Hi, after lots of reading and researching, I've pulled together a draft itinerary for our trip in 10 days. Group of 5: Me, my partner, our 5 year old daughter, and two active/fit grandmas. We're used to a lot of walking and travelling quick and light (basically hand luggage only plus a foldable pushchair/stroller). Very excited about walking around all day, to see plenty of stuff and just soak it all in, and eating all the food!Â
Land late on 21/10, Leave afternoon of 5/11, 14 full days, 15 nights: 4 nights in Tokyo, 2 in Hiroshima, 5 in Kyoto, 2/3 in Kanazawa + 1/2 in Tokyo or 1/2 in Hakone (~Ryokan?).
I think I'm basically happy with my overall (busy and optimistic!) itinerary (I've included the general overview below in case it's useful for answering my questions) but there are still two outstanding issues I want to nail down: (1) when to go to Borderless and (2) how to split our last 2 nights between Kanazawa/Tokyo/Hakone:
(1) 24/10 – Tokyo full day 3 of 3 – I booked TeamLabs Borderless for noon, annoyingly. I left it too late to get the early slots. Hoping it won't be too busy, but it means we need to find something to do beforehand. Tempted to move it to 4/11 *if* we're in Tokyo that day, or to the evening of 24/10? Would the evening after dinner be better than noon?
(2) This is my main dilemma – how to split our last 2 nights:
1/11 – Kanazawa
2/11 – Kanazawa
3/11 – Kanazawa OR Tokyo OR Hakone (a different place to the ryokan, somewhere cheaper)
4/11 Tokyo OR Hakone (ryokan)
5/11 – Fly home.
Sun 3/11 is Culture Day National Holiday. Either we spend our 3rd day/night in Kanazawa OR head to Tokyo and have an afternoon/evening there (and break up the journey to Hakone for the last night) OR head straight to Hakone and have 2 nights in there (in 2 different accommodations) OR cancel Hakone altogether and have an extra 1-2 nights in Tokyo. Thoughts?
Cutting our Kanazawa stay to 2 nights will give us a bit more time in Tokyo and split the journey up en route to Hakone. Also contemplating cancelling Hakone for our last night, which would give us either 3 nights in Kanazawa and 1 in Tokyo, or 2 in each.
Mon 4/11 – Hakone: Currently, I have our last night booked in (what I believe to be) a ryokan in Hakone, called Mount View Hakone. It has public onsen and breakfast and dinner are included, but it's only costing us £500 (£110 per adult per night after BDC discount), which I understand to be on the cheap side for a Ryokan+onsen. Reviews seem good, although a few people commented a bit negatively on the food, making me wonder if it's actually a Kaiseki meal. I'm a bit concerned that going on the cheap end of the spectrum is pointless, and that we should either splurge or give it a miss (I would've liked to stay earlier in the trip, or the night before, but this is the only night available at Mount View (and the other ryokan/onsen places are very expensive)). I'm also a bit concerned we're cutting it fine on returning to the airport from Hakone (see the very end of this post). I don't know what to do: I'd like to see Hakone if possible, and a Mount Fuji view. I'd like to experience an onsen and a Kaiseki meal, which I think this is. Stop off at Hakone on the way to Hiroshima for a day visit (will involve a lot of rearranging)? Find a different ryokan and/or onsen elsewhere (they seem v expensive and few available)? Keep the booking and stay here?
If we stay 3/11 in Tokyo, we can get to Hakone mid-morning on 4/11. Depending on how much time we have: aim to see the Hakone shrine and view of Mount Fuji over Lake Ashi, maybe a pirate ship trip on Lake Ashi, take the Ropeway to Owakudani, try a black egg, have a quick look around the Open-Air Museum if there's time before heading to the Ryokan at 3ish to enjoy the onsen before dinner. Or would 2 nights in Hakone be better than doing this in ~6-7 hours?
General overview of itinerary:
Sun 20/10 –Â Depart Gatwick, UK at 1900.
Mon 21/10Â – 4 hour layover in Shanghai, land in Haneda 2120. 4 nights in Asakusa, Tokyo.
Tue 22/10 – Tokyo day 1Â Â Asakusa/Ueno/Akihabara area
Wed 23/10 – Tokyo day 2Â Â Shinjuku/Shibuya areaÂ
Thu 24/10 – Tokyo day 3  Roppongi/Odaiba & Borderless
Fri 25/10 – Train to Hiroshima via Shin-Osaka (using Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass (5 days)). Hiroshima. 2 nights in Naka Ward, Hiroshima.
Sat 26/10 – Miyajima IslandÂ
Sun 27/10Â –Â Train to Kyoto via Himeji.
[At some point in the next few days, visit Osaka in the afternoon/evening. Might be after Himeji, might be after Nara, might be a standalone day.]
Continue to Kyoto, 5 nights in Sakyo Ward near Highashiyama Station, Kyoto.
Mon 28/10 – Nara day trip (while 5 day Area Pass still active).
Tue 29/10Â –Â Kyoto day 1Â Fushimi, Gion & Higashiyama
Wed 30/10 – Kyoto day 2Â Arishayama
Thu 31/10 – Kyoto day 3Â Â Kinkaku-ji, unsure about the afternoon.
Fri 1/11 – Travel to Kanazawa. Kanazawa day 1 Kenroku-en, geisha districts etc.  2/3 nights in Kanazawa, v near to Kenroku-en.
Sat 2/11 – Kanazawa day 2Â (blue) – Modern side, onsen maybe?
Sun 3/11 – [Culture Day National Holiday] Kanazawa? Tokyo? Hakone?
Mon 4/11 – Hakone? Tokyo?
Tue 5/11 – Fly home. Breakfast, leave Hakone around 0930 (bus or train), get to Haneda for 1210-1230, fly at 1430. Cutting it a bit fine, but should be okay? Fly home via Shanghai, and an 8 hour layover in Shanghai changing airports (bit of sightseeing).
Wed 6/11 –Â Arrive in Gatwick,UK at 0630 UK time.
Thanks!
by saccerzd