Sisters traveling to Japan for the first time Itinerary.

8 comments

1. It’s not guaranteed that Japan will be open at this time, so you should definitely buy refundable/flexible tickets etc. You might even just want to move your plans to 2023. October is quite warm in Japan. I did see a few fall leaves later in October when I visited in 2018, but that was near the mountains (Karuizawa), which you aren’t planning to visit. (It was a day trip from Tokyo since it’s on a Shinkansen line, but it’s a very popular destination that time of year so you’d have to make reservations early). I believe that October will be less crowded in general than than November, especially in Kyoto. November is the peak tourist season for Kyoto.

   If you’re coming from London I would probably say November in Japan isn’t that cold. It will probably be a little bit warmer than where you’re coming from.

   Day 4 is extremely packed. Kyoto is one of the most difficult cities to get around in, and Fushimi Inari is a ways outside town. You should allot an extra 30 minutes at least between destinations from what Google maps tells you. Climbing Fushimu Inari (which you should do) takes a few hours and gets very crowded later in the day. We went early in the morning (about 6:30 or 7 I think) and it wasn’t too bad on the way up, but it was extremely crowded in the other direction when we came down. I would suggest moving that at least to your second day in Kyoto so you will hit the optimal time.

   Day 5 is doable as is but you probably won’t be able to fit anything else there. You might want to look into cutting a day somewhere else and adding another day to Kyoto. Osaka days 2 & 3 could probably be done in one day, especially if you manage to fit something in on your first day.

2. Samurai museum Tokyo is awesome and small.
   Samurai Joe tour Saturdays in Kyoto is famous and epic. He has a Fb page.

3. I can understand that the first days you might be a bit jetlag, but they are quite relax, especially compared to the two Kyoto days, that are quite full. Day 4 would be more realistic if you remove the Philosophers path. I think that Higashiyama is more interesting (like ninenzaka). Ideally, you could even want to do Fushimi Inari-taisha in the morning.

   Gov. Building is a ok point of view, mostly because it’s free, otherwise I would go to Shibuya Sky or Roppongi Hills Mori Tower instead. I do have a bias toward night view of even sunset.

   Teamlab will close in August, so it will have to be planets or a new exhibition that teamlab might open elsewhere in Tokyo. This could also be a bit of a full day, so I would switch day 7 and 8, so if you ware not able to do everything, you can finish on the lighter day.

   1)Should we change the dates? Late October to early November will be a bit early for the colors, but even if you go a bit later, it won’t be that cold. Later in November would be sweater or light coat weather for me.

   2)Is it too packed? Enough time for exploring too ? Kyoto is a bit thight if you ak me.

   3)Should I visit Osaka castle? For me, why not. No it is not 100% historically accurate and it’s a concrete reconstruction, so some people hate it with a passion, but it is still interesting for me. Keep in mind that it is a concrete reconstruction and the inside is a museum, so unless you are really into Japanese history, you do not have to go inside.

   3)Is Kiyimizu-dera Temple or Yasaka Shrine worth seeing? Yes, I think they are. Yasaka you will pass by anyway between Gion and Kiyomizu-dera, and it’s free. Kiyomizu-dera

   4)Should we visit Arashiyama monkey park since we are close by? If you are there, like monkey and do not mind the hike. Personally not interested by monkeys so would pass.

   5)What else can I do on day 7? Tokyo is a big city, considering your interest about shopping and thrift stores, I would look a bit for neighborhoods that have a reputation for thrift stores.

   6)Any sights that we should add? One of the big thing missing is Nara, but you would need to add a bit more time.

   7)Onsen / hot springs can that be added on? Where should go for one? Stopping at a ryokan could be a bit hard as you already have a full schedule, but there is some in Arashiyama. Or you could check Spa LaQua in Tokyo, it’s also next to Koishikawa korakuen, a really nice garden (if you are into garden) and in the same building as Tokyo dome city, that is a kind of shopping center. Bonus, if you go in November, they have a winter illumination.

   8)Is our locations for our accommodation suitable? Yes, all really good options. Just check booking websites like [booking.com](https://booking.com) to have an idea of the price, but it should not be too hard to find kind of affordable business hotels. Actually, you could even decide not stay in Kyoto at and do two day trips to Kyoto from Osaka.

   9) Reccomendations for food or shops?

