First of all just a disclaimer – I hope this doesn’t come across as low effort. This is intended as the first draft broad brush strokes, and then based on the feedback here I will adjust and submit a more detailed second draft if that’s ok. Also, apologies for spelling and formatting, I’m on my phone.
**Overview**
Fly into Tokyo, make my way north over 9 nights, taking in winter magic, nature, history and onsens, fly out of sapporo.
The only things I’ve booked are the flights and the first 3 nights in Tokyo. So this is very welcome to change based on your feedback.
Interests and goals are
* nature (scenery and animals, short hikes if necessary)
* history and architecture (museums, temples, castles etc.)
* anything that’s extra special in winter
* onsens *especially* outside snowy onsens if at all possible
* avoiding retreading the steps of my previous summer trip
**Previous summer trip**
* osaka night and a morning
* Kyoto 5 busy days (all the major temples and sites)
* Nara day
* 3 days hiroshima and itsukushima shrine
* hikone castle, lake biwa, yasu, small rural stops en route to Tokyo
* Tokyo 10 days and day trips to matsumoto, himeji, kawasaki, yokohama, folk house museum
**Draft itinerary and questions**
This is what I have so far:
**Day 1** – land Narita Airport 13:10, buy sim at airport, check in at shibuya accommodation
**Days 2, 3, 4, 5, 6** – tokyo activities and day trips using Tokyo as base.
Considering:
* Tokyo shopping. Want to look at laptops (especially Toshiba and Fujitsu), high quality chefs knife, whetstone, hasegawa soft cutting board. Where are some good places to browse and buy these items?
* Nagano (and Takayama) day trip. Just about doable with an early start? Really want to see onsen monkeys – are they “guaranteed” or are they more of a rare sight and you have to be lucky?
* Shirakawa-go. Worth it? Seems rather far to do in a day trip? Night bus there then stay the night, before moving on the next day?
* Hakone – worth a day trip?
* takaragawa – worth a day trip?
* kanagawa – got this from a blog but doesn’t look too appealing?
* koyasan – similarly seen blogs but wonder if it’s any good?
* avoid ginzan onsen – seems hard to get to and liable to crowding. Just as good onsens elsewhere that are less famous but close enough in beauty. (Correct me if I’m wrong)
**advice sought**
* Obviously, this is going to need triage. What should I lose? And have I missed any gems that you would add to the itinerary if you had my interests?
**Day 7** – shinkansen then train to sapporo.
**Days 8, 9** – two full days hokkaido. Have my eye on
* noboribetsu onsen
* lake toya
* blue pond hike
* otaru
* your suggestions to fill these 2 days
**Day 10**
* Early start to enjoy 1st day of sapporo snow festival
* get to New Chitose Airport in time for 17:35 flight
**Other considerations**
* Tokyo “hub” for day trips? Or would a “linear” order be better? (I have a great backpack but my total baggage weighs 15-20 kg)
* sapporo 2 full days and 2 half days the right amount?
* 7 day or 14 day JR pass?
* any more obscure places you would recommend?
* break up the journey with a night in northern honshu?
**Thank you!** This sub **massively** improved my last trip. Grateful for similar help this time round
