hi r/Japantravel!
A friend and I are heading to Japan next April for 2 weeks, arriving early April 1st and departing April 14th. We have some bits we want to do in Tokyo and we’re visiting a friend in Osaka which will probably take up about six days, leaving us with around 7-8 days to explore further. We have both been to Japan before and have been to Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe and Osaka but haven’t visited anywhere else.
We would both like to visit Hiroshima but are struggling to gauge how long we should spend there. We’d identified some other places we would like to visit:
* Himeji Castle
* Kurashiki Baikan Historical Quarter
* Itsukushima Torii Gate (although I heard this is covered in scaffolding?)
* Dogoyunomachi Onsen/Matsuyama
* Tomogashima WWII Island
* Ao Cat Island
* Osaki-Shimojima
* Onsen (must accept tattoos – is booking a private ryokan an alternative?)
We’re pretty flexible and we’re definitely not looking to cram every single one of these places into our trip. Some of them are quite scattered and it’s difficult to gauge how easy they are to get between or indeed if they’re definitely worth visiting. Is it better to base ourselves in one city so we’re not relocating every couple of days? Is a week or so enough time to see some of the region?
Our unfamiliarity with this part of Japan makes me also wonder if there are any places that we haven’t considered. Our priorities are food and historic sites but some decent nightlife is also a bonus.
We think we might need to get back to Kobe by the evening of the 13th so we can get a connecting flight to Haneda early morning on the 14th but if there are other places we can fly to Haneda from in the region that also works.
Really appreciate any insight or tips. Thanks 🙂