Hello everyone, so, me, my wife, and my parents are going to Japan from May 10-30, 2023 (we flight on the 9th but arrive in Tokyo the 10th around 5 pm) and there’s so much we want to see that I don’t know how to choose, filter or fit some things on the itinerary. We’re first time Japan travelers.
We’ll be arriving in Narita and are planning on going different places.
We’re also considering getting 14 day JR Pass to use once we’re out of Tokyo.
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* **Tokyo – 6 days**
* **Hakone – 1 day (Day trip from Tokyo)**
* **Nikko – 1 day (Day trip from Tokyo)**
* **Nagoya – 1 day**
* **Kyoto – 2 days**
* **Osaka 3 days**
* **Nara – 1 day** **(Day trip from Osaka)**
* **Kobe – 1 day** **(Day trip from Osaka)**
* **Hiroshima – 1 day**
* **Miyajima – 1 day (Day trip from Hiroshima)**
There’s also some other places we’d like to visit but here’s the “tricky part”.
We would like to visit **Shirakawa-go** and **Kanazawa**, but I feel they’re kinda far from the rest of the places we’d like to go but I’m not sure what’s the best way to visit/enjoy them.
Now, here’s a list of the places and some notes on each one:
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**TOKYO**
* I know maybe 6 days is too much, but being such a big city with many places, I feel even 6 days is not enough, but also not sure realistically how many areas can be visited per day and how to group them. (i.e. Shibuya and Shinjuku, etc on one day, Ginza and Odaiba, on the same day? Ueno, etc?)
* Also, any recommendations on places or activities best suited for visiting at night? or at day, or maybe some at both moments of the day? For example, maybe Shibuya is better enjoyed both day and night, maybe Shinjuku is better to go just at night, etc.
* For a viewpoint, etc, which one is more recommended? Tokyo Tower? Sky Tree? I’m aware also of the Tokyo City Hall (not sure what’s called in english) that has a free access to floor 31st (or 41st, can’t remember). Should we go to all 3 of them? Or the Tokyo City Hall is enough to cover an amazing view from the city? or is it more advisable Tokyo Tower over Sky Tree (or viceversa?)
* Also heard about the Asahi beer building that has great views, so having a beer there sounds like a good plan.
* Also taking days out from Tokyo to add more unmissable places is an option.
* What’s in your opinion the best area to stay (not utterly expensive, well located, not dirty or noisy, close to some strategic metro/train station. We’re not considering activating JR Pass while in tokyo so being close to a JR line or station its not indispensable, unless it’s advisable as we’ll be using JR pass when leaving Tokyo..?
* I’m a record “collector” so I have a few record stores on my list, and would also love to go to some listening/hi-fi bars (jazz kissa), have a few in mind but recommendations are welcome
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**HAKONE**
* On one hand, I’ve read is essential because of Mt. Fuji views
* On the other hand, for what I understand, is an “onsen place” but we’re not that much interested in Onsens/thermal baths, so… not sure if we should skip it? Or is it definitely worth it for the views, etc, even if we’re not planning to go bathe in an onsen?
* Or maybe there is some other town/city near Mt. Fuji worth considering instead of Hakone (if Hakone would be Ok to skip)
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**NIKKO**
* I’ve heard is also one of the daytrips from Tokyo that many people recommend. Haven’t done my research on this one but my mother suggested it also…
* Any thoughts?
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**NAGOYA**
* Is it worth it? Is it enough time?
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**The forever question: KYOTO and OSAKA.**
* I know they’re super close to each other and some recommend staying in Kyoto and doing daytrips to Osaka, others vice-versa.
* I watched a video that made a lot of sense from my perspective: Kyoto is more touristy, so its more expensive, and kinda “dead” at nights (maybe i’m wrong). So in case of doing daytrips, Osaka sounded like a better option to stay, but on my “pre-itinerary” I put Kyoto 2 days, Osaka 3, considering staying in both.
* What are your thoughs? Is it worth staying in both? or is it better to make Osaka our base for the next 5-6 days and do daytrips to Nara, Kyoto and Kobe, etc?
The farthest one is Hiroshima/Miyajima/Itsukushima.
In your experience, is it worth going “that far”? Or not that much to do/see?
Also considering Miyajima… Or is it better to explore other areas?
As I mentioned before, **Shirakawa-go** and **Kanazawa** seem like pretty great places to visit, but I’m not sure how to fit them or what places to remove days or remove them completely from the itinerary.
Some other places recommended but not sure if are better and unmissable:
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* Yokohama
* Kawagoe
* Kamakuraç
* Nagano
* Ise
* Himeji
* Takayama
Other must sees recommendations are well received.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read, review, respond, and share your thoughts.
4 comments
how old.. and ‘active’ are the parents?
I only mention because there will be a MONUMENTAL amount of walking. Stairs.. stairs.. and more stairs. Lots of concrete/ pavement .. and stairs.
You are guilty of jam packing a once in a lifetime tour of the region, but, from the get go.. you have a very full itinerary. You absolutely must plan some down days. So consider that.
Depending on where you are arriving from and time differences, you and your family could be really tired once you arrive. The time zones are killer and often underestimated on this sub. If you have not been to big Asian cities, used to being on the left side of the road, strange food and a very different language.. all of these factors can complicate your visit. I have no idea the relationship of you and your parents nor how/if they have travelled like this before.
