Good morning, afternoon or night good people on this sub. I'm planning on going to Japan for the very first time in the autumn of 2025. It's been a dream for many, many years to go and I'm finally able to go next year – although only for 14 days max due to obligations.
I will be traveling with four other people who have visited Japan earlier this year, but didn't really have a proper plan and mostly visited Tokyo and Kyoto. We care for seeing and experiencing culture the most, and would like a good mix of modern city, traditional and nature. I've done some research and thought up the following itinerary, which obviously is extremely optimistic, tight and tough and the reason why I come here to ask for help. I've used the website Rome2Rio to calculate approximate travel times between destinations.
Day 1 – Tokyo (1st accomodation)
- Arrive in Tokyo.
- We don't know what time we will arrive, so depending on that we will simply get acclimatized and experience jetlag, stroll around for food and drinks. If there's time enough we'd like to visit Akihabara.
Day 2 – Tokyo (1st accomodation)
- Tokyo Sky Tree.
- Stroll around Asakusa and visit Senso-ji.
- Stroll around Shibuya during the rest of the day.
- Stroll around Shinjuku at night.
Day 3 – Shibu Onsen (2nd accomodation)
- Travel to Yudanaka (~3h 20m)
- Explore and make use of the hot springs at Shibu Onsen.
Day 4 – Shibu Onsen & Kanazawa (3rd accomodation)
- Visit Snow Monkey Park at Jigokudani in the morning.
- Make our way back to Yudanaka and travel to Kanazawa (~2h 38m).
- Use remaining time to stroll around Kanazawa for food and drinks, and to relax.
Day 5 – Kanazawa (3rd accomodation)
- Kenrokuen, Seisonkaku Villa, Ninjadara, Higashi Chaya district, Kanazawa castle.
- Pretty much anything else we can fit into this day, there's a lot we find interesting here.
Day 6 – Shirakawa & Takayama (4th accomodation)
- Travel to Shirakawago by bus in the morning (~1h 25m).
- Explore Shirakawago during the afternoon.
- Travel to Takayama by bus (~1h 5m).
- Stroll around for food and drinks, and to relax.
Day 7 – Takayama (4th accomodation)
- Visit the Old Town in Takayama.
- We generally want to wander around and relax in Takayama and take in the atmosphere.
Day 8 – Nakasendo Trail (5th accomodation)
- Travel to Magomejuku in the early morning, as early as possible (~4h 47min).
- Hike to Tsumagojuku (~3-4h).
- Explore Tsumago for the remaining evening and relax from this likely tough but beautiful day.
Day 9 – Kyoto (6th accomodation)
- Travel to Kyoto in the morning (~3h 1m).
- Visit Gion and the Heian shrine.
- Gyoen National Garden.
- Use rest of day to relax and stroll around our for food and drinks.
Day 10 – Kyoto (6th accomodation)
- Arashiyama in the morning.
- Kinkaku-ji > Kiyomizu > Fushimini Inari during the rest of the day.
Day 11 – Kyoto & Osaka (6th accomodation)
- Day trip to Osaka (~12m)
- Osaka Castle.
- Shinsekai.
- Go back to Kyoto and simply relax, stroll around for food and drinks.
Day 12 – Kyoto & Tokyo (7th accomodation)
- Visit all the temples and shrines we can fit into the morning.
- Travel to Tokyo in the afternoon (~2h 18m).
- Strolling around, relaxing.
Day 13 – Tokyo (7th accomodation)
- We're honestly just looking to explore as many as possible tiny streets on this day, visit as many hidden gems and food places we can find.
- Depending on flight times, stroll around for the last time, buy last minute souvenirs.
Day 14 – Tokyo
- Depending on flight times, stroll around for the last time, buy last minute souvenirs.
- Fly back home.
I would love to hear the thoughts of experienced travelers on what to skip, swap or do differently on this itinerary. Many thanks for the read and the help!
PS: My first post got deleted for being bare-bones. I understand it might still be somewhat vague and barebones, but I'm planning this trip for one year from now and am just looking for confirmation on feasibility, and if not feasible on what I could do to make it more feasible.
by HorridCrow