Main interests: Gardens, textiles and traditional artisanry, history, alcohol, hiking and outdoor activity
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* Mar 26: Land at Haneda. Go directly to Osaka. Staying near Osaka Station
* Will we regret going directly to Osaka? We were thinking, we’ll be tired anyway, we can sleep on the train. But if that’s a bad idea we can always stay in Tokyo the first night and head to Osaka in the morning
* Mar 27: Rest/ acclimation day. No firm plans. Sleep and wander around Osaka. May visit the aquarium and/or Team Lab
* Got a tip here on Bible Club. I would also like to go somewhere that specializes in Japanese Whiskeys/ Gins (A distillery tour would be great, but it does not look like there are any distilleries on our travel path)
* Mar 28: Kobe. Visiting the Hand Tools Museum.
* I don’t think that will take all day so might look for other things around Kobe. Himeji Castle worth it? We’re also thinking about biking back to Osaka from Kobe
* Mar 29: Head to Kyoto. 4 nights in Kyoto near Kyoto station
* I love tea ceremony. I have tickets for the Odori + tea ceremony, but I’m thinking this will be a larger/ less intimate experience? Has anyone been? Any recs for a small group or even private tea ceremony (doesn’t have to be with Geisha)
* Other than the Odori and Fushimi Inari, I don’t have any ‘must see’ things. Plan is mostly to walk/ bike around and see what’s not too crowded and piques our interest. Would be interested in any hiking recs
* I see there is a Shoyu brewer that gives tours? Has anyone done that/ or similar soy sauce brewery and would recommend?
* April 2: Head to Takayama. 2 nights in Takayama. Booked a ryokan there close to town center. Plan on shopping/ onsen-ing/ festival museum
* We are going to Shirakawa-Go on the way to Kanazawa. Is there a point in seeing both Shirakawa-Go and the Hida Village Museum? I went to a similar village museum in Germany and it was honestly one of my favorite tourist experiences ever so I feel like I might enjoy it.
* Unfortunately Chibu National Park doesn’t open until mid-April and our available dates didn’t line up with going then. Are there other places nearby to hike that are not too snowy at that time of year?
* April 4: Head to Kanazawa. Stop at Shirakawa-Go on the way. Staying near Kenroku-En 3 nights.
* plan on spending most of a full day at Kenroku-En
* Have a free day – no specific plans but looking at Noto Peninsula or Toyama Shrine Trail
* I would love to see the Geisha here but it looks like it’s pretty restricted post-COVID. Is there any way to get an ‘in’ if you don’t have a 10 person group?
* April 7: Back to Tokyo. 2 nights in Ginza.
* I want to buy some raw denim and some silks, particularly silk jersey. Is there a Mood equivalent in Tokyo? Hubs is a huge Red Wing enthusiast.
* Plan on going to Bar High Five, any other must-sees from a food/ drink perspective?
* April 9: Return home
3 comments
Suntory Yamazaki Distillery is near your travel path. Lots of sake breweries in Kyoto too if that interests you
>Will we regret going directly to Osaka?
First time I went to Japan, we landed at Narita, trained into Tokyo, and got immediately on the Shinkansen and went to Kyoto. So, from experience I will vote that you won’t regret it. It gives you a solid chance to rest after the long flight and the views are *incredible*. It was a really nice moment to get acclimated. It *might* depend on what time you land at Haneda, though. When I did it we got in around noon so we had plenty of daytime left to travel.
Also, I’m going to Japan March 24th through April 7th, and we’ll be in Kyoto at the same time. Trip buds!
Will you regret going straight to Osaka? Depends on when you get in and how long the lines are in Immigration. I’ve not been through Haneda recently, but I’ve heard Haneda is terrible post Covid because there are not enough people working Customs and people have had 1.5-2 hour entry lines.
I know if I had been going to Kyoto the day I got into Narita, I would not have been there until close to 11.
If you’re getting in early enough, you might want to see if there is a flight from Haneda to Itami since that will shorten your travel a lot.
If you like gardens, Himeji has a lovely garden. I’ve not been in March so I am unsure what is in bloom then, but when I went in November many years ago I really enjoyed it.
I like Kanazawa, I might cut a night from there so that you can go to Kerokuen in Okayama. It’s really nice. I think it’s my favorite of the big 3 except during ume season when Kairakuen wins, though my favorite is probably Ritsuin in Takamatsu which is also a possible day trip if you have another night in Kyoto or Osaka. My tween who has been to Kairakuen, Ritsuin and Kenrokuen, thinks Ritsuin is the best too.
If you mean hiking, like nice walks in nature, but you can wear sneakers, have you thought about going to Enryakuji and then hiking down to Otsu and Biwako? I did Kurama to Kibune in April many years ago.
If you’re talking hiking, like hiking boots and backpacks, I’m not sure what is open that early in the season. A lot of places are under snow and this particular year has been snowier than usual.
I have also been to Hida no Sato and Shirakawa Go. I personally preferred the former for a variety of reasons. If you can don’t go on a Thursday, more craft options are available then.