Background:
* 22F, solo travelling for the first time! Also my first time in Japan.
* Can speak/understand very very basic Japanese – I can read Hiragana/Katakana and guess the meanings of some Kanji (I understand Chinese and certain words share meanings)
* I will be in Japan on a student visa, so unfortunately I won’t be able to buy a JR pass. And on the same vein, since I’m a student with a limited budget, I’m hoping to keep things as affordable as possible.
* Everything planned below is still a rough draft, and I’m flexible to change anything. I’m actually not sure if I should reorder the days/locations backwards (Does it make a difference if you’re in Kyoto on a weekday or weekend? I assume it will always be crowded since it’s cherry blossom season). If anyone has any advice, please let me know!
* I can spare a day or two more if there are any locations you think I should add in (first day of classes start on 11 April, so I’m free before that). I initially wanted to add Matsuyama, but couldn’t find any convenient way of getting there so ended up leaving it out.
* I’m not super great at directions, so that’s one big worry I have since travelling is basically about all of that. Not super picky about food (and it seems much more troublesome to navigate to another place), so I’m planning to just pick out random shops whenever I’m hungry rather than specially going to pre-picked restaurants.
**4 April Miyajima**
Arrive at Hiroshima Bus Centre after overnight bus from Shinjuku
Ferry to Miyajima from Miyajimaguchi
Itsukushima-jinja Shrine
Mt. Misen via Miyajima Ropeway
Daisho-in Temple
Momiji-dani-koen Park
Omotesando Shopping Street
Five Storied Pagoda + Hokoku Shrine
Lodging: Miyajima Guest House Mikuniya
**5 April Hiroshima**
Ferry to Hiroshima from Miyajima
Atomic Bomb Dome
Peace Memorial Museum
Peace Memorial Park
Okonomimura
Hiroshima Castle
Shukkei-en Garden
Lodging: Tenryu Ryokan
**6 April Okunoshima + Manabeshima + Okayama**
Travel to Tadanoumi Port from Hiroshima
Okunoshima
Ferry back to Tadanoumi Port
Travel to Kasaoka Port
Manabeshima
Travel to Okayama
Lodging: Kamp Houkan-cho Backpacker’s Inn
Nishigawa Green Road Park
**7 April Okayama + Himeji + Arima Onsen**
Korakuen Garden + Okayama Castle
Himeji Castle
Arima Onsen
Travel to Kyoto
Lodging: Haruya Umekoji
**8 April Kyoto**
Kiyomizudera
Sannen-zaka
Ninnen-zaka
Maruyama-koen Park
Fushimi Inari Taisha
Gion
Overnight bus back to Ikebukuro, Tokyo
1 comment
There are several regional JR passes that you can buy as a foreign resident. I suggest you look in to them as you can probably save a lot of money.
As for Kyoto, and basically anywhere in Japan, by far the largest % of tourists are domestic tourists. It will still be crowded during weekdays, but weekend will be MUCH more crowded.