I wrote up an itinerary in the hopes that things with covid will clear by this time next year allowing me and my friend(s) to travel to japan. It’s been my friends dream to go during cherry blossom season so we’ve planned a late march/early april trip going to different cities. I’ve laid out a rough itinerary and activities during each day are subject to change but give a rough idea of what to expect.
Day 1/2/3:
Land in Narita and take in some views in Tokyo before heading to Hakone to stay for the night and explore hakone the next day to then leave for kyoto.
Day 3-8: Kyoto
All of your standard museums/shrines/temples/gardens with possible some paid tours/activities throughout our time in Kyoto. There’s also a day trip to Uji to take in some tea. I also have a day planned to go to Arashiyama as well as a hike from Kurama to Kibune
Day 9: Nara
All the main sites and sounds in Nara and for the deer. Any tips on “hidden” places that are still cool with minimal tourism crowds would be appreciated.
Day 10: Koyasan
Exploring Koyasan for the day and doing a temple stay over night.
Day 11-13: Osaka/Himeji
Day 11 and 12 we’ll be in Osaka stopping at universal studios doing some street food tours, the aquarium, temples/shrines, sky building, possible a tour of the yamazaki distillery and a partial free day. Day 13 we take a day trip to himeji and spend the day there before heading back to Osaka for the night.
Day 14:
We’ll be at Hiroshima going to peace park and shukkeien garden and then heading over to Miyajima to explore there
Day 15-16:
We had back up to Nikko for a couple days to relax after walking and take in some nature and some onsen.
Days 17-22:
After Nikko we had back to Tokyo to end the trip and visit Akihabara and all other neighborhoods that seem our fancy, going to the pokemon/nintendo stores as well as super potato. Potentially hit up some themed cafes and I know it’s not around anymore but I’d like to go to the outside of tsukiji fish market and walk around. I have Askakusa on the list of places as well as meiji temple. Also wanted to do a ramen tour and I have a space jotted for a fancy meal or two, but apart from a few historical sites to visit these days are mostly free for exploration so if there’s anything cool to do here I’m up for anything.
Like I said this is mostly a rough draft and the individual activities are subject to change but let me know what you guys think. The main thing my friend is interested in is the Sakura and the cherry blossoms so we’ll be doing some viewing of that all over the places we visit. I’m big into nature and just taking in all the sights, sounds and smells. I am up for cutting some days in Tokyo since we have like 6 days there I think right now but unsure of where else to go. We do plan on getting the JR pass if that helps. I also really enjoy food so if there’s any cool places (apart from the major attractions, I already plan on going to those) you guys recommend in any of these towns lmk. This is all of course on the assumption that travel will start to open back up this time next year. We do plan on going to the major tourist areas like the popular shrines temples and gardens but let me know what you guys think.
16 comments
Sorry for the rambling, I get hyper-fixated sometimes..
Let’s hope Japan is open by then. Be aware that Sakura season is not at a fixed time. Trees bloom dependant on weather. It’s worth knowing in advance which areas bloom first and so on as you may need to rethink the order. We have been twice and the Sakura season is wonderful. Find a tree and it’s Hanami time.
If cherry blossoms is a big motivator for you, you should know that the trees bloom south to north. So you might benefit for going straight to your southern destination of Hiroshima and working your way back up. You have a decent start to an itinerary. Few quick things:
-Hiroshima and Miyajima are both wonderful, however a one night stay is NOT enough to enjoy both. Especially given the extra bit of travel to get out *to* Miyajima. Stay 2 nights, give yourself the full day in between on Miyajima (worth a true full day to explore) and then use the other chunks of time to see the Peace Park and other Hiroshima sights.
-I would almost say the same for Koyasan, though others might disagree (especially since it is closer to major centers like Osaka). I spent 2 nights in Koya, one at a temple and one at a cheaper little hotel and felt like there was still more to see. Koya is freaking magical. Book your temple stay way in advance if you can. If you do just the one night, try and get there early on your arrival day and leave late on your departure day. I think in general travelers (and I’m 110% guilty of this) underestimate how much time it can take to go from one city to the next and get settled, one-night stays really just don’t let you experience much. I almost think day trips are better than one night trips if you have a home base in a larger city.
-I think you do well to plan decent length stays in Tokyo and Kyoto, I did 6 days each on my first trip to Japan and didn’t regret it.
I’m also wondering whether it would be advantageous to rent a car instead of getting the JR pass. Rental car should be 1100 ish split between two people vs 700 or so for the JR pass each. I know parking would be an issue but it might be worth it to save that extra couple hundred dollars but I’m not quite sold on that idea yet.
Day 1, going straight to Hakone from Narita will most likely take quite a while, it’s at least 2h45 from Narita to Hakone Yumoto or over 3 hours to get around Gora, without counting on time required to reach the ryokan of your choice and this is assuming you take the shinkansen. Thing is, if the ryokan include kaiseki meal, you will likely be too late for it one first day, so for sure do not book meal, and this is also not the cheapest way to reach Hakone.
