One month itinerary in July? 2023

12 comments

1. Stay safe, take care and have fun. Sorry can’t offer any suggestions. I have never been out of my country. Never applied for a passport😊

2. >We are from Saudi Arabia, so I think we can tolerate the heat

   The problem is not so much the heat, but the heat combined with humidity.

   >Odawara Castle

   Perfectly skippable outside the festivals. Also note that if you want end up in Hakone area, descent down either Gotemba or Subashiri trails (and forwarding the luggage directly from Tokyo to your accommodation in Hakone) would make more sense.

   >Day 9 + 10

   Both of these days are spent in Arashiyama or neighbouring areas. Generally, you could easily fit all those activities (except visit to Katsura Imperial Villa) inside a single day. Considering that you scheduled Universal Studios, Kaiyukan and Osaka Castle on a single day (which would be downright impossible), you might want to split the day between eg. Katsura Villa and Osaka Castle.

   >Day 20

   If you are staying the night before at Miyajima – this is going to be a very long day (Miyajima to Kanazawa is a 6 hours+ trip) and your stay in Kanazawa would be very rushed.

   >Long travel between takayama & nikko

   This will end up an effectively full day of travel. My advice would be to either skip Takayama leg entirely (with either a day trip to Kurobe Gorge, or Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route as a replacement) or limit your Nikko area activities to just Nikko/Lake Chuzenji area.

   >My biggest concern is which month to travel? July is for festivals, but 1. I’m afraid that the rain will ruin the trip 2. the heat might be gentler during August or September, but I’m very afraid of them because of the Typhoon season.

   The actual heat will be worst in August and you will have to deal with Obon. September is probably most comfortable temperature-wise. As far as typhoon vs monsoon goes: both can cause widespread damage (wind + floods versus floods + landslides) and can derail legs of your trip.

3. One month is more then enough time to do it all and even have extra time to see some stuff you don’t plan 🙂

   Just remember to have extra cash for ferries….Japan isn’t on 1 island 😉

4. I’ve been in July and I come from a very hot and dry climate as well. It wasn’t the best. Tons of rain (it’s monsoon season), but it’s the humidity that really can get you. I won’t ever go in July again.

   A month is a long time, don’t forget to build in a half day with nothing once a week or so. Travelling can be fun, but you don’t want to burn out. That being said, your itinerary isn’t super packed all the time which is good.

   If you have a month, I think you can give yourself a bit more space in Kanazawa, taking one extra day from Kyoto probably wouldn’t hurt.

   Looks like a fun trip! Enjoy!

5. Dry heat is worlds away from wet heat. And boy August in the big cities is the worst in terms of heat – it feels like being in the devil’s sweaty crotch.

   That said right – you’re missing a bunch of festivals as it is. Obon in Kyoto is an experience, there are big and small matsuris everywhere. Then there are the music festivals – Fuji Rock in July, Sumner Sonic in August.

   Plot everything out in Google maps. Like, choose any random hostel in the place you intend to stay in eg Asakusa, then simulate the day’s commute by using the directions and travel times in the map. At a certain point you’d know if your proposed day is feasible or not (that daytrip to Osaka with the aquarium and Universal Studios? Definitely not feasible)

6. For my taste too much Kyoto and not enough Nara and Kobe 😉

7. Before I say anything else: Mid-late July is a massive festival season in Kansai in particular and an absolute blast if you can acclimate to the heat and give yourself extra time. This includes the Gion Festival (all of July, but especially the 15th-17th and 22nd-24th), Tenjin Festival (July 24th-25th), Motomiya Festival (July 21st-22nd), and Mitarashi Festival (last 10 or so days of July). The Gion and Tenjin Fesitvals are two of Japan’s three largest festivals, and are among the only good reasons to suffer through the heat of summer if going at another time of year is feasible. August has some major fireworks festivals, Gozan-no-Okuribi, and Toro Nagashi. Also, if you’re around towards the end of the month I highly recommend Kobo-san at Toji on the 21st and/or Tenjin-san at Kitanotenmangu on the 25th.

   Ordinarily I recommend roughly a full week just for a quick run-through of the highlights of Kansai, but given the sweltering heat of the late summer and the extra time needed for festivals, I would give it more like 10 full days if you’re going around this time (again, just as a starting point).

