Early 30s couple, stopping in Japan as part of a larger trip. Was thinking food + temples + nerdy stuff + festivals + plum blossoms(?) + Cooking lessons in Tokyo, winter festival in Hokkaido + couples onsen if that exists, and maybe a short trip to Osaka + Nara. How does this itinerary sound? Should I add more time to Osaka? Or perhaps even just nix it? Also, is there any way to store some luggage in Tokyo maybe while we are traveling around? We’re on a month long trip so will have a bunch of stuff.
General interests: food (both daily/street and fine dining), music, art, anime, technology, nature, history. Can prolly handle 5-8 miles of city walking per day, with a few rest days in between. I also love whiskey and sake but wife isn’t particularly into it so anything like that would only be a minor excursion.
Jan 27 – land hnd
Jan 28 – TokyoÂ
Jan 29 – Tokyo
Jan 30 – TokyoÂ
Jan 31 – Tokyo -> Osaka [train]
Feb 1 – Osaka -> nara -> Tokyo [train]
Feb 2 – TokyoÂ
Feb 3 – TokyoÂ
Feb 4 – Tokyo
Feb 5 – Tokyo -> Hokkaido [fly]
Feb 6 – hokkaido
Feb 7 – HokkaidoÂ
Feb 8 – Hokkaido -> TokyoÂ
Feb 9 – 9am flight, nrtÂ
1 comment
Do not waste time and money to return to Tokyo, fly Osaka-Hokkaido. Then you can fly Hokkaido-Tokyo. If you are to split the Tokyo stay in two part, then do it at the start and end of the trip, not start and middle, but I can understand that this is the timing for the winter festival. Also that early in February seems quite early for Plum blossom. If the tickets are not purchased and you are flexible, I would move it to do winter festival in the first day you get to Japan, do you have more chance to see plum blossom toward mid-february.
I would also suggest to stay a bit longe than 2 days in Kansai. Barely 2 days is not really much. If it was me, I would add like 2 days in Kansai to at least have time to do one day in Kyoto if not 2.