Hey all,
We’re from the states (CO) and are headed to Japan for our honeymoon (Sep. 16 – Oct. 4). This will be our first (and likely only) trip to Japan. Because we’ve been simultaneously planning the wedding, the honeymoon plan has suffered and we’re trying to play catch-up.
Anyway, we’ve settled on destinations and are hoping for any feedback on the initial broad strokes (will be back later with a more detailed itinerary). For now, trying to settle on a couple things:
- Length of stay in each destination
- Order of destinations
Here’s what we’ve got so far:
- Tokyo: 3-4 nights (priorities: food, sake, neighborhood exploration)
- Kyoto: 3-4 nights (food, cultural landmarks)
- Ishigaki: 3-4 nights (beach, snorkeling, kayaking)
- Hokkaido (TBD): 6-7 nights (volcanoes, hiking, ryokans)
Considerations for us…
Whether it makes sense to go straight to Hokkaido for autumn colors, then make our way south as things start to cool a bit in Honshu (this might also put us closer to the end of typhoon season for Ishigaki)
Starting in a place that’s a bit less bustling (Hokkaido or Ishigaki) to ease out of travel and wedding stress, versus starting in Tokyo since we fly in there and would have a chance to acclimate to cultural differences before going to less urban areas
Having enough time to dig into the foodie scenes in the cities, but protecting our top priority which is probably ryokan/volcanoes/hiking, which will obviously require more logistics and resources
Maximizing travel efficiency (recognizing that it’s a flight-heavy itinerary, unlike a more Honshu-focused trip)
Anything you’ve got will be helpful to us at this stage. Thanks!
by raptor9800