Hi! My husband and I are planning our first trip to Japan this December, we've been dreaming about it since we were kids so we want to see as much as possible, but also take time to take it all in, discover things and not be rushed. We were thinking about this :
14th of December, arrival in Tokyo around 7pm, wander around and go to a hotel
15th dec morning around Tokyo, then in the PM train to Osaka we're we will be based for a couple days
From the 15th to the 20th stay in Osaka and do day trips to Nara, visit Universal studios, go on a day trip to Himeji and Hiroshima and maybe spend a night in Wakayama at some point.
On the 20th we spend time in Osaka then move to Kyoto we're we'll spend the next couple days
From the 21st to 24th visit Kyoto and surroundings (Arashiyama, maybe Uji?) as day trips
On the 24th we go to Shiga to stay at a ryokan and spend Christmas in a relaxing environment, find an Onsen and just recharge together, and hike around Lake Biwa
On the 26th we move on to Nagano, visit a bit and sleep there
On the 27th we'd like to go to Kanazawa, and do a day trip to Shirakawago and go back to Kanazawa for the night
On the 28th we head back to Tokyo to end our trip there and visit the city and its surroundings until January 4th. We'd like to visit Tokyo obviously, Hakone, maybe Nikko and of course go see Mt Fuji, maybe spend a night in Yamanashi.
Does that sound realistic? We don't want to do a touch and go trip but there's so much to see! My biggest worry with this itinerary is not having a lot of time in Tokyo. I know I have to make peace with missing out on stuff, but since there's no guarantee we'll be able to afford coming back, we want to pack as much in as possible, so any tips to make this trip better would be appreciated! Thank you !
by Key-Key1958