Hello world!
My GF and I will be traveling to Japan this april. In 22 days, we’re going to visit Tokyo, Japanse Alps, Osaka, Kumano Kodo and Kyoto.
Right now, we only have a rough plan. All accommodation is booked, but the sights and funtivities are largely unknown. Partly because we love to just explore and experience the places that we end up in, but also because it is an herculean task to sift between the endless possibilities in this wonderful country.
Five days in Tokyo: Akihabara in general, HEY, TeamLab Planets, an Owl Caf̩, Shinjuku in general Рand then whatever we happen to stumble upon Рcool suggestions are more than welcome!
Accommodation: Sotetsu Fresa Inn Tokyo-Kinshicho.
Three days in the “Japanese Alps” – Takayama and Kanazawa
It looks really nice – I think we’re going to seek out some onsens. But if there is a hidden gem somewhere – do let us know 🙂
Accommodation: Takayama Ouan Hotel and Kanazawa Hotel Intergate
Three days in Osaka: Primarily an outset-point to go and see Nara for a day, then Nintendo World and Osaka in general. Supposedly Osaka is a cool city with lots of great food.
Accommodation: Nest Hotel Osaka Umeda
Five days on the Kumano Kodo: From Tanabe to Nachikatsuura.
We’ve booked accomodations through the official Kumano-site. We expect great nature and a really nice break from all the hustle and bustle in the city.
Five days in Kyoto: We are going to see the bamboo forest, The Philosopher’s Walk, Gion, Golden Pavilion, Fushimi Inari – some of the traditional tourist-sites. Further research on Kytoto is pending. If you know of something really cool – please let me know 🙂
Accommodation: Hotel Resol Kyoto Shijo Muromachi
Bonus round:
We can’t really figure out, if the JR Pass will work for us with this itinerary, of if standard trains will do the trick. We will look into it in the coming weeks. If you have a strong opinion on this, we would love to hear it 🙂
2 comments
You’d have to do the math to compare it to just buying regular tickets but there’s also the [Hokuriku Arch Pass](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_arch.html) that you could use to get from Tokyo to Kyoto/Osaka. Use the pass to travel in the early morning from Tokyo to Kanazawa then take the bus from Kanazawa to Shirakawago. Put luggage in lockers at Shirakawago, sightsee. Pickup luggage and take bus from Shirakawago to Takayama for your hotel checkin.
Then, when returning to Tokyo just buy a one-way train ticket. Within the Kansai region, I don’t think there’s a pass that will really pay off for you as in Kyoto you’ll be likely using buses and walking between sites that are nearby each other. But check out the [JR West/Kansai area pass overviews](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2357.html) to see if one of them might be useful for your plans.
I would so appreciate if you wrote a trip report, especially about your Kumano Kodo experience! That’s on my itinerary (for April of 2024 lol) and I would be so hyped to read a more recent account of your experience on the trail. The official Kumano tourism site is incredible– the resources, maps, lodging descriptions, and how-to videos are so well-done! Hope you have a safe and wonderful trip.