18 DAY TRIP TO OSAKA, KYOTO, AND TOKYO

23 comments

1. day 3 Himeji Castle day trip maybe?

2. Only thing I would say is, consider moving Kamakura and Enoshima up into the middle of your Tokyo group. Enoshima especially is tiring with the steps etc, and it’ll be a long day if you go from Tokyo and back to Tokyo in the evening. I wouldn’t want to be heading to the airport the next day to fly home.

3. I feel like the Kyoto segment of the trip seems quite ambitious (day 9 in particular as Arashiyama is a pretty big place with lots of distractions before you even reach the bamboo forest), considering everything there lends itself to savoring the atmosphere in comparison to the pace of sightseeing in Osaka and Tokyo. So some flexibility on the day may be wise I think?

   You may want to check to see if all the locations will be open as well – I’ve found myself unable to visit some site or other because it’s closed for renovations every time I visit Kyoto.

4. How about a day trip to Mt. Fuji (5 lake Region) or Nikko from Tokyo.

   I don’t know if you’ve been there during your first stay in Tokyo but there is also Shinjuku, Harajuku (cat street), Ghibli Museum & Odaiba (Teamlabs borderless) which i liked to visit

5. For day 3, Arima onsen is an easy bus ride from Umeda and you can head there in the morning and get back with an evening to spare for any additional activities you’d like.

6. I want to. I want to so bad.

7. Day 2 : too light, that is how you want to finish the day as the night view is pretty good, so aim to go for sunset.

   Day 3 : Arima onsen in Kobe is among the to rated in Japan. The other popular option can be Kinosaki onsen, but it is further away. In both cases, you might want to stop for the night to experience a kaiseki meal in a ryokan. For Arima I would go there the first days, do Kobe the second then move to Kyoto. Kinosaki it would likely take most of two days and you can do it between Osaka and Kyoto (the second day would be the Kyoto rest day for example). But onestly, a onsen day is already a rest day in my opinion.

   Day 4 and 5 are literally the same itinerary. The gardens from the two days are next to each other and all the temple/shrine of the second day are in Nara park.

   Day 10 is also a onsen option, you can check to do a day use of the onsen at Kurama onsen.

   Day 12, Enryaku-ji is at the opposite side of lake biwa, so you would likely want to focus this day on Hikone.

   Tokyo , you still have day trip options like Nikko, Kawaguchiko, Hakone (for onsen and can also be done on the way to Tokyo), Kawagoe, Chichibu. In Tokyo itself, Odaiba, Yanesen (Yanaka-Nezu-Sendagi), Ikebukuro, there is actually a lof of neighborhoods in Tokyo that can be interesting.

8. Your Kyoto itinerary looks good! Just spent a month sightseeing around Kyoto, also travelling alone, so here a few thoughts:

   -Kifune Shrine and Kurama Temple are a super interesting!
   Enryakuji is pretty cool also, so good choice there:)

   -Daitokuji is probably not worth the visit. If you are at the Golden Temple, I’d recommend you to visit Ryoanji or Ninnaji, that are both located nearby.

   -Since Fushimi Inari is one of the only places without opening hours, I’d recommend you to go early in the morning to avoid tourists!

   -If you visit Ginkakuji, you should definitely check out Mt. Daimonji! Basically there’s a cleared patch of forest at the top of the mountain where they once a year light up a huge shape (the Japanese character 大, meaning big). Since there are no trees blocking your sight, you’ll have a rewarding view over Kyoto. It’s a 45min walk and there is a path right behind Ginkakuji. I almost got lost at night on my way down and also there is backlight at dawn, morning would probably the best time to hike up.

   -Idk if you’ve booked your hotel yet, but I stayed at a capsule hotel called “the Millenials Kyoto” in the district of Kawaramachi (the center of Kyoto with a lot of shops and restaurants). From there, every part of Kyoto can be reached easily by bus and the hotel had a really good price-performance.

