Hi everyone,
I will be travelling to Japan for the first time in May (for 25 days excluding flights), and would really appreciate some help/sanity check regarding my itinerary. It is kind of a ‘last minute’ trip as I only booked my flights 2 weeks ago when I finally decided it was the perfect moment for me to go, so I unfortunately haven’t had much time to plan for it (I will be travelling the month of March too so will try to book all hotels this week, but will further research the activities).
Just for context:
\- I (31F) will be travelling alone (first solo trip so I am a bit anxious about going so far for this long)
\- I don’t speak Japanese at all, but will try to learn a few sentences
\- I will be travelling from Paris with layover in Taipei
\- I am usually quite active on vacation and love to walk a lot so I can plan a bit much
\- I plan to buy a 3 weeks JR pass starting on the end of the first week to last until my departure day, that I will try to use almost exclusively to travel between cities
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Here is the itinerary that I am planning:
**Day 2 (May 9) :** Arrival at 12h25 (Tokyo Narita)
* afternoon: Asakusa (Senso-ji temple, Nakamise shopping street…etc)
**Day 3-6 : Tokyo (4 days/ 5 nights)**
Note: I put a few things but haven’t really looked in detail what I want to see / do yet in Tokyo 😉
* Akihabara, Ginza
* Shibuya (including crossing) , Yoyogi-kōen, Meiji Jingu Shrine, Harakuju, Omotesando street, Oriental bazaar
* Shinjuku, Shinjuku Gyoen Park
* Odaiba, Ueno Park
* Fukagawa Edo Museum
* Ota Memorail Museum of Art ? (not sure what is the best place to see woodblock prints from Hiroshige , Eisen…)
* Odaiba, Ueno Park
* Shibuya Sky/ Tokyo Skytree: worth it ?
* Cat cafe (or shiba cafe ?)
* Ghibli museum (if I get tickets), Teamlabs Planets ?
**Day 7-9 : Kanazawa (2 nights) / start JR pass**
***Day 7-8:*** ***Kanazawa***
* D7: Tokyo -> Kanazawa (Kagayaki train express: 2h30) early morning
* Kenrokuen, Higashichaya Old Town, Myoryuji Temple (Ninjadera Temple), D.T. Suzuki Museum, Onomachi (evening) ?
* Kanazawa Castle, Oyama Shrine, Nomura Family Samurai House, Sea food market (Omicho)
***Day 9:***
* **Shirakawa-Go** *(morning 1/2 day trip : take bus 1h)*
* more Kanazawa (afternoon) if needed or head directly to Kyoto
* evening: Kanazawa -> Kyoto (Thunder Bird 40 train to Osaka) = 2h15
**Day 10-14: Kyoto (6 nights)**
***Day 10******: Kyoto***
* Heian-jingū shrine, Nanzen-ji temple
* Philosopher’s path+ **Ginkaku-ji** (Silver Pavilion)
* Nishiki Market
* evening: Gion district (have traditional tea ceremony?) + Yasaka-jinja shrine
***Day 11: Kyoto***
* **Fushimi Inari Shrine** (Torii Shrine) – *half day (arrive before 8am)*
* **Toji Temple**
* **Kibune-Kurama** *(afternoon):* Kifune-jinja shrine, Hike between Kibune and Kurama (1h), Kurama-dera temple
***Day 12: Kyoto***
* morning: Ryoan-ji temple + **Kinkaku-ji** (Pavillon d’or)
* afternoon: **Higashiyama-ku (area):** Sanjūsangen-dō temple **Kiyomizu-dera temple** Sanneizaka (Sannenzaka) + Nineizaka streets etc
* Pontocho (evening)
***Day 13: Nara*** (full day trip)
* Tōdai-ji, Isui-en garden, Yoshikien Gardens, Deer Park, Kasuga shrine etc…
***Day 14:*** ***Kyoto- Arashiyama***
* **Arashiyama**: Bamboo Grove, Tenryu-ji Temple, Togetsu-kyo Bridge (+ monkey park? might be skipping)
* **Nijô Castle**
* Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum ? (maybe)
**Day 15-16: Hiroshima (2 nights)**
***Day 15: Hiroshima***
* Kyoto -> Hiroshima: take first direct train (Hikari) = 1h54
* Peace Memorial Park, Peace Memorial Museum, Genbaku Dome/ atomic bomb dome, Hiroshima Castle (Hiroshima-jō): outside only, Shukkei-en garden
***Day 16****:* ***Miya-jima*** (day trip from Hiroshima)
* Full day in Miyajima / Evening in Hiroshima (to complete town visit)
* or: go to Miyajima midday to also watch sunset?