Instead, I would look into flying in Osaka (KIX have direct train to Kyoto) and do Hakone on your way to Tokyo. Finally, fly out of Tokyo.
Do do not have to move hotel between Kyoto and Osaka, but if you want to have the experience of the two different cities, this is not a bad idea, and the following trick might make it even better.
There is one thing I would change. Do Kyoto first, then you can send your luggage to the hotel in Osaka. Take one change of cloth with you and go to Himeji in the morning and end the day in Hiroshima. If you start your day early (like to be at Himeji when the castle open) you can realistically expect to visit Hiroshima peace museum on that day. You might skip the garden in Hiroshima and do the garden in Himeji (depending on time you have). Next day you might go to the garden if it’s really important to you, then you have the rest of the day for Miyajima, at the end of the day go to Osaka. Doing this will save you a round trip to Himeji.
Doing Hiroshima and Miyajima on the same day is possible, but it is a full day and pretty packed. If you do, start by Miyajima, followed by Peace museum and when attractions start to close, you can still go to Hiroshima downtown and eat some Okonomiyaki. If you had plan do sleep in Hiroshima and do Hiroshima to Nikko, don’t, this is about a full day wasted in the train.
Nara can be done as a day trip from both Kyoto or Osaka and Koyasan would be better as a day trip from Osaka, unless you want to stop for a night. If you want to do a night in Koyasan, then I would try to get a room in Osaka for one night, ask them to keep your luggage one night, go to Koyasan with just one change of cloth, then back to Osaka for a night. Going in and out of Koyasan is a bit time consuming so you do not really want to add more time in the train to go elsewhere.
Nikko, would do it during your Tokyo stay, book a hotel 1-2 night, ask them to keep luggage for 1 night, only bring one change of cloth to go to Nikko and return to the same hotel for the last days.
If you do not want to ask the hotel to keep your luggage, you can put it in a coin locker and pick it back when you return, would work if you want to change hotel within Osak/Tokyo.
By doing this, you can also use a 7 days pass instead of 14 days, the last day is when you reach Hakone.
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So quick recap of what I would do, this will save cost on the JR Pass and save several hours of train. I also included some tips for train tickets to get.
Day 1 : Land in KIX – you can get Haruka + Icoca discound tickey (Icoca is an IC card you can use to pay for bus/train/subway, etc. same as Suica/Pasmo, Haruka is the fast train from the airport to Osaka and Kyoto) – Sleep in Kyoto
Days 2-5 : Kyoto (Sleep in Kyoto)
Day 6 : Himeji + Hiroshima (sleep in Hiroshima) – Start of 7 days JR Pass.
Day 7 : Hiroshima (Sleep in Osaka)
Day 8-11 : Sleep in Osaka – 2 days for Osaka, 1 for Nara (can be done by JR, you could also move it to day 6 while in Kyoto, and move everything else one day later, or you can just go from Kyoto outrside of JR Pass and use Kintetsu train), 1 for Koyasan (check for using the Nankai Koyasan-World Heritage Ticket and not JR).
Day 12 : Osaka to Hakone – Last day of JR Pass. Get Hakone Free-Pass from Odawara if you want to do the loop (ship, ropeway, etc). Sleep in Hakone
Day 13 : Hakone (Sleep in Hakone)
Day 14 : Hakone-Tokyo, the best option is likely the Romancecar to reach Tokyo (just buy the ticket at the station, if you want to do it for cheaper, but take longer, you can take local Odakyu or JR train). Night in Tokyo.
Day 15-22 : Sleep in Tokyo, inside of that, that 2 days/1 night to go to Nikko using the Tobu Nikko All area pass (assuming you want to go up to lake chuzenji for example).
Quick note, the Yamazaki Distillery is closer to Kyoto than Osaka,so you can do that when in kyoto rather than when you move to osaka. From osaka to there would be around an hour trip vs 15-20 minutes in kyoto. This is from my experience living in Kyoto and the map online.
I am thinking about going to Japan in the near future, would you mind telling me your budget for this trip as I want to do something similar? Thank you!
Days 1 – 13 are *remarkably* similar to a trip I planned for me and my girlfriends back in 2018 (her first trip to Japan). IMO, you’re hitting all the best spots for a first-time oriented trip. The only feedback I’d give, though, is that we did that same amount of time (well, 20 days) and only focused on the 3 main cities and day trips.
My fear is that, outside of Kyoto, you might feel too rushed throughout this trip. That’s an incredibly small amount of time in Tokyo. Has your friend been before? If not I might recommend spending more time in less cities, and booking another trip in a few years to visit other parts of Japan. Just my $.02!
I’m doing (hopefully!) a similar trip on the same dates as you. This will be my second time in Japan, the first time I went solo, this time with friends. I would recommend staying in Osaka instead of Kyoto; Kyoto is just a short train tip away from Osaka station (20 – 30ish min), so you can just do day trips of all the sights in Kyoto and then go back to Osaka, which in my opinion has a lot more to do, specially at night.