   10) Toyosu market? Is it worth it to get there at 5.30am ? Only if you are really interested to see the tuna auction (don’t even know what time it is), otherwise, absolutely not. The wholesale market is no longer open to the public, as it was back in Tsukiji.

   11)Any other precautions we should take for Covid-19 , such as making sure accommodations all have free cancelling ,travel insurance, book flights with credit card (have to borrow someone else’s card as we don’t own one)…. you are old enough, get a credit card yourself, even if it’s a small credit margin, you can increase your limit by putting money on the card. For example if your card have a limit of 500 and you need 600, then you can pay 100 on the card and you have a new limit of 600 (500 of them on credit, so you should pay asap if you do not want to pay for interest). Check with the card you get if you get one as they can have limitations, for example my card I can only put as much extra as my limit, otherwise it take a couple of days for the card to allow me to use the new full limit. Also, you should buy refundable airplane tickets instead of relying on a credit card for it. Of, and a credit card can be good to pay when you are in Japan and to get money out of the ATM.

   12)I tried to group activities by distance to help make the trip more efficient – but I haven’t done enough research on the public transport to make it all seamless yet – anything seem wrong? Generally speaking it’s ok Just use Google maps to figure how to move bewteen places.

   ​

   feel free to ask if you have any extra question

4. The Yamanote Line isn’t particularly useful for tourists in my experience from two visits to Tokyo: you use it a bit, but the subway is more useful as it’s generally much more direct.

5. 1) id recommend mid november (check the dates of lighting) so you could visit kyomizudera at night it was the best ¥400 i spent in my stay in japan

   3) instead of Osaka Castle i’d recommend visiting Himeji Castle its about ¥1000 entrance fee i think. its about an hour travel from Osaka station, so two hours round trip but its fairly english friendly.

   3)Kiyomizudera is worth it, yasaka is nearby and has a nice park it wasnt all that nice imo

   4) arashiyama is actually a decent distance away because of bussing its about an hour from kiyomizudera, but feeding the monkeys was fun.

   7)if you want a natural hot spring then hakone would be your best bet otherwise just look up public baths

   google maps was decent for navigation

6. Tokyo

   Move Meiji Jingu to when you go to Harajuku, since the entrance to Meiji Jingu is right next to Harajuku station.

   Then you can do Shinjuku Gyoen on your last day.

   TeamLab borderless will be closed by the time you’re there. It closes in August 2022, and then it will reopen sometime in 2023 at another location.

7. Honestly with only 7-9 full days (not really clear when when you arrive and depart) I would pick either Kansai or Kanto rather than trying to cram in both. As is, everything just feels cramped and rushed, and you’re skipping a lot of things that I would typically consider unskippable. For example, Nara and Himeji are two things I would generally never recommend people skip on a first visit to Kansai, and I would usually recommend at least 3 full days just for the highlights of urban Kyoto. Add in extra time for shopping and general exploration and I think you could easily fill the time you have and still end up feeling rushed without even going to Tokyo.

   >My sister can only take 2 weeks off from work, but we are more flexible with the time of year .Originally we thought mid to late oct but I think the leaves starts changing colours later and we don’t want to miss it.However we also worry about the temperature being too cold.

   October is too early for fall foliage in the places you’re talking about. At higher elevations and further north, yes, October would be nice for foliage. In Kanto and Kansai, November is the better bet.

   >1)Should we change the dates?

   October is nice, but if it were up to me I would sooner wait until November for the fall foliage. Most of Kyoto peaks around mid-late November, though early November through early December is generally nice. Note that if you go during fall foliage season I think you’ll want to spend even more time in Kyoto (more than at least 3 days, I mean).

   >2)Is it too packed? Enough time for exploring too ?

   IMO, it’s too packed. You’ll barely haven any time for exploration.

   >3)Should I visit Osaka castle? I’m not sure that there is that much to see.

   It’s okay on the outside, but the keep is essentially just a concrete and rebar museum built in the shape of a castle, so it doesn’t really feel anything like a real castle. Himeji (the country’s largest and most well-preserved original castle with an amazing garden next door that’s practically free if you buy the combined castle+garden ticket) and Hikone (gorgeous smaller castle on the banks of Lake Biwa) are both within day trip distance and are both much better.

   >3)Is Kiyimizu-dera Temple or Yasaka Shrine worth seeing?

