Hi! I’m seeking advice on the number of cities we will be visiting and if the time spent at each city is too much/too little. Used to travel every year before covid but only been to Japan once before in 2015. Last time I went we just did Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka. Going with a friend of the same gender (if that matters). Mid 20’s
I personally think I have too many cities on the list and was wondering if I should cut down. I must keep Hokkaido and Tohoku in the list as those are places we really want to visit (have never been before). If I was to cut out places it would be Osaka and Kyoto first.
I’ve included some possible places to visit/things to do in the bullets but these are not set in stone. If its bolded it essentially means we really dont want to miss it. This is probably the last line of itinerary reviews before I start booking accommodation.
# Day 1
Fly into Japan (Tokyo)
* Ideally fly to land before end of the day
* If landing in Narita, take the skyline
* Acclimate
# Day 2-4
*Tokyo, 3 days 3 nights*
No real plans yet. Mainly just walking around and exploring.
* **Diver city** (friend is really into gundam)
* **Akihabara** (mandarake, yodobashi)
* **Koto city gundam base**
* Asakusa subway station (really like the aesthetic)
* Taito tower (if we want a view)
# Day 5
*Tokyo – Sendai*
Using it as a travel day. Half day in each city. Got to activate JR Pass
Taking Tohoku-Hokkaido Shinkansen
# Day 6-7
*Sendai, 2 days 2 nights*
Spending probably one day out of the two to explore Matsushima bay and Shiogama(?)
*Day 6*
* Yuriage morning market
* Sendai Castle ruins
* Gotta try the soybean juice and cake
* Use remaining time through the day to roam around/explore
*Day 7*
* Mastushima and Shiogama taking Tohoku JR line
* Spending most of the day there roaming around. No real plans here
# Day 8
*Sendai – Sapporo* Travel day
Flying from Sendai Airport to Chitose then train from Chitose to Sapporo Train seems to be covered by JR Pass
Was going to make use of the JR pass here but we lose too much time travelling
# Day 9-11
*Sapporo, 3 days 2 nights*
One of these days spent as a day trip to Noboribetsu (probably the last day?)
*Day 9*
* Probably just spending time to cooldown and roam around Sapporo.
* Soup curry
* **Genghis Khan bbq**
* Ramen valley
* Koibito Park
* Odori Park
* Sapporo Tower Not doing all these and will spread over two days
*Day 10*
* Noboribetsu
* Probably purchasing the Sapporo-Noboribetsu pass for this trip
Open to other suggestions for how to get there and back. Keep it budget but also dont want to spend too much time in transit.
*Day 11*
* Nijo Market (in the morning)
* Rest of the day exploring again
* Wouldnt mind some suggestions for Day 9 & 11
# Day 12
*Sapporo – Osaka* Travel day
Probably going to fly down sometime after checkout time (2pm)
# Day 13-14
*Osaka, 2 days 2 nights*
Dont have any real plans here. Just using time to wind down and explore.
# Day 15-16
*Kyoto, 2 days 2 nights*
Dont have any real plans here again. Just using time to wind down and explore before the hike in Nagano.
* Might go to Hozukyo station and visit the gorge
Due to how close these two cities are I figured we can just “borrow” a day from the other city if need be.
Probably going to leave for Nagano on the night or afternoon of the 16th day
# Day 17-18
*Nagano, 2 days 1 night*
*Day 17*
* Nakasendo trail. Magome -> Tsumago then train back from Tsumago back to Nagano.
* Anything after that is free time
*Day 18*
* Snow monkey park (shigakogen express bus) (open for suggestions on how to get there and back)
* Rest of the time is free
Not sure if we should head to Tokyo at the end of Day 18 (might be too rush) or head in the morning Day 19
# Day 19-20
*Tokyo*
* Spending left over time here before we head back home the next day
* Will probably buy bulky items on these days to take back home
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\*EDIT: Open to suggestions of any kind. We dont have to visit everywhere as I intend to visit the south islands next time we go but that might be in a few years at least.