Husband and I wll be traveling to Japan for the first time at the end of November (16-30). We enjoy both big cities and quiet countrysides. We try to do a hike everywhere we go and have chosen to do Mt Tsurugi in the Iya Valley. I'm not sure if we're trying to squeeze this in or if there are other more efficient and worthwhile things to do. We like to travel at a leisurely place and will take a nap if we have to. We like arts/culture, food, and nature. So far we have our days allocated and will fill in more specific activities as we get closer.
Kyoto (4 full days)
Iya Valley (1 full day)
Tokyo (6 full days)
Not sure if we should take a day away from Tokyo and go to Hakone or do another day trip. With all the walking we'll be doing, we don't want to feel too exhausted.
Day 1 (16th) HND → Kyoto
Arrive at HND ~2pm
HND → Shinagawa → Kyoto
Check in at Southern Higashiyama
We're prepared for this long travel day so that we can take advantage of our jet lag in Kyoto.
Day 2 (17th) Kyoto
Higashiyama/Gion
Kiyomizudera
Fushimi Inari (late afternoon or at night)
Day 3 (18th) Kyoto
Philoshopher's Path. We chose a few temples that interested us: Nanzenji, Eikando, and Ginkakuji. Is it recommended to do this in the early morning or would it be okay to do this in the afternoon? There is an ikebana class downtown that we really want to do. They have morning and afternoon sessions for this particular day but usually only in the morning on other days (10am). We'd want to do Nishiki market either before or after the ikebana class.
Day 4 (19th) Kyoto
Arashiyama
Bamboo Forest
Gioji
Otagi Nenbutsuji
Day 5 (20th)
Free day. Either explore other Kyoto neighborhoods or revisit ones we really liked or take a day trip.
Day 6 (21st) Kyoto → Iya Valley
Kyoto → Okayama
Explore Okayama for a few hours
Okayama → Awa Ikeda
Check in at Awa Ikeda
Day 7 (22nd) Iya Valley
Explore Iya Valley and Hike Mount Tsurugi
It seems like it's possible to see all of the sights in Iya Valley in one day. We're not sure if we should rent our own car or hire a driver/tour guide. Husband is an experienced driver in 1-lane, curvy, mountainous roads but of course still worried about being unfamiliar with the area.
Day 8 (23rd) Iya Valley → Tokyo
We're not sure if there's anything left to see in the Iya Valley so have a slow morning and travel to Tokyo.
Check in either Ginza or Toranomon Hills (not sure yet). Explore that neighborhood.
Day 9 (24th) Tokyo
Asakusa
Sensoji
Kappabashi
Day 10 (25th) Tokyo
Ghibli Museum (hoping for tickets; paying someone to buy them locally)
Explore Kichijoji
Day 11 (26th) Tokyo
Maybe do a food tour in the morning/early afternoon
Shibuya Crossing
Check in near Yoyogi Park. Switching hotels bc this was the first one we booked when we had not yet finalized Iya Valley and now the preceding dates are unavailable. Really like the area so don't want to cancel reservation.
Day 12 (27th) Tokyo
Yoyogi
Meiji Jingu
Omotesando/Aoyama/Harajuku
Day 13 (28th) Tokyo
Shopping day at Shimokitazawa?
Explore other neighborhoods or a self care day? Nails, hair, massage, or other treatments
Day 14 (29th) Tokyo
Explore other neighborhoods, a self care day, or a day trip?
Day 15th (30th) Going Home
Check out. Flight at HND around 6pm. Get there early to explore the airport. Heard there's lots of nice things.
Should we do Iya Valley? Looks really beautiful and we do want to enjoy the countryside. Should we choose somewhere else that may have more things to do with a similar hike? We originally wanted to do Nagano but we're coming too late in November for the hikes.
We have reservations at Gora Kadan for November 24-25th. We'd love to do a ryokan/onsen experience. Is Hakone or Gora Kadan worth it? Heard mixed things.
This would require us to either extend our stay in the Iya Valley or go somewhere else. We'd also be sacrificing a day in Tokyo. Should we extend in the Iya Valley? What else is there to do? We'd consider hiking Mount Ishizuchi but might honestly be too tired from all the walking we'll already be doing. Or should we go visit another town/prefecture? Shirakawago really interests us.
- We're also thinking of booking 1-2 days at Suiran in Arashiyama for an onsen experience. Would that be similar or better than the onsen experience in Hakone/Gora Kadan? This way we can just keep our itinerary pretty much the same.
Thank you all! Really appreciate any tips and recommendations.
by prplpista