Thank you for all the posts here that helped to plan and execute this itinerary!
**Background:**
This was my (29M) second time traveling to Japan. I have a friend from high school currently living in Tokyo for a year who inspired another trip around cherry blossom season. My GF who was visiting family in China at this time was able to join me in Tokyo for a few days.
My first trip in January 2020 was with a larger group and consisted of a week in Tokyo and a week with JR pass going north to Aomori, Hakodate and Sapporo.
I don’t speak Japanese and did not utter anything besides: hai, sumimasen, konnichiwa, gomenasai, arigato gozaimasu, daijoubu desu and ohio gozaimasu. Around 75% of the itinerary was thoroughly planned in advance, with 25% room to improvise. I took a large suitcase, a carry-on, and a backpack. My friend helped me with the bag logistics.
I planned to include multiple running sessions and many anime pilgrimage spots. Some of these may not be as interesting to that many people, but I hope this trip report can help and inspire future travelers.
**Day 1 Tokyo**
* Landed at Haneda in the pm and figured out how to use PASMO on apple wallet. This was much more convenient than a physical card that I was topping up with cash last time around. Took the subway and got to our Hotel in Ikebukoro around 6pm. My GF was expected to land in the evening.
* Met my friend near the station with the plan of catching nearby cherry blossom. We first walked up to Shakuji River and then to Asukayama Park. It went dark quickly at this time, but the tree-line all along the river and in the park was at peak. My mind was already blown. The park had chill locals picnicking, but there wasn’t a single tourist around.
* Walked back to Ikebukoro by the time my GF got there.
**Day 2 Tokyo**
* Planned to wake up early and go for a run before GF gets set for the day. I was so struck by the scenery from the night before that I decided to see it in daytime. Ended up doing a 10k up and back to the same river and park. It was even better.
* Headed out with the GF around 9am, grabbed coffee and breakfast on the way.
* Suga shrine. (subway) Iconic spot from Kimi no nawa. Someone took a picture of us reenacting Taki & Mitsuha at the top of the stairs.
* Meiji Jingu. (walked)
* Shibuya. (walked) We had shabu-shabu for lunch on a high floor of one of the tall buildings there with nice view of the crossing.
* Meguro. (subway) Unbelievable cherry blossoms. There was crowd concentrated near Naka-Meguro station, but surprisingly not that many people walking along the river.
* Ginza. (subway) We hit the 12 story UNIQLO before dinner at an elevated Teppanyaki. I preferred Wagyu, GF preferred Kobe. It should have been closed, but we were also able to see the Asahi-inari shrine depicted in Weathering with you.
* Tokyo Tower. (subway) Made a reservation in advance for the top deck tour at one of the latest spot (9pm ish). We got a cute photo of us as a free souvenir.
**Day 3 Tokyo**
* Picked up breakfast and coffee then sat in Minami-Ikebukuro park.
* Mejiro Garden. (walked) We didn’t want to go far before lunch, so picked out this garden to walk to. It was nice and scenic.
* I took my large suitcase and dropped it at my friends house (few stops from Ikebukoro). Then did a short run back. Stopped at Don Quijote and bought a pair of throw away walking shoes for 2k yen. (This was one of the smartest decisions I have made) Also took this time to set up my 7 day JR pass, which would activate 2 days later and I got a separate ticket for a train next morning.
* GF picked out a ramen place for lunch near Kanda. (subway)
* Sumida Hokusai museum. (subway) My friend also joined us here. This was a sad miss for me last time, so I was super eager to go. It does not disappoint.
* Tokyo Dome. (subway) Saw Giants vs Carps. The atmosphere was electric all throughout and the giants came back from 3-4 with a 7-run 6th inning. Snacked on takoyaki and everyone got a free baseball shirt.
* Shinjuku / Kabukicho. (subway) We had tentative plans to get some drinks here but they both bailed citing fatigue. I ended up walking around solo and stopped by Hanazono Shrine and Golden Gai. Caught a street sumo performance before heading back to Ikebukoro.
**Day 4 Shirakawa-Go & Takayama**
* Caught the shinkansen around 8am heading to Toyama (which I reserved the day before) bringing my carry-on and backpack. GF flew back to China.
* Realized I will have to take the local train from Toyama to Takayama. This was one of the only transit points I didn’t precisely plan ahead and the only time I got slightly nervous about making a connection on time, as I had a bus from Takayama to Shirakawa-go reserved at 1:20pm.
