Introduction- Couple 29, 32. Month of visit- Later half of September.
Highlights
1. Sunset from Inamuragasaki Park (Kamakura) right after an Onsen with the backdrop of Mount Fuji
2. Heian Garden in Kyoto. Most zen garden we found in Japan.
3. Giant Buddha in the hill backdrop in Kamakura.
4. Giant Buddha in Nara. You can't take your eyes off from the mystical majesty of the statue.
5. Kinkauji temple Kyoto
6. Harry Potter ride in USJ. Not a Harry Potter fan, 90 minutes of waiting time, still that ride somehow makes up for the ticket price for USJ.
Lowlights
1. Himeji castle- We went in September. In the absence of cherry blossom or autumn foliage, we didn't get a wow feeling looking at just the castle.
2. Panda at Ueno park, Tokyo- The waiting time was 90 mins+ and we just got to see the panda for one minute. Didn't justify all the effort.
General Tips
1. JR west Kansai pass is a great deal if you plan on including Himeji, Miyajima, Hiroshima in your trip. Else, JR pass can be skipped altogether after their price hike.
2. IC/Suica card is mandatory for seamless travel across JR/subway lines. Keep in mind card issued from JR West (Osaka/Kyoto) region can not be refunded in JR East (Tokyo) and vice versa
3. Google Maps+ Navitime Japan were our only two navigator apps for the entirety of our trip. Navitime sometimes is better for JR/subway navigation
4. Supermarkets are cheaper than 7/11, Lawson and Family Mart. However the trio are much easier to find than having to look for a supermarket. Onigiri (rice ready to eat food) and bento box were a total savior and pretty affordable (3-5$ meals)
5. Keep an eye on shrines/places closing timings in evening beforehand.
6. Carry a small plastic bag in your bag. Else, most vending machines have a trash can around it.
7. Not a lot of vegetarian/vegan options. Most restaurants have menu outside so you can browse as you explore the streets.
8. Akihabara in Tokyo is THE place to be if you're an anime/superhero/figurine fan or want to buy a tech product or an adult toy.
9. We found Don Quijoto to be a bit overrated in terms of souvenirs. Their prices are OK and the products there can be found in any other souvenir store too. (Let me know if we are missing something basic here)
10. Tokyo skyline can be watched for free at the observatory at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Plus, they have light and sound shows everyday at 7pm, 8pm, 9pm etc outside the building. On weekends, they have Godzilla and Pacman shows as well. We visited on a Weeknd and ended up watching all three. Pacman show was pretty cool in terms of music.
11. Surprisingly, we really liked the small counter in Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building south observatory in terms of souvenirs. We found good quality Kokeshi dolls at 3080 Yen, good quality fridge magnets at 600Yen.
12. Japanese gardens should form big part of anyone's itinerary who's into nature. They have this indescribable zen, gratefulness vibe to them that's hard to explain.
13. Our visit's first two days (18th and 19th September) were outright bad in terms of humidity. We were lucky in the remaining part of trip where weather was perfect (light drizzle, breezy). To be safe, skip September altogether and visit in October if you're planning to visit in a less crowded season.
Itinerary
Day 1- Arrive at Kansai Osaka airport at 5pm. Checked in Osaka hotel. Headed to Dotonbari in evening.
Tip- Dotonbari calls for a visit in evening but you should be OK giving it not more than couple of hours if you've got other things in schedule.
Day 2- USJ. Did not take the express pass. Reached at 7 am, waiting time in bracket. Did Super Nintendo World (0 mins) , Jurrasic Park (60 mins), Harry Potter(90 mins), Jaws (30 mins), Hollywood backdrop (50 mins), Minion (30mins). Didn't like Minions at all, Jaws was fine with kids. Rest all are great rides and we liked them overall. Harry Potter of course takes the cake.
Tip- If you're not taking express pass, 7am entry allows one to take the first ride without waiting time and that's a big relief.
Day 3- Day trip-Shinkansen. Osaka to Himeji, Miyajima and Hiroshima. Himeji was fine. We LOVED Koko-en gardens. Miyajima ferry breeze and the Torry gates were a good visit and Hiroshima is a moving experience overall.
Tip- Himeji, Miyajima and Hiroshima seems like a lot but is doable if you give your day an early start.
Day 4- Nara. Deer Park, Todai-Ji and random walks in the neighborhood away from the crowds. Visited Fushima Inari at night.
Tip- Fushima Inari is one of the most crowded places in Kyoto. To beat the crowds, an early morning or late evening are the possible slots. If pictures aren't important to you, choose late evening/night coz Inari doesn't look vibrant at night. If having couple of decent vibrant pictures in front of 1000 tori gates appeal to you, choose early morning slot.
Day 5- Kyoto. Started in Arashiyama (Bamboo groves , tenryu-ji and stroll across the river bank). Kinkauji and Daikakuji in afternoon. Went to imperial gardens for the evening
Tip- Again, start early for a near solitary experience at Bamboo groves.
Day 6- Kyoto. Higashiyama (Kiyomizu dera to Hokan ji via ninenzaka). Heian Gardens in afternoon, walked philospher's path in evening spending night in Gion
Tip- Heian Garden is our top recommendation for Kyoto.
Day 7- Osaka to Tokyo flight – central tokyo – Teamlabs planet
Imperial Garden were closed for the day when we visited, so leisurely walked in closeby open gardens.
Tip- Teamlabs Planet tickets need to be booked early and the queues are shorter post 6pm.
Day 8- Tokyo. Morning prayers at Senso-ji. Explored Ueno Park, Akihabara and Shibuya for rest of the day
Tip- Ueno Zoo is not the best of zoos out there. If you're into Pandas, go at opening time as the lines closes as early as 11:30 am.
Day 9- Day trip Fujikawaguchiko. Fujisan (as Mt Fuji called respectfully in Japan) remained shy throughout the day and we kept waiting. Liked the chill, slow vibe of the town. Visited Oishi park at the end
Tip- Bike around the town at lesiurely pace along the lake, it's pretty nice.
Day 10- Day trip Kamakura and Yokohama. Visited Great Buddha and Hasenji temple. Both highly recommended.
At night, stopped at Yokohoma, one station way is Minatomirai to watch the skyline. It's pretty cool. Ended up doing the Ferris wheel ride for 1000Yen each. It was nice overall to look at the skyline from above.
Tip- Seafacing onsen (1500 Yen) at Inamuragasaki and the point for sunset overseeing Mt. Fuji isn't that popular, we serendipitously stumbled upon at it and it is our biggest highlight of the trip.
Day 11- Leisurely slow day at Tokyo. Visited Shinjuku National Park. Liked that there were hundreds of people in the park just lazying around beautiful gardens.
Tip- Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building at night is good (free) way to see Tokyo skyline
Day 12- Day trip- Nikko. Kegon fall was the highlight. Okunikko area is recommended.
Tip – Spend a night in Nikko to absorb the vibe.
Day 13- Return flight
This sub was the biggest help in planning for our trip, just wanted to add a post to contribute to the community. Happy to answer your questions!
by Financial-Speed3961