   Notes on specific things:

   >Day 8 Kyoto

   Fushimi Inari is also really cool after dark. My absolute favorite time to go is before dawn, but if that isn’t manageable and you have the time, it’s totally worth going twice–once during the day and once at night. Also note that the aforementioned Motomiya festival is held at Fushimi Inari and runs well into the night (though it also attracts crowds, so you won’t get the added bonus of having the place practically to yourself).

   >Day 9 Kyoto

   >Day 10 Kyoto

   Tenryu-ji, the Sagano Railway, and Hozu River Cruising are in Arashiyama, which you have listed on the previous day. That said, if you’re planning to do all of that and still plan to have time to wander around and see other sights and attractions, I think it’s likely you will need more than one day.

   >Day 11 Kyoto

   Shugaku-in Imperial Villa is really nowhere near anything else here and is much closer to Ginkaku-ji and the Philosopher’s Path. That said….

   >Day 12 Kyoto

   I think this day is pretty nuts. You could easily divide this into 2 days and still have too much to do–especially in the heat of summer. For northern Higashiyama/Philosopher’s Path I also highly recommend renting bicycles. Something like Imperial Palace–>Demachimasugata Shoutengai–>Shimogamo Jinja–>Ginkaku-ji–>Philosopher’s Path–>Nanzen-ji–>Heian Jingu is an excellent starting point, and if you’re there around the Mitarashi Festival you’ll also be passing right through that at Shimogamo (also possible to end with that in the evening).

   >Day 13 Kyoto

   Todai-ji, Nigatsu-do, and Kasuga-taisha are the must-sees. If you were to have more time, there’s loads else to see around Nara as well, but I expect with just one day you’ll only be sticking to the Nara Park area.

   >Day 14 Kyoto

   Keep in mind that Osaka is a city the size of New York and USJ will generally take most or all of a full day by itself. If you’re planning to do USJ and the Tenjin Festival and still have time to see some of Osaka itself, I would plan to spend at lest 3 days there.

   >Day 15 Kyoto

   Himeji generally won’t take the full day unless you’re going to Mt. Misen. Don’t skip Koko-en while you’re at the castle–it’s practically free if you buy the combined castle/garden ticket and it’s one of the best gardens in the country. I recommend getting an early start, doing Himeji in the morning + maybe early afternoon, and then spending the rest of the day in Kobe (Chinatown and the Ijinkan are good places to start) or Osaka.

   Alternatively, you could hold off on Himeji and do it on the way to Hiroshima/Miyajima.

   >Day 16 Kyoto

   Unless you’re doing a guided tea field tour or something I don’t think this will take the full day. I would consider combining this with something else or perhaps swapping it out for something like Kurama/Kibune, Ohara, or Mt. Hiei (all of which are a nice escape from the heat of Kyoto proper).

   >Day 17 Kyoto

   So again, keep in mind that the Yamaboko Junko (the big parade during the middle of the day on the 17th and 24th) is only one of many events associated with the Gion Festival. For most Kyoto residents Yoiyama and YoiYoiyama on the nights before the Yamaboko Junko (especially the 15th and 16th, but also the 22nd and 23rd) are the bigger highlight. [And there’s also a large mikoshi procession on the evening of the 17th from Yasaka Shrine to the otabisho (near Shijo-Teramachi) that winds through Gion and the Kawaramachi area.](http://www.yasaka-jinja.or.jp/images/event/shinkou_map.pdf) And then on the 24th the roughly same thing happens, but in reverse.

   If you could arrange your trip so you were in Kansai from the 15th or 16th through the 25th or 26th or something like that, that’s what I would do.

   >Day 18 Miajima

   >Day 19 Miajima

   It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me to do Hiroshima as a day trip from Miyajima. Staying on Miyajima is a fine idea, but once you’ve made the trip back to mainland there’s no reason to double back just to stay a second night on the island. If you were to do Himeji on the way here, I would do Himeji in the morning, then do Hiroshima, then Miyajima on the following day. Perhaps you could do Himeji and Hiroshima, get get to Miyajima late and stay the night, then do Miyajima the next day and start making your way to Kanazawa in the evening so that you have more time there? This is all assuming that you don’t really change the order of things, because you could order things quite differently depending on what dates you actually end up going and what events you want to prioritize (e.g., you could do Kanazawa/Takayama before Kansai).

   Hiroshima Castle I would skip unless you’ve got loads of time (and there are better castles like Hikone that you’ll be passing right by). Shukkeien is fine, but I wasn’t overly impressed with it compared to other gardens such as Koko-en, Kenroku-en, and others that you’re skipping, so if you end up skipping it I wouldn’t lose sleep over it. TBH I would cut both in a heartbeat if it gave you more time in Kansai or allowed you to squeeze in something like a night in Onomichi.

