15ish Day Itinerary March 2022 (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima)

23 comments

1. I’ve done a similar itinerary that splits Tokyo like this. Basically bookending a trip to Osaka/Kyoto with Tokyo stays. Personally, after my trip structured like this, I decided I like the idea of having an open jawed flight – fly into Osaka, fly out of Tokyo – and not having the extra travel time.

   I like what you’ve got as a skeleton of what to see – lots of great first time sights. I think a few of them could be moved around to make things more efficient. With all the run up time to the trip, really try to get things bunched closer if you can.

   I think if you can squeeze Yokohama into one of your Tokyo free days you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

2. I gotta tell you, I don’t know that Osaka Castle is going to be worth your time when you’re on a fairly tight schedule like this. It’s a modern reproduction in reinforced concrete, so unless you’re super interested in Hideyoshi/the Siege of Osaka/that one Godzilla movie where Godzilla throws an Ankylosaurus into it it’s probably not worth the time.

3. When sightseeing in Kyoto try to lump the places you want to see by district. Kyoto is actually quite spread out so if you focus on one district at a time you won’t waste as much time crisscrossing the city on public transit. Go to the ‘must see’ for you in that district and then walk around to the other nearby sites and shopping.

   – [Inside Kyoto: Kyoto Districts ](https://www.insidekyoto.com/kyoto-districts)

   – [Inside Kyoto: Itineraries ](https://www.insidekyoto.com/kyoto-itineraries)

   Also, Osaka, Nara, and Kyoto are quite close. What you could do is start in Osaka and do your far flung day trip to Hiroshima or Himeji while staying there. When checking out of your hotel in Osaka do your day trip to Nara that day (just [store luggage in lockers at the station ](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2274.html) in Nara) then continue on to Kyoto to check in to that hotel in the evening. Then after you’re done in Kyoto continue on to Tokyo.

   Or, just base yourself in Kyoto and do Osaka as a day trip. Truthfully, I prefer to stay in Kyoto as I love wandering around the Higashiyama district in evening/night. But if you prefer more of a busy city vibe base yourself in Osaka. Kyoto and Osaka are so close and easy to get to that you really don’t need to shift hotels unless you really want to.

   – [JapanGuide: Getting to Osaka from Kyoto](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2363.html?aFROM=2157_2158)

   – [JapanGuide: Getting to Kansai Airport from Kyoto ](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2363.html?aFROM=2033_2158)

4. Also, I wouldn’t recommend trying to do the Ghibli Museum and TeamLab on the same day. See the comment I made on someone else’s post who was also trying to do both of these in the same day

   [Ghibli/TeamLab in Same Day ](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/mgvd0i/itinerary_check_for_20_who_even_knows_anymore/gsvht2y/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3)

5. I read somewhere that the robot restaurant is closed…

6. Nice, I made the same tripo but I was there for 23 days. You will definetely enjoy it and I am kind of jealous because I want to go back.

   I would recommend you to check in advance the subway stations of Osaka and Tokyo and plan your routes, it can be overwhelming at first once you are there and have no idea of what you are looking at.

   In Kyoto and Hiroshima the main way of transportation is by bus.

   People speak little to no english but they will try their best to explain everything you ask. There is plenty of time before the trip, maybe yo could learn some japanese.

   Sorry for any grammar mistakes, I am on my phone & english is my second language.

7. Are you deliberately skipping Asakusa or u miss out on it, definitely a must visit for first timer i feel, can put in Day 3 morning since Akibahara won’t be open so early.

   USJ probably need a full day, Osaka Castle can skip like what others mention and see if you can fit in Umeda Sky Building to the day earlier.

   Ghilbi Museum (if you are going) should group with Shibuya, but i would recommend a day trip to Hakone if you can squeeze out a full free day.

