Itinerary Check / Questions – Nov 25 – Dec 11 (Tokyo – Hakone – Kyoto – Takayama – Kanazawa – Tokyo)

Hi all, I’d love to get a bit of feedback on my plans for Japan, but more than anything, would love to hear what you all think about a few lingering questions I have about our plans in Japan.

My fiancee and I will be in Japan from Nov 25 – Dec 11. When we travel, we tend to like a blend of nature, small towns, “authentic life”, and of course, the essential must-sees and dos. I’ve spent more time planning this trip than any trip I’ve ever taken, but I’m still going back and forth on a few things. I don’t want to feel like every day is timed out and jam so many things into every day, but I’ve got a google map of the many things we could do/see and plan on using that for exploration.

# Our current itinerary is:

**Nov 25 – Nov 28 – Tokyo, Staying in Shinjuku**

* 25 – Land, customs, pick up JR pass and Wifi, get dinner and quick explore area around hotel, meet friend (our trip overlaps with one of my best friends for the first few days of our journey)
* 26 and 27 – Explore Tokyo neighborhoods, mainly Shinjuku/Shibuya/Harajuku, but keeping it somewhat open depending on what my friend wants to do. Eat (I’ve got a long list of places we can go). Drink and Party (Golden Gai, San Chome, Kabuchiko)
* 28 – Say bye to friend, take Romancecar to Hakone

**Nov 28 – Nov 30 – Hakone, Staying in Gora**

* Relax at onsen, Open Air Museum, Lake Ashi, Cable cars (if open), Owakudani, Hakone Shrine

**Nov 30 – Dec 4 – Kyoto, Staying in Gion District**

* 3 Full Days:
* Day Trip to Nara, Fushimi Inari at dusk
* Arashiyama 1-Day Itinerary
* Explore Higashiyama, Philosopher’s Path

**Dec 4 – Dec 6 – Takayama**

* 24 – Wake up early, take train to Hikone for castle, catch the train from Hikone to Takayama
* 25 – Explore Takayama, Day trip to mountains if up for it
* 26 – Explore Takayama if day trip, otherwise train to Kanazawa

**Dec 6 – Dec 8 – Kanazawa**

* Explore Katamachi area, Omicho Fish Market, Ninja Temple, Kenroku-en, Yamato Soy Sauce/miso tour

**Dec 8 – Dec 11 – Tokyo, Staying in Ueno**

* 1 Day – Tokyo National Museum or Edo Tokyo Musuem, Ueno Park, Explore Asakusa (Senso-ji, etc.)
* 1 Day – Either day trip to Kamakura or shopping/exploring
* Remaining time on Dec 11 – last minute souvenir shopping and face-stuffing

# Main remaining questions

* We’d like to party at least a few nights while we’re there, and Osaka seems like a great place for nightlife. If we base in Kyoto, is it easy to spend a late night partying in Osaka? We could stay a night in Osaka between Hakone and Kyoto (the night of Nov 30)– Is that too much work for a night in Osaka? Kyoto looks to have a much more reserved nightlife.
* An alternative end to the trip would be to head up to the mountains from Takayama for night in a mountain onsen and remove one day from our time in Toyko on the back end (forgo the day trip to Kamakura). Does this feel like jamming too much into our time? It would make the end of our trip look like this:
* Dec 6-7 : Mountain Onsen in Okuhida
* Dec 7-9 : Kanazawa
* Dec 9-11 : Tokyo (omit trip to Kamakura)
* I’m a designer and love watching the creation process (of craft, food, art). Do you all have any recommendations in the cities on our itinerary where you can watch craftsmen at work? It could be a tour or even just a place to observe.

Thanks in advance! This subreddit has been so helpful in planning our trip.