   >Day 20 Kanazawa

   Hours vary by season, but if you stay near Kenroku-en you can in for free early in the morning (around dawn) and you’ll have the place almost to yourself. Very worthwhile if you can get out of bed for it.

   >Day 21 Takayama

   >Day 22 Takayama

   I assume you’re going to Shirakawa-go on the way? If not, you should–it’s directly between Kanazawa and Takayama and it’s usually the reason the two cities get grouped together on itineraries. With Kamikochi and transit time this three day period seems pretty tight–especially if you want to have more than a few hours in Kanazawa and Takayama themselves.

   >Day 23 Nikko

   >Day 24 Nikko

   This transition doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. Takayama and Nikko are nowhere near each other and you’ll pretty much have to go through Tokyo to get there. Unless you need to go directly to Nikko to make it fit into a period covered by a pass, I feel like you’re just as well off taking a couple days in Tokyo first and then doing it later.

   As far as the national park is concerned–it’s hard to recommend without renting a car. Doing it by public transit feels very limiting.

8. That’s quite the itinerary! I wanted to do 3 weeks this fall but it’s not going to pan out. I’m not gunna scheduled something and spend 6 months biting my nails. Hopefully I can do 2 weeks next spring instead. Any way I’ve been to Japan for a little over a week once in July of 2018 and once in August of 2019. July was very humid, but honestly didn’t stop my girlfriend and I from doing a lot of walking/exploring. Just drink plenty of water and take breaks. They have fans and wipes to cool you down that you can buy. I found the temps in August to be much cooler than July, however when we went it rained a bit more often. To be perfectly honest though rain in Japan is interesting. It will downpour for like 5 minutes and them clear up for a while. So keep tabs on the weather and maybe just bring an umbrella with you on the days your unsure. It’s honestly not so bad if you’re prepared 🙂

9. I go in July every year for Fuji Rock Festival (usually last weekend of July) and it’s.. fine. Hot and humid for sure, and sometimes rain, but always manageable with the right clothing choices. I don’t really think the humidity ever goes away, unfortunately, so moving your trip around by a month or two is not going to help very much. Unless you are okay with moving your trip to actually spring (April/May) or autumn (Sep/Oct) then I think you might as well just plan on going when it works best with events (though avoid June because of rain).

   Regarding Mt. Fuji: What is your travel plan? First of all, yes, definitely forward your luggage to Hakone (great choice after Fuji, btw, as a hot spring will be perfect after your climb). From Tokyo, it’s generally easier to get to the east side of Mt. Fuji (Yoshida trail) via bus from Shinjuku and ascend from there. The 5th station there is well stocked and staffed (nice so you can stay there a little to acclimate to the altitude) and it has the largest number of beds at the top. In addition, it’s on the east side and has a nicer ascent to the summit which means that 1) it’s better for viewing the sunrise (otherwise you have to move from the west side of the caldera to the east before you can view the sunrise) and 2) it’s safer to climb. The final stretch on the Fujinomiya trail has some quite large rocks and I generally see it as being more dangerous, especially in the dark. Finally, **usually only the Yoshida trail is open the first week of July.**

   For your descent, it also depends on what route you want to take, because Fujinomiya will take you to the trains and you’d have to double back a little to get to Hakone but it’s not far. I’m not sure about Gotemba or Subarishi but the trains you will get to from descending via Yoshida will take you first to Tokyo, which means it’s a much longer ride.

   Also, as you’re from a hot climate, make extra sure you are very well dressed and prepared for the COLD at the summit. It will be below zero, even in July, and there are often people unprepared for the cold. Wear wool/synthetics – avoid cotton! – and make sure you bring a hat/cap for your head and gloves for your hands.

   Also, basically forget doing anything after you descend Mt. Fuji. You WILL be exhausted.

   For Miyajima/Kanazawa, here’s an idea: move Himeji to your travel day. Forward your luggage to Kanazawa and from Miyajima, go to Himeji and enjoy most of a day there. You can make it to Himeji by say, 10 AM, fairly comfortably. Then if you leave Himeji around 5, you can make it to Kanazawa by 9, and then you can have 1 (I suggest 2) full days in Kanazawa. One way I really try to optimize my trips is by making sure all my travel is done early in the morning or towards the evening when things aren’t open anyway.

