12 Days Guided 2022 Tour – Itinerary & Advice

16 comments

1. Day 3 might be a little bit overkill – it’s technically doable, but it won’t be much fun.

   Day 9: I would plan an earlier start (~8:00), stop in Himeji to visit castle and Koko-en, and skip Hiroshima Castle.

   1. With regard to Disney parks: depends on your ability to visit other Disney parks. DisneySea is fairly unique, Disneyland is generic Disney Park, so possibly 1 day is enough.
   2. With regard to onsen, you will probably want to visit Hakone, Ito, or Shuzenji on the way to Kyoto. You will probably need to use one with private baths though.
   3. April. 60-70F range (except for Okinawa) would be typical towards end of the month, but this would mean running into Golden Week.
   4. Without reservations, a group six might have problems with being seated together at many Japanese restaurants, or at least expect long waiting times.

2. I’m also putting together an itinerary and I’ll be honest I think you’re squeezing too much into some of your days. Day 3 for example, you want to see Asakusa, the Skytree, Harjuku, Mejii Shrine and Shibuya? All in one day? I don’t think you’re allowing much breathing space, time for meals or for travelling between places.

   As for the two days as Disney? I’m doing the same but I’m planning on going for three weeks so have the time to spare. Both Tokyo parks are different and offer different experiences so choosing which one to visit over the other isn’t an easy task.

3. I’ll start by saying I’m very against private tours personally but I’ll try and stay unbiased. Why does she prefer the idea of a private tour? Japan is very easy to navigate in English if that was an issue. $4000 per person without flights is very expensive. My 2 week trips normally cost about $3000 for everything including meals and travel.

   As for the itinerary, it’s very full and you’re barely seeing each place! Going all the way to Okinawa for a few days seems like a strange choice to me. If it’s your first trip then 6 days Tokyo and 4 days kyoto and 2 days Hiroshima would be more appropriate.

   Tokyo Disney is very small, you won’t need more than 1 day to see it. If you wanted a 2nd day then do Disney Sea instead. I’m a big Disney fan but even I’d say 2 Disney days when you only have 3 days in Tokyo is far too much.

   If you end up staying at a ryokan with a hot spring they will likely offer a private spring which means tattoos should be fine, it’s mainly the public hot springs that will have an issue. Generally most Japanese people won’t care if they can see your tattoos when you’re out and about but you may get a few stares.

   My preference for month is May as its not as busy and the weather is lovely. April is nice because of the cherry blossoms but is so much busier, definitely avoid golden week if you choose April.

   I can’t speak for eating in big groups as I’ve only been with a max of 4 people before. I can’t imagine it will be an issue though.

   Hope that helps, let me know if you have any other questions!

4. $4000 per person for only 12 days, not including airfare, is incredibly expensive- I spent that on a month-long trip and we stayed at nice hotels too. I’ve found that guided tours to Japan tend to be ridiculously overpriced but I’ll try to remain neutral in my advice.

   12 days isn’t much time all things considered with how much there is to do and see in Tokyo and Kyoto alone, I don’t think including Okinawa is viable. Don’t forget to factor in the sheer amount of walking you’ll be doing each day, and train travel- the way you’ve structured this trip sounds exhausting and you’ll be needing a vacation from your vacation. We averaged walking 20-30km a day and even though we were in decent shape it still killed our legs that first week. I recommend dropping Okinawa and adding another couple days to Tokyo, there is a ton to do there and you don’t want to rush.

   Two days at Disney is not too much provided you do one day per park (so 1 day Tokyo Disneyland and 1 day Disney Sea). Two days at only Disneyland is too much, as its small, and doesn’t have as much to do compared to the US Disneyland. It would be a crime for you not to visit Disney Sea as its unique to Japan and arguably the most beautiful Disney park there is. **I highly recommend you don’t skip Disney Sea.**

   I do want to mention that putting a Disney day for the day after you land is going to be exhausting as most likely you’ll be tired from jet lag. If you stay at a Disney resort hotel or official Disney affiliated hotel for 2 nights you can purchase and take advantage of their guaranteed entry pass which gets you guaranteed entry on days where entry may be restricted due to high crowd volumes, and it lets you in the park 15-20 minutes early before regular ticket-holders.