* The local train turned out to be amazing. Incredible scenery on both sides: mountains, valleys, rivers, cherry blossoms viewed from a handsome quaint little train car.
* Arrived in Takayama and had around 40minutes before my bus. Made the call here to fast walk to my hotel and drop my luggage. There was an old lady at reception and it was too early for check-in. As I tried to explain that I just want to leave my bags but she gave me the room keys and signaled that check-in is ok now. I made it back to the station for my bus with a few minutes to spare.
* Shirakawa-go. Had the bus reserved back to Takayama at 17:20 so had around 3 hours here which felt like just the right amount. First stop was a store where I knew I can pick up the [Higurashi map.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Higurashinonakakoroni/comments/15vle4a/map_of_shirakawago_hinamizawa_with_locations_from/) I ended up getting a Higurashi t-shirt as well. Got the matcha pudding from the famous pudding house then walked around all the Higurashi spots which pretty much covered the entire town.
* Back to Takayama for the evening. The town was buzzing as the spring festival was happening the next 2 days. Cherry blossoms in full bloom along the river.
* Contemplated eating out somewhere, but ultimately went back to the hotel. I asked the lady at the reception about food and she ended up making me ramen by herself. She was so nice!
**Day 5 Takayama & Kyoto**
* Woke up early and went for a run. Hit most of the [Hyouka spots](https://www.reddit.com/r/hyouka/comments/1bbd8kf/hyouka_anime_map_for_anime_pilgrimage_seichi/) and went up to the castle ruins.
* The town was full of festival floats being prepared for the evening. Unfortunately, I knew I wont be able to stay for the night festival, but I caught the am performance of the singing showcase.
* Planned to go to Bagpipe (Western style tea house famous from Hyouka) at 9:30 for opening. I checked out the town museum nearby and got there at 9:28. It was already open and I was sat at the last available table. Had a beautifully served iced coffee and a slice of cheesecake. The interior is exactly like in the anime, and they have some sketchbooks available to read.
* Spent a couple more hours strolling around Takayama. Got some Hyouka merch, had a Hida beef skewer and was enjoying the festival vibes.
* Picked up my bags and with my JR pass now active, took the Hida ltd express to Nagoya and the Shinkansen to Kyoto.
* My friend from Tokyo was joining me here for the next few days. We had a hostel booked near Higashiyama for the night. I got there around 5pm, dropped my bags and headed back out.
* We wanted to see the Botanical garden which was supposed to be open until late, but it was unexpectedly closed that day. We ended up just walking along Kamogawa River towards the north of the city. This turned out to be amazing. It was an idillic spring Sunday evening, with again, lots of cherry blossoms and barely any tourists.
* My friend had dinner plans with his former teacher so we got back to Kawaramachi around 9. I walked back to the hostel touching Kiyamachi and Hanamikoji street.
**Day 6 Kyoto, Uji & Osaka**
* Woke up early again and went for a run through the Heian-jingu garden and the Imperial Palace garden. The hostel served a flawless buffet style breakfast.
* Arashiyama. (train) Saw some wild monkeys wondering next to Horinji Temple. There was an expected crowd at the bamboo forest around 10-11am, but it was still wonderful to see.
* Uji (train) Had lunch at a small curry shop. I picked up some Uji matcha and we hiked up to the Daikichiyama Observataion Deck. (Iconic from Hibike! Euphonium) Hunted a couple more Hibike spots on and around Ujibashi bridge.
* Kiyomizu-dera. (train back to kyoto) This was the most crowded spot on my entire trip with an abundance of people in kimonos in front of the cherry blossom trees.
* Walked back to the hostel through Ninenzaka and Maruyama Park.
* Picked up the luggage and took the train to Osaka. I have booked the Conrad Osaka for a night through Amex FHR, which was absolutely insane. Reception is on the 40th floor and the moment you step out the elevator you feel taken aback. Stunning views of the entire city. Had dinner at the fancy hotel restaurant and crashed.
**Day 7 Osaka & Kyoto**
* I decided to check out the hotel gym instead of a run this morning. It also had insane views, and I could do some cycling warm-up for next day. We had a big buffet breakfast at the hotel.
* National Bunraku Theater. (subway) Booked the 11am show in advance. Absolutely worth it even if you don’t speak any Japanese. The standard of performance is extremely high. I got an english audio guide which was following the narrative and sometimes adding extra context. My friend (who is fluent) did not get the guide, but said afterwards that the narration was in the original dialect and without the Japanese subtitles he would have struggled to understand it. It was 3 hours long with a 20minute interval. We got a small gift bag after completing their feedback survey.
