Itinerary Check – Tokyo, Nagoya, Wakura, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka

3 comments

1. >What’s a good sim? Cannot do esim.

   There is a guide to this on the subreddit, and is also easily googleable. I personally prefer a pocket wifi.

   >What is the best way to ensure I will get tickets for them?

   What do you mean? Seat reservations? If you mean tickets, you just buy them at the gate before you get on the train. If you mean reservations, you show your JR Pass to an attendant and you can make reservations with them. You can also do it online once you have the pass. But since it’s just you, you likely won’t have to ever worry about reserving.

   >Chushojima Station. Is that too far from the thick of things?

   It’s pretty “southern” Kyoto, but Kyoto is sprawling so there isn’t really a “central” place to be. For example, Fushimi Inari is 15 minutes from that station by train, but the Bamboo forest is over hour. If you’re deadset on a love hotel, well, that’s on you. Keep an eye out for ones that are for Japanese citizens only. As far as booking early, that’s a question for the love hotel, so you’ll need to call them or find them on a site like that will book for you, like Booking. Though understandably a lot of Love Hotels are “walk in” establishments.

   > Tokyo, to Nagoya, to Wakura (Osaka/Kyoto area), to Kanazawa, to Kyoto

   That particular leg makes almost no logistic sense. You’re basically doing a big circle, and then backtracking to Kyoto, adding 4+ hours worth of train rides on a trip that you’re already spending a ton of time on trains during. Keep in mind also that Fukuoka to Tokyo, your last leg, is a 6-hour train ride. But basically however you end up visiting Kanazawa there isn’t really a “great” time to do it in your schedule as every other city is basically a straight train shot, and Kanazawa is off the path. If it were me, I’d go like this:

   Tokyo, circle *up* to Kanazawa, Kyoto/Osaka/Wakura (they’re all very close), Hiroshima, Fukuoka, on the way back circle *down* to Nagoya, Tokyo. You could interchange Nagoya and Kanazawa with each other in the line, either way, it prevents you from repeating and backtracking any part of the “circle” that going to Kanazawa creates. It also prevents you from being on a train for 6 hours.

   **Edit: actually, scratch that, if it were me I’d just get up early and make Kanazawa a day trip from Tokyo. Which is exactly what I’m doing at the end of March.** Also we’ll both be at Anime Japan on Saturday, which is funny.

   >—Hiroshima—

   ~~I’d suggest trying to go to Miyajima Island during your two days here. There is a ferry that works with the JR Pass as well.~~ My reading comprehension is bad, didn’t notice the shrine on Miyajima. That’s what I get for skimming.

   >Should I spend time in Fukuoka or Osaka?

   Missed this in my write up about your train rides, but this is where I’d suggest you fit in Nagoya or Kanazawa. Break up that 6 hour train ride.

2. If you want to book specific train in advance, you can buy the JR Pass from JR directly and book the tickets online before you get the pass. [https://www.japanrailpass-reservation.net/](https://www.japanrailpass-reservation.net/)

   I think you are overthinking how much cherry blossom have an impact on shinkansen use. Your average Japanese person will do hanami much more locally, they won’t take vacation day to go on the other side of the country to see some flowers… it’s much more of a local thing, you go drink and eat with your friends while watching the flowers. Also cherry blossom period was technically not even the most popular month for foreign tourist, yes, in the top, but not the number one…. also the difference with the lowest and highest month is just like 40%, it’s not as if there was 10x more people going to Japan. And anyway, foreign tourist are still usually a minority of the people taking the shinkansen. So generally speaking, I think you are overthinking the shinkansen situation.

   Otherwise you have to wait to be in Japan to exchange the voucher for the pass and you can book tickets at the ticket office. You cannot reserve tickets online if you get the voucher from a reseller.

3. > Day 2 Thur

   > Fujiko Museum

   You may already know this, but just in case. You probably take the Odakyu Line to get there. Yamashita Station on the way there is the nearest station to [Gotokuji Temple](https://livejapan.com/en/in-tokyo/in-pref-tokyo/in-shimokitazawa/article-a0001417/). You may want to stop by on your way to or from the Fujiko Museum. And you may want to visit [Nihon Minka-en(Japan Open-air Folk House Museum)](https://www.nihonminkaen.jp/index_english.html) too. On display in the park is a collection of 20 traditional minka (farm houses) from various parts of Japan, especially thatched-roofed houses from eastern Japan. Of these, nine have received the designation of Important Cultural Assets from the national government. There is also an interesting town, [Shimokitazawa](https://matcha-jp.com/en/4009)along the Odakyu Line.