I am planning a trip in the summer of 2022. I would be from mid july to the first week of august. I know the summer in Japan is brutal but I am a primary school teacher so the only time I get three weeks of is in the summer holiday. I want to get a 2 week JR pass for the time I am outside Tokyo. The stars are notes I am not sure about.
During the trip I want to go through the following cities:
Tokyo-Toyama-Takayama-Kyoto-Osaka- Onomichi-Hiroshima
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Day 1- Amsterdam to Tokyo
Nothing more about is really. Overnight flight.
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Day 2- Tokyo
Arrive at Narita(9 am). Travel to my hostel(Ueno) to drop of my backpack. Nothing really planned for the day, just wonder around. Maybe Akihabara if I am feeling up to it.
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Day 3- Tokyo(Shibuya-Harajuku)
Travel to Meiji Shrine, go east from there. Visit Yoyogi Park, Harajuku, Tokyo Tower, Rainbow Bridge.
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Day 4- Tokyo(Shinjuku)
Travel south from the station. Visit Kabukicho, Golden Gai, Piss Alley and Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.
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Day 5- Tokyo(Ginza)
Visit Imperial Palace, Maranouchi Building, Hie Shrine, Tsukiji Fish Market, Rainbow Bridge(depends on day 3), Tokyo Tower(depends on day 3)
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Day 6- Tokyo->Toyama
Pick up my 2 week JR-pass\*. Head of to Toyama. Might stop at Nagano\*. Stop at Kurobe to pick up a trainticket for Kurobe Gorge\*. End the day strolling around Toyama.
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Day 7- Kurobe Gorge
Travel back to Kurobe to see the Gorge. Travel back to Toyama to stay the night\*.
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Day 8- Toyama->Takayama
Travel from Toyama down to Takayama. I want to stay at a Ryokan there for the night\*. During the day visit Old town, Showa Museum and maybe some markets and just walk around.
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Day 9- Takayama->Kyoto
Travel from Takayama to Kyoto. Maybe stop at Nagoya to see the castle\*. End in Kyoto walking around Shinbashi Dori.
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Day 10- Kyoto
Explore Kyoto. Visit Heian Shrine, Kiyomizu-dera, Sanneizaka and Daikaku-ji Temple. I would like one evening doing a cooking workshop of some kind\*.
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Day 11- Kyoto(Nara)
Day trip to Nara. Visit Naramichi, Nara Park, Todai-ji Temple and Isuien Garden. Depending on my mood I might go north to Kurama Onsen\*.
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Day 12- Kyoto->Osaka
Head of early to see the bamboo grove\*. Spend the morning there. Walk to Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple. After that head to Osaka. Explore Dotonbori and Amerikamura. Maybe explore some bars.
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Day 13- Osaka
Not sure what to do yet in Osaka. Maybe Shitteno-ji temple with Abeno Harukas and some other stuff.
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Day 14- Osaka->Onomichi
Spend the morning exploring Osaka a bit more. End the afternoon traveling to Onomichi. Maybe explore Senkoji Park. Go to bed early for the next day.
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Day 15- Onomichi(Shiminami Kaido)
This day is going to be heaven and hell in one. At the end of July Japan can be extremely hot and I want to cycle the Shiminami Kaido. Even if I cycle 7 km/h(I will hopefully go a bit faster) it should only take 10 hours give or take. Of course I will not be cycling non stop but still. I hope to start at 9am at the latest. After the day I will trail back by bus to Onomichi.
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Day 16- Onomichi->Hiroshima
Travel to Hiroshima in the morning unless there is something in Onomichi I cant miss out on. After dropping my backpack I want to explore the Peach memorial park and museum. Also going past the Atomic Bomb Dome and Hiroshima Castle. End the day by eating Okonomiyaki in Okonomura.
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Day 17- Hiroshima(Miyajima)
Head to Miyajima. Not sure yet if I should get a boat directly from Hirshima or get a train first to hop on the ferry near the island\*. First explore the port for a bit and then climb Mount Misen. Around 4 get back down to enjoy the Torii Gate.
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Day 18- Hiroshima->Tokyo?
Either get back to Tokyo to do stuff I missed or stop at Hakone to enjoy my last days there\*.
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Day 19-?
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Day 20- Tokyo
Fly back
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Question points I would love some feedback for:
Q1: Everything in Tokyo. All days can be shuffeled around ofcourse.
Q2: JR-pass. Am I correct in saying you can pick up the pass on day 1 and set it to activate on a later date?
