November Itinerary 2021 (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara)

23 comments

1. I dont know Tokyo so well, and Osaka only a bit too, but Kyoto pretty well…

   Your day 5 is impossible. Often its “too full” and “can only do this when you rush through” but in your case, I would argue, its literally impossible…

   I would suggest 2 if not 3 days for what you wanna do. Or cutting it down…

2. I suggest choosing Tokyo and the immediate area OR Osaka/Kyoto.

   To see the bigger sights in Kyoto you need bare minum 2-3 days – more if you want to enjoy your time. Osaka is a massive global city in an of itself and could be a vacation alone without other destinations.

   7-8 days in Tokyo will just barely scratch the surface while still keep your days filled to the brim.

3. Re: your nut allergy, I think you won’t have any trouble finding places to eat. Nuts are a known allergen in Japan (unlike things like gluten and soy which are much harder to avoid). I have a Japanese friend with a nut allergy and I’ve never had a problem finding places to eat with her in Japan. I would recommend writing down or learning the characters/words for nuts and also making an allergen card that has the phrase “I am allergic to x y z” etc printed in Japanese.

   Also, I think you are underestimating the fatigue of traveling/jet-lag (depending on where you’re from)! If you have a long flight and you’re from a very different time zone you might be really tired when you arrive. On Day 1 for example, you might be too tired to walk to your hostel and you might want to be prepared to pay for a cab or find a train (especially if you have luggage). If you’re from somewhere pretty nearby like a Southeast asian country, then totally ignore all that.

   Enjoy your trip!

4. I did a 8 day trip of Osaka, Kyoto and Hiroshima. Your itinerary is even more ambitious than mine.
   Monkey Park took a good chunk of the afternoon to get to from K’s (also stayed there!), as did the shrines. I managed to get them all in the 3 days I was there.

   I would either do Kansai Region OR Tokyo. My trip I decided to keep it to the Kansai region since I felt Tokyo would be better suited for a longer trip. Even in the 8 days I felt very packed in just the three cities. Lots of great things to do in Osaka and Kyoto that would fill your itinerary!

5. I ***STRONGLY*** recommend picking either Kanto or Kansai, not both for a trip of this length–especially since you really only have 6 days, not 8. I usually recommend roughly a week just ***as a starting point just for the highlights*** of just one of these regions–you’re trying to both of them in that time. Between the two I prefer Kansai, and November in Kyoto and Nara is absolutely gorgeous so that would make me lean even more strongly in that direction, but I would sooner recommend staying in Kanto if it meant not rushing through both of them in just 6 days.

   As for specifics:

   Firstly, stop planning every meal–especially breakfast. The concentration of good food in Japan is so generally high that you really don’t need to worry about where you’re going to eat ahead of time most of the time. Maybe choose a couple of things that you really want to eat and then go with the flow on the rest of it. You can waste a lot of time going out of your way to specific restaurants when there was something right where you were that was just as good.

   >Get JR PASS

   You don’t need a JR Pass for this trip ***at all***. Unless you’re doing some longer day trip like Himeji or Nikko (which you definitely don’t have time for because you’re trying to do too much), it will save you absolutely nothing and only restrict your transit options more than just buying tickets.

   >-Walk back towards hostel but if not tired maybe see a movie at TOHO Cinemas Hibiya (just an idea though if too late like 8 then no)

   You’ve only got like 100 waking hours in the country. Don’t waste several of them just seeing a movie you could see in your home country.

   >DAY 4 (Tokyo, Kyoto):

   AEON Mall is a complete waste of time. Toji is probably only worth your time if there’s a special event going on (e.g., Kobo-san on the 21st.), in which case I would highly recommend going. Kyoto Station can be fun to explore, but if you try to do all of these things after arriving most of the day will be gone before you even think about heading to Arashiyama

   >Take a subway from Tokyo Station to Saga-Arashiyama station

   From Kyoto Station you would be taking JR. Generally I recommend planning to spend most or even all of a full day in Arashiyama. It’s not just a bamboo path and the Monkey Park, and if you try to do Arashiyama after Toji, AEON Mall, and Kyoto Station you’ll likely be arriving about an hour or two before most things close.

   >Fushimi Inari Taisha, Tofuku-ji, and surrounding shrines.

