Two week itinerary. Kyoto, Osaka and perhaps Tokyo

12 comments

1. Overall it looks fine, I’d say. It is not as fast paced as we usually see around here at least. In fact, you could probably move around a bit more if you streamline some things.

   To answer a few of your questions:

   Yeah, you can hit Miyajima as part of a day trip from Kyoto. Its a long day, but doable if you are efficient. For example- I’d take the ferry from the A Bomb dome rather than hoofing it back to Hiroshima Station and the long slow train out to Miyajima-guchi. And you’ll want an early train out of Kyoto station, no leisurely hotel breakfasts on that day!

   I think it’s worth it to move to Osaka. While you can day trip over there from Kyoto, there’s enough there that you want to see and do that it’ll make the sightseeing easier. Going from Kyoto out to USJ is a trek for sure. And Osaka’s a neat city- it is a very different vibe from Kyoto, and it’s nice to mix it up.

   And for day 15- there is so much you can see and do in Tokyo and around. Check out Team Lab in Odaiba, head over to Kamakura or Yokohama for the day. Enoshima is pretty cool too, and isn’t too far from there. If you are feeling gardens, go to Mito for Kairakuen (and the Nest Beer Pub in Mito Station.)

2. Maybe you could consider putting Hiroshima between Kyoto/Osaka and staying the night. One day you can do the museum and have a little time on Miyajima. Next day, you can spend the first half on Miyajima again (go up to the summit of Mt. Misen, for example) and then the second half of the day, go visit Himeji.

3. I’m so jealous! It’s great that’s your going to see some shrines. I hope you have a good time.

4. I basically copy-paste this in any thread about going to Kansai in mid-summer, and it’s especially applicable to your itinerary:

   >Mid-late July in particular is a MASSIVE festival season in Kansai–Including the Gion Festival (all of July, with the biggest events from the 15th-17th, and other large events from the 22nd-24th), Tenjin Festival (24th-25th–especially the 25th) Motomiya Festival (21st-22nd), and Mitarashi Festival (last 10 or so days of July). I also highly recommend Kobo-san at Toji on the 21st and/or Tenjin-san at Kitanotenmangu on the 25th, though I wouldn’t sacrifice going to the Tenjin Festival just to go to Tenjin-san Market.

   >That said, these festivals are among the ONLY good reasons I come up with to suffer through the heat of summer if going at another time of year is feasible. If you’re not really planning to enjoy such festivals to their fullest, I would strongly recommend picking another time of year (mid-November to early-December or mid-February to mid-April are my top recommendations). Also keep in mind that attending festivals takes time away from doing other things. Typically I would recommend roughly at least a full week just for a quick run-through of the highlights of Kansai (Kyoto/Osaka/Kobe/Nara/Himeji area), but given the sweltering heat of the late summer and the extra time needed for festivals, I would give it 10 full days or more if you’re going around this time (again, just as a starting point).

   Other notes:

   Skip Kyoto Zoo. It’s not an amazing zoo and the most notable thing about it is the fact that it’s surrounded by other, more interesting things to do.

   Personally I wouldn’t start out your time in Kyoto by just going to a museum. I would save that for a rainy day or an afternoon later in the trip when you’re particularly exhausted and worn out from the heat.

   Day 5 could easily be 2 full days when you consider how much there is to do around Higashiyama and downtown.

   I would ordinarily consider 3 days a bare minimum just for the highlights of Kyoto (which would not include Kyocera Museum or the zoo), and that that’s without taking the festivals into consideration, or the heat and humidity. For my general recommendations about arranging major sights in Kyoto, see [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/5wgxa1/best_way_to_group_these_sites_in_kyoto/dea059y/?context=3). This is not meant to be exhaustive or treated as a check list, but it should give some rough idea of how the sights can be arranged geographically. I also strongly recommend giving yourself time to explore on foot or bicycle–it’s the best way to see the city.

   As far as changing hotels between Kyoto and Osaka, I would say that it is worth it if you’re planning on doing multiple consecutive days in each. It is certainly possible to do day trips from one to the other, but you could easily lose two hours per day just riding back and forth (not to mention the cost of fares), and if you stay out late (or go out early) you’ll always be time-limited by having to make the the last (or first) train. It can also be really nice to have your accommodation nearby so that you can drop off shopping or have a place to go back and relax and refresh during the middle of the day.

   If you go to Hiroshima, spend a night or two. Doing it as a day trip is very rushed. Do Himeji on the way (and don’t skip Koko-en, which is practically free if you get the combined castle/garden ticket). I also ***highly*** recommend considering a night in Onomichi if you’re going that way. It’s a gorgeous seaside town with a wonderful atmosphere to just chill out and relax in.

   I would skip Sumiyoshi Taisha and Tennoji. There are many more interesting temples and shrines in Kyoto and Nara that you won’t have time for (seriously–there are so many, and most of them barely get any visitors), so if you have the extra day, give it to one of them.