   Day 3 is frankly not possible, you are cramming in areas that aren’t nearby to each other. If you can add 1 more day to your trip in total, maybe split it with Harajuku and Shibuya in one day, then Asakusa, Skytree, Ueno etc in another day. But to put all those in one just won’t be viable. You’ll be flying by the seat of your pants.

   The major sightseeing spots in Kyoto are fairly spread out from each other so bear that in mind when planning and grouping attractions, its not as fast as in Tokyo as things are located basically on opposite ends of the city to each other. It’ll take you longer to get from A to B which cuts into sightseeing time.

   For Hiroshima you really don’t need a tour for that day, you can visit the Peace Memorial Park and Museum as well as Atomic Bomb dome on your own. They’re so close to each other, really. Walking distance. The epicenter is easy to locate too.

   Since your girlfriend is interested in geisha I highly recommend a geisha dinner and performance, I think [this one](https://www.viator.com/en-CA/tours/Kyoto/Maiko-Performance-with-Kaiseki-Dinner-in-Kyoto/d332-6640KYOMAIKO) was the one I did when I went a few years ago though with covid I’m sure availability on these are fewer. Definitely something to look into though! There are a few places in Kyoto and Tokyo that offer these, it really was an incredible experience.

5. If you have the money to spend on a private guide for your group, it’s ok I guess, at least you can ask the guide to slow down and it will not impact a full bus of tourist. However, there is nothing in that itinerary that is especially difficult or that would require a guide at all cost.

   Day 3, I think it’s a bit stupid to move from one side to the other of Tokyo as Asakusa and Shibuya are a good 40+ minutes from each other. I guess you have no choice if you want to see both area and only have 1 proper day for Tokyo, but that is a lot.

   Day 10, from where do you plan to fly ? It seems that you could fly direct from Hiroshima to Naha on ANA, so it would cut the shinkansen part.

   By departure time, do you mean time you get out of hotel ? Personally I think 9am is a bit late, especially when you consider that most attraction open from roughly 9am to 5pm, so I personally try to be at the first attraction at opening time (if you start by shopping, then shop usually open around 10-11 am). But I guess some people want to start their day later when in vacation.

   Geisha.. honestly the chance to see one, even in Gion is not that high, might be easier if you plan something at Gion corner, that have show with geisha.

   * Are the two days at Disney too much? I personally find that 12 days in Japan is already short and an not a fan of Disney and do not have plan to go at all… so for me, yes, too much, but other people like it.
   * It seems we’re missing a stay at a hot spring, suggestions? Unless you add more time or cut something… it’s hard. One of the easiest and most popular stop is Hakone if you can add a day. Otherwise, none of these city are especially known for onsen. I think there is some in Miyajima, but for next morning, that might make it longer to reach the airport to fly to Naha.
   * We’re both heavily tattooed, any concerns overall? Well, places such as gym, amusement park (especially with pool), pool and onsen might refuse customer with tattoo. If you have tattoo and want to go to a onsen, you have to check if they accept it or go to a place with a private bath (either in room or a private bath you can rent).
   * April, May or June of 2022? Preferable weather is 60F-70F (15.5F-21C) Just look at weather website to have an idea, but avoid first week of May, it’s golden week (Japanese holiday) and the closer you get to June, the closer you get to rainy season and the warmer it get.
   * Important meals are lunch and dinner, anything to worry about in a group of 6? You might not have table for 6 in all restaurant, so in some cases you might have to split into 2 tables, and worts case in really small place with only a counter and a dozen of seats, you might only be able to take whatever place you can and not start eating at the same time, it just depend on your choice of restaurant.

6. I strongly advise against the guided tour. There is nothing on this itinerary you couldn’t easily do by yourselves, and doing a guided tour just restricts your freedom (ESPECIALLY if it’s part of a larger group tour) while unnecessarily costing extra.

   More importantly: this itinerary is extremely rushed. The addition of Okinawa is particularly baffling, but even without it I would really recommend ***AT LEAST*** 14 full days Kanto + Kansai + Hiroshima + Disney. For just 10 full days, I feel like 5 days in Tokyo (with maybe a day at Kamakura, Hakone, or Disney Sea) + 5 days in Kansai (3 in Kyoto, 1 in Nara, 1 in Osaka) is already jam-packed and will end still end up skipping/rushing some things.

