hotel right by the station to maximise our time both today and the following day.
* **Day 11: explore Miyajima in the day; travel to Beppu in the evening**
We plan to take a ferry from Hiroshima and explore the island for the day – e.g., see the deer, go to the temple, walk or rope car up the mountain, eat, etc! Then take an early evening train to Beppu where we’ll stay at a ryokan with an onsen and hopefully arrive in time for dinner.
* **Day 12: day in Beppu then sunflower ferry overnight to Osaka**
Experience different onsen around the town and check out the Hells of Beppu. Then in the evening, we’d tale an overnight ferry to Osaka which has an onsen on board! The ferry looks super cool and would be the main reason for us going to Beppu specifically. We really want to stay in an onsen town, but I hear this one is a bit more spread out than some others so the ferry is a big pull here. Arrives first thing in the morning in Osaka (day 13).
* **Days 13-15: in Osaka (including one day at Universal Studios Japan)**
Dump our stuff at the hotel and explore Osaka! Shop, eat, potentially check out Team Borderless, experience the different districts (particularly excited about den-den town) and looks like there’s some cool gundam places to check out here. Potentially a half day trip to Nara if we didn’t manage to fit it in during Kyoto and we think we have enough time here. Then on our final day (which will be a Monday), we’ll go to USJ, mainly to go to Nintendo World. We plan to get all the fast passes etc.
**ALTERNATIVE #1 TO BEPPU:**
* **Day 10: travel to Kinosaki Onsen in the morning, explore town in afternoon, relax in onsen hotel in evening**
This would be an alternative to going to Beppu slightly later in the trip. We would take the train here in the morning and explore the town in the afternoon, then relax in the onsen hotel in the evening. The advantages of this is that it looks like an amazing onsen town to explore and try out many different onsen, and to have a nice hotel with an onsen in the room, but we dont feel we need to spend lots of time here – just get a bit of the experience of it. We would then travel from here to Hiroshima and continue the above plan but skipping Beppu.
**ALTERNATIVE #2 TO BEPPU:**
* **Day 7: Asaba Ryokan**
Whilst we’re in the Mount Fuji area, we could head down further south and stay the night in an amazing looking ryokan, Asaba Ryokan. It seems that you get an even more traditional and luxurious experience than you could generally get in a more central ryokan like Kyoto. We could then shift the rest of the trip back by a day and, again, skip Beppu.
I’m leaning towards staying at Hoshinoya Fuji over visiting Kanazawa because it just looks more unique and special, although the travel does seem a bit more of a hassle than Tokyo>Kanazawa>Kyoto. I also really like the idea of adding in Asaba. We were very excited about the ferry but maybe that’s something we could add on another trip. Although I’m a bit worried that these off the beaten track locations will make the travelling more difficult. We will have luggage with us (I’m a heavy packer and I don’t think I will be able to change now!) and it looks a lot less straightforward to plan the transport in these remote locations, but I keep hearing it’s simple and we’re fine to pay for taxis between train stations / hotels etc so hopefully I’m worrying about nothing.
Also really keen for any other recommendations of must stay at hotels and ryokans. This is what led me to Hoshinoya Fuji and Asaba, and I’m very willing to make other amendments to fit in other must stay at places.
Thanks very much in advance!!
by smuffin89