Q3: Is Nagano worth it in Summer?
Q4: Is it necessary to pick up the ticket for Kurobe Gorge the day before. I read it could really make things easier.
Q5: Is it doable to travel from Kurobe Gorge to Takayama in the evening or is it easier to spend the night in Toyama again?
Q6: Any solo-traveler Ryokan recommendations in Takayama?
Q7: Any cooking workshops(solo-traveler) in Kyoto/Osaka you recommend?
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Thank you for reading my essay hahaha. Any feedback is greatly appriciated. Burn the whole thing down if you think its impossible.
PS:
Here is a link to a map I made.
[https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1hUuf41bjqvxEs3XRQ88IxFTbdg3bwnPz&usp=sharing](https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1hUuf41bjqvxEs3XRQ88IxFTbdg3bwnPz&usp=sharing)
6 comments
JR Pass: You can set it to activate at a later date.
Nagano: There are plenty of locations that are worth visiting during the summer – it’s just that locations you would typically visit are different (eg. Jigokudani Monkey Park or Hakuba do not make much sense, while visiting Togakushi shrines, Kiso Valley, Kamikochi, or eg. Shirahone Onsen does make perfect sense).
Kurobe Gorge to Takayama: As long as you leave Unazuki Onsen before 6 pm, you can get to Takayama (with at least 3 transfers along the way). If you want to transfer just once, you would need to leave with 14:46 (because Ainokaze Railway is painfully slow and the last Limited Express Hida leaves Toyama at 17:15).
Day 3 : In my opinion, Yoyogi park can be a skip unless it is during the weekend (for people watching) during sakura season. The only other reason to go is if you want to picnic or to exercise. Yoyogi park is just a park, it’s not a garden. You named the days Shibuya-Harajuku, but there is nothing in the area around Shibuya station (like Hachiko statue and Shibuya crossing or Shibuya Sky). Tokyo Tower would not be my first choice of observation deck, I would do Roppongi Hills Mori tower or Shibuya Sky instead.
Day 4 : I do not see the point going to Kabukicho and Golden Gai first thing in the morning, it’s a nightlife area. Izakaya and bars are to finish the day. I think you can do a bit more in that day considering the only attraction you have for almost the whole day is Gov. Building (that is ok because it’s free, but not my favorite point of view over Tokyo. Could easily fit Shinjuku Gyoen in that day (as long it’s not a Monday).
Day 5 : Tsukiji is more a morning thing than end of day.
Day 9 : I did not enjoy Nagoya that much, but I feel the castle is worth it. Yes it is a reconstruction, but it is one of the only castle in Japan that have a palace, that is a an extremely beautiful reconstruction. The main keep was not open when I went as they are still working on renovation it.
Day 11: going to Kurama after Nara is a really long stretch, would not do it.
Day 12 : you have to pass by the bamboo grove to to to Nenbutsu-ji, so you might as well do it. But yeah, it can get pretty full of tourist during the day.
Day 13 : can easily add Shin-sekai and if not bored of temple and shrine yet, Sumiyoshi taisha. Or can check Kuromon market if you are into food.
Day 14 : I would personally go to Onomichi way earlier. It is a lovely place and if you go too late, you won’t be able to see much. The view from Senko-ji is beautiful (ok you’ll see more while biking but still). Onomichi is probably my favorite place in Japan, so I would go in the morning, eat Onomichi ramen and walk around the city.
Day 15 : what you can also do is send you bag to Hiroshima, at the end of the day take the train to Matsuyama and sleep there. Of course you could add a day to visit Matsuyama, but regardless, from there take the ferry to Hiroshima.
Day 17 : JR Pass include ferry to Miyajima, so get to Miyajimaguchi station by train.
Day 18 : I personally do not especially like the idea of doing Hiroshima-Tokyo as it’s a quite long ride. I would usually prefer to do Kyoto-Hiroshima-Osaka so if you leave Osaka early, you can be in Odawara at 9am, so almost a full day for Hakone.
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Q2: Yes, you can activate the day you want.
Q3: Nagano city in summer… yes, why not. Not sure what winter specific thing you would do in the city. If you go around lunch, try to find a place that serve miso, it’s one of the specialty of Nagano. You will likely want to check Senko-ji temple.
