I’m planning my 3rd trip to Japan for next spring. So far I’ve already booked the plane tickets in and out of Japan. My wife and I now both 40, will be travelling with my mom. She’s 70 but in decent shape and it will be her first time in Japan.
One of the aims is to try as much regional food as possible, specially during the Kyushu leg. Suggestions are welcome on what to try (I have several notes but insight is always welcome). Also I love fish markets and I don’t know if any of the cities aside from Tokyo has a decent and fun one. So far in Japan we’ve gone to the old Tsukiji when it was still there, Hakodate and Shiogama markets and enjoyed very much all of them.
This is what my plan looks like so far, not sure it’s too packed but I think it might be manageable.
26th March – Arrival in Osaka, we should be in the city by around 2 or 3PM
Since we’ll be tired. Something light like Sinshekai for a kushikatsu dinner or Shinsaibashi
Day 2 – Mino park? – Ferry in the evening to Beppu
Day 3 – Beppu. Hells and day Onsen.
Day 4 – Rent a car. Kurokawa Onsen (day), Mt. Aso. Sleep around Aso.
Day 5 – Takachiho. Sleep in Kumamoto.
Day 6 – Kumamoto (Castle, Suizen-ji)
Day 7 – Ferry in the morning – Shimabara peninsula. Potentially dolphin watching. Drive in the evening to Nagasaki. If weather allows Mt. Inasa.
Day 8 – Nagasaki (is Gunkanjima worth it? or would be better squeezing more of Nagasaki and go to the digital museum instead and do it together with clover garden? Peace Park sort of mandatory. Sofukuji sort of desirable but less)
Day 9 – Yutoku Inari, Kyushu Ceramic Museum in Arita, Okawachiyama. Sleep around Takeo Onsen.
Day 10 – Yoshinogari, drive into Fukuoka. Return car.
Day 11 (saturday) – Shinkansen or Flight to Nagoya. Inuyama festival (rehearsal day)
Day 12 – I want to go to F1 in Suzuka. Wife and mom probably shopping or relaxing somehwere in Nagoya, or optionally day trip to Nara (yes, I know it takes 1h40min) if they have energy for it.
Day 13 – Ghibli Park
Day 14 – Shinkansen to Tokyo in the morning. Idea is to get hotel around Kanda. Maybe do Shibuya here.
Day 15 – Kawaguchiko – Probably train to Otsuki and rent car there for maximum freedom of movement.
Day 16 – Shibamata – Asakusa in the afternoon
Day 17 – Gotokuji – Odaiba (teamlab planets, small worlds). Maybe shopping in the early evening (Ginza?)
Day 18 – Jimbocho/Ochanomizu (art and music instrument shopping) – Akihabara – if enough time/energy Ameyoko
Day 19 – Shinkansen to Kyoto. Do visit some gardens and explore Gion or some underrated area of Kyoto.
Day 20 – Uji / Nintendo Museum / Fushimi Inari at evening-dusk (half climb)
Day 21 – Try to get a slot to visit Shugakuin Imperial villa. Some other activity in northern Kyoto. Go in the afternoon to Osaka. (Shinsaibashi?)
Day 22 – Shopping (Loft / Other shops around Umeda) – Train to KIX in the afternoon, fly out.
Any suggestions / ideas are welcome!
by Disc_Infiltrator