8. That’s a very tourist traps heavy schedule

9. We didn’t rate Osaka. It’s an ok base for trips but not on a par with Tokyo. Vast amount of enjoyment in Tokyo so ok to start or end there. JR pass is great. Hiroshima was nice. Miajima and other stuff down that way is fun

10. Shinjuku. Robot restaurant, I’ve seen places that say it is permanently closed, other that is it temporary, so it might not be possible. Nakano Broadway, what do you want to do ? Shopping ? If that is the plan, move all the day you plan on shopping once you return to Tokyo so you do not have to carry everything all the way to Osaka/Kyoto an back. I feel that this day is a bit light, you can add Tokyo metropolitan government building for example.

    You say the day is Akihabara-Ueno, but the things you list are are not even there. If you do the museum in the morning, lunch at the Pokemon cafe, you would still have time to go to Ueno, then end the day in Akihabara.

    As you plan to spend most of the time in Kyoto, you can consider to stay there all the week and do Osaka as a day trip.

    Your second day in Osaka is a bit full, especially compared to the first day. Some people do not like Osaka castle at all (but not totally bad as it’s a sakura spot in Osaka) and I would say that you can try to start your day early and stop by Himeji to see the castle on your way to Hiroshima. Like you try to be at the castle when it open, lunch you can even get a bento to eat in the shinkansen, peace museum, then when it close take some time downtown Hiroshima, get dinner there and return to Osaka.

    Uji can be interesting, but might not be a full day, you might want to check to add something more (at least as an option), for example Fushimi sake district that is not too far.

    You say ryokan in one of the Kyoto day, so you want to change accommodation for one night to try a ryokan (I guess with kaiseki meal), it that is the plan, I would do this the last night in Kyoto, but if you do not plan on the kaiseki meal, you can just check to do a ryokan that is not too expensive for the whole Kyoto part. A ryokan is just a Japanese inn that usually have tatami room and you sleep on futon, if the meal are not included, some are in similar rice range as hotels.

    I think the random village idea is a bit bad, if you say random village like hop in the train and stop a whatever station, you might make great discoveries or just totally waste your time. I would suggest to do some research and select a place that have interesting things. What you can do is that one person make the decision on the village, check for things to do but tell nobody in the group. So you can go there walk around and discover things by yourself but if it end up not so interesting, the person who decided can point the group toward the interesting activities. Would suggest something like Kawagoe or Chichibu.

    Ghibli Museum, it is interesting, but only go if you really like Ghibli movies, I go not thing it is in the category of “everybody who go to Japan should go there. Also, it is quite far from teamlab, so don’t do both the same day. You can try to do Ghibli the same day as Nakano broadway and finish the night in Shinjuku and teamlab

    Do not plan sakura just on a random free day at the end of the trip, check where the sakura sports are close to the places you are going. For example, consider yoyogi park when in Harajuku. Ueno park is also one that you kind of have in your itinerary.

11. I saw you had bamboo forest in Arashiyama as a highlight. I have to share that unless things have changed, it’s more of a selfie-stick forest in a crowd than a peaceful bamboo forest walk. However, I love the monkey mountain in Arashiyama. It’s a bit of hike, so I think it attracts fewer people. The monkeys are really cool. Also, great soba noodles in Arashiyama.

    If I were in Tokyo again, I’d again plan a whole day in Odaiba. There is a lot to do there between malls, museums, sights. I didn’t really see that on your list. Pretty sure we did Odaiba on two of the last three trips.

    Try to plan your DisneySea trip on a low-crowd day.

    Edo-Tokyo museum is awesome.

    Agree with the last poster that Sakura should be taken advantage of on the day it’s available. It’s a very short period. I have been to Japan three times in the early-mid April timeframe and have only caught Sakura in full bloom once. One time we were too early and another year we were too late. There was only one time where I got to experience the glorious nature of it.

    Also I do not see Himeji castle on your list, day trip from Osaka or Kyoto and really cool (on the outside). Some of my best pictures.