* Osaka castle. (walked) We had a 4pm check-out at the hotel so didn’t have time too much time here, just walked through the garden.
* Had some food at the hotel lounge after check out and enjoyed the city views in daylight.
* Took the train back to Kyoto, where we stayed at the same hostel as the night before.
* Walked to Yasaka shrine and over to Shinkyogoku street before crashing.
**Day 8 Shimanami Kaido (Onomichi to Imabari) & Matsuyama**
* This was the day I was the most excited (and nervous – weather wise) for. I repacked my bags and headed out solo after an early breakfast with only my backpack. My friend took my carry-on back to Tokyo.
* Arrived at Onomichi around 10:30 where I had reserved a regular road bike.
* After a short ferry ride, I was ready to start the route by 10:45. The drop-off would close at 8pm and they said the route takes about 8hours. I am a fairly advanced cyclist, so my plan was to make the 6pm or the 7pm train from Imabari to Matsuyama and had 3 spots in mind to stop.
* First stop: Oyama Shrine. Typical shinto shrine which brands itself as the bicycle shrine. This should be a no brainer for any cyclist, all the usual shrine stuff here is bicycle themed. I bought some cute pins for my triathlon training crew. The lady there did not speak english but was very friendly and insisted on taking a picture of me with my bike in front of one of their signs.
* Second stop: Oyamazumi Shrine & Treasure Hall. This is off the main route, so it added a good chunk of time, but its another amazing spot. The treasure hall has some of the oldest swords and armor in Japan dating back to 600. Instead of turning straight back I cycled around the south part of the island back towards the main road.
* Third stop: Kirosan Observatory. I had this as tentative pending circumstances, but when I made it near there around 4pm I was feeling good enough and decided to go for it. It is an aprox. 3km climb with an average of 10% gradient, so with a regular bike it is a doozy. I was gassed, but made it to the top without having to get off. I laughed to myself when I realized there are no vending machines around. The view of the Kurushima kaikyo bridge and the surrounding area is breathtaking, it felt like it was worth the effort getting up.
* I had plenty of minor stops to take photos and grab drinks / snacks. As you would expect, there are vending machines, combis and bathrooms along the whole way.
* Also plenty of cherry blossoms, from which the wind was blowing the sakura all around me as I was riding. It was magical.
* Final stats: Distance: 65.96 miles (106.13km), Elevation: 3730 feet (1136.9m), Cycling time: 4hours 52minutes.
* Took the 7pm train from Imabari to Matsuyama. I had an onsen style hotel booked near Dogo Onsen, (The inspiration behind the bathhouse in Spirited Away) where I arrived around 8:30pm after taking the tram from the train station. It was wonderful to bathe 4x after such a day and I dandered around the area a bit in a Yukata and Geta sandals before hitting the hay.
**Day 9 Hiroshima, Itsukushima & Fukuoka**
* Walked around Dogo park and the adjacent shrines before breakfast at the hotel.
* Took the tram and a local train (Only ticket I had to buy with cash, no IC card) to Takahama (Matsuyama port), then caught the ferry to Hiroshima around 10am which took a little over an hour and cost around 5000.
* Hiroshima Peace Park (tram from the port). I find it very difficult to describe this place, It was one of the strangest things I have ever seen and it made me feel extremely eerie. It was a beautiful sunny day with lots of tourist that somehow made it more absurd.
* Hiroshima Castle (walked). I knew I had to rush this part a little but, so just walked by again.
* Itsukushima (train, ferry). Made it to the island around 2:30. Walked around, then opted for taking the ropeway to the top of the mountain and hike to the observatory. Was able to make it back to one of the last ropeway cars going down around 4:15.
* Had some takoyaki and hung out with the deers before heading to Hiroshima shinkansen station.
* Made it to Fukuoka around 8:30 where I had the Sea Hawk booked for 2 nights. (Inspired by I want to eat your pancreas.) I got an upgrade and had a huge room facing Fukuoka Tower with another set of incredible views. Had dinner at the hotel and found out that they have a proper onsen built on site, which I enjoyed before going to bed.
**Day 10 Nagasaki (Gunkanjima tour) & Fukuoka**
* Woke up early and headed to the train station after breakfast.
