Hello everyone!
I’m heading to Japan for the first time for five weeks (!!) after graduating in June. I’m beyond excited and have done a fair bit of research but am feeling a tad overwhelmed after spending a bit of time going through this subreddit. It seems like Japan requires a fair bit more foresight and planning, particularly with things like JR pass ect. I’ve got a learning/literacy/reading difficulty, so have found the extra details, route planning, looking at train/ferry routes ect a little hectic. This isn’t my first time travelling to a foreign country alone, but the level of granularity people seem to go to with their trips has kind of thrown me a bit. I’m hoping to get a little help or advice from you all (also please excuse the poor formatting and roughness of my plan, its early days).
I know I’ve got a fair bit of time until I go, but am starting my final thesis which is due two weeks before I leave so was hoping to get a head start now before the chaos ensues.
A bit about me:
– 26 year old female solo traveller. I don’t speak Japanese but have started learning basic phrases.
– Background working in restaurants and kitchens alongside technology & design, so food is the no. 1 driver of the trip, second to anything architecture, experience or product design related. Would love to check out fermentation or wine related experiences, which I know is niche, but havent been able to find much yet.
– Love getting out into nature & grew up at the ocean, so hoping for the trip to have a healthy balance of busy cities and relaxing time soaking up Japans natural environment through hiking & swimming. I’d love to check out some seaside towns and potentially go for a surf.
– Am also an avid second-hand/thrift shopper, so have been told Shimokitazawa is epic for this. For this reason I’ve booked extra checked luggage for my flight home.
This is my current **(rough)** itinerary. I recognise that people on here have planned their trips almost to the hour, but unfortunately that’s not my MO. I’ll take any recommendations with arms wide open, but am currently mores looking for feedback on my route before getting into the nitty gritty. The last part of my trip hasn’t been planned as heavily due to wanting feedback on the current route and days spent in each city.
**Tokyo 13th-18th June (5 Days)**
– 13th June: Land in Tokyo around 7pm, go to hostel, leave my bags & freshen up. Have already booked my hostel – it’s situated next to Yoyogi Park in Shibuya. Head out for a lil walk around, to Don Quijote to pickup toiletries, grab some dinner. Before having a relatively early night.
+ 14th – 18th June: Explore districts such as Shibuya, Shinjuku, Fukagawa, Shimo Kitazawa, Akihabara, packaging museum, head to Murakami Haruki Library, Mori Art Museum, teamLab experiences, Day trip to Yokohama.
*>>>18th June: Travel from Tokyo to Takayama*
**Takayama 18th – 20th June (2 days)**
– Explore Takayama, hopes to get out to Kamikochi for hiking and nature time.
>Unsure if this is too long in Takayama and if I could just do it in 1.5 days?
*>>>20th June: Travel from Takayama to Kanazawa*
**Kanazawa 20th – 23rd June (3 days)**
– Go to 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawaeat at Ramen Taiga, Ohno Karakuri Memorial Museum, Uchinada Coast beaches.
*>>>24th June: Travel from Kanazawa to Kyoto*
**Kyoto & Osaka 24th June – 1st July (7 days between both)**
– Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Katsura river, Dontonburi, Ichiran Ramen, Shinsekai Neighbourhood, day trip to Kobe & Omihachiman (I still need to do my research on activities here but feel there will be no shortage).
*>>>1st July: travel from Osaka to Hiroshima*
**Hiroshima 1st – 3rd July (2.5 Days)**
– visit Peace Park, Shukkeien gardens, downtown area.
*>>>3rd July: travel from Hiroshima to Takematsu*
**Naoshima & Teshima 3rd – 6th July (3 days)**
– hop on ferry, explore island and art installations, Benesse Art Museum, bike around beaches, Teshima Art Museum.
>I’m wondering if I should try and get here earlier, potentially cutting days off Osaka, Kyoto or Takamatsu to be able to see more of the galleries and art exhibitions that aren’t open on the weekend.
*>>>6th July: Travel from Teshima to Takematsu*
**Takamatsu 6th – 8th July (2 days)**
– Explore Takamatsu, depending on ease of access, hiking in Iya Valley, Shikoku Mura and surrounding areas, taking it easy.
*>>>9th July: travel from Takamatsu to Nagoya*
**Nagoya 9th – 11th July: (2 days) **
– Was hoping to get tickets to the sumo when they go on sale in March, Noritake Garden, potentially find a ceramics class, Tokugawa Art Museum.
>To be perfectly honest, Sumo is the main thing drawing me to Nagoya, would love some more insight into it & if there’s other places that would be worth spending more time in for those that have done similar trips.
*>>>12th July: travel from Nagoya back to Tokyo*
This is basically what I’ve got so far. Lot’s of wiggle room at the end of the trip, as I don’t depart Tokyo until the 19th of July.
***I think my biggest areas of question/concern are:***
– Should I spend more time in Takamatsu exploring the surrounding islands such as Ogijima or it worth spending this time travelling all the way down to Kagoshima & Yakushima Island instead?
– Wondering if I should skip Takayama and head straight to Kanazawa to free up an extra few days to have a bit more wiggle room.
– Looking at my current itinerary & interests, is there a better route or way to go, particularly for beach towns?
– Considering JR pass is 3 weeks, the best time to activate it.
Please excuse me if some of this seems like a no-brainer. Like I said, I’m trying my best to navigate the planning but the logistics, routes, time spent in each city is scrambling my brain a bit, particularly the endless ways you can approach the trip. Also apologies if my math on the dates/days doesn’t add up, not really my forte.
**Thank you so much in advance if you’ve read this and reply, I really appreciate everyone’s insight & hope that after my trip, I can do the same for you guys. Cheers!**