I’m planning a solo trip November 12th to November 29th (first time visiting Japan). Open to feedback on my itinerary, and I have a few general questions as well.
About me: I’m decently into anime/manga/J-pop and am an amateur street photographer. Haven’t shot much landscape/cityscape, but there are few better places to start than Japan.
Onto the itinerary:
* Osaka (2 days)
* Day 1 (11/13):
* Arrive in Osaka
* Teamlab Osaka
* Dotonbori
* Day 2 (11/14):
* Osaka Castle
* Amerikabura
* Umeda Sky Building
* Kyoto/Nara (4 days)
* Day 3 (11/15):
* Arrive in Kyoto
* Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
* Tenryu-ji
* Senko-ji
* Iwatayama Monkey Park
* Kinkaku-Ji
* Day 4 (11/16):
* Fushimi Inari
* Nanzen-Ji
* Eikan-do
* Day 5 (11/17) – Nara Day Trip:
* Nara Park
* Todai-ji
* Mt. Wakakusa
* Kasuga Taisha
* Day 7 (11/18):
* Nishiki Market
* Gion
* Hanami-koji
* Hakone (1 day):
* Day 8 (11/19):
* Arrive in Hakone
* Hakone Open Air Museum
* Hakone Kowakien Yunessun
* Hakone Ropeway
* Hakone Shrine
* Tokyo (10 days):
* This is where I’m having a little trouble. 10 days seems like a pretty excessive amount of time to spend solely in Tokyo. Some of the things I’d like to do/visit in Tokyo are:
* Sumida Park
* Skytree
* Senso-ji Temple
* Teamlab Planets
* Harajuku
* Shibuya
* Shinjuku
* Akihabara
* It feels like it’d be doable to fit all of this into 3-4 days, so I’m thinking of either shaving my trip down to 12 days, or expanding to other cities as well. Should I choose to stay the full 17 days, here are some ideas I have to extend the trip:
* Day trip to Kobe (from Osaka)
* Day trip to Fujiyoshida (from Tokyo)
* Kamakura or Nikko (day trip or one night)
Questions:
1. Since I’m traveling alone, if I primarily stay in hostels, how easy will it be to meet other travelers to do things with?
2. I’ll probably be keeping two camera bodies and a couple of lenses on me most of the time. Should I have any safety concerns or be worried about sticking out?
3. Is the public transportation system easy to learn as a first-timer? Also, when does it make sense to purchase the Rail Pass?
4. When riding the train between cities, will I be allowed to bring all of my luggage with me (one check-in sized luggage, a carry on luggage, and a backpack)? Or should I stick to luggage forwarding services?
Thanks in advance!
1 comment
Regarding street photography: You should know that there is no implicit consent in Japan. If someone does not want you taking their picture (or of their establishment) – you have to delete the photo, or face heavy fine. Also note that as picturesque as parts of Gion are – it is illegal to take pictures in some streets around Hanamikoji-dori (the fine is relatively minor, but you can be charged also with creating public nuisance, which is less fun).
Your itinerary does not support JR Pass. Trains are very easy to navigate and same goes for buses in Fuji Five Lakes, Hakone or Nikko.
With regard to luggage your choice: although note that if you have bigger luggage (excedding 160cm in dimensions) – you need to buy additional fare.
Now, as a rule of thumb, you could do half-day trip to see Himeji with an afternoon spent in Kobe (Nunobiki Falls and Shin-Kobe Ropeway would be perfect at this time of year), rather than going to godawful Osaka Castle.
As to Tokyo: Sumida Park is a spring (cherry blossom destination). Considering your timeline, a day trip to Chichibu rather than Nikko would make more sense for autumn foliage, or to Mt. Takao perhaps.