   -few other things that I’d recommend:
   Sanjusangendo
   Higashi Honganji
   Nishiki Market (and the surrounding shopping alleys)
   十八番屋　花花 (this shop sells super cute japanese items, especially little cardboard boxes with japanese looking motifs – the perfect souvenir)

   -About Nara, next to the Nara Park there is hill called Mt. Wakakusa. You’ll have an absolutely fantastic view all over Nara so definitely check that out!

   I hope you’ll enjoy Japan!

9. >OSAKA

   There are many things that Kansai is known for, but onsen isn’t really one of them. That’s not to say that there aren’t onsen you could do (Arima is probably the best known and easiest to get to from Osaka there’s also a small one at Kurama), but if you really want a the traditional onsen experience I would do a night elsewhere. Izu/Atami or Hakone would be more or less on the way from Kansai to Tokyo, but Kinosaki or Gujo are other options you might consider.

   In Osaka itself I would highly recommend adding Shinsekai and Kuromon Market. If you’re into anime and/or electronics, the walk from Kuromon to Shinsekai will take you right through DenDen Town, which has a lot of shopping options. The Namba shoping arcades (just south of Dotonbori) are also loads of fun to explore, and Namba Parks is pretty spectacular. Other things to consider adding include Tenjinbashisuji, Korea Town (Tsuruhashi), and Abenoharukasu. If you’re going to the Umeda Sky Building, you might also want to check out the basement, which has a reconstructed early 20th century streetscape with lots of restaurants. The Osaka/Umeda station complex can also be a lot of fun to explore–it’s one of the largest and most labyrinthine structures in the country, with loads of buildings connected via underground malls and above-street walkways. The upper floors of Osaka Station are particularly pleasant if you want some nice views of the surrounding area and a cool green roof.

   >NARA

   You could easily spend 2 full days in Nara, but what you have listed could be done in a single day unless you’re planning to spend a lot of time looking through museums. If you did want to spend a second day in Nara, I would suggest seeing some thing outside of the Nara Park, such as Horyu-ji, Toshodai-ji, Yakushi-ji, Saidai-ji, Heijo-kyo, or perhaps a couple things in the southern part of the basin around Sakurai, Asuka, Mt. Yoshino, or Hasedera.

   >KOBE

   Personally, I would sooner spend the morning at Himeji (for the Castle and Koko-en), and then go to Kobe for the afternoon and evening than spend a full day there. Having said that, you might not have time for Nunobiki if you do so, but I would typically consider Himeji unskippable on any first time Kansai itinerary. I would also definitely add Chinatown and the Iijinkan–I would rank both them more highly than the harbor or Port Tower. If you were to somehow have time in the evening, the view from Mt. Maya and Mt. Rokko is spectacular.

   >KYOTO

   This mostly looks manageable, though day 12 is kind of weird. Enryaku-ji, though technically in Shiga, is not really anywhere near Hikone, and Hikone is half-way to Nagoya. If you were to do them on the same day I would almost just suggest not going back to Kyoto for the night and just continuing on to your next destination since you’re leaving Kansai the next day anyway.

   Most of your days are pretty bare bones, but I assume you’re just planning to fill in the blanks as you go. [This post](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/5wgxa1/best_way_to_group_these_sites_in_kyoto/dea059y/?context=3) may help you break down many of the sights in Kyoto by geographic area, but do keep in mind that this is by no means exhaustive nor is it meant to be a checklist. I would suggest renting a bike for exploration–especially for the northern part of Higashiyama and the Imperial Palace area. Something like the Imperial Palace–>Demachimasugata Shoutengai–>Shimogamo Jinja–>Ginkaku-ji–>Philosopher’s Path–>Nanzen-ji–>Heian Jingu, filling in smaller things that you find in between, is a really nice way to spend a day. Actually renting bikes is a great way to see a lot of Japan, (including Osaka, Tokyo, and Nara), and May is a great time of year to do it, but bear in mind that more crowded/downtown and tourist-centric areas will have limited, paid bike parking.

   Also, be on the lookout for cultural events and activities for your specific dates. Kyoto in particular has loads of religious events, festivals, markets, and exhibitions that can add a lot to your experience.

