Hi everyone! My husband and I are travelling to Japan from London for our first time in late November for our honeymoon. We’re planning around 3 weeks there until we head over to Vietnam.
We’re both big foodies and love art, architecture, culture, nature and hiking. I’m also a keen photographer, and I love taking pictures of exciting textures/colours/people and everyday life.
We’ve started putting together a rough itinerary. We still need to figure out exactly what we’d like to prioritise seeing in each place but would love some advice on the general outline so far, specifically:
* Is there anywhere we should be spending more/less time?
* Does the order of destinations make sense, especially with travel time between them?
* Is a single day in Nikko too rushed?
* Is it worth doing both Kanazawa and Takayama?
* Is it worth going to Naoshima Island outside of the Setouchi Triennale?
### Day 1: Arrive in Tokyo
🛬 Land at Tokyo Haneda at 10:30am
* Get yen, check-in to hotel in Roppongi etc
* Adjust to jet lag and wander around locally if not too tired
### Day 2: Tokyo
* Explore a the city a bit, assuming jet lag will be pretty bad. Maybe Yayoi Kusama museum or Teamlab planets and one area of the city
### Day 3: Day trip to Nikko
🚆 Tokyo → Nikko (min 2hrs)
* See temples/shrines and mausoleum of first shogun **OR** hiking in Okunikko national park (8km)
### Day 4-5: Hakone (1 night)
* Stay in Ryokan with private onsen
* Fuji-Hakone National Park
* Tasting eggs boiled in volcanic waters
* Maybe a short hike?
* Travel to Kyoto on day 5
### Day 6-8: Kyoto
* See some fall foliage, autumn colours at some temples 🍁
* Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
* Gion district
* Fushimi Inari gate
* Visit temples at night when they are lit up
* Day trip to Nara
### Day 9: Day trip to Osaka
* Eat street food, okonomiyaki, takoyaki?
### Day 10-12: Koya-san
* Train Kyoto → Koyasan (min 2.5-3 hrs)
* Stay at Buddhist temple (2 nights)
* Travel back to Kyoto on day 12 for overnight stay
### Day 13-14: Takayama
Travel: Kyoto → Takayama journey (approx 3 hrs via Nagoya)
* Day trip or 1-2 days combined with Shirakawago
* Potential accommodation (£50-60): Wat Hotel & Spa Hida
### Day 15-16: Kanazawa
* Travel from Takayama (\~2hr)
* Chuo Mishokugai
* Travel to Kyoto for overnight stay
### Day 17: Himeji & Hiroshima
* Travel from Kyoto
* Himeji Castle
* \~4hours for peace park and surroundings (0.5 day)
* Eat some Okonomiyaki?
* Stay in Hiroshima
### Day 18: Hiroshima & Miyajima
* Overnight in Miyajima
### Day 19-20: Naoshima Island
* Travel from Miyajima (\~4hours?)
* Spend night on the island
* Chichu Art Museum and Benesse House
### Day 21-22: Tokyo
* Bit more exploring around the city of anything we haven’t seen yet, maybe some shopping for souvenirs/presents.
Thank you so much!
1 comment
**Is there anywhere we should be spending more/less time?**
Overall seems good, of course, there is a lot of places where you could spend more time, but you would have to remove some other destinations.
Koya-san might be a bit much for 2 nights, especially if you take some time there on the day you arrive and leave. It can make more sense if you plan to do a bit of a hike during that time.
**Does the order of destinations make sense, especially with travel time between them?**
If you are to return to Tokyo, then do Kanazawa/Takayama between Tokyo and Kansai or the other way around. It make no sense to trackback to Kyoto/Osaka to go to Himeji/Hiroshima.
You can do Shirakawa-go as a stop between Takayama and Kanazawa, would make more sense than doing it as a daytrip from Takayama. For example you could do Kyoto, Himeji/Hiroshima/Naoshima, Osaka, Koya-san, Kyoto (or Osaka), Tokyo.
There is also some hotels changes that are not necessary, but also not dramatic if you do not care the extra logistic of moving the luggage.
**Is a single day in Nikko too rushed?**
Nikko is fine as a daytrip if it’s a OR, as you wrote, if you want to make it a AND, then it could be nice to add one day.
**Is it worth doing both Kanazawa and Takayama?**
Yes, especially doing Shirakawa-go between the two, it make sense to visit both and they have different things to offer.