Itinerary review | Mar 21 – Apr 5 | Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Japanese Alps

Hi everyone. Long-time reader, first time I’m posting here.

My partner and I are heading to Japan in a month and change. It’s her first time, my second. Some stuff I’ll be repeating but, honestly, I really don’t mind and 100% looking forward to it as if it were my first time!

I’m sharing our overall itinerary with expected elements to hit in every city/region. Our hotels are booked and transportation between destinations is clear (JR Pass acquired, too), but any and all feedback is welcome.

As for the daily activities/sightseeing, we’re pretty flexible but we attempted to cluster things together by region or proximity. My hope is to make it the best trip possible while, at the same time, keeping it realistic and enjoyable.

Also, items in the daily breakdowns may not necessarily be in the right order! If you have advice about something being too far or distance not being worth it, that would be tremendously helpful.

Here’s our calendar:

|Monday|Tuesday|Wednesday|Thursday|Friday|Saturday|Sunday|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|20|21- departure from Spain|22- Arrival in Tokyo|23- Tokyo|24- Tokyo|25- Tokyo|26- Kawaguchiko|
|27- Kyoto|28- Kyoto|29- Kyoto|30- Kyoto|31- Osaka|1- Kanazawa|2- Kanazawa|
|3- Takayama|4- Tokyo|5- Homebound|||||

​

# Tokyo

**Hotel**: Mitsui Garden Hotel Roppongi

**Day 1**
Harajuku, Shibuya, Shinjuku

* Meiji-jingu
* Tokyo Tower
* Shibuya crossing
* Park Hyatt for a drink
* The National Art Center
* Japan Traditional Crafts, Aoyama Square
* Shinjuku night stroll

**Day 2**
Traditional central area, Ueno, Asakusa

* Senjo-ji
* Ueon-koen, Shinobazuike Lake
* Ameya-yokocho
* Tokyo Skytree
* Evening Food tour (booked already via City Unscripted)

**Day 3**
Center, Ginza, Marunouchi

* Imperial Palace
* Tsukiji Market and/or Toyosu Market
* Kabukiza Theater
* Ghibli Museum / Roppongi Museum
* Hama-rikyu Gardens
* Akihabara
* Yanaka Ginza
* Okuno Building
* TeamLab Plaents TOKYO, then sunset at Odaiba

**Day 4**
Leaving intentionally blank to have time to do stuff we couldn’t on the first 3 days, some arts and crafts or cooking experiences, or any recommendations.

# Fuji Kawaguchiko

**Hotel:** Fuji Kawaguchiko Onsen Hotel Konansou

**Day 5**
Here we’ve booked a good room to spend most day in the hotel after a quick stroll and maybe a boat ride in the morning. We’re also thinking about sending our luggage directly to Kyoto with Takkyubin and taking an overnight bag with us to travel light.

# Kyoto

**Hotel:** Agora Kyoto Karasuma

**Day 6**

* Kiyomizu-dera & Chion-In
* Tetsukagu no Michi (Philosopher’s Road)
* Fushimi Inari-taisha

**Day 7**

* Kinkakuji
* Arashiyama
* Gion at nighttime

**Day 8**

* Nara day trip
* Todai-ji
* Nara-koen and the adorable deer
* Kasuga Taisha
* Naramachi (if there’s time)
* Back to Kyoto, night stroll and dinner

**Day 9**

* Nishiki
* Arts, crafts, and shopping
* Obento at the Kyoto Imperial Palace park

# Osaka

**Hotel:** The Royal Park Hotel Iconic Osaka Midosuji

**Day 10**

* Early morning trip to Osaka
* Osaka Castle
* Tsurumi Ryokuchi
* Shopping in Minami and some building watching
* Sunset at Dotonbori + dinner
* Maybe a free walking tour?

# Kanazawa

**Hotel:** The Square Hotel KANAZAWA

**Days 11 and 12**

* Early morning trip to Kanazawa
* Contemporary Art Museum
* Kenroku-en
* Omicho Market
* Higashi Chaya and Nagamachi
* Katamachi, for some Chuo Mishokugai

# Takayama

**Hotel:** Wat Hotel & Spa Hida Takayama

There’s a bus that goes from Kanazawa to Takayama via Shirakawa-go, where we’re thinking of getting off for a couple of hours and then continue towards Takayama. Maybe Takkyubin is a good idea here, too?

**Day 13**

* Old center (Sanmachi Suji)
* Fujii Bijutsu Mingeikan Gallery
* Maybe a rickshaw ride?
* Sake tasting

# The end is nigh…

**Day 14**

* Whatever we might have missed in Takayama
* Trip towards Tokyo, with the rest of the day to see what we missed or may want to add
* Hit again the restaurant we liked most there 😀

**Day 15**

* Flight back home 🙁

​

**GENERAL REMARKS AND QUESTIONS**

1. We love to eat. We’re already working on a list of restaurants to visit (no matter high-end or street food) but would appreciate any personal favorites and recommendations.**QUESTIONS:** how common is booking in advance in restaurants? How far in advance should we book? Are we too late (please say no)?
2. The hotels we believe are all great picks, but if anyone stayed in any of these or has a personal recommendation, we have free cancellations in all of them (though alternatives may be fully booked at this point).
3. We thought hard about the Hakone vs Kawaguchi-ko debate. I was in Hakone in my first visit and I was personally underwhelmed. To avoid repeating something I potentially didn’t enjoy that much and with an unexplored-for-both possibility, we chose Kawaguchi-ko. Thoughts?
4. We might squeeze in free walking tours in many/all cities since in our experience they’re usually great to get a general knowledge and the guides are usually great and enthusiastic.
5. We want to absorb the culture and the local vibe as much as possible, but we also don’t want to visit each and every temple. So much of the online guides and recommendations are jam-packed with temples, shrines, etc. **QUESTION:** if we’re aiming to hit the main ones but not seeing every single one, are we missing out? Are we “doing Japan the wrong way”? (not seriously, but y’know).

Thanks to everyone who read this far and I appreciate in advance any comment or feedback.