    Someone else mentioned Yokohama. It’s actually a great base for Tokyo, and less expensive. I love their Chinatown. It’s a very friendly low-key city, l loved the vibe there. We were able to get a big fancy hotel room there with a great view of Mount Fuji for the price of a small windowless room in Tokyo. Also, closer to Yokohama but also a daytrip from Tokyo – Kamakura.

12. I would lose a day and try and stay overnight in Itsukushima when you are in Hiroshima. It’s a magical place and totally different at night from the busy daytime.

    Do you have to fly into Tokyo? We flew into Osaka and then did Hiroshima/Kyoto/Osaka using the 7 day JR Pass and the on the last day went to Tokyo and flew out from there.

13. Agree about the Osaka vs Kyoto accomodations. I personally didn’t find Osaka as interesting in terms of historical sights/monuments as I did with Kyoto or Hiroshima. You could change it up by splitting the stays in Osaka to Kyoto and Hiroshima. If you’re the outdoorsy types, it’d be hard to not recommend miyajima in Hiroshima to climb to the top of the mountain and see the waterfront landmark at low tide. I think it would be a nice change of pace from being in cities the entire time.

    Another idea for logistics is for every “party” to get a SIM card while you’re there so you can text each other plans. I went with some friends, 5 of us, and we agreed prior to going that some days may have a plan of changes depending on our interest and what we see while there. You will definitely come across some cool shops, restaurants, cafes, and learn more about the city while being there. Some may also get worse jet lag than others. Our plan was to always try to at least have dinner each night to regroup, chat about what we did and plan for the next morning. It may also be a little harder for you to get seating in the big cities, may want to talk about breaking up and getting two different tables to eat at a reasonable time.

14. seems like a solid plan, did about the same trip twice for 2x first timers.

    What you might want to look out for though: Maybe consider staying in the same hotel in Kyoto/Osaka since the cities are just 30-50min away from each other to save the hassle of moving that much. Also Fushimi Inari and Nara on the same day seems rough, since generally I have needed an entire day for Nara and quite some time (up to 2h) for Fushimi Inari (if you decide to climb quite a bit).

    For the Ghibli Museum in Kichijoji: idk about the availability of the tickets. When I was in Tokyo as an exchange student we had to book the tickets almost immediately on the day sales were opened and pay/order inside a konbini some weeks in advance. Idk if there are services available online, but that was the issue for us…

15. How did you come up with that Kyoto itinerary? It seems a little random to me, not least because it almost entirely avoids Higashiyama for some reason.

16. Does anyone realistically know when we’d be allowed back in Japan. Late this year maybe?

17. I personally prefer Takayama over Kyoto you get the same esthetic with buildings from the edo period but way less tourist. Though with covid/ by the time you go probably less people. That’s the biggest problem for me in Kyoto just soo many tourist which can really kill the mood.

18. I would suggest to make a day trip from Tokyo either to Yokohama or to Kamakura. Both are great towns for a short getaway.

19. I feel like you’re falling into the “I’ve got to fit everything outside of Tokyo into the 7-day JR Pass period” trap. I generally recommend 6 full days as a starting point just for the highlights of Kansai–you’re giving it roughly 4 + 2 half days, and one of the full days is to be spent doing things that I wouldn’t ordinarily include in those highlights (USJ and Osaka Castle). I also typically don’t recommend Hiroshima as a day trip since it’s both too far and too big to really cover its major highlights at a reasonable pace in a single day. The ideal solution would be to extend the trip by a couple of days to give yourself a little more time basically everywhere, but if that’s not possible I think cutting Hiroshima would at least give you a little bit of breathing room in Kansai that you desperately need.

    Whatever you do, I really advise planning not planning your trip around the 7-day JR Pass. The JR Passes can be great money saving tools for some itineraries, but if you have to rush things just to make everything fit into the pass period, you might be better off not using the pass, or using a longer pass, or cutting one or more destinations. Plan first, then think about what (if any) pass is appropriate.

