Hi all – My wife and I are taking our first trip to Japan next spring and would love some advice or feedback on our itinerary. We aren’t really into shopping so we have prioritized Kansai and traditional cultural experiences over more time in Tokyo. That being said, we are torn on whether we should drop Koyasan or something else for more time in Tokyo since 3 full days doesn’t seem like enough and it would reduce the travel time quite a bit.
We love coffee so we will definitely look for good shops everywhere, including some kissatens. We hike quite a bit and love food so we’ll probably plan a food tour in Tokyo, get some steak in Kobe, etc.
I realize we may not be able to do much the day we arrive but from what I’ve seen, Shinjuku could be explored on the day we go to Harajuku/Shibuya.
Thanks for reading!
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|**Date**|**Day of week**|**Start**|**End**|**Notes**|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|3-24-2023|Friday|Tokyo Narita|Tokyo|Arrive at 330PM, Check in to hotel and explore Shinjuku, Kabukicho, Omoide Yokocho, Golden Gai, Shinjuku Gyoen (if possible)|
|3-25-2023|Saturday|Tokyo|Tokyo|Asakusa, Senso-ji Temple, Kaminarimon, Nakamise Street, Dempoin Street, Hoppy Street, Sumida River, Tokyo Skytree, maybe Akihabara|
|3-26-2023|Sunday|Tokyo|Tokyo|Meiji Shrine, Yoyogi Park, Harajuku, Shibuya|
|3-27-2023|Monday|Tokyo|Kyoto||
|3-28-2023|Tuesday|Kyoto|Kyoto|Explore central Kyoto, Fushimi Inari, Nishiki Market, Gion|
|3-29-2023|Wednesday|Kyoto|Kyoto|Tenryu-ji Temple, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Okochi Sanso Villa for tea, Togetsukyo Bridge | Taxi to Kinkakuji Temple, Zen Garden (Ryoanji? near Kinkakuji), Pontocho alley|
|3-30-2023|Thursday|Kyoto|Kyoto|Kiyomizudera Temple, Philosopher’s Path, Ginkakuji, Kennen-ji, Kodaiji Temple, Hokan-ji (Yasaka Pagoda), Yasaka Shrine, Marayuma Park, Monk for dinner|
|3-31-2023|Friday|Kyoto|Kinosaki|**Kinosaki overnight** \- Stay at ryokan and walk between onsens|
|4-1-2023|Saturday|Kinosaki|Osaka|Breakfast, more onsens, then on to Osaka|
|4-2-2023|Sunday|Osaka|Osaka|Osaka Castle, explore Shinsaibashi, Amerikamura, Shinsekai, Dotonbori, Shitennoji, Tennoji|
|4-3-2023|Monday|Osaka|Osaka|**Nara day-trip**\- Tōdai-ji, Nara Park, Kasuga-taisha, Kōfuku-ji, Nakatanidou Mochi Shop|
|4-4-2023|Tuesday|Osaka|Osaka|**Kobe day-trip**\- Ikuta Jinja, Kitanocho, Ishida for steak, Nunobikime Falls and herb garden|
|4-5-2023|Wednesday|Osaka|Koyasan|**Koyasan overnight**\- Okunio-in, Kongobu-ji, end day with dinner at shukubo|
|4-6-2023|Thursday|Koyasan|Tokyo|Morning prayers at shukubo, travel back to Tokyo|
|4-7-2023|Friday|Tokyo|Tokyo|Ueno, Ueno Park, Museum, Temples, Ameyoko to explore, and Akihabara if we didn’t go earlier|
|4-8-2023|Saturday|Tokyo Narita|||
1 comment
You could also move your Osaka time to Tokyo (the day trips could be from Kyoto. I think there is more to see in Tokyo altogether. You seem to be missing Himeji in this area, which is a real castle unlike the replica in Osaka. You could perhaps visit Himeji in the morning before heading to Kinosaki (it’s in the general area)?
You probably won’t have time to see more than one thing your first night. You will probably be arriving in Tokyo after 5PM since your flight is from Narita. You will have to go though customs then take a train into Tokyo. If you are going to be jet lagged you might just want to get some sleep. Drinking isn’t good for jet lag.
3 days is very short for Tokyo. I’ve never visited Koya but I have always thought it was a bit too time consuming for what you get on a short trip. I would save it for later (like I have), but if it is something you really want to do you may want to skip. You will spend less time traveling.