   Yes. I also really recommend going up to that area in the evening some time. Even though most things are closed, the atmosphere around sunset and after dark is arguably even better than during the day (the same could be said for quite a few places in Kyoto, but especially the Yasaka/Kiyomizu area and Fushimi Inari).

   See also: [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/5wgxa1/best_way_to_group_these_sites_in_kyoto/dea059y/?context=3) for some ideas of how to organize major sights in Kyoto, but do keep in mind that this is by no means exhaustive nor is it meant to be a checklist.

   >4)Should we visit Arashiyama monkey park since we are close by?

   With only 2 days, I wouldn’t. If you had more like 4-5 days, then sure.

   >5)What else can I do on day 7?

   Skip Tokyo Tower and go to Mori Tower in the evening. Tokyo Tower itself has a decent view, but it’s much more interesting from the outside, and Mori Tower gives you that view (as well as arguably the best view of the city in general).

   Just in general there are so many things you could be doing in Tokyo, but they won’t necessarily be nearby what you’re doing on day 7 specifically. Ueno (especially Ameya Yokocho), Yanaka, and Kagurazaka are 3 neighborhoods that I typically recommend. Also, Meiji Jingu can be swapped to the Harajuku/Shibuya day and you can literally walk through Meiji Jingu from Shinjuku to Harajuku and then from there to Shibuya Station (or the reverse).

   >6)Any sights that we should add?

   Loads, but with the time constraints you’re working with it’s going to be really difficult. If you had 2 weeks or if you cut your trip down to just Kansai or just Kanto, then we could talk. That said, going to Kansai without visiting Nara is kind of a crime, so I would definitely make time for it even if you have to take a day from Osaka or Tokyo.

   Also, one of my absolute favorite things to do and to recommend to people is to rent bicycles. It is absolutely the best way to explore some of these urban areas, but it takes time….time that, again, you don’t really have with your current plan.

   >7)Onsen / hot springs can that be added on?Where should go for one?

   Not with the time constraints you have. There are smaller ones scattered about in places that you’re going, but the traditional onsen experience usually involves going further outside of urban areas than you’ve really given yourself time to do. Even something as simple as Kurama (just outside of Kyoto) would basically eat up most or all of a day once you add in Kurama-dera and Kifune (which you would definitely do if you were making the trip), and then that means even less time for things you already have on your schedule.

   >8)Is our locations for our accommodation suitable? Any affordable recommendations ? Since the areas I’ve chosen will be expensive.

   For Kyoto, I recommend the Kawaramachi/Gion-Shijo area, or failing that, some other area between the Imperial Palace and Kyoto Station–preferably near a station with access to two lines (e.g., Karasuma, Sanjo, Kyoto). For Osaka, my first choice would be Namba, but there are a number of other decent choices between Tennoji and Umeda (especially along the Midosuji Line), and Kyobashi is also very convenient. These are not necessarily the most budget-friendly locations, but they generally have good transit access AND lots see and do within walking distance.

   For Tokyo I would typically recommend somewhere within or perhaps just outside the Yamanote loop with direct access to at least 2 lines. Shinjku and Ueno are interesting and have tons of transit access, so I like them, but they are also very busy and not the cheapest. Ebisu, Jimbocho, Nippori, Shibuya, Ikeburo, and Iidabashi are other good options.

   I can give further recommendations if budget is a big concern, but a lot of how convenient or inconvenient some of the cheaper areas are depends greatly on your specific travel plans, and you should keep in mind that saving a few bucks on accommodations doesn’t mean much if you’re spending more time and money on transit. Also, more budget friendly areas won’t have as much to do within walking distance (consider this if having a lot of food options nearby is important to you).

8. Generally speaking shrine and castle burnout is a real thing, but visiting a good one of each is worthwhile. No need to visit more than one of each. Onsen is your friend, save time by booking acccom that has a decent onsen on the premises. Generally you want to hit an onsen every other night where they are available. Allocate more time to explore Shibuya and perhaps Shinjuku, or Shimokitazowa (thrift and retro) and consider Tsukiji outer (fish) markets for a lunch or snack. Allocate more time for general shopping/subway/being lost exploring Tokyo. Look for Hub bars at night, plus try to bar hop some live music at small “live house” clubs. Tokyo Tower climb only in perfect weather so you can easily see Fuji san. So generally less temples and more city exploration would be my 2c.