* Arrived at Nagasaki around 10:30. My anchor activity here was a Gunkanjima tour leaving around 1pm. I had more time than I thought so I took it slow walking along the bay and decided to include the Glover Garden, which was really interesting and should have been part of my plans in the first place. I also love Madama Butterfly, and they have a statue of Tamaki Miura and Puccini there.
* Before heading to the harbor, I went through the Gunkanjima Digital Museum and had a coffee float at their cafe. They gave me a postcard after completing the feedback survey.
* The tour took around 3 hours and we spent around 45minutes on the island. Short back story here: I stumbled upon [Gunkanjima](https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/26h7vg/til_google_sent_a_lone_employee_to_map_an_entire/) whilst browsing interesting places on google maps during covid lockdown. I could hardly believe it standing there that a few years later I was able to see it in person. There was only Japanese guide on this tour but they gave me and the couple other foreigners a detailed handbook which had a description of most things we were going past. All the employees were extremely attentive and professional and I could tell the guide was incredibly knowledgable. They noticed I was on my own and even chatted me up for a bit with novice english, an experience I never had anywhere else in Japan. I highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Nagasaki.
* One-legged Torii & Nagasaki peace park. (tram) – It was calmer and less touristy than Hiroshima and I didn’t get as emotional here, but it was just as powerful.
* Arrived back at Fukuoka around 8pm. There was a medium line at the JR kiosk so I decided to reserve my ticket back to Tokyo for the next morning. This was a good call, because for my preferred timing I had to transfer at shin-kobe and the first leg was already full. I asked for an E seat for the second leg (to get the Fuji views) but those were already gone.
* Walked along the Naka river and over Fuku-Haku Deai Bridge. This was a Friday evening and the atmosphere in the city was awesome.
* Dinner, onsen and a drink at the bar in the hotel before bed.
**Day 11 Fukuoka and Tokyo**
* Went for a run along the beach then over to Ohori Park before breakfast at the hotel. Ohori park was buzzing with local runners.
* Fukuoka City Museum. (walked) Even though I stayed two night I felt like I didn’t get to learn too much about Fukuoka so glad I was able to fit this in before heading to the train station.
* It took around 6 hours with the short transit to get back to Tokyo. I was able to take my Fuji videos from the window between the cars. I knew I was gonna spend most of this day on the train which came as a good little break physically. This was also the last day of my JR pass.
* Had the APA hotel booked for the last 2 nights in Asakusa. Checked-in around 5pm.
* Tokyo Kinema Klub (walked). Met up with my friend again and we saw Imperial Circus Dead Decadance, a Japanese metal band. (Osu people might be familiar with them) I was amused by how people behave at a metal concert in Japan: they shout, cheer, headbang but do not make physical contact with each other. (So, no mosh-pits) The band was lovely and despite the music being very heavy, I could tell they were skilled musicians at the top of their craft. The frontman did the full polite Japanese routines between screaming songs. Koiwa Kotori (A seiyuu most well known for a moe role) made an appearance and “sang” a song with the band, which was hilarious. We had a blast.
* Picked a nearby Izakaya for dinner and drinks, then I walked back to Asakusa.
**Day 12 Nikko**
* I planned this as optional for the end of the trip, but purposefully stayed in Asakusa to make it easy if I decide to go. I read conflicting opinions about the Nikko day-trips and I feel like I have to agree with both sides. On one hand it is **absolutely worth it to go for a day trip**, on the other hand, **if you can, spend a night or two there**. My plan was to do the temples/tombs in the morning and the lake/waterfalls in the afternoon, but this can easily be stretched to 2-3 days.
* I took the 7am train and made it to Toshogu around 9:45. I was speedy but not rushing and got back to the main road around 11:30 after seeing the main spots. Picked up a freshly made taiyaki from a lovely old couple by the slope.
* Walked to and through the Kanmangafuchi abyss then hopped on the bus going towards Lake Chuzenji.
* I felt I was making good time and the weather was decent (although slightly worse than the days before), so I decided to get off the bus at Akechidaira ropeway, take it one way and do the hike route to mount Hangetsu which comes back around the lakeside. The view from the top of the ropeway was already mesmerizing.