**Day 17-20 : Osaka (4 nights)**
***Day 17:*** ***Onomichi***
* Cat temple +Pigeon temple, Cat alley, Observatory…eat ramen
* Take ferry to Ikuchijima (Kosanji Temple)
* Head to Osaka in the late evening: local train line to Fukuyama + Tokaido-Sanyo shinkansen (Sakura) to Osaka (1h10)
***Day 18: Osaka***
* **Osaka castle** (half day)
* Umeda Sky building, Namba-Dotonbori (walk), Shinsekai district (evening) + Tsutenkatu Tower
***Day 19: Osaka- Himeji***
* **Himeji castle (half day)**
* Osaka: Shinsaibashi (shopping), Shitennoji Temple, Okonomiyaki Mura Village
***Day 20:*** ***Okayama+ Kurashiki*** *(day trip from Osaka)*
* *morning:* Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter (15min by train from train station)
* *afternoon*: Okayama Castle + Korakuen garden
**Day 21- 27 : Tokyo (5 or 6 nights)**
***Day 21: head back to Tokyo***
* *Train Osaka-Tokyo (2h53)*
* afternoon: Tokyo
***Day 22:*** ***Tokyo- Mt Fuji***
* *Note: I was thinking to take the highway bus early morning to Kawaguchiko and then maybe a local pass for buses to explore around, is this a good idea ? I was also thinking to then head to Hakone for a night in a ryokan with onsen, and visit Hakone the following day but I am a bit overwhelmed by the choice and high prices, and I see here and there that Hakone can be disappointing …any feedback is welcome ;)*
* Chureido Pagoda
* KAWAGUCHIKO Lake
* Oshino Hakkai (ponds..)
* Head to Hakone in the evening (night in a ryokan ?)
***Day 23: Hakone ?***
* I am not yet decided if I should try to stay somewhere else for the night? visit another town around Mt Fuji ?
* Hike old Takoido road around Asahi lake, Mt Fuji sights, Hakone jin-ja; Torii
* Sightseeing boat cruise ?
* Owakudani (Hakone Tozan Cable Car), Hakone open-air museum
***Day 24:*** ***Nikko (day trip from Tokyo)***
* Shinkyo bridge
* Nikkozan Rinnoji Temple, Toshogu shrine, 5-stories pagoda Toshogu Gojunoto
* Futarasan Jinja (shrine)
* Kanmanguifuchi Abyss
* Is there time to add anything else ?
***Day 25: Kamakura (day trip from Tokyo)***
* I will probably do this itinerary: [https://livejapan.com/en/in-tokyo/in-pref-kanagawa/in-kamakura/article-a0003564/](https://livejapan.com/en/in-tokyo/in-pref-kanagawa/in-kamakura/article-a0003564/)
***Day 26: Tokyo***
* shopping (gifts etc)
* buy a second suitcase ? 😀
***Day 27 (June 3rd): Departure*** Tokyo Narita 14h15
* Use Narita express (Day 21 of the JR pass)
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Questions:
\- does this itinerary looks logical to you ? (the order of the cities etc, just to make sure I did not include something incoherent with regards to trains routes etc), or do you see any day that looks too packed or on the contrary too light, or do you have any suggestions of places/activities to add ?
Kyoto is the most overwhelming to organize, looks like there are enough places to visit to last a full month…is there any ‘must-see’ that I missed ?
\- Do you have any recommendation regarding the 2 days in around Mt-Fuji : what to include or what other nice city could replace Hakone ? Is there any other place with nice traditional ryokan experience outside of Hakone (less expensive maybe ?)
\- Do you have recommendation on where to stay in Tokyo at the end of my trip (maybe close to Shinjuku station for the day trips) ? (I would like to stay in Asakusa for the first few days in Tokyo, in Gion area in Kyoto, and very near the train stations in all the other cities)
\- Is it best to make reservations online for all the JR trains in advance ? (not sure if they tend to sold out)
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Thanks a lot to those who had the courage to read all of this 🙂 Any feedback or suggestion will be very much appreciated!
Thanks a lot in advance!