October 2022 Itinerary v3

5 comments

1. When we went to Japan, we spent 10 days in Tokyo like this: one day for Akihabara, one day for Asakusa (ueno park, temple and skytree), one day for Shinjuku, one day for Odaiba, one day for Shibuya, one day for Tokyo station (plus Tokyo Tower), one day for Ikebukuro, one day for Yokohama and two days for Mt. Fuji. After that, we went south for Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima. Thinking about my next trip to Japan, I want to spend 15 days in Tokyo alone, because 10 days were not enough.

2. About the extra location, there is so much you can do. You could swap Kawaguchiko for Hakone, or Kinosaki (can be done before Hiroshima and stop by Himeji on the way to Hiroshima). I do not especially like Kawaguchiko done between Tokyo and Kyoto because to not the most convenient transit, but it is possible to do.

   Kibune could be done on your last day, depending on how the rest goes, unless you take an appointment for a class. Would skip Takayama and Kiso valley and save if for a future trip when you can spend more time in the area.

   As for place to stay in Tokyo, why not do two different area ? First do Shinjuku or Shibuya is you want the modern and busy side of the city and the other time stay somewhere like Asakusa. Just split the area you want to visit so you do things that are closer to the place where you stay (like do Harajuku from Shinjuku or Shibuya, not from Asakusa). I would not stay in Odaiba because the transportation is not especially convenient to go to other places and you will end up spending way more than if you could use JR only or subway only to go where you want.

   And you might want to rebalance it a bit to have more Tokyo day at the end, so you save most of your shopping for last.

3. I guess you’re pretty dead-set on that Hiroshima leg? On one side you do have a longer trip than most, on the other the Tokyo->Hiroshima and Hiroshima->Osaka rides mean you’re burning almost a day’s worth of daylight on a train.

   I’m wondering if you’d be temple’d out given the Koyasan-Kyoto-Nara three-hit combo.

   Highly rated, relaxing, accessible, not that crowded destination that’s near the current itinerary? Hikone. Just north of Kyoto, has an original castle and a really cute town mascot. Good suburban feels, take a day off to ride along the shores of Lake Biwa and around the town on a bike.

   There’s also a shrine with a torii on the water in Lake Biwa – Shirahige Shrine. East facing so there’s a chance of a nice sunrise picture.

4. Of your list I’ve only been to Takayama and Hakone and I would recommend Takayama. Its a lovely small relaxing town. It’s pretty popular with tourists so the main areas can be busy but it’s easy to escape the crowds if you want.

   Hakone is nice but the focus is on the Hakone loop so it depends on how interested you are on that. Also visibility of Mt Fuji and overall enjoyment is weather dependent.

5. Hakone is the easiest of those other places to visit and for good reason one of the most popular domestic travel locations for people in Japan. Loads of things to see, great hotels, iconic Fuji views, etc.

   Takayama is great. Great ambiance, lots of things to see, the day trips to Shirakawago and Hida, etc. It really only makes sense in my mind on a route that goes through Kanazawa on the north end and then cutting over east through Matsumoto by bus or continuing down through Nagoya on the train.

   If you are going to go all the way to Hiroshima, consider seeing Okayama and Kurashiki.