   General notes:

   * Tokyo is the largest city in the world. You’re giving it about one day, which is completely nuts, and even within that one day you’re jumping all over the place and skipping major areas like Shinjuku and Ueno that I would ordinarily never recommend skipping.

   * Unless you’re getting massive group savings by traveling by private vehicle, I really cannot understand why you wouldn’t just take public transit from the airport.

   * Personally I wouldn’t stay in Ginza. There’s nothing wrong with Ginza per se, but I think there are more interesting areas stay with more to do within walking distance (e.g., Shinjuku, Ueno).

   * With a group of 6-8 people you might be able to find a large vacation rental for roughly the same or possibly even less than your combined hotel fees. This would be my preference.

   * I think going to Kansai and skipping Nara and Osaka is a crime (and you could arguably add Himeji to that list). They are both absolutely amazing and I would consider them unskippable on any first time itinerary.

   * Kyoto is a city that begs for time to explore on foot or bicycle. If you spend your whole time on some guided tour going only to the most famous sights, you’re going to miss a lot of what makes the city special ([see this post for a bit more about why that’s the case](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/mjt5yf/kyoto_autumn_night_illuminations_at_temples_and/gth1kn9/)). I would also consider skipping all of northern Higashiyama a pretty big miss. That area is one of the nicest parts of the city and is particularly enjoyable on bicycle (something like Imperial Palace–>Demachimasugata Shoutengai–>Shimogamo Jinja–>Ginkaku-ji–>Philosopher’s Path–>Nanzen-ji–>Heian Jingu is an excellent starting point).

   * If you’re traveling in early April, I would alter your plans even more to make time for cherry blossom viewing. Later in April you’ll have missed most of the blossoms in Kanto and Kansai, though some places (e.g., Ninna-ji and Kurama-dera in Kyoto) bloom later so you still might be able to catch some. Also note that quite a few sights around Kyoto have special night openings/illuminations around this time of year (e.g. Kiyomizu-dera, Kodai-ji, Shoren-in).

   * For Kyoto I recommend staying near downtown, which is roughly between Kyoto Station and the Imperial Palace. Near Kawaramachi/Gion-Shijo would be ideal, but other stations like Sanjo, Karasuma, and Shiyakushomae aren’t bad choices either. This will give you a lot of nightlife/food options in Pontocho, Gion, and Kiyamachi while also putting you in walking distance of southern Higashiyama and major shopping streets like Teramachi, Shinkyogoku, Nishiki, and Kawaramachi.

   * Again, I would skip Hiroshima on a trip this short even if you also skip Okinawa. There is so much between Kanto and Kansai that you’re skipping already without adding a third region. Also Hiroshima Castle is much, much less impressive than other castles you’re passing right by (Himeji and Hikone in particular), so I really wouldn’t be able justify any time there even if you do go all the way to Hiroshima.

   * Again, I think the detour to Okinawa is a massive waste of time and money. You’ll spend nearly as much time getting there and back as you do on the island, and everything else on your itinerary could really use that time to not be so ludicrously rushed.

   * I personally wouldn’t like having my breakfasts planned out for me. Breakfast is your opportunity to experiment with smaller things you might not choose for lunch or dinner, like bakeries, local specialty snacks, or convenience/grocery store food.

   >Are the two days at Disney too much?

   Yes. The way I look at it, if you’re traveling half-way around the world to see Japan, spending 10-20% of your time in the country at American theme parks doesn’t make sense. If you’re hugely into Disney I would do a maximum of 1 day and I would do it at Disney Sea since it’s more unique to Japan than TDL.

   >It seems we’re missing a stay at a hot spring, suggestions?

   If you’re looking for a hot spring resort, the easiest ones on your route would be Hakone or Atami/Izu, but there are smaller, less impressive, scattered around in other places you’re going (e.g., Arashiyama and Kurama in Kyoto). The real issue is time–your trip is already packed. If budget is the issue, this would be all the more reason to skip the guided tour and extend your stay.

   >We’re both heavily tattooed, any concerns overall? specially in the hot spring

   This will generally prevent you using from any public/shared onsen or sento. You’ll have to either splurge for a private hot spring or go out of your way to find a tattoo friendly one if this is something you really want to do.

   >April, May or June of 2022? Preferable weather is 60F-70F (15.5F-21C)

   The second half of June is rainy season and tends to be quite muggy and generally miserable. April and May are both gorgeous.

