Hey everyone,
I’ve been planing to go on a Month long trip to Japan together with some friends of mine. I myself have visited Tokyo and Sapporo for 2 weeks each, and my friends have never been to Japan. The trip will take place in September 2023. I made a sketch for a possible itinerary and would love to get some feedback on it. Here we go:
31.8.
Arrive at Narita airport in the evening
1.9.
RAIL PASS START
Tokyo -> Sapporo
Sapporo to do list:
general City exploration, climb mount Moiwa, daytrip to Otaru, daytrip to Noboribetsu
4.9.
Sapporo -> Hakodate
Hakodate to do list:
general City exploration
6.9.
Hakodate -> Osaka (take a train early in the morning)
Osaka to do list:
general City exploration, day trip to Nara, daytrip to Kobe, multiple trips to Kyoto
13.9.
Osaka -> Hiroshima (take a train early in the morning)
Hiroshima to do list:
general City exploration, day trip to cycle the Shimanami Kaido
16.9.
Hiroshima -> Kyushu
Still on the fence on this one. Kumamoto city or Kagoshima seem like great stops.
19.9.
Kyushu -> Fujinomiya
Climb mount Fuji
21.9.
Fujinomiya -> Tokyo
Tokyo to do list:
general City exploration, day trip to Kamakura, “i’ve never been to Tokyo things”
3.10. Return Home
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2 comments
While you could take the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Sapporo (8 hours) and from Hakodate to Osaka (8 hours), and it’s included in the pass, you really should consider flying.
Honestly, this is very, very poorly thought-out itinerary. 21-day JR Pass barely breaks even versus using 7-day JR Pass + taking advantage of visitor’s fares for Tokyo to Sapporo and Hakodate to Osaka + paying out of the pocket for Sapporo to Hakodate.
Furthermore: since you are losing the whole 1.09 to travel, you really have a day for a day trip to Otaru and a day for exploring Sapporo. I guess you can stop at Noboribetsu on your way to Hakodate.
6.09 is another whole day lost to travel. While technically you can do Shimanami Kaido in a single day, as a round trip from Hiroshima, I doubt that it would be very much fun in mid-September heat. And unless you are cycling 40 miles a day every day at home – the next day would be horrible.
19.09 – Hakata to Fujinomiya is 6+ hours under best of circumstances. Note that this late in September – Mt. Fuji would be already closed for climbing (it closes typically on 10 September).
Essentially, this is an itinerary that will make a solo traveler miserable for a sake of saving $30, never mind for traveling as a party.