   >TOKYO

   Kagurazaka, Yanaka, and Nezu would be high on my list of areas to consider. Maybe also Yasukuni and Jimbocho, which could maybe be combined with an evening in Kagurazaka.

   For Kamakura and Enoshima, I would just spend a night or two in Kamakura on my way from Kansai rather than doing them as a day trip from Tokyo.

10. You could also visit Ikebukuro which is a massive shopping area. Ueno also has a lot of art galleries.

    Koenji and Shimotazawa are great for vintage and “alternative” shops.

    When you’re in Toyko, if you want to go somewhere nature/scenic but don’t want to travel too far, Okutama is only 90 mins away from Shinjuku. There’s Lake Okutama and Mt Mitake (walking trails) and an onsen too.

11. Only tip I can provide is to consider renting a bike for one of your days in Nara. Since they run primarily on buses, having a bike can take you to many places. There are a couple hills but nothing extreme, I rented a bike and was able to get to almost all the temples in the surrounding area. Traffic is pretty light there as well so pretty manageable.

12. If you’re looking for things to do outside Tokyo when in Tokyo, I suggest Nagano….it’s beautiful there. I can only speak for it in the winter as I went to the jigokudani snow monkey park. Matsumoto just west of nagano is beautiful too and the castle there is one of the most photographed.

13. When I plan Travel in Japan, I like to wander a bit. I find that scheduling a maximum of 2 events a day is a lot, and then I spend the rest of the day exploring.

    Expect to walk 7-20 miles a day. Wear your shoes tight, but not to tight, to reduce friction, and sores. Wear layers. Break in your shoes before you to Japan, don’t wear brand new shoes.

    I like that you have a rest day, schedule a massage. Maybe do laundry, sometimes Japan has sneaker cleaning machines, especially in tokyo.

    Kyoto, Arashiyama, Iwatayama ( Monkey Park ) is wild. Expect a large hike similar to Fushimi-Inari. Arashiyama also has great gardens, and a river boat ride that might be a nice break.

    Other cities I have really enjoyed visiting include Karuizawa, Shirakawa-go, Takayama / Hide, Kanazawa.

    I prefer to visit Japan in Late March, and hope I can stay into golden week ( cherry 🍒 blossom 🌸 season ). In May you will be entering summer, and it’s going to get hot and muggy, and Japan isn’t a fan of AC. In 2018 we did a 7 week trip in the fall, and it was amazing.

14. Can I ask what your budget is for the trip not including flight?

15. Your itinerary – along with the edits suggested by others – seems doable for a solo traveller. On your Day 8 I’d recommend adding Kodai-ji – it’s about a 15-minute walk from Kiyomizu-dera and you can check out the historic street and see the Ryozen Kannon statue on the way. Kodai-ji also has a [night illumination](https://sharing-kyoto.com/Blog/b_Kodaiji_Lightup) period in the spring so it’s a great place to check out after other places are closed.

    If you’re interested in art, consider visiting Mori Art Museum in Tokyo. There’s a small park next to it and the complex it’s housed in is a pretty good place to take photos of the city. Once you finalize your visit dates you can also search up when events are happening, since there are a number of festivals/matsuri in all of these cities in May.

    Tip: When you’re going up the torii path at Fushimi Inari, look out for a small set of stairs leading off the main path (about a quarter of the way up I think?). That’ll take you to Fushimi Kandakara-jinja. Fantastic little shrine surrounded by bamboo and very quiet.

16. I see that you have 2 years before your planned Trip! I love being in Japan and it’s wonderful and worth the effort to properly prep for any trip there.

    I’ve been to Japan several times, and I can tell you that it’s quite easy to navigate now with nearly only English, but you will have a lot more fun if you learn some Japanese, and many of their politeness customs.

    Learning Katakana will help you read foreign words you might already know, but are written in Japanese, and it will help you with pronunciation. Learning Hiragana will help you read the pronunciation of Japanese words. Sometimes the Japanese have the Hiragana nearby the Kanji to help with pronunciation ( sometimes for kids ). It can also help with reading things like drugs or other first aid stuff :-).