   >Important meals are lunch and dinner, anything to worry about in a group of 6?

   You may have difficulty sitting everyone together some places–especially popular restaurants and smaller establishments with counter seating (e.g., noodle shops).

7. I have to chime in and agree with u/GrisTooki u/kaitybubbly and u/mrsspuddles

   I cannot emphasize enough that you should get rid of Okinawa at minimum. I would then use that time to add days to Tokyo/Kyoto, and spread out your stay. I really enjoyed Miyajima, the hiking, the shrine, etc. If you want to keep it, I recommend going in the morning (leaving from Kyoto/Osaka), seeing the bomb site, possibly one museum, and then heading to Miyajima and staying on the Island, Then waking up to hike/explore, and head back in the late afternoon, and be back in Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, (wherever) by night. (It’s a bit faster than I would normally do things, but if it’s a must due to the history of Hiroshima etc, that’s how I’d do it)

   Rushed trips are just not enjoyable. I would much rather not see everything I wanted to see and really get to soak in the people and the culture than see everything and not get those amazing discoveries and experiences you get by having extra time and freedom to wander, or just sit and enjoy.

   You can easily put all of those things into a loose itinerary and with some basic research, know which trains to get on etc. The only nice thing I’ve seen from tours is that you get cool historical tidbits etc, the rest is a waste of your time and money.

   There are some basic tools out there to make your life easier in a pinch as well [https://www.japan.travel/en/plan/useful-apps/](https://www.japan.travel/en/plan/useful-apps/)

   I think it’s really worth exploring the self-guided route, and even expanding your trip if you have the time. Better experience for less money.

8. I think you’re days in Disney are fine, you are fans after all; so I expect you’ll get a lot of fun and joy out of it. As others have mentioned, Day 3 looks a little busy – but you can bring that up to your guide to see how they’re managing that.

   As far as onsens go, bring this up to your guide. Tell them you want to experience an onsen and ask if they can fit one in your trip. Ask specifically about ones that allow tattoos; or about how you can cover them if possible.

   April is going to be your coolest month out of those three. The heat can ramp up quickly as it gets near late spring, summer.

   As far as lunch dinner go, talk to your guide about suggestions and reservations. A number of great locations sometimes have limited seating, or difficulty seating larger groups; especially izakayas.

   As you’ve already seen, you’re going to get a lot of people ripping you for taking a guided tour. To them the only places that exist in Japan are Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima; and heaven forbid you spend any less than 30 days in each, else why go? Don’t listen to these gatekeepers. Your trip sounds fine.

   I’ve used guided tours (Pacset) and done private tours too. Whatever way you decide to experience Japan is perfectly fine; especially when it fits who you’re going with. Have a great time!

9. I’m going to go a little against the grain on the Disney part and say that if you really care about Disney, that’s totally fine. But I’m a super outlier; I’ve been to every Disney park on the planet and Tokyo Disney Resort twice. You can have a great experience staying at the Sheraton or Hilton on the monorail, but I really enjoyed staying at the Mira Costa and Ambassador as well and I liked having the experience to compare to other parks. I’ve never spent fewer than 2.5 or 3 days at Tokyo Disney, because, again, I really enjoy Disney parks and they really are the best ones on the planet, hands down. I feel like even Tokyo Disneyland is a unique experience – the parades are bigger and better (and more numerous! You could watch three different parades a day depending on seasonal events, and they’re all good!), the snacks are way cuter, it’s just a totally different ballgame and absolutely worth experiencing if it’s something you care about. It’s also just really fun seeing an American cultural institution as interpreted by a different culture, and not operated by Disney. It’s sort of disappointing that OLC provides such a better experience than Disney on their own product, haha.

   On the other questions – do you guys for-sure enjoy hot springs? Are you okay with being split up by gender and being naked around each other? I super enjoy onsen but they are definitely not for everyone, and with the tattoos your options are going to be either spending to have a private room with in-room onsen, booking private/family onsen time, or searching for tattoo-friendly onsen (there are lots of sites that provide information on that). It’s definitely one of those quintessential Japan vacation things, but not everyone likes it, so don’t spend your vacation time on something and sacrifice another priority unless you want to do it.

   And springtime weather is so variable, but I’d be more concerned about avoiding holidays OR being sure to be in a place at the right time for a festival if it looks fun. June might be getting pretty muggy, especially as you move south.