5. Is is worth changing hotel between Kyoto and Osaka. It can if you want to experience both cities, for sure Osaka nightlife is more active. But it’s also a valid option to just stay in Kyoto. I personally have no problem changing hotel, but I know some people really seems to hate doing it.

   It is possible to do Miyajima and Hiroshima in a single day, that is if you start the day early and you are ready for a really full day. I would personally start by Miyajima, get lunch there. So with the limited time, you won’t hike Mount Misen. After lunch go to Peace museum and once the attractions are close, you can still take your time in Hiroshima to get dinner and maybe check a bit around the downtown area.

   Not sure what you mean by “Sunday hours”, but I would probably avoid USJ on the weekend as you will have more Japanese people who are off school/work and will visit.

   Nokogiriyama is an easy hike, so you can totally consider not getting in the ropeway at all, especially if you are already considering other hikes. I think it is an interesting things, but to be honest would not be on my top places to visit. If I was to go again, I would try to find a place to stop by on the way back. Also, would you go via Yokohama/ferry or via Chiba ?

   I do not know what you did in your previous trip, but there is a lot to do in Tokyo, there is a lot of smaller neighborhoods that are interesting and do not get much attention and for sure there is also many day trip options you have not explored.

   One big thing I would change is the order to fit Hiroshima, Himeji and going to Tokyo all within 7 days to use the JR Pass.

6. I think it’s worth changing hotels from Kyoto to Osaka as you are spending a few days in Osaka and it will give you a different nightlife.

7. Arashyama was a great trip. Sagano train ride was fun. So much to take in- Kyoto is an awesome place.

8. Reading the title made me realize Kyoto and Tokyo are anagrams of eachother

9. Looks good until the COVID Kool-aid guy bursts in and screws everything up

10. Lol and the there is an extend of the border Close

11. Let me exist as a warning to others. Don’t buy your tickets or reservations for anything until a week or two before you’re traveling. I lost everything by booking an April 2020 trip in January 2020. *If the country were to open its borders again* **be cautious about jumping to book early.**

12. >Day 6 (Thursday) day trip to Hiroshima
    >
    >Say arrive at 10am, peace museum, atomic dome and then I don’t know if Itsukushima is too far out for a day trip

    Not too far out for a day trip, but may potentially feel rushed if you’re arriving in Hiroshima at 10AM, doing other activities first, then going to Miyajima. Personally think you could spend at least the majority of a day on Miyajima alone.

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    >Day 8 (Saturday)
    >
    >I had planned on Changing hotels as I move from Kyoto to Osaka, but is it worth it for a relatively short distance?

    I personally don’t think so. I think it’s always better to just set up base camp at one or the other as it’s not particularly difficult or time consuming to move between and you should pick the one that you matches more of the experience you’re wanting as they are fairly different vibes. Worst case scenario if you stay in Kyoto but want a proper night out in Osaka would be to just book a night at a hostel or capsule hotel and plan accordingly with packing a small bag for that. I mean, the reality is you could probably even just get a love hotel for a few hours while awaiting the first train depending on how “all out” you are going on your night out. I mean, obviously that works as well in reverse but the nightlife and potential to miss the train – IMO – is definitely more a risk when staying in Kyoto and spending the night in Osaka. For me, that would be the compromise, but if you wanted more “nights out” and night life and with occasional stuff in Kyoto, you could just stay in Osaka knowing you’ll probably make the last train without much issue. Again, all depends on the vibe you’re going for.

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    >Ghibli Museum (say, 1pm-5pm)

    Personally I think you’re over-estimating how much time you’ll spend at Ghibli. Many people think it’s over-rated. I enjoyed the trip there but I don’t think it took us 4 hours? (though I’m not really thinking about the queue time to get in so perhaps 4 hours total is okay).

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    >Day 15 (Sunday)
    >
    >Not sure honestly. I went to Tokyo back in 2018, and part of me doesn’t want to repeat myself. However at the present thats kind of leaving me tongue tied about where to go.

    Tokyo is so big and ever-changing IMO that I think you could go there every year for a few days and still not feel like you’re necessarily repeating yourself but that is totally up to you to decide. Maybe have a look around what is new to see/do in Tokyo and decide if you think it’s worth it or if there are any day trips from there you’ve not already done that you could have in your back pocket should you feel it’s a bit samey upon your return?

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    >Day 16 (Monday)
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    >Flight home… Or onwards to Canada, I have a sabbatical to use and I want to go extra 😂

    Is there anywhere else near enough to Japan that might make more sense to check out instead of going all the way to Canada? Canada in itself could be a whole different trip.

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    >This would be the last two weeks of July I think

    I am sweating for you already. Both because of the heat and humidity in July and also because I am not sure this is going to be realistic if you’re planning for this year. Borders are confirmed as still fully shut with no hint as to when they will reopen (anybody telling you otherwise is just giving you false hope). Do you **need** to use your sabbatical by a specific time or is it more flexible? If you’re going to book tickets, at the bare minimum please make sure you get some type of travel insurance.