    Comments about specific areas:

    >Shinjuku

    >Harajuku / Shibuya

    Shinjuku has tons to do and explore, but what you have listed is very, very light. I suggest planning to spend some time in Shinjuku Gyoen and maybe a couple other specific things so your wandering at least has a bit of direction.

    One thing I highly recommend–especially if you’re up early on the first full day–is walking from Shinjuku through Meiji Shrine (and possibly Yoyogi Park) to Harajuku and Shibuya. Depending on where you’re staying, you could also do this in reverse. It’s a pleasant walk and a nice introduction to some of the big, famous things on the west side of the city.

    Apparently the Robot Restaurant is closed, but honestly you’re not missing anything–the place was a gaudy, overpriced tourist trap with terrible food.

    >Nakano Broadway

    Nakano is a nice neighborhood to wander, but if you’re thinking of going there for anime/manga shopping you’ll probably find it far less compelling than Akihabara or DenDen Town.

    >Akihabara / Ueno Park

    How long you actually need/want to spend in Akihabara will depend highly on your personal interest in anime/manga. To me Ueno and Yanaka are much more intersting, though Ueno Park itself is less interesting than Ameyayokocho (right next to the station).

    >Osaka

    Osaka Castle is a concrete reconstruction. I would skip it entirely unless you’re visiting during the height of cherry blossom season or maybe if you were going to give Kansai more like 10+ days (though even then there are other things I would probably prioritize more highly). If you want to see a real castle, Himeji (the country’s largest and most well-preserved original castle) is a short day trip away, and Hikone (gorgeous smaller castle on the banks of Lake Biwa) is right between Nagoya and Kyoto as you come from Tokyo.

    USJ is really a full day type of activity and I generally wouldn’t consider it to be worth your time unless you’re giving Kansai a full week or more. My feeling is that if you’re traveling half-way around the world to see Japan, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to spend a substantial portion of your trip at an American theme park. Yes, I know there are some things about it that are only in Japan, but it’s still mostly just an American theme Park.

    If you only have one day for Osaka (keeping in mind that it’s a city the size of New York and assuming that you only have one day), I would recommend something like this: I would pick Umeda, Tenjinbashisuji, or the Kaiyukan to start with. After that, I’d head over to Kurmon Market, walk from there down to Shinsekai through DenDen Town, eating at either Kuromon or Shinsekai, then walking over to Abenoharukas (Japan’s tallest building) if you’re interested, and then heading back to Namba/Dotonbori/Shinsaibashi when it’s starting to get dark, perhaps doing Namba Parks while you’re in the area. This is an absolutely packed day, but it’s a decent single-day Osaka experience. Dotonbori is at its best during the evening, but the Namba Shopping arcades and Shinsaibashi are good for shopping whenever.

    I strongly recommend against any on-street GoKarting–it’s both a public nuisance and potentially dangerous. Bicycle rental is a far cheaper, more flexible, safer, and (I would argue) more fun alternative.

    >Hiroshima

    If you’re just going for the Peace Park I honestly don’t think it’s worth the trip, and if you’re adding on other things (the most obvious addition would be Miyajima) I think doing it as a day trip is very tight. Keeping Hiroshima also takes away time from Kansai, where I think you could also benefit a lot from more time.

    >Kyoto

    I think the biggest mistakes people make when visiting Kyoto are focusing only on the most famous sights and not giving themselves enough time. I literally just wrote about this in another thread [so I’ll just link it here](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/mjt5yf/kyoto_autumn_night_illuminations_at_temples_and/gth1kn9/), but the point you should take away from it is that what makes Kyoto truly special is not the half-dozen things you see printed on every post card–it’s the fact that you can wander around certain neighborhoods and find amazing thing after amazing thing that virtually nobody bothers to visit. By all means, do go to the most famous sights, but don’t make the mistake of rushing from one to the next ignoring everything in between. To that end, I strongly recommend focusing on areas of the city rather than individual sights and spending as much time on foot or bicycle in Kyoto as possible. I don’t mean that you should completely avoid trains/busses/taxis, but I recommend planning your days in such a way that you are hopping on and off transit as infrequently as possible.