   How important are Okinawa and Hiroshima to you? If those are huge priorities, obviously keep ’em, but I agree you could really use another day in Tokyo if you want to actually have more than five minutes to sprint past all those places, and if you want to see Super Nintendo World you could stay an extra day in your Kyoto hotel to do that. And I agree, Himeji is easy to reach from Kyoto and is an original castle, whereas obviously Hiroshima is a reconstruction. But that’s definitely a personal preference question; if you’re really interested in seeing the Peace Park vs. really interested in seeing an original castle would determine your choice.

   I’ll show my cards; I like to minimize time spent traveling once I’m in-country (even in Japan, where the trains are a delightful experience on their own and you can pay to ship luggage between accomodations, it still gets kind of tiring) and the number of times I have to pack up and move accomodation. Part of having a private guide probably means minimizing the hassle associated with that, so it may be less of an issue. I suspect no matter what you choose, you’ll have a fantastic time!

10. If you remove Hiroshima or Okinawa to free up more time you could easily do a one or two night stay in an onsen town. The most convenient for your plans would be Hakone or the Fuji Five Lakes area but for heavily tattooed people Kusatsu Onsen is ideal.

    Hakone is nice as there’s a lot to see/do and having a tour guide and car transport for your large group means it will be a bit faster to get around. Check out the Hakone Navi website to see what all there is to do. Most people do this as a one night but I’d recommend two nights so you have time to enjoy the ryokan included dinner one night, a full day to enjoy the sites, ask for dinner reservations the second night at a place like [Gora Brewery and Grill ](https://goo.gl/maps/eDTWcBs8ujJdmbun7) and more time to relax at the ryokan onsen the second night or early morning of day of departure. At the Kowakudani Onsen Mizunoto they have four private outdoor onsen huts that you can enjoy if heavily tattooed. This is nice if the couples in your group want to spend time together alone and share the onsen experience. If the weather is clear, you should also get a view of Mt. Fuji in the mornings and April is usually a good month for clear, sunny days.

    – [Hakone Navi ](https://www.hakonenavi.jp/international/en/)

    – [Kowakudani Onsen Mizunoto Ryokan ](https://goo.gl/maps/bKRvoTbA4PMpDZJWA)

    If your group wants more nature time, maybe see if you could do the Fuji Five Lakes area. You could even do Fuji Five Lakes as a day trip on your way to Hakone as they aren’t far. At places like Oshino Hakkai or Lake Kawaguchi or Chureito Pagoda you should get good views of Fuji in the mornings and if you come here in early to mid April you may see cherry blossoms too. They usually bloom here about a week or so after peak bloom in Tokyo. There are some caves to explore some easy forest trails/walks and here again things are spread out so to have a driver/transportation included for a group of 6-8 people would be helpful. Lots of ryokans with onsen in this area too but I don’t have any specific recommendations for tattoo friendly. Your tour company should be able to find something easily for you though.

    – [JapanGuide: Fuji Five Lakes ](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6900.html)

    – [Matcha: Fuji Five Lakes ](https://matcha-jp.com/en/8141)

    – [See my recent trip report on Cherry Blossoms in Fuji Five Lakes](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/moqcwv/cherry_blossoms_in_fuji_five_lakes_dayovernight/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)

    Kusatsu is a small onsen town that is easily walkable so you could spend time wandering around on your own if you are a bit tired of the guided tours. After a few days of go go go guided itineraries a day or so to just explore on your own could be nice. It’s further from Tokyo but easily accessible by train and nice to get up into the mountains a bit. The public onsen in Kusatsu are all tattoo friendly too. You could do this as a one night trip but my friends and I stayed two nights and got to try out all of the four (!) private onsen tubs at our ryokan Hanaingen which I would highly recommend. They don’t serve dinner but there are lots of restaurants in Kusatsu that your tour company could make reservations for you.