10. The thing about Japan summer is not only the heat, but also the humidity, so it might hit differently than what you are used to.

    Do you have a specific list of festival you want to attend? There is also many in August as it is obon period (actually it’s also a popular time to travel for Japanese people), but ther is still festival in September. Also, August and September have higher chance of typhoon.

    Day 3 : Do not see the point of the boat ride if you are not even going to take time to visit the area, unless you just want to ride to boat.

    Day 6: does not make much sense to go to Odawara to see the castle. For sure in a month you should have time to see a better one than that, like Himeji you listed.

    Day 8 : guess you would not be able to be in Fushimi Inari really early and it will likely be full of people. The most common advice is to do it the earliest you can (or later in the day) when it’s empy, so maybe switch for a different day.

    Day 9 and 10 are both Arashiyama, I hope you understand that.

    Day 15 : I think it does not especially make sense, just stopping by Himeji on the way to Hiroshima make more sense if you ask me.

    Day 19-20 : When do you plan to move to Kanazawa. It is over 4h of train and will be even more if you wake up in Miyajima the morning of day 20. This mean you would have less than a day to do everything in Kanazawa and I think it is not realistic.

    ​

    It seems that you plan to start the JR Pass to go yo Mount Fuji, but I am not sure you can get that close to the mountain with the train. You might want to check to just do it by bus and for Hakone, check the Odaky free Pass (there is no JR at all around Hakone). That can give you more time to stop somewhere between Takayama and Nikko, because if you ask me, it is not realistic to stop by Kamikochi on the way to Nikko.

    ​

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    >as we will travel and hike a lot so will need light luggage.

    I agree with traveling light, but there is not a single hike that would require you to go with your full bag. Always try to leave it at the hotel or in a coin locker.

    >My biggest concern is which month to travel? July is for festivals, but 1. I’m afraid that the rain will ruin the trip 2. the heat might be gentler during August or September, but I’m very afraid of them because of the Typhoon season.

    There is festival during these 3 months. They are the 3 hottest months of the year (August is the hotest). Between these 3, July is actually the month will less rainfall and less average number of typhoon.

11. As someone who has travelled to Japan in July, September, October, November and December I think you are just testing your luck if you go in the summer months. Even when I went in October there was a Typhoon that caused delays to my flights. So if you plan to go during these months, be flexible and understand that there’s a good chance you will have to change your itinerary because of a Typhoon or just crazy amount of rain. My November and December trips were by far the most comfortable so I would recommend that.

    Just skimming through your itinerary I recommend that you can maybe take a day out of your Kyoto days and go to Osaka’s city area like Namba or Umeda. Osaka castle itself is not that impressive after seeing the architecture in Kyoto, so I’d probably leave it out and just go straight to USJ. If you are just planning to go to Nara park and Todai-Ji in Nara, it will take just half a day, you can probably head back to Kyoto for the second half of the day and fit something else in. Also, if you’re interested in history or temples Mount Koya is a must, even if you just go for a day trip and not do the morning rituals, there is still so much to see.

    One tip regarding luggage; if you plan to stay at hotels and don’t feel like hauling your luggage around when you go to another area you can have the hotel you’re staying at send it to your next hotel via Takuhaibin services. Usually this would arrive within the same day or the next day. You can also send the luggage from a convenience store, but that would be a bit more challenging if you don’t know Japanese.

12. I went to Japan summer of 2018 for a total of 10 days, it is certainly hot but it’s the humidity combined with the heat. I definitely recommend wearing light fabrics as you will definitely sweat! In my experience the humidity was terrible, as someone who’s not used to high humidity I felt sick more often than not. Most of time I was walking but I’d have to take small pauses when I felt too dizzy I often felt lightheaded too, and water wasn’t sitting so well. The weather is bearable as long as you take some time to recover here and there and drink water. Try POCARI SWEAT while you’re there, according to their website “POCARI SWEAT is a health drink that contains a balance of ions (electrolytes) that resembles the natural fluid balance in the human body. Quickly and easily replenishes the water and ions that your body needs, and quenches every part of you.” Safe travels!

    I have the itinerary from the tour company, I could send it to you if you’d like. Maybe it has some use? They been doing the same tour process for a while now and it seems to work out smoothly with transit and event times, maybe that could help with figuring out what order is more convenient for you. We took a bus, train, and subway and made it to our destinations on time.