I've been driving myself a bit bonkers trying to figure out how to break up my time during my trip. My original plan was two days each in Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima, but now I'm not sure and keep trying to figure out if I should try and extend any part or all in any way I can, even a half day (but it would be at the expense of another city). First trip to Japan. My ideal vacation is go-go-go. I can do nothing at home whenever I want, I'm not in the destination all the time, I want to see as much as possible. My hotel room is a place to crash only, I'm up and out in the AM, and I don't come back until it's time to shower and go to bed in the PM. I can sleep anywhere, including every plane I'm on as well as in the airport (it's my superpower). I'm usually a little tired on my arrival date, but pretty much normal and mostly on local time after one night.
Below is my entire trip. My main interests (in no particular order) are animals, museums, monuments, historic locations/things, and temples/shrines. Bolded are the my must-dos/already set the rest are just I heard about it and it sounds up my alley, so it's a potential stop.
Day 1 – Arrive in Tokyo (Haneda) at 2 pm
Day 2 – Star Wars Celebration Day 1 (Chiba)
Day 3 – Star Wars Celebration Day 2 (Chiba)
Day 4 – Star Wars Celebration Day 3 (Chiba), leave late PM train to Kyoto
Day 5 – 6 – Kyoto – Nara (most of day? Half day? Full day?), Arashiyama, Gion, Kiyomizu-dera, Yasaka Kōshin-dō, Kōdaiji Temple, Yasaka Shrine, Fushimi Inari Shrine, Night Market, Kyoto Orgel-Dō Arashiyama. Leave late PM train to Osaka.
Day 7 – 8 – Osaka – Universal Studios Japan (one day), Tavern Pachimon Wars, Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Arcade, Amerika Mura, Namba Yasaka Shrine, Dotonbori, Hozenji Yokocho, Osaka Castle, Kuromon Market, Den Den Town, Abeno Harukas, Nipponbashi. Leave late PM train to Hiroshima.
Day 9 – 10 – Hiroshima – Okunoshima Island (half day? Most of day?), Peace Memorial Park, Peace Memorial Museum, Cenotaph for the A-Bomb Victims, Children’s Peace Monument, A-bomb Dome (if I remember right, (excluding the island) these are all quite close together), Hiroshima Castle, Orizuru Tower, Itsukushima Shrine, Daisho-in Temple, Momijidani Park, Mount Misen Ropeway, Omotesando street. Leave late afternoon/early evening PM train to Toyko.
Day 11 – 13 – Toyko – Tokyo Disneyland (one day), fly out at 11 pm on 13th day.
Is two days each Kyoto/Osaka/Hiroshima enough? Should I try and squeeze an extra half day into one or two of them, leaving in the afternoon instead of the evening to my next destination? If I should allocate more to one area, which one?
Thank you in advance!
by blueberry_pancakes14