    – [See my recent trip report on Kusatsu Onsen ](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/meafbh/trip_report_kusatsu_onsen_in_gunma/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)

    Finally, for a group of 6-8 people you will likely need to make reservations for dinner as many restaurants are quite small. Especially if you want to eat at nicer places rather than just quick ramen or sushi. You might ask your tour company to help with dinner recommendations or reservations at least one or two nights in each of the places you’ll be visiting. Or talk with your group and agree in advance that you are willing to split up for some meals as it’s easier to seat 2-4 people than 6-8. If each person picks the restaurant/type of food at least one or two nights of the trip it will make it much easier to narrow down where to eat and ask your guide to call and make reservations. When in doubt, head to the nearest large subway station or the top floors of shopping centers/office buildings as they usually have one or two floors of restaurants. It seems like you’re on I’m your own for lunch/dinner so thinking about this in advance will help. You should have breakfast included at all hotels but confirm this with your tour company.

    – [JapanGuide: Food ](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e620.html)

    – For example, across the street from the Marunochi side of Tokyo Station is the [KITTE Building ](https://www.japanvisitor.com/marunouchi-yaesu/kitte-marunouchi) which is a shopping center but on the top two floors there are numerous restaurants included one of my favorite conveyer belt sushi restaurants [Nemuro Hanamaru. ](https://goo.gl/maps/ZNfw9kL3hnys9faE8) There are other buildings like this around Tokyo Station, Kyoto Station, and all other big stations/shopping areas that make a good place for your large group to head when you don’t know what you want to eat and don’t want to wander the streets aimlessly. Just look for signs near the elevators that usually have pictures of the different restaurants on the top floors of the building.

    – [Top Michelin Star Restaurants in Tokyo ](https://jw-webmagazine.com/10-best-michelin-star-restaurants-in-tokyo-b6e56694b7d9/)

    – [17 Best Cheap Michelin Star Restaurants in Tokyo ](https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/restaurants/best-cheap-michelin-star-restaurant-meals-in-tokyo)

    – [Michelin Guide Kyoto/Osaka ](https://guide.michelin.com/jp/en/article/news-and-views/michelin-guide-kyoto-osaka-okayama-2021-selection)

    – [If you do go to Hiroshima, plan to head to Okonomiyaki Miura. ](http://www.okonomimura.jp/foreign/english.html) It’s a building with numerous okonomiyaki restaurants so your group can try lots of different styles and easily spilt up as needed if there isn’t room for your entire group at the same place. That way you can all have a similar dining experience even if you end up at different restaurants.

11. I love that you say Day 1

    Tokyo.

    Meals: NONE

12. I beg to differ from some other comments. I used to live in Midtown Manhattan only a few blocks from Time Square and I almost never walked by the crowds even if I had to go to a nearby place (e.g. the public library on the 5th av.). However, it would be inconsiderate if I said to my friend who is visiting New York for the first time to not go to the centre or skip famous landmarks or famous eateries and only focus on hidden gems and hole on the wall cafes. When we give travel advise to someone, we always presume that, that person has exactly the same personality with us and has similar priorities. We must realize while some people are cultural experience hunters some want to see places they spotted in the movies, some like to compare how Starbucks are different in each country while some run away from a Starbucks. Some prioritize relaxing while some prioritize learning opportunities. Some hate having their privacy invaded by a tour guide, some thrilled to be accompanied by a local in a crowded train station with foreign signs everywhere.

    First of all I strongly recommend visiting Okinawa, I am a Japan resident and in my opinion Okinawa (especially Miyakojima) is the most underrated part of Japan and has the best beaches with the best snorkeling options I’ve ever seen.

    While in Kyoto you may want to do a tea ceremony or visit the samurai & ninja museum near Nishiki Market.

    Tatoo is not a big problem, there are quite many public baths that allow tatoos [https://mai-ko.com/travel/japan/onsen/best-tattoo-friendly-onsens-to-visit-in-japan-after-covid/](https://mai-ko.com/travel/japan/onsen/best-tattoo-friendly-onsens-to-visit-in-japan-after-covid/) You can also stay at a ryokan that allows you to rent a private onsen in Miyajima [https://mai-ko.com/travel/japan/onsen/miyajima-onsen/](https://mai-ko.com/travel/japan/onsen/miyajima-onsen/) However, good ryokans tend to be sooo expensive. Please remember good ryokan fee = 5 star hotel fee or higher.

    Good luck!

13. > We will have family coming along so we expect 6-8 people on this trip with us with 6 being the minimum. We had spoken about doing our own itinerary but she prefers a guided tour and after some deliberation with the other family members that are coming going with us, it was decided that a private tour for the entire group would be best in our situation.