    Or if you are in a restaurant, sometimes the chef’s specials are on the wall in Hiragana, Katakana, or kanji. If you only speak English, these menu items will not be on the English (ego) menu.

    Learning at least 20 words in Japanese will help you be more polite.

    Learning about 100 words in Japanese will help you get around and ask simple questions. The Japanese people will go out of their way to help, if you show some effort to learn their language.

    >I, once, missed the last train, and knowing how to ask where a Hotel was *”Hoteru wa dokodesu ka”* — allowed me to ask a police officer where to get a hotel for the night. The Japanese are very good with context, if you can get over the basics.

    Learning the Japanese name for various foods will help you choose what you want on the menu. If you can’t read Katakana, Hiragana, or Kanji you might need to be VERY adventurous in what you eat, or restrict your diet to places with an ego (English) menu.

    I also recommend that if you have allergies of any kind, to bring allergy medicine with you to Japan, they do not have Allegra, or Benadryl of any kind. I also recommend having a business card with all of your allergies, written in Japanese, so that you can hand them to the food staff at the beginning of your meal.

17. I suggest 2 day trip to [Hakone](https://hakone-japan.com/) during the Tokyo segment! Was one of my highlights of my trip! There’s a cable car up to the active volcano, pirate ship, traditional onsen *and* a fun swimming suit allowed section of it with crazy bathing pools, like sake, wine, green tea, pretty sure I remember there being a ramen broth one too lol! Also an amazing sculpture garden with a yuzu footbath, an ancient Japanese checkpoint, a walk through an avenue of massive cedar trees, plus it’s near Fuji, so if you manage to time it for a good visibility day, you could see it from Hakone. If you keep your itinerary fairly loose around the tokyo days and check each day (I’m fairly certain there’s an app/site which says if there is visibility that day) then it would work out! But even then, I had so much fun even without seeing it. I did actually see it when I went to the [5 lakes](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6900.html) area as well, on a different day, which is also well worth the travel. Especially for probably my favourite sight of the trip, [Oshinohakkai.](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6915.html) Though, again, just like Hakone, there is sooo much to see there. Depending on the season you go in, if you go when the wisteria are in bloom, absolutely go to the [Ashikaga flower park!!](https://livejapan.com/en/in-tokyo/in-pref-tochigi/in-tochigi_suburbs/article-a0002240/) They were some of the most impressive gardens I’ve ever seen! Oh and if you still have the energy, climb [Mount. Takao](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3029.html) for a view over Tokyo!

    On the kyoto days- fair warning, the Fushimi Inari is steep/physically taxing and can take quite a large chunk out of your day to climb to the top. Most attractions in Japan tend to close very early, and even though we *did* manage to get to the kiyomizu-dera before it technically shut, there was still a security guard refusing anyone entry well ahead of then, so we weren’t able to see it (partly because we got lost though. We detoured down a path and it was a rabbit hole into bamboo forests and beautiful moss-covered fox graves/shrines. It was a *magical* experience, and definitely don’t regret it, but do regret not giving more time to Kyoto. If anything I’d suggest shaving down a day in Nara. Nara’s attractions are very close to each other and the terrain is quite flat, so it isn’t taxing to walk around it (though I did go as a physically fit individual who worked most days on my feet, so adjust for your fitness level/ level of pace you would want to take.) But yeah, me and my friend saw every attraction you listed in one day, minus the nigatsu-do, but I think that’s because we prioritised something else. It *is* beautiful though, and there are sooo many things to do further out than the nucleus of the attractions, like the primeval forest or Mount Wakakusa. Unfortunately with Japan, there’s always going to have to be beautiful things you miss out on to see other beautiful things.

    Another note on kyoto- The Arashiyama bamboo grove is a lot bigger than I had thought before going. There’s actually a whole other section beyond the main photographed section of the bamboo, plus the train and [boat rafting](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3966.html) through that area was amazing! Absolutely advised!

