14 Day Trip Around Japan (March 2022)

16 comments

1. Makes me want to travel Japan even more!
   A very good schedule

2. You know, if you want help we need more information than “go to Osaka, go to Takayama, go to Kanazawa”. And actually, at the current form, the latter part of your trip just make no sense transportation-wise.

3. don’t forget to hit dem love hotels

4. 1. Considering that you probably need at least 5 days for Kansai leg (Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and possibly Himeji) – I would probably skip either Hiroshima, or Kanazawa/Takayama leg entirely.
   2. While I personally love Kanazawa and Takayama is well worth visiting – with this schedule, you would spend half a day in each at most.
   3. With this schedule, it’s either Hakone, or Fuji Five Lakes – trying to do both is silly. Since its early March, I would probably either visit Odawara Ume Matsuri (its on the way from/to Hakone), or Kawazu – if the *kawazuzakura* is still in blossom.

5. Nagoya has the Toyota commemorative museum downtown, very, very interesting. They even have engrish guides.

   Outside of town is the Toyota museum near the factory.

   Edit: And there is also a plant tour once daily. But you have to book weeks or months in advance, so I haven’t seen it yet and don’t know any specifics. During Corona it is suspended altogether.

6. > 3/4 – Explore more Tokyo

   Tokyo is basically like 10 or 15 huge cities, I would really put thought into which areas you’re going to visit. You have time to hit maybe 2 or 3 major areas in a day, and each are pretty different. If you decide to play it by ear, it might seem overwhelming, and later, you might realize you went to the wrong spot completely considering what you’re interested in. Personally, especially if the weather is nice, I would say Akihabara and Yoyogi Park are musts. And I love the people watching in Ometasando.

7. I’d cut off the Fuji and 5 lakes and stick with Hakone considering you only have 2 weeks. If you’re gonna be in Nagoya, might as well head to Takayama and Kanazawa first then onto Kyoto instead of going there after Kansai. Hiroshima needs a solid day to stay and if you’re planning on going to Miyajima then it’s another day trip. Try to save last 2 days for Tokyo so you can have an opportunity to sleep in a capsule hotel and not rush back to the airport all the way from Hokuriku. Not to mention it’ll give you some ample time for last minute shopping as well.

8. Use the takkyubin! Best thing I did on my trip to Japan to make traveling easier! Basically your hotels can arrange to have your luggage sent from hotel to hotel for you (and hotel to airport), so you can travel hands free! (We really need to introduce this service in the rest of the world!) Also, if you’re short on time, I believe there is an airline pass you can get that entitles you to flights across Japan, similar to the JR pass (can’t think what it is called right now! You’ll miss out on the sweet sweet shinkansen, but you’ll have more time in your destinations. If you do want to ride the shinkansen, weigh your options on how many times you are riding it to see if the JR pass is worth it. It does give you discounts on some other stuff.
   I agree that maybe save exploring Tokyo for the end of the trip, it’ll give you a chance to hit the 100en stores, and MegaDonki (where they have the cheapest multipacks of Japanese kitkats) before flying home. You can buy Tokyo metro passes only available to tourists at Tokyo Station (and a couple of others) for 24-48-72 hours to help you save on transport. Kyoto has a similar thing that also includes buses. Tokyo is huge and you really need to research what you actually want to see. Kyoto is beautifully atmospheric. Osaka will make you want to eat until you explode (which is kinda the motto of the city, also they have the Cup Noodle Museum where you can make your own Cup Noodle, right down to decorating the pot and picking your own toppings!). I personally LOVED Hiroshima and Miyajima, but if you want to visit the Peace Museum, it’s a bit heavy for a day trip – I saw grown men crying in that museum.
   Enjoy the planning, and savour the trip!

9. We got the same travel dates lmao.

10. I agree Tokyo deserves more time. Also, that’s a LOT of traveling around, checking in and out. I’d suggest maybe two hotels, maybe one Tokyo one Kyoto. Then take day trips with those as your base. You’ll spend a lot of time in and out of hotels and lugging the bags around, especially two weeks worth even without any souvenirs is a pain. Been a couple times and doing it that way has worked out for us at least.

11. Where are you flying from? If it’s any distance (especially across time zones), wanting to zoom around Shinjuku on the night of arrival isn’t really realistic. If you’re flying from the US or Europe you’ll be clobbered by fatigue and jet lag. Just get dinner at/near your hotel and go to bed.

    The logistics for 5 March don’t look workable. It will take most of the day to do that travel. Likewise the logistics for 13 and 14 March don’t seem sensible – the train to Takayama takes a while.

    I also wonder why you want to waste a few hours of your limited time in Tokyo moving hotels. Just stay in a single proper hotel rather than waste your time with a capsule hotel.

12. I’m doing almost the same dates of travel! I am too overwhelmed to start planning which is very unlike me. Interested to see your final itinerary.

13. This really isn’t a trip around Japan it’s just a trip around Central Honshu.

    But anyways checkout nagahama and hikone in shiga on your way to Kyoto they are awesome.

14. Omgggg take me there plzzzz

15. Can you send your updated itinerary? I would love to check it out after all the great feedback!

16. This is a packed schedule. I did something like this on my first trip to Japan, and it was exhausting. I know there’s a lot to see, but I would recommend picking two or three places and spending as much time as possible there. Tokyo, Kyoto, and one other place. Otherwise half you trip is travel time, and you won’t really get to fully experience any single location. That’s my opinion, anyway.

    Tokyo alone is just massive, we spent a full day in Akihabara, another in Shinjuku, etc. it’s much more fun if you’re not rushed, and really get to meander through the areas.

    I would also HIGHLY recommend making Miyajima more than just a day trip. Stay the night, maybe two, if you can. That place is pure magic and it’s even better after all the day tourists have gone home, and you have the place more to yourself. You could spend at least a day at the shops and another hiking up the mountain and enjoying the shoreline.

    Obviously, don’t rearrange your entire trip based on this comment, but just some food for thought.