Just wanna check for everyone’s opinion on whether or not my current itinerary is feasible or just plain gonna kill me. No jet lag problems since I’m from the same side of the world.
I do have a list of places I want to go for each general area, then pick and choose on the day that I’m there. Also, I’ve been to Tokyo a lot of times now and I’ve seen enough of Osaka, so I’ll be spending less time there.
* Feb 1 (Wed) – Arrival (Tokyo) – Rest day – will be exchanging JR pass and reserving seats for sleeper train while there – will buy either suica or pasmo
* Feb 2-3 (ThF) – Tokyo – Shopping days (Most likely shopping for some clothes for Shirakawago Trip) and friend meetup days
* Feb 4 (Sat) – Takayama – I’ll leave Tokyo as early as I can and then explore Takayama with a friend for the rest of the night, we’ll be staying the night here
* Feb 5 (Sun) – Shirakawago & Kanazawa – We’ll leave for the earliest bus to Shirakawa-go, spend the morning there then leave for Kanazawa around lunch – staying overnight in an onsen here
* Feb 6 (Mon) – Nagano – I’ll leave the onsen as early as I can and then take advantage of my JR Pass while passing through Nagano on the way back to Tokyo – for the night, I’ll be riding the sleeper train to Okayama (back up plan is to stay in a friend’s house in Tokyo, then leave for Hiroshima the next day)
* Feb 7 (Tue) – Miyajima – I’ll arrive in Okayama at around 6:30 then be in Hiroshima at 7:25 then leave for the ferry for Miyajima, explore Miyajima for the whole day – dinner, then sleep in a hotel in Hiroshima for the night
* Feb 8 (Wed) – Hiroshima – explore Hiroshima city itself – I’ll be staying in the same hotel for the night.
* Feb 9 (Thu) – Nagoya – this will be basically a rest day for me, I just have to go to a concert at night
* Feb 10 (Fri) – Kyoto – rest day again, I just need to check in my hotel for the day then go to another concert in Osaka
* Feb 11-13 (SaSuMon) – Kyoto – I’ll explore Kyoto for three days, taking some rest while I can
* Feb 14 (Tue) – Niigata – I just have to go to a concert at night again, otherwise, I’m free to shop for some souvenirs either in Kyoto or Niigata
* Feb 15 (Wed) – Flight home – leave Niigata to arrive in NRT a few hours before departure
Okay, here comes my questions.
1. Will I wear myself out on the first week? If so, which places would you drop if you had to?
2. This’ll be my first time traveling in winter, so I have no idea on how many/ what kind of clothes I need for the trip. Does anyone have tips for a person from the tropics? A quick google search says that temperatures will range from -6 to 10 degrees in the places I plan on going. If you guys got zero clothes for those kinds of temperatures like I do, what kind and how much clothes would you buy? Will you buy a scarf? Gloves? New shoes (I only have rubber and boat shoes)? What kind of fabric do I need to look out for? How often will I need to wash the outerwear? Do coin laundry machines work on thick fabric? Any tips would help tbh. Winter is a complete mystery to me so far.
3. I’ll be doing all my clothes shopping in Tokyo (I do have some heattech for my first day, none for the rest), and I plan on going for secondhand clothes (hopefully, cheaper). Will there be any reason not to do that that I’m not seeing so far? Uniqlo will be the plan if that falls through though.
1 comment
Having been visited Japan twice, my last trip being 6 weeks backpacking solo across the majority of locations the country has to offer. I can happily help answer any questions that you may have, should you wish to drop me a message.
Takayama, Shirakawa-go & kanazawa, although located within relative distance, seems a bit of a squeeze over a period of only 3 days. Talking from prior experience, there’s a lot of local culture to take in, should you enjoy trekking off the beaten path.
I’d personally allow for 4 day, as you need to account for travel time, distance between each of the attractions, temples, shops, restaurants and their relevant closing times. It’s always a disappointment when you finally arrive somewhere, only to realise you’re too pushed for time to appreciate as much as possible.
I always travel using nothing but an Osprey Farpoint carry-on backpack, alongside some collapsible luggage bags, and will typically leave the majority of my shopping until the last leg of the trip. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself lugging a lot more around with you than you originally intended.
Have you double checked to see if a JR Pass is worth it? Using the pass will restrict the trains your able to travel by, so it’s always worthwhile checking that out. There’s websites that will compare routes and prices for you once you’ve entered your destinations, this will give you a better idea.
It’s also worth noting, that I always pre-book a portable WiFi device, which I collect from the airport upon arrival. With regards to clothing, I always pack light using packing cubes, but ensure that I have a lightweight thermal windbreaker jacket at hand which is waterproof.