Hi all!!! I took some advice from my last itinerary and updated my schedule. Just some things to acknowledge from the previous post I travel a lot, I’m experienced in extreme change in time zones and plan on adjusting my sleep schedule before i leave so i don’t waste time recovering from jetlag!!! that was a couple of comments saying saying I’ll be super tired when i get there and hopefully if I prepare myself right that isn’t the case
Let me know any recommendations of not so common things or your experience in these towns! Appreciate it all !! Thank you 🙂
3/2 7:00am Depart Airport – Continue Traveling to next day
3/3 Arrived Haneda 4:30Pm, Check in to hotel in Shinjuku, plan on taking it semi easy this day just do some night exploring, and try and go on the metropolitan tower to view shinjuku!
3/4 Explore Shinjuku and Shibuya this day!
3/5 Checking out of Hotel #1 (only bringing big carry on backpack so no hefty luggage but might put in luggage locker or see if hotel 2 can store it), not sure exactly what we plan to do this day besides a general “explore Tokyo” definitely gonna plan it but it’s so far advance idk details yet, check in capsule hotel
3/6 Check out hotel, finish up in Tokyo, take train to Odawara, rent car in Odawara (bus pass is more expensive than a car for same # of days because there is 4 of us), head to AirBnB in Hakone, relax, enjoy Hakone. Hakone Skywalk, Onsen, and maybe some museums are on the list :).
3/7 Drive to Lake Kawaguchi (1 hour car drive), haven’t planned much here yet but Mt Fuji lol, come back to Air BnB
3/8 AirBnb checkout, finish up in Hakone, drive back to Odawara, get on Shinkansen to Kyoto (I mentioned stopping in Nagoya previously just to check it out for a bit, definitely is based on time constraints but I thought it would be fun if possible), reach Kyoto, check into hotel, Kyoto time
3/9 Kyoto Day, haven’t planned much but I know there is so much to do in Kyoto the possibilities are endless
3/10 One of these days is a planned day trip to Hiroshima, due to the way my hotel points work I can’t stay overnight but would love to if I could, come back to Kyoto etc
3/11 Another Kyoto day lol, still haven’t planned details of what to do
3/12 check out Kyoto! Finish up if stuff is left undone, head down to Osaka ! check in to Osaka hotel
3/13 Osaka day!!!!! once again no specifics, Osaka Castle, try amazing food ofc, observation deck maybe?,
3/14 Check out of Osaka, ~ 3 hour train ride to Kanazawa, Check in to AirBnB, depending what time we get there perhaps go to Kenrouk-en garden, I believe the Plum blossoms will be blooming when I am there, temples, market etc
3/15 no specifics again but still Kanazawa lol, enjoy the atmosphere.
3/16 check out AirBnB early! Take the train to Tokyo, depending how things work out either go directly to Narita Airport or finish up exploring for an hour or so, 6:30pm flight, then goodbye Japan 🙁
7 comments
Some fun things I’ve done in Kyoto are look for some hole in the wall bars with live music. Since the pandemic, I’m not sure how these places have been affected (I’m guessing some have been shut down). The monkey park in Arashi-Yama was fun and not very busy when I went. The philosophers path leading to the silver temple was a very nice walk. It might be kind of cold if you are going there in March. It’s very difficult to time the cherry blossom blooms as a traveler because of the climate change. One cold front sweeping in can cause them to whither and not bloom again for weeks. But if you’re lucky and it’s a full bloom when you walk the path, it’s absolutely gorgeous.
When in Osaka, if you can go to Nara which is an hour east by train, they are known for their free roaming deer and there are a lot of neat historical sites to see out there.
I still don’t understand why you’re wasting time changing hotels in Tokyo (but then I don’t see the attraction in capsule hotels), and what you have planned for 6 March doesn’t look doable given travel times.
If you’re visiting Hiroshima as a day trip, do so from Osaka instead of Kyoto – this will cut off about 30 minutes spent on a train in each direction.
Osaka castle is a modern museum from the inside. I personally found Himeji a lot more impressive. It’s an easy day trip from Osaka, if you visit the castle grounds and the garden next door.
I think that over the price difference, there is still other pro and con about car rental. Good thing is that you will have easier access to Mishima Skywalk and going to Kawaguchiko will be faster. The bad thing is that you have to consider parking, so it is an extra cost and it might require some planning. Also, if you compare with the Hakone Free Pass, you would not be able to do the “look” that include taking the boat on lake Ashi and ropeway to Owakudani as you would have to leave the car and go back. You can still do a similar route, but it won’t include the boat ride.
Also if you ask me, you make a mistake of not staying at least 1 night in a ryokan with a nice kaiseki meal in Hakone. I would even consider booking one night with meal and one without is it’s a question of cost, at least you won’t have to look for a onsen, it will be right there at the ryokan.
Observation deck in Osaka you have Umeda Sky Building or Abeno Harukas.
Do you HAVE to go back to Tokyo ? What I would check to do is Tokyo, Hakone, Tokyo (capsule hotel), Kanazawa, Kyoto. And would fly out of Osaka.
On 3/4 I would recommend taking time to explore Shinjuku Gyoen and or Yoyogi Park in Shibuya. Also, definitely take a stroll through Omoide Yokochō in Shinjuku, and check out Golden Gai even if you don’t stop to get a drink.
Are you sure you’ll be able to go? I spoke to someone from the Japanese embassy in Miami and she said that non-essential travel is still not allowed, and they aren’t sure when they’ll open up.
A day trip to Hiroshima is kind of stretching it. It would be like trying to do a daytrip to Kyoto/Osaka from Tokyo. Unless you have specific reason to go and your itinerary is focused it might be better to focus your time elsewhere. Alternatively you do have almost a year of planning, you could churn a credit card and get the points you need if that is what is holding you back from staying overnight.