A group of guy friends along with myself (6-8 people total) are traveling. Several of us have spent extensive time in Japan, specifically in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. Tokyo is always a highlight, but we want to have an intinerary that allows for some of the seasoned Japanese travelers to explore new areas they haven’t been. Our goal is: authentic experiences (nature, history, food) mixed in with group activities that are in some way unique to Japan.
I know how eager everyone is to get back to traveling when it is safe to do so. In the meantime, it’s fun fantasizing and planning. For the sake of this itinerary, let’s assume that the pandemic ‘isn’t’ an issue, or that we would schedule this only in a safe condition in either the spring or fall seasons of 2022.
We’re open for suggestions and adjustments. Because of the size of the group, I’m hesitant to plan something that will require another flight (we had an initial idea of going to Hokkaido), or regions that would take longer than a day to get to. The idea of staying in a farmhouse in Shirakawa-go seems so unique and special. Big groups are less nimble, but we’re still striving for a balance in our locations and overall activities. Be safe and well!
THURSDAY: Arrive in Tokyo 5:50pm; check-in, individual dinners, sleep(?).
FRIDAY: TOKYO: Toyosu fish market, lunch at fish market, then walking around harajuku and shibuya. Kaiseki dinner and shinjuku bar & speakeasy hopping.
SATURDAY: Tokyo: Group samurai sword training (airbnb experience), sushi lunch at Tokami, Nazobako escape room, robot restaurant.
SUNDAY: Tokyo: optional day trips for the group/museums/etc (Some may go to Meiji Jingu, some to TeamLabBorderless, others to Studio Ghibli)., meet for sushi dinner and bar hopping afterwards. We thought about doing an indoor go-kart track but I’m not finding one closeby.
MONDAY: Tokyo train AM to Hakone; stay in ryokan onsen in Hakone (onsite meals).
TUESDAY: Hakone; explore and walk around. Open itinerary for relaxing. Meal onsite.
WEDNESDAY: Hakone to Kanazawa (Train); travel day to Kanazawa. Group dinner.
THURSDAY: Kanazawa; Omicho Market, Ninja Temple (Myoryu-ji) then explore on your own. Perhaps we will check out the Kanazawa Castle Park and Kenroku-en Garden. Nightime plans are open.
FRIDAY: Kanazawa to Shirakawa-go/Ogimachi (Bus); staying at a farmhouse overnight.
SATURDAY: Shirakawa-go/Ogimachi to Takayama (Bus); Check in, walk around Takayama.
SUNDAY: Takayama to Tokyo (Train); travel day, perhaps one big group dinner after a day of traveling.
MONDAY: Tokyo to LA; goodbye breakfast and travel day.
Questions:
\-Are there any group activities or suggestions for group ‘bonding’ that might be fun? We were thinking along these lines with the go-kart, samurai training and escape room. There were/are a lot of Airbnb experiences that don’t seem utterly touristy but could be a way for us to connect with Japan, and we don’t want to participate in something generic (the Nazobako escape room, for example, seems unique).
\-Are the cities/areas we are picking a good mix of different environments for a large group who may have different expectations? Tokyo is an easy spot everyone is excited for. Thank you!
7 comments
For group activities, cycling in Takayama is nice. You would need to add a bit more time to your Takayama stop to do it though.
one of my favorite places is Nara island! It’s completely taken over by wild deer who are very friendly with humans and it’s very wide spread. Perfect place to go for a big group:) they give you crackers to feed the deer but be careful bc the deer are bold. They will not hesitate to eat anything they want..not even my map was safe
Most sushi bars are relatively small so a group of 8 would need to reserve most of the seats well in advance. I suspect that in many restaurants you’ll need to split up.
Hmm, my first thought is that this seems like a lot of city hopping for a roughly 10-11 day trip. Not too crazy or anything (I did I think 15 cities in 31 days my last trip), but if it’s possible to add an extra day or two, my advice would be to add one extra night in Takayama and one in Kanazawa (maybe find a good day trip from Kanazawa, I also just personally love Kanazawa and have no problem spending 3-4 days there as I have twice now).
Going from Shira-Kawago –> Takayama –> Tokyo –> Leaving Japan in just about 48 hours seems pretty hectic, especially for a large group. Overall your trip seems like a lot would be eaten up by travel (of course, group travel in Japan can be fun in itself on trains and what not).
That said, I do think the idea of a farmhouse stay with that size of group would be quite fun. Do your research, but the farmhouse I stayed in had a group meal in a big common room and I think would have been great for a group like yours. And overall I think this set of locations (Tokyo, Hakone, Kanazawa, Shira-Kawago, Takayama, Tokyo) is a good mix of styles.
The robot restaurant has permanently closed.
What particularly are you looking for in Kanazawa?
(Also, how old are the members of the group?)
Hakone is LIT, its packed full of cool museums and i especially recommend the open air sculpture museum.
Kanazawa is famous for its artisan craft stuff and gold leaf!̆̈ so you might be able to do some kind of chill crafty workshop there. and of the three legendary parks of japan, kenrokuen is one so i really recommend it. Its huge and really quite nice.