Hello all! Just found this sub so have a ton of reading to do. I wanted to go ahead and post this first though.
Planning on heading to Japan for 10 days in the wintertime with a group of six total people. We have done some research and decided on five different places that we would like to visit:
Tokyo
Kyoto
Osaka
Nara
Hiroshima
Is hitting all of these places within the ten day time frame (- some time travel time as well) too much? I believe that Kyoto, Osaka and Nara are all pretty close together which helps. Any thoughts are appreciated.
Further, I know this is tagged as advice, but if any of you have an recommendations for food and experiences in any of these places, please let me know!
Thanks so much!!
2 comments
I will say what I always say and that is this:
Theoretically it’s perfectly possible, but whether or not it is desirable is a different question. It is up to what your preferences are (modern cities versus traditional cultural sights), whether this will be your only visit to Japan or perhaps you are thinking to come again in the future, and also your general travel pace.
If you want to get a good impression of Tokyo, then I recommend at least 4-5 full days to explore. If you come for the temples and shrines rather than the metropoles, then maybe 2-3 full days in Tokyo will suffice and you can go onwards to the Kansai region. Kyoto however also takes at least 3 full days to get a good impression of. Osaka and Nara can be done as day trips from Kyoto. Hiroshima can also be a day trip from Kyoto although it’s a bit further south.
If you are considering to come to Japan again in the future I would recommend to stay in 1 region. Either the Tokyo (Kanto) region or the Kyoto (Kansai) region. Both regions have plenty to offer to fill 10 days and itineraries tend to become too stuffed when combining the regions in a short itinerary.
If your travel pace is fast then maybe all the cities on your list can be done in 10 days. You have to understand though that you will be spending a lot of time on trains.
These are some things to consider before planning your trip. Good luck on deciding!
Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara can indeed be treated as one urban area – though it is easier and quicker to get to Nara from Kyoto than it is from Osaka.
Hiroshima can be made a day trip from Kansai if you’re concerned about limiting the number of places you stay – it’s about an hour and a half via Shinkansen from Shin Osaka to Hiroshima station.