Dear Japantravelcommunity,
after not being able to fly in early 2020 because of you know what, I’d like to try and make my dream happen in January. The plan is to fly mid January, go through two Weeks of Language school while sightseeing in the afternoons and then traveling the country. I know my Itineray is fully packed, but I’m prepared to just let it be and travel the routes without visiting anything if I get overwhelmed.
I’d like to get advice if my plan is doable and if there is another route that would be more convinient. If words pop up in german please ignore, I’m copying from my personal notes and maybe a translation or two escapes me. All prices that I forget are approximate and again, I just am to lazy to delete. If you are wondering why free temples and shrine have a price listed: I want to collect Goshuincho. (If you have tips for beautiful Goshuincho, please do tell)
All Travel would be done by Shinkansen/Railpass or Flight. I think in Hokkaido I would need to travel by bus, but I’m not sure. Thanks for your help in advance. I have no idea what I’m doing here and if thats even doable so even just words of encouragement would help. Let’s get started:
Tokyo, Arrival Friday
Fridays: Yamanote Linie; FF Art Cafe 25€ ;Tokyo Tower 20 €; Shibuya Crossing + Ichiran Ramen 10€; Hachiko; Catstreet
Saturday: Goshuincho Kurs 30€; Asakusa: Samurai Museum 11€; Sensoji 4€; Chingodo Schrein 4€; Shinjuku: Meji Schrein 5-10€; Takeshita dori; Memory Lane (Dinner) 10€
Sunday: Fuji; Hakone Schrein 4€, Freilichtmuseum 12€ (Is there a public onsen with a view of Fuji?)
Monday: Imperialpalace 5€, -Park; Kappabashi Straße; Sakurai Tee Shop
Tuesday: Edo Tokyo Museum; Yushima Tenshiji
Wednesday: National museum for modern art; Teamlab Planets
Thursday: Pokemoncafe 20€; Ueno Park; Nationalmuseum
Friday: (Sengakuji); Ito Zoo, Capybaras(!) 20€
**Kyoto** Arrival Friday Evening: Food only
Saturday: Hashi DIY Kurs 31€; Philosophenweg + Tempel (15€); Ginkakuji (morgens) 7€;Fushimi Inari Schrein night 7€
Sunday: Nara: Park; Kagusa Taisha 8€; Todaji 10€; Gangoji Kofukuji 9€
Monday: Arashiyama (mornings); Otagi Nenbutsuji, Kimono Forest; Daikakuji
Tuesday: Kinkakuji (morgens) 6€; Gion ;Yasaka Schrein 3€; Kenninji Tempel
Wednesday: Heian Schrein 3,5€; Murinan 4€; Yoshida Schrein 4€
Thursday: Kiyomizudera 7€; Ninnaji Tempel 11€; Imamiya Schrein 3,5€; Kozanji 7,5€
Friday:; Imperial Palace; Central Kyoto Trainstation
**Nagoya** Arrival Friday Evening or Saturday morning
Saturday: Studio Ghibli Themepark (If I don’t get tickets, I have no idea what to do here)
**Kanazawa** Arrival Saturday Evening
Sunday: Higashi Chaya; Kanazawa Schloss Memorial Hall 1€; Samurai District; Seisonkaku Villa 7€
**Aomori** Arrival Sunday
Monday: Buy Apples; Nebutannosato, Wa Rasse
**Hakodate** Arrival Monday
Monday: Hakodate Mountain; Motomachi Graveyard; Tsugaru Fort 10€; Warehouses
**Otaru:** Arrival Tuesday
Tuesday: Lightpath Festival; Musicbox Museum (Gifts!)
**Noboribetsu:** Arrival Wednesday
Wednesday: Ryokan/Onsen
**Sapporo** Arrival Thursday:
Thursday: Snow Festival; Beer Museum;
**Naha** Arrival Friday:
Friday: Makishi Market; Yachimun Dori
Saturday: Chibana Castle; Botanical Garden 10€; Ocean Park Expo 15€
Sunday: Shuri Castle; Himeyuri Denkmal; Sokokuji
Monday: Shopping; Flight to Osaka
**Osaka**: Arrival Monday
Monday: Umeda Sky Building; Dotonbori dori
Tuesday: Namba Yasha Shrine; Shitenoji Shrine 11€ Osaka Castle mornings, Hozenji
Wednesday: Universal Studios
**Matsue** Arrival Wednesday:
Thursday: Jozan Inari Schrein; Kamosu Schrein; Fudoki no Oka 2,5€; Yaegaki Schrein; Castle und Museum 8,5€; Iya Schrein; Samurai Museum 2€; Shiomi Nawate Straße; Gessho ji Tempel 5€
**Izumo** Arrival Friday
Friday: Quilt Museum 5€; Izumo Taisha 5€; History of Izumo Museum 5€; Taisha Station
**Yamaguchi** Arrival Saturday or Friday Evening
Saturday: Joeiji Tempel 6€; Rurikoji 5€; Yuda Onsen Station 1,5€; Yamaguchi Dajingu; Yamaguchi Museum 2€
**Hiroshima** Arrival Sunday
Sunday: Peace Memorial und Park; Manga Bücherei; Hiroshima Castle 3€; Gokoku Schrein 3,5€
Monday: Miyajima (maybe plus Onsen?)