   Fushimi Inari is open 24 hours, so you don’t have to worry about it closing, but it is kind of on the opposite side of the city from Arashiyama. Tofuku-ji will definitely be closed by the time you get there (though you can still walk over the bridge, and the neighborhood is still kind of cool).

   >DAY 5 (Kyoto):

   This day is extremely ambitious and really not recommended. I want to stress that a lot of what makes Kyoto special is the stuff in between the major sights, not just the sights themselves. I ***STRONGLY*** recommend picking areas of the city to explore on foot or bicycle and not just rushing around to see as many famous things as possible. See also, [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/5wgxa1/best_way_to_group_these_sites_in_kyoto/dea059y/?context=3) for my breakdown of sights by area of the city. I typically recommend at least 3 full days for Kyoto, and I think it’s very easy to justify more than that (especially if you’re there during fall foliage). I also think the city is incalculably more enjoyable when you give yourself time to explore and get off the beaten path rather than just hitting the crowded, famous sights.

   >Nara Park, Yoshikien Garden, Higashimuki shopping street.

   I think if you skip Todai-ji, Kasuga-taisha, and Nigatsu-do, you’re absolutely robbing yourself (in a sense you could say the same about Horyu-ji, Yakushi-ji, and Toshodai-ji, but they aren’t right in Nara Park). I think it’s a gigantic waste if you go to Nara and skip them.

   >Get going to Shinagawa station from Nara Station:

   >Late Lunch at Tokyo Ramen Kokugikan Mai.

   I have no idea idea how you think you’re doing Nara and getting back to Tokyo in time for lunch. Even in the absolute best case scenario (using Kintetsu Limited Express to Kyoto and then Nozomi Shinkansen to Shinagawa), it will take ***at least*** 3 hours to get from Nara to Shinagawa. I usually consider the Nara Park area to be roughly most or all of a full day’s worth of activities. You’ll be lucky to be back in Tokyo before dark even if you wake up at the crack of dawn and rush through Nara at a lightning pace.

6. If you’re a runner, check out @bonchikyoto on Instagram in Kyoto. Speak to Haggy because she’s wonderful and she has a running club!

   Also in Kyoto – Jazz Spot Yamatoya (cozy bar that plays vinyl) and Bar K-ya (a little hard to find but worth it if you like delicious cocktails!)

   Tokyo – Ragtag is great for really cool consignment clothing.

   Edit: added info

7. [removed]

8. Since you’re into it, you should go take a run through the Sumida river terrace, you will run with Tokyo Sky Tree by your side. It’s also very near Sensoji temple.

   I advice to skip sleeping in Kyoto and stay in Osaka instead. Osaka is a 15-20 min train ride away from Kyoto.

   I would also recommend extending your visit one more week, Tokyo alone deserves at least 1 week. I went there for the first time in 2019 (Tokyo,Osaka Kyoto) and stayed there for 2 weeks, at the end I felt I needed an extra week in Osaka.

9. Take Advil with you!! If your not used to do much standing and walking, lower back pain is gonna be a killer 🙁

   Also, get Japanese whiskey if u can find it 🙂

10. I think that’s way ambitious too… I could spend several weeks in Tokyo itself.

    If you are still determined to do this, I’d suggest flying into Tokyo and out of Osaka… you’ll save at least half a day of travel, and you probably don’t need to buy the JR pass either… just get a 1 way ticket.

11. I extremely rarely plan where to eat, it’s easy to find places on the go. If you have allergies, get an allergy card that explain what you are allergic to and they can tell you if it’s ok.

    If you are to not use JR Pass on day one, you can as well exchange it on day 2 in one of the station in Tokyo where you can, especially if there is a line at the airport. It is a bitt confusing as you also have it on day 2… You buy a voucher, then need to exchange it to the real pass, when you do, you select the start day, so it it technically already “active”. Just exchange the pass in Ueno if you buy one.

    In general it’s a really full. I mean REALLY. No doubt you can walk a lot and fast, but sometimes, you will want to stop and look around. There is a limit to how fast you can speedrun temples and other attractions . In general, make priorities and be ready to cut a lot of things during the day.

    Kyoto-Osaka-Nara can all be done from the same place. You can spend all the nights at the same hostel for all of them.

    Don’t even think about being in Tokyo before dinner if you go to Nara on day 7, so do not plan anything you cannot move around.

    For a short trip like that, I would just to Tokyo or Kansai (I know other people have said it too).

12. Leave more planned time for no activities. Wander and get lost. Every airy is full of amazing places and you only have a few days in each place. Get off the beaten trail.

