Hi all,

So I will be heading to Japan for the first time with my wife this October and we are planning to cram as much as possible into this trip as we are not sure if we will ever make it back. I have booked the flight currently over there but I have yet to book the Stays yet for any night as we are still trying to figure out the Itinerary. We need some particular help towards the tail end when we are in Tokyo for a few nights, but wanted to hear peoples thoughts on the Itinerary we have planned and make some changes around it. We are very much interested in culture aspects such as Shrine and Temples, we also enjoy going for nature walks and getting lost discovering new locations.

I know getting a car can be mad in a country where public transport is god tier, however I noticed that parts of the trip would be harder to fit in if we didn't have our own form of transport and would have to reduce elements of the journey.

If you have any suggestions in additional places to visit or places I can probally remove or even spend more days in certain locations, please let me know as I am looking to get as much out of this trip as possible.

Itinerary

Day 1 – Sunday, 27th October

• Depart from Dublin Airport

Day 2 – Monday, 28th October

• Arrive at Fukuoka Airport at 7:55 pm
• Check into a hotel in Fukuoka
• Visit Nakatsukasa Magotaro Inari Shrine (Cyber Shrine) in Fukuoka

Day 3 – Tuesday, 29th October

• Rent a car in Fukuoka
• Drive to Takasumi Shrine in Fukuoka Prefecture (60 km, ~1 hour)
• Continue to Kamishikimi Kumanoza Shrine in Takamori, Kumamoto Prefecture (120 km, ~2 hours)
• Visit Yufuin Floral Village in Yufu, Oita Prefecture (60 km, ~1 hour)
• Drop off car in Beppu and check in for the night (20 km, ~30 minutes)

Day 4 – Wednesday, 30th October

• Leave Beppu early in the morning by bullet train to Hiroshima
• Visit the Atomic Bomb Dome and Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima
• Travel to Osaka
• Check into a hotel in Osaka
• Explore Dotonbori district in Osaka

Day 5 – Thursday, 31st October

• Visit Universal Studios Japan in Osaka

Day 6 – Friday, 1st November

• Visit Osaka Castle
• Explore Nishinomaru Garden in Osaka
• Visit Hokoku Shrine in Osaka

Day 7 – Saturday, 2nd November

• Rent a car in Osaka
• Drive to Koyasan in Wakayama Prefecture (90 km, ~2 hours)
• Continue to Nachi Waterfall in Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture (130 km, ~3 hours)
• Check into a hotel near Shingu, Wakayama Prefecture (20 km, ~30 minutes)

Day 8 – Sunday, 3rd November

• Drive to Nara (180 km, ~3.5 hours), return car
• Spend the day in Nara, visit Tōdai-ji Temple
• Take a train from Nara to Kyoto
• Check into a hotel or Airbnb in Kyoto

Day 9 – Monday, 4th November

• Visit Arashiyama Bamboo Forest in Kyoto
• Visit Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto
• Explore the Gion district in Kyoto

Day 10 – Tuesday, 5th November

• Rent a car from Kyoto
• Drive to Katsuyama in Fukui Prefecture (100 km, ~2 hours)
• Visit Echizen Daibutsu in Katsuyama
• Visit Heisenji Hakusan Shrine in Katsuyama
• Drive to Takayama in Gifu Prefecture (120 km, ~2.5 hours) and check into a hotel or ryokan

Day 11 – Wednesday, 6th November

• Visit the Hida No Sato Open Air Museum in Takayama
• Drive to Ontake Satomiya Shrine in Kiso, Nagano Prefecture (100 km, ~2 hours)
• Drive to Maruyama forest walk at Shirakomanoikeiriguchiyuryo parking lot in Nagano Prefecture (60 km, ~1.5 hours)
• Stay the night in Shimoyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture (110 km, ~2.5 hours)

Day 12 – Thursday, 7th November

• Drive to Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture, drop off car (100 km, ~2 hours)
• Sightseeing in Hakone, visit Lake Ashi and Owakudani
• Take a train to Nikko in Tochigi Prefecture and check into a hotel

Day 13 – Friday, 8th November

• Visit the Nikkō Tōshogū Shrine in Nikko
• Explore Nikko, visit Kegon Falls and Lake Chuzenji
• Take a train to Tokyo and check into the final hotel

Day 14 – Saturday, 9th November

• Relax and wander around Tokyo

Day 15 – Sunday, 10th November

• Visit TeamLab Planets in Tokyo
• Visit the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Tokyo

Day 16 – Monday, 11th November

• Visit the Making of Harry Potter in Tokyo

Day 17 – Tuesday, 12th November

• Visit the Imperial Palace in Tokyo
• Explore Akihabara district in Tokyo

Day 18 – Wednesday, 13th November

• Train/Bus to Narita Airport
• Return to Dublin Airport

Hotels/AirBnBs/Ryokans

• Beppu – 1 Night
• Osaka – 3 Nights
• Shingu – 1 Night
• Kyoto – 2 Nights
• Takayama – 1 Night
• Shimoyoshida – 1 Night
• Nikko – 1 Night
• Tokyo – 5 Nights

Renting Cars

• Fukuoka to Beppu – 1 Day
• Osaka via Shingu to Nara – 2 Days
• Kyoto via Takayama/Shimoyoshida to Hakone – 3 Days (two and half days technically)

Trains (not including local trains in cities)

• Beppu to Hiroshima
• Hiroshima to Osaka
• Hakone to Nikko
• Nikko to Tokyo