Hey,
I’m looking for some feedback on a plan that’s trying to focus on food, history, architecture, and adaptability. I’ve used other people’s plans / japan-guide to inform my decisions thus far, but wanted some more specific feedback. I included an attraction plan for subreddit rules but I’ve never been accurate about them before (sorry mods, I thought I included enough other information). Itinerary as follows, planning to use rail through the whole trip:
* Trip time: February
* Budget: Don’t worry about it
* Specific Interests maybe useful for planning: Foreign presence in Japan (16th-18th century), historic architecture and design choices, regional food specialties, unmodernized food production
|**Morning**|**Day**|**Night**|Things planned|||
:–|:–|:–|:–|:–|:–|
|Kyoto|Kyoto|Kyoto|Ryoan-ji, Golden Temple|||
|Kyoto|Kyoto|Kyoto|National Museum, Higashiyama|||
|Kyoto|Kyoto|Kyoto|Nijo Castle, wander Gion|||
|Kyoto-Nara|Nara|Nara-Kyoto|Horyuji Temple, Kasuga Taisha|Easy to adapt/cut|~1 hr|
|Kyoto-Osaka|Osaka|Osaka|Aquarium||<1 hr|
|Osaka|Osaka|Osaka-Koyasan|Sumiyoshi Taisha,Osaka Castle|Can’t adapt|~3 hr|
|Koyasan|Koyasan|Koyasan-Himeji|Okunoin Temple, Reihokan Museum||~4 hr|
|Himeji|Himeji|Himeji-Hiroshima|Himeji Castle||~1 hr|
|Hiroshima|Hiroshima|Hiroshima-Fukuoka|Itsukushima Shrine, Peace Park / Bomb Dome|Easy to adapt/cut|~2 hr|
|Fukuoka-Kitsuki|Kitsuki|Kitsuki-Fukuoka|Samurai District|Easy to adapt/cut|~6 hr|
|Fukuoka|Fukuoka|Fukuoka-Kanazawa|Yatai (Food Stalls),Shofukuji Temple||~5 hr|
|Kanazawa|Kanazawa|Kanazawa|Kenrokuen, Wander Higashi Chaya District|||
|Kanazawa-Takayama|Takayama|Takayama|Morning Markets,Wander Old Town||~2 hr|
|Takayama-Matsumoto|Matsumoto|Matsumoto-Tokyo|Matsumoto Castle|Easy to adapt/cut|~5 hr|
|Tokyo|Tokyo|Tokyo|National Museum|||
|Tokyo-Nikko|Nikko|Nikko-Tokyo|Nikkō Tōshō-gū, Katayama Shuzo (sake distillery)|Easy to adapt/cut|~6 hr|
|Tokyo-Hakone|Hakone|Hakone-Tokyo|The Amazake-chaya Tea House, Views of fuji|Easy to adapt/cut|~4 hr|
|Tokyo|Tokyo|Tokyo|Meet with Friend / explore Akihabara / Shibuya|||
|Tokyo|Tokyo|Tokyo|Edo-Tokyo Open air architectural museum|||
Questions:
* Are there interesting craft food product makers along my route that I should try to visit? Examples I have marked out include Ichimonjiya Wasuke in Kyoto, the Suntory Yamazaki Distillery in Yamazaki, and the Ishikura Sake Brewery in Fukuoka. I speak rudimentary Japanese, so that might help.
* How much overlap is there in the Himeji and Matsumoto castles, from a history / architecture perspective?
* Does doing train-travel towards the end of the day make any sense, or should I try get it done in the morning? Example considerations: how hard is it to find my way given early February sunsets in these places, train schedules/business, etc. I guess this could just be personal preference too.
General feedback appreciated too! A bit worried about hecticness and inter-city travel (hence the travel time research) but I’m planning to cut things (maybe Hiroshima entirely?) if I get tired of the inside of trains.