Hello I’ve built a 15 day itinerary for march 5-19 2023 and I’m completely open for suggestions of adding or removing things. I’m trying to experience the both busy cities and country side small towns (preferred edo period buildings)
(Tokyo) March 5:
– rest
(Tokyo) March 6:
– Godzilla store
– no other plans
(Tokyo) march 7:
– yasukuni shrine
– no other plans
(Tokyo) march 8:
– no plans
(Kyoto) march 9:
Not sure where to stay id love to stay in a ryokan if you have a good suggestion
– hiro bun (nagashi somen)
– was planning on Arashiyama monkeys and bamboo but after reading more I’m considering removing them
(Kyoto) march 10:
– nakatanidou mochi
– todai ji
(Kyoto) march 11:
– fushimi inari I’m also considering skipping for something more remote and less crowded
– dinner at kokubu in Kobe
(Day trip to Hiroshima) march 12:
Stop 1 – Himeji castle
Stop 2 – Hiroshima peace memorial
Stop 3 – itsukushima
Head back to Kyoto or Osaka?
(Back to Tokyo for remainder of trip) march 13:
– Tokyo sky tree
(Day trip to buddhas) march 14:
– kotoku in
– Njon ji
(Tokyo) March 15:
– Shizu Kokoro Chado school
(Tokyo) March 16:
– Ueno zoo
– Ameyoko center
(Tokyo) march 17:
– no plans
(Tokyo) march 18:
– no plans
(Tokyo) march 19:
– no plans
– leave to home
Looking for:
Food will be a major focus of the trip but I’m trying to limit going to specific places to eat, hoping google maps/ reviews can lead me in the right direction but if you have suggestions I’d be happy to check them out
The best nature sites
Omakse restaurant
Best wagyu experience
Day trip fishing (any city between Tokyo and Hiroshima)
Country side ryokan
Favorite theme/animal cafe in Tokyo
If you think I should add these to my trip I’d love to know when and how long
Tottori camels
Gundam factory
Taketomi
Osaka castle
Small town tea ceremony
Thank you so much for your help
1 comment
You said you want to visit small countryside towns but that isn’t in your itinerary?
March 14 day trip:
Do you mean the Nihon-ji daibutsu? I wouldn’t suggest visiting that on the same day as the Kotoku-in daibutsu. They’re really far apart. Kotoku-in is in Kamakura and you can easily spend a day in Kamakura visiting other sights as well. The Nihon-ji daibutsu is in Chiba and there is some hiking around there as well- again easily a full day, although honestly it’s kind of tricky to get to and takes a while. I don’t know if I’d prioritise it, especially if this is your first visit to Japan. Kamakura is the one I’d chose.
I personally really didn’t like Ueno zoo. If you’re used to western zoo standards you probably won’t either. The enclosures are small, largely concrete and lack stimuli for the animals.
I loved Tottori but it’s a pain to get to and from and takes a long time. I wouldn’t recommend it for such a short trip.
If you want a castle I’d recommend a stop in Himeiji (can do on route to Hiroshima) rather than Osaka castle.
There’s plenty of tea ceremony options in Kyoto, you could even do a half day trip to Uji which is especially known for their green tea.