**Takamatsu** Arrival Tuesday
Tuesday: Ritsurin Park; Udon
**Kochi** Arrival Tuesday
Tuesday: Kochi Castle, Hirome Market; Yamaguchi Residence; Chikyu 33 Banchi
Wednesday: Botanical Garden
**Uwajima** Arrival Wednesday
Wednesday: Warei Shrine; Date Museum; Taga Shrine; Castle
**Yufu** Arrival Thursday:
Thursday: Ryokan/Onsen
**Kurume** Arrival Friday
Friday: Bairinju Tempel 5€ ; City Hall Ausblick 5€; Daikonta Naritasan Tempel 3,5€; Suitengu Schrein 3,5€;Kora Taisha
**Nagasaki** Arrival Saturday
Saturday: Sofukuji Tempel 5,5€; Kofukuji Tempel 6€; Twenty Six Martyrs Museum 3,5€ ; (Peace Park and Memorial
Narita Arrival Sunday
Sunday: Naritasan Shinsoshi; Omotesando: Flight home in the Evening
​
If you have questions I’ll try to answer as fast as I can, but I’m forgetful and tend to forget to look for hours, please don’t be mad. Thanks in advance and please excuse my english, it’s not my mothertounge.
1 comment
Note: You are unlikely to receive many comments, because it’s honestly annoying to read through some very awkward German-English combination.
Tokyo: For the life of me: I can’t understand why you split your time in Harajuku between two days (Cat street is in Harajuku). Samurai Museum is closed until further notice and as the exhibits were 90% on loan from society members – it will take some time to get museum up running again. Kappabashi is in Asakusa, so it really, really does not make sense on other day. Edo-Tokyo Museum is closed until 2025 for renovation. Unless plum blossoms are already in bloom – Yushima Tenjin is nowhere near the top of must see temples in Tokyo (eg. Zozo-ji, Gotoku-ji or Sengaku-ji are much higher on the list). Imperial Palace is not really worth seeing – you still stay on the outside of the buildings. Visiting Izu Shaboten Zoo means you won’t be back to do anything in Tokyo (unless you go to Mori Bldg. – Mori Art Museum and Observation Deck or Skytree).
Kyoto: Heian-jingu is typically with Philospher’s Path itinerary (Ginkaku-ji, Honen-in, Eikan-do, Nanzen-ji) and honestly since you have Murin-an and Yoshida shrine on the list – this should be done within a day; and anything other (eg. Fushimi Inari) move to another day. On the whole, you seem to miss where some of the sites are located (Ninna-ji, Ryoan-ji and Kinkaku-ji are generally visited on the same day with Kozan-ji perhaps added as well).
Nagoya: Typically you visit either Nagoya castle, Atsuta-jingu, Osu Kannon and the likes of Science Museum. You can schedule a trip to Kiso Valley, if you need a break for temples. Other possible day trips include: Grand Ise Shrines and Inuyama.
Kanazawa: This is such a weird itinerary since it has Kanazawa Castle, but not Kenrokuen. You’d probably want to visit a very good 21 Century Museum of Contemporary Art or Myoryu-ji (Ninjadera).
Aomori: It’s not an apple season, and if you need a spot to break a trip from Kanazawa to Hakodate for an afternoon – Sendai would make more sense.
Hokkaido: the only sensible path is Hakodate → Noboribetsu → Sapporo/Otaru (Otaru is within Sapporo metro area and does not need a separate stay).
Okinawa: Shuri Castle burnt down and will re-build over a significant number of years.
Matsue: When visiting Matsue going to Adachi Museum of Art is probably front and centre.
Yamaguchi: This is where I would possibly take a bus from Izumo to Hiroshima and visit Yamaguchi as a day trip, still typically you would normally rather visit Onomichi or Iwakuni (or Kure – if you are military history buff) rather than Yamaguchi city.
Time in Takamatsu and Kochi: You’d typically spend a lot more time in Takamatsu and Kagawa than in Kochi, considering that you could visit Art Islands, Shikoku-mura, Kotohira, Zentsu-ji, Marugame…