    Also if you’re into aquariums, the [Osaka aquarium KAIYUKAN](https://www.kaiyukan.com/language/eng/explore.html) definitely blew my mind (it’s got a whale shark). Osaka castle was great as well! I’d personally do those in the day and the onsen on one of your nights (also because there’s a lot less people in it then, so if you feel insecure being naked in public, going when it’s dark, and an outside one is better. The only one I went to was the [Hakone Yunesson spa](https://www.yunessun.com/global/en/spa/) at the end of that day. You can get a combined ticket to both the waterpark/fun baths part and the onsen, and the onsen is open later than it, (it’s outdoors and looks really beautiful lantern lit at night.) Alternatively, one blog suggested a place 50 mins from Nara which I hadn’t heard of, [Mitarai valley](https://www.visitnara.jp/venues/A00538/) and [Dorogawa onsen](https://www.visitnara.jp/destinations/area/dorogawa/), where you could spend either the spa day or a potentially spare Nara day. Alternatively, if you are going in cherry blossom season, there is also [Mt. Yoshino](https://www.japan.travel/en/spot/985/).

    Oh, and it’s definitely feasible! We did basically the same trip, but we also went to Nikko national park for a day trip loll. I will have to break it to you though that you will be exhausted by the end, and sometimes you might have to cut out a day for whatever reason, so having a couple ‘fuck up’ insurance days is advised. We didn’t have those, so we didn’t see kobe or kamakura in the end. Also it’s ALL about early starts. On the train at 5am, else you won’t get it all done.

18. Make sure you go to Katsura imperial villa when you’re in Kyoto. You should probably make a reservation, but they do sometimes have walk up appts available. One of the most beautiful gardens in Japan and they only allow small groups so its nice to get away from the crowds as well.

19. Nice itinerary. I might replace one of the Nara days with a trip to Himeji Castle or possibly Hiroshima/Miyajima Island.

    In Kyoto, I highly recommend setting aside some time to wander around Nishiki Market, Gion, Shinkyogoku & Teramachi (covered shopping streets) & Pontocho.

    In Tokyo, since you’ll be there in May I recommend checking out Sumo. [https://sumo.or.jp/EnTicket/year_schedule](https://sumo.or.jp/EnTicket/year_schedule)

    I also recommend Shinjuku (including Golden Gai) in Tokyo , Harajuku (if interested the cosplay “parade” posts their schedule on twitter [https://twitter.com/harajuku_fw](https://twitter.com/harajuku_fw)), and Nakameguro (including the massive Starbucks).

    Hope you find this useful. Happy Travels!

20. Three other practical tips: a) rent a mobile wifi hotspot at the airport. b) they also rent those simultaneous voice translation machines which will come really handy. Yeah, you could use Google Translate but it’s just faster. c) While in Tokyo, get the SuicaEng app so you can tap your phone to use public transportation. Recharging is much easier than having to find the reload machine at the stations for the physical Suica card. You can also use it for small purchases at convenience stores

21. My recommendation is if you don’t walk long distances daily that you may want to start before trip. On day 5 my feet and legs were destroyed

22. You have two days in Nara. All of the things you have on day one of Nara are in Nara park. You don’t need almost a full day for just Nara park.
    Use your second Nara day to get out of Nara city. Nara prefecture has some amazing places that hardly anyone sees because they never leave Nara city. If you’re lucky enough to catch cherry blossom season, go down to Yoshino. You won’t regret it.
    Or how about the world’s oldest wooden building, Horyuji? or Omiwa-ji, the oldest ever shinto shrine and 2nd largest Tori gate? (admittedly there’s very little English information here so maybe not so interesting if you can’t read Japanese. but it is a huge, beautiful shrine complex with a fascinating history).

    You should do a day trip to Nikko from Tokyo. You can get a train from Asakusa station, takes about 2 hours but it’s 1000% worth it.

23. Nice itinerary.

    For Osaka spa – go to Spa World, which is next to Shinsekai as another reply mentioned. If you wanted to see the seamier side if Osaka, nearby is Tobita Shinchi.

    Tokyo – if add Shimo-Kitazawa for great 2nd hand shopping experience