I’ll be going in November.
Itinerary:
Day 1-6: Tokyo. I have a few places I really want to see, else is mostly walking around and being a dumb awestruck tourist. Ghibli Museum if they open tickets for foreigners again. Museums/Malls if weather is shit.
Day 7: Send heavy luggage ahead to Hotel in Kyoto. Bus to the Lakes around Mt.Fuji. Maybe a bit of hiking, relax, enjoy the view if possible.
Day 8: Bus to Minobu\*, Temples
Day 9-11: Kyoto. Kiyumitsu-Dera. Rest is sponanous and depending on amount of tourists. Might move this around to avoid weekends.
Day 11-14 Osaka. Eating, drinking and relaxing.
Day 14: Shikansen to Sasebo. I want to take the ferry to Ikeshima. I read the ferry might not go depending on weather so I leave it as option for one of the following days.
Day 15-16: exploring Island/Sasebo
Day 17-18: Kumamoto
Day 19: Ferry Kagoshima – Okinawa
Day 20-24 Relaxing in Okinawa. \*\*
Day 25: Flight to Tokyo
Day 25-27 Gift shopping. Flight back home
After reading a lot and asking friends for advice I’ve concluded to mostly decide in the moment what to visit. I do have a list of possible places/activities including priorities.
\* Technically there is a direct road – too narrow to walk though – I might try to hitchhike but don’t know. If I see English-speaking tourists with a car at a parking lot I’ll ask them what direction they’re going.
Alternatively, Openstreetmaps shows several possible hiking paths in the area that should be not too difficult if the weather is right. Any Input on this?
\*\* Ok this sounded like a nice conclusion for my trip a since the ocean should be still warm enough to swim but I don’t know. The ferry is kinda pricey and the four weeks feel way too short for everything now that I’m planning. I might just take a plance or skip this one alltogether and add the days to Minobu, Osaka and Kumamoto.
Money:
I’ll be sleeping in cheap single room business hotels. I thought about hostels or capsule but with covid I’d rather skip on dorm rooms. Maybe in Osaka to meet people to go drinking.
Food wise I plan to eat out once a day and convenience store stuff the rest. No splurging really.
I will buy some gifts but mostly snacks and I heard Don Quijote has cheap merch.
My buget was initially \~3200$ (excluding flight) but after doing rought calculations I might need to bump it up to 4k or spend the last few days eating at 711.
Acommodation:
I’ll probably book 95% of the hotel rooms in advance to save money and stress. Possibly same with transport.
Misc:
I do have some really comfy hiking shoes but I do need something normal and easier to wear. Was thinking about some affordable running shoes but unsure if November isn’t already too cold for those.
Any apps that are absolutely necessary aside from google maps and translate?
I don’t like intense “fishy” flavors, especially in combination with a chewy/slimy texture. Fresh fried Fish, takoyaki and salmon/tuna sushi haven’t been a problem in the past but I’m a bit unsure about other seafood. Any advice on what to try out/avoid?
1 comment
Minobu: Hitchhiking is a very bad idea, especially since in November Fuji Five Lakes area and Fuji River Valley might be as well as on another planet. Tourists do not really go beyond Lake Motosu. So be a sane person, take the morning bus to Kofu and make your way down JR Minobu line.
> Shikansen to Sasebo. I want to take the ferry to Ikeshima
A.: Shinkansen goes to Hakata, Limited Express Midori goes from Hakata to Sasebo.
B.: Since this is 7 hours+ to Ikeshima, that plan is wasting the whole day.
C.: There is single lodging at Ikeshima, reserved by phone. So I hope your Japanese is conversational.