Hello all! My wife and I saw a great deal to travel to Japan which we unfortunately missed…
But we were so excited that we decided to book flights and do the trip last minute anyways! We have never been and so only have a rough itinerary so far. We only have our flights booked and are hoping to get hotels/accommodations booked ASAP. Any recommendations for areas or places definitely appreciated. We will also likely be getting the two week rail pass.
We both really enjoy food, cocktail bars, architecture and history. Will definitely be looking for great spots to for the Sakura cherry blossom blooming. While I have a moderate liking for anime/Ghibli/gaming, my wife doesn’t so we won’t be very focused on that. Definitely open to interesting experiences like maybe seeing a sumo match or festivals.
Any recommendations are welcome thank you!
**Days 1-4: Tokyo**
Looking to explore the major sites (Imperial Palace, Asakusa Sensoji, etc) to see the cherry blossoms. Taking a day trip to see the Snow Monkeys at Snow Monkey Park.
Will also look to explore some izakayas at night, might sign up for a tour for that.
**Day 5: Kawaguchiko or Hacone**
Explore the lakes to see Mt. Fuji and the cherry blossoms there. Unsure if one is better than the other?
**Day 6 – 7: Takayama and Shirakawago**
Excited to explore the Japanese alps some and check out the historical villages. Looking to partake in some unique food or sake tastings.
**Day 8 – 9: Kyoto**
Will start off by exploring the major sites here (Fushimi Inari, Kinkakuji temple). Will also be looking to explore the food and cocktail scene here.
**Day 10 – 12: Osaka and maybe Hiroshima/Miyajima?**
We are unsure about this part of the trip. We’ve heard that Osaka could be done as a day trip from Kyoto and has more in the way of food than historical sites. Will be taking time to explore Nara park or Himeji castle one of the days.
Have also heard different opinions about Hiroshima. Some say it’s great and Miyajima Island looks really cool while others have said there’s not too much. Any advice on where to spend more time would be appreciated
**Day 13 – 14: Head back to Tokyo and fly out**
And that’s it! Thank you for any insight help you have!
1 comment
> snow monkeys
By April there likely won’t be enough snow cover or snow monkeys in the onsen , in which case it’s not worth the day trip up to Nagano.
> Miyajima / Hiroshima
Does the “floating torii gate” view appeal to you? And the atomic bomb stuff in Hiroshima (historically important but obviously heavy topic)? If yes, then it’s certainly worth a (very long) day trip. Miyajima / Nara can also substitute for each other in terms of “temples and deer”. Since you like food, bonus is Hiroshima style okonomiyaki which imo is better than Osaka style
> Himeji
Is lovely but can be a half day trip, so you have the afternoon free for Osaka
> Takayama
How/when are you getting from Hakone/Kawaguchiko to Takayama, and from Takayama to Kyoto? These are several hours apart so FYI you’re spending more time on trains than at the destination. Also a kinda awkward season to to Shirakawago – not enough snow cover, but the greenery hasn’t fully come through yet, so everything is brown.