Q4: What ticket are you talking about. The Kurobe railway train start at Unazuki station. Yes they recommend to book, but do it online [https://www.kurotetu.co.jp/en/reservations/](https://www.kurotetu.co.jp/en/reservations/) To reach Unazuki station, you can buy train ticket at any station of a specific company, like at Dentetsu-Toyama station. And there is no reason to get the ticket the day before unless you plan to take a reserved seat on the Alps Express, and if you want to ride the Shinkansen to Shin-Kurobe station instead of taking the local train all the way, you can say you want the ticket from Shin-Kurobe. However, for around 1200 extra, I would consider to take the scenic train all the way at least one way. No idea on the schedule of the train if it even make sense to take it.
Q5: Will take at least 3h30 hours to go from Unazuki to Takayama. Check train schedule and see at what time you want to be in Takayama. But considering you want to do a ryokan, maybe with meal included, you would have to check-in for 5-6pm… so no, return to Toyama (where you can leave your bag in the hotel) and go to Takayama next day for a single night in the ryokan.
Q6 : No specific place to recommend, but for solo traveler, they do not always accept it. Sometimes the booking start for 2 person, in other cases there is an extra fee for solo travelers. It might just require you to search a bit more for place that are ok for solo travelers at an ok price, I can tell from experience in other places. I also prefer to book directly from the ryokan as they often offer more plan options than international webpages, but sometime it’s in Japanese only.
You don’t need to buy the Kurobe railway ticket the day before, just buy it online and pick it up in the morning.
Kurobe gorge to Takayama would be doable if you started early, although you’d probably be pretty tired that day! I’d probably just stay in Toyama if it were me though.
general advice for travelling in summer: you should prepare for each time leaving the hotel. Try to avoid physical activity such as stairs climbing as much as possible and make use of escalators / elevators. You’ll probably need to change your shirt often (like whenever you can). Wear a hat to be protected from the sun, dont forget sunscreen. Its good to bring a towel to wipe the sweat. Have enough water, especially when you go hiking, i recommend to bring 3 liters (as long as you stay in the city there are vending machines everywhere). If its over 36°C, a fan doesn’t help. it’ll only make it feel even hotter. Also keep in mind the daylight hours: sunset is around 7p.m. and since some attractions close early (around 4 to 5 p.m.) its always a good idea to start your day early.
things to do in Tokyo: Skytree, Asakusa (Senso-ji Temple), Odaiba (visit Tokyo Big Sight, Gundam Statue, and have a ride with the fully automated Yurikamome line: it starts at Shimbashi Station and crosses Rainbow bridge). Also I’d recommend to skip Yoyogi park.
possible day trips from Tokyo: Yokohama, Kamakura, Nikko
Nagoya: I’d recommend to skip.
Kyoto: Since you’re already going to Arashiyama to see the bamboo forest, I highly recommend to spend more time there – maybe half a day. You should pay a visit to: Togetsu bridge, Tenryu-ji, Nonomiya-jinja (very close to bamboo forest) and Jojakko-ji. (there is even more things to see, but impossible with limited time). Also in Kyoto but different location: Fushimi Inari Taisha, Yasaka-jinja, Golden Pavillon, Nishiki market, Pontocho, Gion.
Osaka: Osaka castle (you dont actually need to enter the building which costs 600 JPY) , Umeda station is pretty impressive (you can take the escalator up to the roof for free) and Umeda Sky Bldg. just across the street, but 1500 JPY entrance fee (I felt it was worth it but its just my personal opinion)
Cooking workshop: there is only one i know about which is called “abc cooking”, maybe that’ll help.
Feel free to visit my profile, you can find a link to my google map, I took some videos/pictures of the places I have visited so far and maybe it can help you to decide.
There is Fuji Rock Festival at the end of July every year of that’s something you’re interested in. Realistically Thu-Mon for the full weekend festival. I organize a group every year if that’s something you might consider, swing by /r/fujirock
I did a similar route in autumn except for Onomichi and the Shiminami Kaido and stayed a few more nights Takayama and Kanazawa (and a night in Kurobe George). So much to see there that you skipped, ie: Fukui, Kanazawa, Shirakawa-go and Gokayama. Overall the route is very easy to do and would advise this to more people as it shows a lot of Japan at a nice pace.
Some tips:
– Get an open jaw flight: Amsterdam -> Tokyo, Osaka -> Amsterdam. Saves you time on traveling back to Tokyo.
– If you do the open jaw: Instead of a 14 day JR pass you can also buy a Shinkansen ticket to Toyama, the Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass and the Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass. Comes out cheaper that way.
PS: Als je nog vragen hebt, mag je ook een DM sturen 🙂