Hi, I will be going on a 4 day trip to Osaka/Hiroshima/Kobe next week. Would like to get your thoughts on the itinerary I made.
Day 0: Arrival
– Arrive in KIX at 19:00
– Check in at hotel near Kitahama station by 22:00
– Dinner: look for open restaurant near hotel or konbini food as last resort
Day 1: Miyajima + Osaka at night
– Get to Miyajima by 09:00 (will be using JR Pass)
– Spend half-day exploring in Miyajima
– Return to Hiroshima around 15:00-16:00
– Try Hiroshima okonomiyaki and do some souvenir shopping near Hiroshima station
– Umeda Sky Building by 18:00. Hopefully get to see sunset.
– Dotonbori by 20:00 (Dinner)
– Shinsaibashi + more souvenir shopping in Don Quijote
– Return to hotel by 22:30
Day 2: Osaka
– Morning: Explore area near hotel (Nakanoshima River/Park + City Hall)
– Shinsekai
– Harukas 300
– Namba Parks/Takashimaya
Day 3: Hiroshima + Kobe
– Get to Hiroshima by 8:30
– Peace Memorial Park
– Leave for Kobe at 11:00
– Lunch in Kobe
– Stroll around Kitano Ijinkai Gai
– Carpentry Museum (if time allows)
– Nunobiki Herb Garden
– Check out Kobe Harbor
– Ride JR train back to Osaka at 18:00
– Free time/last night in Osaka
– Pack luggage
Day 4: Himeji + Departure
– Early checkout. Leave luggage in hotel.
– Get to Himeji by 8:30
– Himeji Castle + Kokoen (2-3 hours)
– Back to Osaka by 13:00
– Return to hotel by 16:00 to get luggage
– Get to KIX by 17:00
This will be my first time in Osaka and would be going solo. Not sure how realistic my time estimates are, looking for helpful tips or insights, if I should change something to make the trip smoother.
Note: I’ve already paid for my hotel in Osaka, so I can’t change my schedule anymore to spend a night in Hiroshima.
Looking at my itinerary, I really don’t have much planned in Osaka during the evening and when I get back from Himeji. Most likely I’m going back to Dotonbori/Namba area but I welcome other suggestions 🙂
UPDATE:
As an update to this post, I did end up following the schedule recommended by ChoAyo8, although I didn’t make it to Kobe anymore because I spent more time in Himeji than I initially estimated and wanted to rest early for my Miyajima/Hiroshima trip the next day.
While I did do Hiroshima and Miyajima as a 1 day trip, if I had more time and more days, I would have done them separately + book a night in Hiroshima. I would have loved to spend more time exploring Miyajima or have more time to check all the displays in the Peace Memorial Museum.
by SilentPassenger88