    See [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/5wgxa1/best_way_to_group_these_sites_in_kyoto/dea059y/?context=3) for some ideas of how to organize sights in Kyoto, but do keep in mind that this is by no means exhaustive nor is it meant to be a checklist. Typically I recommend at least 3 full days just for the highlights of Kyoto, which I would divide roughly into these three areas:

    * Southern Higashiyama (including Gion) + Downtown (Nishiki Market, Teramachi/Shinkyogoku, Pontocho)
    * Northern Higashiyama + the Kamo Delta/Imperial Palace area (I particularly like this area on bicycle)
    * Arashiyama + maybe one or two things in the north-northwest (e.g., Kinkaku-ji, Ryoan-ji, Kitanotenman-gu, Kamishichiken)

    In addition I would throw in Fushimi Inari at some point wherever you can fit it in (it’s open 24 hours). My personal favorite thing to do is go well before dawn and be there for the early morning light, but going in the early evening is probably easier to work into a normal schedule.

    >Nara

    Plan on giving Nara most or all of a full day. Assuming you’re sticking to the Nara Park area (which would be typical for most first-time visitors), Todai-ji, Nigatsu-do, and Kasuga-taisha are the musts.

    >Ikebukuro

    I agree with the consensus about avoiding animal cafes. I also think this day is extremely light and definitely use some additions–perhaps something like Jimbocho, Yasukuni, Koishikawa Kourakuen, and/or Bunkyo Civic Center Observatory capped off by Kagurazaka in the evening?

    >Go to random village (Friend’s idea)

    I assume some further research will go into this before departure. If not, I think you’ll find this a great way to end up spending a whole day doing nothing in some boring suburb. Given your time constraints I would just give this whole day to Kyoto.

    >DisneySea

    My feelings about this are pretty much the same as they were about USJ.

    >Free Day

    Kichijoji is in the same area as Nakano Broadway, so if you’re doing them both, I think it makes sense to do them together. They’re also nowhere near Teamlab Boarderless, which is in Odaiba.

    >Cherry Blossom Stuff

    If you’re visiting during cherry blossom season, that would be all the more reason to give Kyoto more time. Many temples, especially in Higashiyama, have night openings and illuminations that I think are very worth seeing. Maruyama Park/Yasaka Shrine at night is gorgeous and a popular gather spot at the height of the season. Grab some food from a yatai or bring a bento and enjoy a meal under the blossoms. Kiyamachi and Shirakawa in Gion are also amazing at night during cherry blossom season.

20. Planning a trip similar time. Do you have any plan on when you are booking flights/accommodation?

21. I love uji so I do recommend it, you can do Nara and uji in the same day if you start early.

    I’m guessing you’re on the Japan wide pass therefore Hiroshima. While the peace park is nice, I think miyajima is probably the better choice here. Also, the city of Hiroshima (other than the peace park) is nice so if you do go there, you may want a little more time to look around.

    I totally recommend the ghibli museum but make sure you get a friend or something to help you get the tickets in advance. Not sure about now but it wasn’t purchasable outside of Japan in the past

22. It’s highly unlikely that all 8 people all want to do the same things. Equally unlikely that all 8 of you will actually pony up for the trip when the time comes, or that everyone who does come will have the same budget.

    I’d suggest having your potential travel mates come up with their own lists, and then see what kind of merge seems possible. And of course, there’s no reason for everyone to do the same things every day. If my 20s daughters have shown me something, it’s that getting everyone awake at a reasonable hour would be a challenge.

23. Does anyone dare to put a price tag on this trip on a per person basis?