Along your tour consider staying at an authentic Ryokan. They are usually heritage status, have catered meals, Onsen and very traditional. I mention this as they are pretty comfortable and authentic. It would be a great stop for a night along your tour to decompress.
My trip is planned for April and we are going Kanazawa between Tokyo and Kyoto… Made the decision to do that vs one of the onsen towns near mt fuji. There is a skinkasen that goes between Tokyo and Kanazawa and the Thunderbird express from Kanazawa to Kyoto. Sorry I don’t have real life experience yet but that is my input… It did seem like it made sense to either do Kanazawa or (not both) Hakone
Kanzawa is not too hard to access from Tokyo via Shinkansen or from Kyoto/Osaka via the Thunderbird limited express and Shirakawa go would be a day trip from Kanazawa.
6 days for Tokyo in itself, not really too much, there is plenty to see that you could fill two weeks. Also, does the 6 days include the 2 day trips ? If yes, then just 4 days in Tokyo is really not that much. (on the other side, if it exclude the day trips, then 3 days in Osaka and can be a bit much, while Kyoto two can be on the low side… always depend what you want to see).
Yes it is often realistic to do two neighborhoods in a day, as long as they are in the same area. Just check to see what is both physically closer or that is link by a common train/subway line.
For viewpoint, I would recommend Shibuya Sky and Roppongi Hills Mori Tower over Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building or Tokyo Tower. They are both more modern and access to the roof. Roppongi Hills also have a museum and a view on Tokyo Tower. Gov. Building is ok because it is free, but nothing special (unless you really want to see the Yayoi Kusama piano that is apparently there). Would also skip Kyoto Tower unless there is an event that interest you when you are there, you ant to climb it using the stairs or you are interested in Red Tokyo Tower. I personally did not go to Skytree as I found it a bit expensive. I would say ok for 2 point of view, more than that is a bit much for me.
As for the places that are better on each time of the day, for sure shopping oriented area are not best in the morning as shops tend to open at 10-11am. So if you want to start the day earlier, then you would have to find something that open earlier, for example there is many temple/shrine/museum/garden that open at 9am (or some even earlier).
For the night, of course there is area like Kabukicho that is know for nightlife that will have a completely different ambiance during the night. Some people would also like the ambiance of Senso-ji that is illuminated and all to see all the closed stores in Nakamise.
There is no real reason to activate JR Pass while in Tokyo. It depend on how you want to do your daytrips, but if using different pass, for example going to Nikko using the Tobu pass make more sense staying in Asakusa, but going to Hakone make more sense from Shinjuku station (so you could stay somewhere close to it, but not exactly shinjuku station). One thing that can make sense is to split the Tokyo stay in two, at the start and at the end of the trip, stay in different area that would make more sense for the day trips and you can visit things closer to your accommodation. Also focus shopping at the end of the trip, you don’t want to lug a bunch of records from one side of the country to the other.
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Hakone, just look at what other activities are available, like museum, volcanic area of Owakudani, etc. The other common place to see Mount Fuji is Kawaguchiko that is also easy to access from Shinjuku station, but they also have different attractions there. Both can be interesting even if you do not want to go to a onsen. Note that there is a onsen in Hakone where you can go in swimsuit (and is mixed gender) and there is many different and fun bath you can try, it’s called Yunessun.
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Nikko is a great day trip, I would really just focus on the temple/shrine area, trying to go to lake Chusenji and the different waterfall is not impossible in a single day, but can be a bit rushed.
Nagoya, unless you have something specific you really want to do… can kind of be a skip for me.
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I think it is not a bad idea to stay in both Kyoto in Osaka, both have different nighlife as you said, but it can also break the long distance you would have to do from Hiroshima back to Tokyo. I do not think that Kyoto is that much more expensive than Osaka.
Yes, doing Miyajima and Hiroshima is possible as a daytrip from Osaka, but it’s a really full day. If you want to do it a bit more relax, spend a night in Hiroshima and do one on each day (would not do 2 day trips to Hiroshima, I much prefer changing hotel than spending time in the train).
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In my opinion, nothing is “unmissable” it really depend on your interest. For example Himeji can be a stop on the way to Hiroshima. Start the day early, goal to get to Himeji castle when it open, maybe get a lunch to eat in the shinkansen to Hiroshima, go see the peace museum/park, then okonomiyaki for dinner, next day go to Miyajima and back to Osaka. If you do not want to carry luggage for that part, ship it from Kyoto to Osaka and only bring a day bag with you. Yokohama/Kamakura/Kawagoe are 3 relatively easy day trips from Tokyo. Nagano could be a stop between Kanazawa and Tokyo on the shinkansen. Takayama, instead of doing Shirakawa-go as a day trip from Kanazawa, it would be a stop between Kanazawa and Takayama. Then it would require a bit of a longer ride to either Tokyo or Kyoto/Osaka depending on the order you decide. The other logical next destination from Takayama it Matsumoto. But hey, at the end of the day you cannot do everything and you need to make some choices.
How about Okinawa!
Japan in different Style!
Tokyo and Yokohama, u just need 3 days to visit1