Hi JapanTravel, looking to check my itinerary here before I start booking. Looking for grades on feasibility, variety, and overall goodness. We’re a couple in our early 30s, speak and read a little bit of Japanese, and traveling the last 2 weeks of November. Looking to get a good mix of modern Japan, art, temples, gardens, and experiences including ryokan stay and onsen visit. We’re planning 5 days in Tokyo (plus arrival day and departure day when we have a 7pm flight), 4 in Kyoto including Nara, and 4 distributed between Koyasan, Kanazawa, Takayama, somewhere near Tokyo (5 lakes, Kamakura, Nikko), and an onsen town in some fashion. Right now thinking Koyasan, Kanazawa, and Shibu for onsen. Where to eat and stay very much still up in the air. Here’s a loose day-by-day plan:
Day 0: Land at Narita around 5; probably too late to get to anywhere else so planning to stay in Tokyo this day, somewhere not too far from Shinagawa station
Day 1: Kyoto
* Train over early
* Kamigyo – some combination of Imperial Palace area and Nijo Castle
* Tofuku-ji
* Fushimi Inari
Day 2: Kyoto – Northern Higashiyama, hitting some selection of temples depending on endurance and if any are shoulder-to-shoulder crowded, looking at:
* Kiyomizu-dera, Chion-in, Shoren-in, Nanzen-ji
* Philosopher’s Path to Ginkaku-ji
* Gion if we don’t end up going to Kanazawa
Day 3: Kyoto – west
* Kinkaku-ji and Ryoan-ji
* Maybe Ninna-ji
* Monkey park in Arashiyama if not going to Shibu
* Okochi-sanso and/or Tenryu-ji – Okochi-sanso seems like a little variety after all the temples
* Kokedera if time
If we don’t go see monkeys, might consider skipping Arashiyama entirely and either soing the Kurama to Kibune walk or heading over to Osaka for the afternoon
Day 4: Nara – will do a typical Nara itinerary of Todai-ji, deer, Isui-en, etc.
Day 5: Either:
* Kinosaki or Arima for onsen, with morning free
* Koyasan, with temple stay, see Okunoin, maybe a short hike
* Takayama (haven’t looked into the details too much, but seems like a very nice old town)
Day 6-7: Probably head to and then stay in Kanazawa, via Shirakawa-go if coming from Takayama. Kanazawa things to hit:
* Kenroku-en
* Higashi Chaya geisha district
* Nagamachi samurai district
Day 8: Head to Shibu for onsen and ryokan stay and to see macaques, or straight to Tokyo; specific Tokyo days will vary depending on how things shake out.
Day 9: Tokyo, arrive hopefully around noon; free day or visit a contemporary art museum or Harajuku. Maybe Golden Gai evening.
Day 10: Tokyo, mostly Ginza
* Muji
* Uniqlo
* maybe Itoya stationery
* Dawn Avatar Robot Cafe
* TeamLab Planets
Day 11: Tokyo, Shibuya:
* Maybe an art museum (Kusama, contemporary, 21\_21)
* Daikanyama-T Site
* Archive fashion store
* Worm store
Day 12: Tokyo, west
* Walk through Shimokitazawa and Meguro
* Ghibli museum
Day 13: Tokyo, Ueno
* Ueno Park and National Museum
* Walk around Yanesen
* Maybe Akihabara for something different
Day 14: Tokyo
* Free day
* Depart from Narita at 7pm
If we don’t go to Shibu or Kinosaki, would make one day a day trip to Hakone or one of the Izu Peninsula onsens (Atami or Shuzenji). This has gotten long so I’ll ask about onsen opinions in a separate post.
by BrotisRedding