    I don’t know if anyone mentioned this, a lot of replies are lengthy but this is counter productive.

    I truly think group tours should be left to elderly and schools/clubs who are just doing an experience – not taking an actual vacation on their personal time. Oh and a short day trip tour can be ok too.

    However that many people is going to be a lot to manage I agree with that but if any of them are adults then they can chip in. All you really need to do is pick out where you want to go and be willing to split up. A whole group isn’t going to always be able to eat at the same restaurant or do the same smaller attractions but you can split up and do things in small groups based on similar interests and then meet up at a certain spot.

    With a tour group you’re not going to be able to eat much local foods. You’ll basically be fed lunchboxes and have to eat in large food halls often located in a hotel. You won’t have time to visit and walk around each individual stop, they’re very touch and go. Find something you like and want to spend more time at? Sorry bus leaves in 10 mins and you NEED to be on that bus.

    Personally I’d cut the numbers down if possible then I’d give everyone a small list of cities to visit like Tokyo, Kyoto, etc. and tell people to do their own research and pick a few things in each place that they would like to do and create small groups you can easily move around in and then do the big ticket attractions as a group at the start or end of the day.

    I really don’t like that you are paying someone for that trip plan , it’s really bad. Quite possibly the worst I’ve seen but in regards to the plans I think others have already picked it apart. They literally have hardly no plans to feed you throughout the day which I get, you can’t easily fit many people in a restaurant but you need to eat however there’s really no time to do so even if you spilt up. Major red flag. A good reputable tour company should at least be providing you with a lunch and this one is not. For that cost they really need to.

    Drop this company ASAP

14. OP you’re only there for 12 days…. The normal Tokyo-Kyoto/Osaka trip will be more than enough to see a lot and not be rushed from place to place. Screw everything else and home base at Tokyo for 5 days then 5 in Kyoto/Osaka maybe a stop in Hakone?

    Honestly if you’re a child who can’t read and doesn’t like some sense of adventure then I guess a guided tour would be needed but dude this isn’t North Korea, go explore Japan not some bland tour guide path. You’re a fool if you follow through with the guided tour part. Don’t be a fool and have some adventure in your life.

    Ugh another disney weirdo flying across THE FUCKING WORLD to some of the best cities in the world just to spend 2 days in a fucking theme park. Either make the trip longer or fuck the disney parks. You’re in Japan go see Japan, Disney is in the USA too. Yes ik not the same but make the trip bigger if you want to fit disney in

    You’re rushing the fuck out of this trip and will barely even see or do anything other than rushing to the next spot.

    A group of 6 people might be too big for certain places, so don’t expect to be able to sit with everyone each meal. Some small mom n pop places got like 10-15 seats max some even less

    Go in April still chilly but also not cold. Perfect time

    Tattoos might be an issue, just do research for tattoo friendly onsens and you’re good

    >Budget wise, we are well within our $4000 per person (not including airfare to/from Japan),

    How to tell if someone is rich….. dude that budget is massive without including airfare. I hope you’re staying at Aman Hotels , 3 star sushi, Wagyu beefy nightly, Louis Vuitton shopping spree, and Taxi rides all around; cus geez….. $4k for 12 days is high!! I could easily feed al of you (at solid restaurants) and pay for all transportation for the entire group of 6 people with just $4k alone and probably still have cash left over.

    Again you’re a fool to need/use a tour company don’t do it OP and make the trip longer or fuck disney is my advice you’re in Japan go see Japan not the mouse

15. 11 days for all this and moving from place to place will just be a montage of train stations and airports – We are looking to do a trip similar as in we want to go to Okinawa, Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima but we are planning 3 weeks for it. And I am worried it might be a bit rushed still!

    Our last trip was 12 nights and we only got to Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. I think you’ll have a much better time slowing it down a bit and exploring at a more leisurely pace.

16. Definitely need to get rid of Okinawa. It is too far away. If this is your first time, staying on the Golden Route is okay! If you want something less usual – add Kanazawa to the list.

    If this is a Japanese tour company be prepared for the following:
    – there will be no time budgeted for bathroom breaks, meals will be rushed, in general the schedule will be pretty strict.
    – there is a VERY good possibility your guide will not speak English very well. Maybe this is just my unfortunate experience, but in general, the training that guides/interpreters receive in Japan is (usually) very poor.