13. In Kyoto Musashi sushi is pretty good. It’s a conveyor belt sushi place and close to the shijo area but be sure to go to the 440 Ebisucho one it’s better. If you want something middle price ranged and slightly famous then kichi kichi omurice is a pretty famous restaurant for omelette rice. You can watch the chef cook in front of you. Personally I think it’s not bad but you’re paying more for the experience. Be sure to make reservations beforehand.

14. [deleted]

15. If you do still go to Kyoto there’s an amazing soba restaurant called Yoshimura, they have a site quite near Kyoto station and one in Arashiyama overlooking the river. It can get busy but some of the best noodles and tempura I’ve had in Japan!

16. Seven days is a short time, you would need at least twice as much. Better to focus only on Tokyo and Kyoto and it would still be a short time.

17. I travelled to Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto) and spent 10 days.

    IMO, If you are a landmark tourist kind of guy and dont mind to have a full schedule, 8 days is kinda sufficient. It is enough for the first time traveller to Japan so you can see a little bit of everything. Whilst it is true that I barely scratch any surface for things to do there in 10 days, I enjoyed the trip nevertheless! It was ambitious and i planned it very thoroughly to what to do from AM to PM. One thing to consider is to fly in to Tokyo and leave from Osaka. It will save you half a day or even a day.

    But if you are the into the culture and want to experience Japan in depth, i suggest you to choose one region and stick with it.

    Whichever you choose, I guarantee you that you’ll want to come back. I still remember the takoyaki and uni I ate till today.

18. This is so much in 8 days! Even looking at day 2, happy pancake probably doesn’t even open until 10-11am (most of the shops in Akiba won’t open earlier either). Just looking at every day it seems like 2 days’ worth of things minimum crammed in, especially considering travel time and most shops that aren’t conbini or temples opening 10-11am. Remember to rest!

19. If you are still looking for a place to eat in Kyoto I will always suggest Karako ramen. I stumbled onto it while in Kyoto and its my favourite meal we had that entire trip. Super small shop that I’ve heard described as ‘a dive that all the locals love’ from people who live in Kyoto. The owner was SO friendly and the food was amazing, especially on a chilly December night. I got the special since it came with fried chicken and we were there on Christmas eve and when I got my big bowl of ramen then a giant plate of chicken my friend caught on video my wide-eyed look before turning to look at our group going “You’re going to help me eat this right?” It was delicious.

20. I’ve found really, really great vintage clothing in Tokyo in the Shimokitazawa neighborhood. Many vintage shops in the neighborhood

21. As always, I suggest just making a list of things you want to see/do and leave the actual scheduling to how you feel and the weather for deciding itinerary of the day. It’s perfectly fine to plan breakfast near your lodging and dinner for the end of the day, but I leave lunch choices as to where I am when I get hungry. For ramen you can find recommended places near you online easily. For my most recent trip that included both Tokyo and Kyoto I flew between the cities cheaper than a 1-week JR Pass. If you rearrange the Tokyo days you can fly to Narita on day 8.

22. I did an ittinerary similar to this in 2019 but it took me 19 days and still had a lot of things missing! Hahaha. If You plan to move by train keep the luggage to a small carry on so you can sit in the train like any other person. I would suggest doing all the buying at the final days (so maybe rearange Tokyo/Kansai). You are doing a great job planning on JR+Suica since some internal subs/trains are not covered (specialy un Tokyo and Osaka).
    I did day 5 the same way You described, that is possible. But day 4, trip + arashiyama + fushimi inari is not possible. Think that You are going up hills in both places, and in november wont be too much light. Also northen Kyoto is a day on it’s own. You have kinrokuen there too and an array of temples+ gardens to visit there. You can rent a bike to move faster beteen those but going north and then south Kyoto would be rushed.
    I hope You have a great time!

23. Stay in Tokyo, don’t waste literally a day just commuting between Kanto and Kansai (3hrs one way, and that’s just on one train. You need to get to the Shinkansen first). And plot your trip out in Google Maps for something realistic. Good for you that you’re a distance runner, but that means zilch since you’re depending on trains and whatnot that run on a specific schedule for long-distance transport.

    I mean, seriously – have you plotted your route in Google Maps and cross-referenced it to opening times of the sites you want to see or places you want to eat in? That Nara -> Tokyo segment alone is bonkers.