Hey all, flying out of Canada on April 23rd, hoping to catch cherry blossoms up North. Second trip to Japan, first one in 2019 doing the golden route (Tokyo, Kawaguchiko, Kyoto, Hiroshima). The first week of the trip feels fast, then we will slow down in Tokyo during golden week, before it picking up again as we head West. Flying out of Fukuoka to continue our trip into Vietnam.
Our first trip was my first time ever leaving the city I live in, so I felt a little overwhelmed the whole time making sure everything went to plan. Hoping this time to relax more and let things happen as they happen. Some plans, mainly the Kumano Kodo overnight, seems like its going to be a logistical nightmare, but as a nature lover feels like it’ll be worth it. Although we are only in the country for 20 days, considering getting the 21 day JR pass to make things easy. Huge anime fans, nature, onsen, food.
**Day 1: April 24th – Morioka**
* Arrive in Haneda 3:30pm
* Pick up JR Pass, pocket wi-fi (phones dont support esim)
* Catch train to Morioka
**Day 2: April 25th – Kakunodate**
* Take train to Kakunodate to see cherry blossoms
* Samurai District
* Castle ruins
* Return to Morioka
**Day 3: April 26th – Hirosaki**
* Catch bullet train to Hirosaki
* Cherry blossoms
* Hirosaki Castle
* Cherry blossom illumination
**Day 4: April 27th – Nyuto Onsen**
* Wake up early to do a boat ride on the river, photos
* Take train and buses to Nyuto Onsen
* Overnight at Tsurunoyu Onsen
**Day 5: April 28th – Nihonmatsu**
* Purchase onsen pass from ryokan
* Take shuttle and explore the other onsens in the area
* Bus back and walk around Lake Tazawako
* Take train to Nihonmatsu and check into hotel
**Day 6: April 29th – Nihonmatsu**
* Take bus to Ebisu Circuit
* Enjoy the Spring Matsuri drifting event
* Walk back to hotel in the evening
**Day 7: April 30th – Tokyo**
* Take bus/train to Tokyo
* Check into hotel
* Ameyoko and keyboard shop in Ueno
* Akihabara figure shopping in the evening
**Day 8: May 1st – Tokyo**
* Ghibli Museum and Totoro Cream Puffs
* Train to Odaiba
* Unko Museum
* Dinner and shopping in Odaiba
**Day 9: May 2nd – Tokyo** (Too much for one day?)
* Kamakura Day Trip
* Buddha Daibutsu, Hokokuji, Hasedera
* Return to Tokyo with a stopover in Yokohama to eat in Chinatown and Ramen Mmuseum
**Day 10: May 3rd – Tokyo**
* Train to Harajuku
* Big sweet lover, mainly here for lots of treats (Ron Ron Cafe, Crepes, Mipig Cafe)
* Shibuya for food and shopping
* Shibuya Sky
**Day 11: May 4th – Tokyo**
* Shin-Okubo area
* Lots of eating (Tteokbokki, fried chicken, crazy amounts of cheese)
* Skincare shopping
* Train to Shinjuku
* Food and shopping
* (Optionally instead of Shinjuku revisit any other area we want more time in)
**Day 12: May 5th – Kawaguchiko**
* Take train/bus to Lake Yamanakako
* Rent bikes and explore area (Flower Park, view point)
* Check into guest house and enjoy sunset by the lake, relax
**Day 13: May 6th – Osaka**
* Wake up early for sunrise
* Take bus to Mishima Station and train to Osaka
* Shopping in Den Den Town
* Dotonbori for lots of food
**Day 14: May 7th – Osaka**
* Osaka Castle (optional, saw Himeji last trip)
* Osaka Aquarium
* Explore bay area
* Take train to Kii-Tanabe Station and check into guesthouse
**Day 15: May 8th – Kumano Kodo**
* Take bus to Hosshinmon-oji trailhead and begin hike (~ 3 hours)
* Hongu Shrine, Oyunohara, Yunomine Onsen/Kawayu Onsen
* (Optional: Have a hotel booked in Yunomine Onsen as well as at Kii-Katsuura Station at the moment, either stay in Yunomine or catch evening bus to Kii-Katsuura station if possible)
**Day 16: May 9th – Kumano Kodo/Osaka**
* Take bus to Daimon-zaka trailhead
* Walk trail to Nachi Falls (~ 1 hour)
* Take bus/train back to Osaka
* Relax or TeamLabs Botanical if not too tired
**Day 17: May 10th – Osaka**
* Universal Studios Japan Day (Still debating on whether to purchase fast pass or not considering the 4 ride pass + ticket is over $200 Canadian)
**Day 18: May 11th – Beppu**
* Early morning train to Beppu
* Steam cooking
* Sand bath
* Onsen hopping
**Day 19: May 12th – Beppu/Fukuoka**
* Possible ride up to Mount Tsurumi
* More onsen hopping
* Train to Fukuoka
* Kirby Cafe, Yatai stalls, any shopping we can squeeze in
**Day 20: May 13th – Fukuoka**
* Early morning flight to Vietnam
Any advice and feedback is greatly appreciated. It seems like it could be hectic at times but I think we end up with a good amount of relaxing time if we need it as well. We are planning on using luggage forwarding between each region and just taking our carry on bags, which I think will make the route feel a lot easier than our first time in Japan, as getting on the trains with big bags felt like such a hassle. I do feel like we need the nature break between Tokyo and Osaka, if anyone has other suggestions that might be logistically better than Kumano Kodo its very welcome!
2 comments
> Day 11: May 4th – Tokyo
Train to Shinjuku
It is a 15 minute walk, and there is no point in taking the train.
>Morioka
Try a wanko soba challenge and zunda shakes, can really recommend both
>Day 9: May 2nd – Tokyo (Too much for one day?)
Yes. The stopover in Yokohama is way off route and Kamakura alone takes quite a bit of time