I think you have a good start here. I like how you’re starting from the west and then heading east. I saw a few other comments telling you to start at Hiroshima, but Osaka tends be earlier for cherry blossoms, so I wouldn’t force yourself to go to Hiroshima first, and stay at Osaka or Kyoto for a few days. Apart from the stuff already mentioned, I would say:
– you might want want fly from Tokyo to Osaka (maybe back as well). I recommend getting flights through Peach Airlines, they have very cheep flights (¥5000-8000 for early April, 1-2 weeks in advance). You might be able to see Mount Fuji from the sky if you’re lucky.
– sending luggage ahead of time by delivery is cheep in Japan, unlike in many countries. For example sending a suitcase Osaka->Tokyo is ~¥2000. That way you can travel light and visit places along the way. (Ex: you can visit Himeji Castle without any big luggage while traveling from Hiroshima to Osaka.) Some hotels can help do this for you.
– Cherry Blossoms. They have “Cherry Blossom Forecasts” online that you might want to it check out so that you flexibly pick places to visit and adjust your schedule. Here’s an example [map](https://imgur.com/a/TdY8WQH) of this year’s. (Date of full bloom)
In my opinion, big parks are best places for cherry blossom viewing as you can sit, relax and watch all you want. There are many great parks out there, (even in urban areas) so you might want to check those out.
Otherwise, I think you should be good for now. I second u/gdore15 ‘s schedule, it is thought out very well. But again, Don’t forget to keep an eye out on the timing of the cherry blossoms, if the cherry blossoms happen to become early (this year 2021 was very early) you might want to adjust your schedule so that you can at least have some time to view the cherry blossoms. Good luck on your trip!
Are there any set rules about mandatory 14-day quarantine for foreign tourists? I’m hoping to visit in May 2022 and want to factor additional days for quarantine if needed.
If you haven’t picked your temple in Koyasan yet, I stayed in Ekoin and it was a great night! Dinner and breakfast in your room, an evening meditation session with one of the monks, a history walk through the town’s cemetary and they did a fire ceremony in the morning. They were tattoo friendly as well if that’s an issue. I highly recommend it.
Some people already mentioned it, but just to reinforce the idea, you should have one full day for Hiroshima and one full day for Miyajima, it’s too rushed otherwise, and Miyajima is definitely worth dedicating enough time to it.
If you overlap with cherry blossom season in Kyoto a lot of the temples and gardens have special illuminations that you can go to up til about 8:00 or 9:00 pm. This is nice as not only is it really pretty to see the illuminations but normally many sites close at 5:00 pm. So if you go to the sites with illuminations you can see more places than you normally would in one day. Or, if you’re late starters like my husband and I not feel so bad about sleeping in a bit.
– [This article is a good starting point ](https://kyotokankoyagi.com/cherryblossom-illumination-en) for ideas on which temples may do spring illuminations too.
– [20 Cherry Blossom Night Illuminations in Kyoto ](https://kyotokankoyagi.com/cherryblossom-illumination-en)
– [9 Wonderful Things to Do at Night in Kyoto in 2021](https://www.wapititravel.com/blog/en/things-to-do-in-kyoto-at-night/)
Also, did you know one of the most famous shrine in Kyoto, [Fushimi Inari Taisha](https://goo.gl/maps/UDJzv3ANnwJUmjwa6) aka the ⛩ shrine, is open 24 hours, 365 days a year? While not an official illumination the buildings and torii gate walkways are lit and at night there are few (or in our case only 4 other) visitors. While it’s a bit harder to get good photos of the gates at night it’s a lot of fun to wander through without any crowds. If you’re late starters (like us) a nighttime visit is a great option as Fushimi Inari is located a bit farther away from the other more central spots in Kyoto.
– We got the idea to plan a night visit by [reading this article. ](https://www.travelcaffeine.com/fushimi-inari-shrine-night-kyoto/)
– See also my [recent trip report on our day trip to Arashiyama ](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/mibm8t/kyoto_sagano_scenic_train_hozugawa_riverboat/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf) to ride the Sagano Scenic Railway and Hozugawa Riverboat.
I did a 21-day tour 3 years ago. I started with 3 days in Tokyo, then direct to Hiroshima with a 14 day pass. My schedule wasn’t particularly fixed as I rented airbnbs as I went. 2 night Hiroshima, 6 nights each Osaka and Kyoto. I did one more night in Osaka than I wanted because of a typhoon passing through. Himeji and Nara were half day visits each, with Himeji on the way back from Hiroshima and Nara from Osaka. This was in October so I wasn’t chasing cherry blossoms. My thinking was that I’d judge when to return to Tokyo based on the first three days there.
I judged each day’s activities based on weather and how I was feeling.
Do you think travel will be open in Feb/March 2022? I see great flight options but I’m hesitant to book in case tourism isn’t open by then :/