* This is where things could have gone wrong and I was somewhat irresponsible. Clouds started to appear, there was a small drizzle, I only had a small bottle of water with me and I took the wrong turn twice before getting on the right trail, which was covered by leaves. According to AllTrails, the route should take 4 hours, so once I found the trail I was confident I will be fine (this was around 1pm), and the drizzle went away as well. The views of Lake Chuzenji, Mount Nantai, and all the snowy mountaintops in the distance were indescribable. At some point Mount Nantai got covered by clouds but I felt like I had it too good for too long and could not feel the slightest disappointment.
* Made it down to the lakeside and to the embassy villas before 4pm. There was something about this lake that just hit different. I will aim to come back during a different season and spend more time here for sure.
* Had some time before the bus back to see Kegon waterfall up close. Also took the elevator down, its worth it.
* Got back to Tokyo around 9pm. I was leaving the next day, so I had to make a roundtrip to my friends house to pick up my luggages and then spent around 2 hours at the Donki in Asakusa. (1 hour shopping, 1 hour waiting in tax-free line)
* This day was my highest step count with 43 250 plus 355 floors climbed.
**Day 13 Tokyo**
* My flight was in the afternoon, so left my luggage at the hotel and headed out for the final day.
* Nezu Shrine. (subway) Me and my friend decided to meet here, as neither of us have been here yet. Felt like one of the more underrated shrines with a cool Torii gate line.
* Former Iwasaki House Garden. (walked) As a huge [Umineko](https://www.reddit.com/r/umineko/) fan, this was the icing on the cake for me. (I went to Kyu-Furukawa in 2020) This house was clearly the interior model for the Ushiromiya mansion and I was geeking out over every little resemblance. Also learned that apparently the Iwasaki family (founders of Mitsubishi) held a yearly family conference here which is just perfect.
* Akihabara. (walked) Finally, I had about an hour left before having to get my stuff and head to the airport, so we stopped by a couple of stores. No big treasure hunt this time (did all of that last time around as well), but still came away with some goodies and gifts.
* Took the subway straight from Asakusa to Narita. It was just slightly slower than the skyliner from Ueno, but it was nice not having to transfer with all the luggage and there was plenty of space.
**Key takeaways**
* I have no regrets about covering a lot of ground. It was actually great leaving every single place with a feeling of wanting to come back, which I intend to. I knew I wasn’t going to have enough time for Osaka and Hiroshima this time, and felt the same way about Matsuyama and Fukuoka as well.
* Charged phone and internet are by far the most important tools. I had two iWalks with me every day, usually one was dead by the evening. Google maps is very reliable and can get you almost anywhere. Cash is needed but not necessary 95% of the time. IC cards on apple wallet work just fine. I took one uber on the final night from my friends place back to my hotel. Everything else was walking or public transportation indicated in brackets.
* Food and sleep were low on my priority list. I had combi snacks and karage whenever I did not mention something specific and I was sleeping 5-6 hours a night. Made the most of the vending machines and the public bathrooms on the move.
* Cultural and recreation activities are so accessible compared to the US and western Europe. None of these activities (including the bike rental) cost more than 3000 yen (20dollars) except for Gunkanjima which was 5000 (32ish dollars).
* I have a small tattoo on the back of my arm under my shoulder. The onsens did not have anything against it (just like last time).
* The vast majority of people you have to interact with are kind and do their best to help you as long as you follow their basic rules of decency. You can go solo without speaking the language, just stay patient and respectful.
* Advanced reservations: Ginza steakhouse, Tokyo tower top deck tour, Tokyo Dome: Giants vs Carps, Takayama – Shirakawa-go bus, National Bunraku Theater Osaka, Onomichi – Imabari bicycle rental, Gunkanjima tour, Tokyo Kinema Klub: Imperial Dead Circus Decadence
**Some more random thoughts and comments:**
* Average step count was around 35k.
* Screen time went down 80%.
* I don’t know how they do it, but it is so quite everywhere despite huge crowds and traffic.
* People drink alcohol all day every day even in public places, without getting aggressive or otherwise unpleasant. I would love to have this everywhere else.
* I got incredibly lucky with cherry blossoms coming late, and having to see it in full bloom and then coming down.
* Most places are so rich in history that it is hard to fathom.
* Kyoto, understandable, by far the most touristy.
* The Donki shoes picked up on Day 3 handled the bike ride, the Nikko hike, almost all of my walking after day 6 and even the run in Fukuoka without any pain. I was planning on throwing them out, but ended up taking them home.
* I used Mint mobile’s minternational pass for roaming.
* White people who are clearly not local hesitantly bowing to each other makes me cringe. Sorry.
by mirdyll