Hello, I am currently living in Tokyo and in September my family will be visiting me. To complicate things, my parents will be arriving a week earlier than my brother, and leaving roughly a week earlier as well. Parents: 23.09-10.10, Brother: 1.10-19.10. This is the itinerary I came up with to satisfy all requests. My parents wanted to see more of the south, they weren’t so much interested in Tokyo but did want to see the highlights. My brother wanted to see Kyoto and northern Japan. Not ideal but the best I could manage (e.g. I would have liked a day more in Kanazawa however we needed to get to Tokyo). My parents portion is mostly worked out, though I would like your thoughts on that as well. The portion after my parent’s departure still needs a lot of work. Probably extend Nikko another day and add Aomori…
- September 23
- Arrival parents at Osaka airport: 6:55
- Osaka -> Hiroshima (1.5h by train)
- Hotel Check In
- Peace Memorial Park + Atomic Bomb Dome (Atomic Bomb Memorial)
- Orizuru Tower (Observation Deck)
- Hiroshima Castle
- Night: Hiroshima
- September 24
- Ferry to Miyajima
- Itsukushima Shrine (Torii Gate in the Water)
- Daishoin + Henjo Cave (Prestigious Shingon temple)
- Ferry back to Hiroshima
- Night: Hiroshima
- September 25
- Hiroshima -> Onomichi (0.5h by train)
- Hotel Check In
- Temple Walk (2.5 km walk connecting 25 temples, view over the coast)
- Night: Onomichi
- September 26
- E-Bike Rental
- Bike the Shimanami Kaido
- Return E-Bikes
- Night: Onomichi
- September 27
- Ferry Ride?
- Inland Trip?
- Beach?
- Night: Onomichi
- September 28
- Onomichi -> Kurashiki (1.25h by train)
- Kurashiki Historical Quarter (Picturesque old water canals district)
- Kurashiki -> Osaka (1.5h by train)
- Hotel Check In
- Night: Osaka
- September 29
- Katsuo-ji Temple
- Osaka Castle (One of Japan’s premier castles)
- Night: Osaka
- September 30
- Osaka -> Himeji (0.5h by train – frequent)
- Himeji Castle (UNESCO – Japan's best castle)
- Kobe Beef (Get some world renowned Kobe Beef)
- Kikuseidai (Mountain overlooking the bay with beautiful nighttime views)
- Kobe -> Osaka (0.5h by train – frequent)
- Night: Osaka
- October 1
- Shitennoji (Temple in Osaka)
- Shinsekai (Retro-Futurism city district)
- Arrival Osaka Brother (17:00)
- Dotonbori (Famous nightlife district by the river)
- Night: Osaka
- October 2
- Osaka -> Nara (~1h by train – frequent)
- Tōdai-ji (The world's largest timber building. Large Buddha Statue inside)
- Nara Park (Free roaming deers that bow to you if you feed them)
- Isuien Garden (Beautiful Garden)
- Kōfuku-ji (A Buddhist temple)
- Nara -> Osaka (~1h by train – frequent)
- Night: Osaka
- October 3
- Osaka-> Kyoto (~1h by train – frequent)
- Hotel Check In
- Ginkakuji (UNESCO – Silver Pavilion)
- Nanzen-ji Temple (Hidden Gem with old stone aqueduct)
- Heian Shrine (Large Shrine)
- Kyoto Imperial Palace (Not overly impressive but still worth seeing)
- Shimogamo-Jinja (UNESCO – Temple Complex)
- Night: Kyoto
- October 4
- Arashiyama Bamboo Forest (Japan’s most famous bamboo forest)
- Walk up to Otagi Nenbutsuji, viewing temples along the way (Jōjakkō-ji Giōji)
- Ninna-ji Temple (UNESCO)
- Ryoan-ji Temple (UNESCO – Zen Rock garden close to Kinkaku-ji)
- Kinkaku-ji (UNESCO – famous Golden Temple)
- Night: Kyoto
- October 5
- Fushimi Kandakara Shrine (Temple on a Mountain, thousands of Torii Gates)
- Tōfuku-ji Temple (Beautiful wooden bridge/outlook, rock garden)
- Gion (Geisha District)
- Yasaka Pagoda (5 Story Pagoda overlooking Gion)
- Kiyomizu-dera (UNESCO – great observation platform)
- Night: Kyoto
- October 6
- Kyoto -> Kanazawa (~2h by train – frequent)
- Hotel Check In
- Nagamachi District (Old samurai district with a lot atmosphere)
- Castle Grounds (Castle was rebuild in 2001)
- Kenrokuen Garden (rated on of the top 3 in all of Japan)
- Higashiyama (Even bigger old geisha district)
- Night: Kanazawa
- October 7
- Kanazawa -> Toyama (~1h by train – frequent)
- Baggage Forwarding Service from Dentetsu-Toyama Station to Shino-Omachi
- Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route (Route through Japan’s alps)
- Claim baggage
- Hotel Check In
- Night: Omachi (or nearby)
- October 8
- Omachi -> Matsumoto (~1h by train – frequent)
- Matsumoto Castle (One of Japan’s premier castles)
- (Skip for more time in Tokyo)
- Matsumoto -> Tokyo (~2.5h by train)
- Hotel Check In
- Tokyo Skytree (Tokyo’s version of the Eiffel Tower with observation deck)
- Night: Tokyo
- October 9
- Meiji Jingu (Large temple surrounded by nature in the heart of Tokyo)
- Imperial Gardens (Gardens of the former Imperial Castle)
- Sensō-ji (Large Temple with a pagoda and a picturesque approach)
- Night: Tokyo
- October 10
- Parent Departure Haneda 11:50
- Tokyo -> Enoshima (me and my brother already saw Kamakura and Tokyo)
- Enoshima -> Tokyo
- Night: Tokyo
- October 11
- Tokyo -> Nikko (~2h by train)
- Hotel Check In
- Shinkyō Bridge (famous picturesque bridge)
- Unesco Shrines & Temples (Tôshôgû, Futarasan-jinja, Rinnô-ji)
- Akechidaira Ropeway Observation Deck (Great views of the waterfall/lake)
- Kegon Waterfalls
- Lake Chūzenji
- Night: Nikko
- October 12
- Nikko -> Aizu-Wakamatsu (~3h by train)
- Tsuruga Castle
- Sazae Temple (Largest wooden double helix staircase in the world)
- Aizu Bukeyashiki (Reconstructed samurai residence)
- Night: Aizu Wakamatsu
- October 13
- Aizu-Wakamatsu -> Sendai (~2h by train)
- Hotel Check In
- Shiogama Shrine
- Matsushima Bridge/Bay
- Night: Sendai
- October 14
- Sendai -> Yamadera (1h by train)
- Yamadera (Famous temple on a mountain, great views)
- Yamadera -> Ginzan Onsen (~2h by train/bus(shuttle))
- Ginzan Onsen (Onsen town with a historic look)
- Night: Ginzan Onsen
- October 15
- Ginzan Onsen -> Tsuruoka (~4h by train/bus)
- Hotel Check In
- Haguro-san (Nature Hike, one of the 3 mountains of Dewa)
- Night: Tsuruoka
- Oktober 16
- October 17
- October 18
- October 19
- Afternoon
- Departure Haneda 22:50
- Afternoon
by LarroNo