Hello,
I’ll be arriving in Japan on March 25th and have spent perhaps too long thinking about the itinerary whilst there. I think it’s fundamentally ok, but just wanted to have a sanity check to make sure we’re not being too optimistic with our time there. I’ve got some questions throughout the list and some more at the bottom. Thanks for any help you can give.
**Saturday 25th March: Arrive in Tokyo**
14:25 – Arrive at Haneda airport. Collect 21-Day JR pass, Suica card, Pocket Wi-fi.
Take Limousine Bus service to hotel in Akihabara. Spend evening in/around hotel.
**Sunday 26th March: North Tokyo**
* Senso-ji temple, Nakamise-doori.
* Tokyo Skytree
* Ueno Park for Sakura viewing; picnic for lunch?
* Akihabara in afternoon/evening; arcades, shopping etc.
* Gyukatsu Motomura Akihabara for dinner.
**Monday 27th March: South/Centre Tokyo**
* 10:00 reservation at Teamlab Planets
* Tsukiji Fish Market for lunch
* Pokemon Center/shopping etc – maybe Ginza if time.
* Shinjuku in evening (Sake bar?)
**Tuesday 28th March: Shibuya area**
* Arrive at \~09:30 Meiji Jingu Shrine
* Walk through Harajuku into Shibuya
* Reservation at pop-up anime cafe for late lunch.
* FREE TIME in Shibuya
**Wednesday 29th March: Hakone Day Trip (with Hakone FreePass)**
* Leave Shinjuku \~08:00 to get Romancecar to Hakone \~10:00
* Go clockwise through Amazake-Chaya tea house, Torii shrine, boatride, ropeway to Owakudani.
* Lunch
* Hakone Open Air Museum
* Hakone Yuryo onsen – 4pm/5pm reservation. Is 4pm too early to get here?
* Return to hotel (probably about 21:30ish)
**Thursday 30th March**
* 10:00 Studio Ghibli Museum reservation
* Inokashira Park
* Nakano Broadway on way back to Shinjuku?
* FREE TIME/UNDECIDED
**Friday 31st March: Tokyo – Kyoto**
* Arrive in Kyoto \~12:00. Head to hotel near Gion district.
* Kennin-ji
* Kiyomizudera
* Yasaka Shine (Shoren-in+Chion-in seems a bit of a squeeze)
* Find dinner somewhere near hotel
**Saturday 01st April: Higashiyama**
* Arrive \~09:00 at Ginkaku-ji
* Philsopher’s Path (find lunch/snacks along here)
* Eikan-do
* Nanzen-ji
* Head to hotel quick before Nishiki Market
* Pick up snacks/bakery stuff for light breakfast next morning
* FREE TIME/dinner in evening
**Sunday 02nd April: South Kyoto**
* Wake up early (06:45-07:00?) for Fushimi Inari Taisha
* Fushimi Sake District – Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum
* Lunch at Tsuki no Kurabito?
* Depending on time, Tofuku-ji and Rengeoin Sanjusangendo temple on way back to central Kyoto.
* 2 hours Ninja experience 16:00-18:00
**Monday 03rd April: North Kyoto**
* Arrive \~09:00 at Kinkaku-ji
* Ryoan-ji
* Lunch at Okonomiyaki Katsu?
* Ninna-ji
* Head to Demachiyanagi station for Mount Kurama+Kibune Hike (is this possible?)
* Back to hotel to fresh up before dinner
**Tuesday 04th April: Arashiyama**
* Arrive \~09:30 in Arashiyama station
* Iwatayama Monkey Park
* Saga-Arashiyama station for Sagano Romantic Train \~11:30?
* Hozugawa River Cruise back (lunch there or on return) – \~15:00ish return?
* Tenryu-ji
* Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
* Okochi Sanso Garden (if there’s time)
* Dinner in Arashiyama
* Arrange for bulk of luggage transfer to Osaka; simple day pack for next day.
**Wednesday 05th April: Kyoto – Himeji – Hiroshima**
* Leave Kyoto \~08:00; arrive in Himeji \~10:00 (luggage in coin locker)
* Himeji Castle
* Continue on to Hiroshima. Arrive \~14:30? Drop luggage off at hotel near station.
* Peace Museum, then Peace Park/Cenotaph in evening.
* Okonomiyaki for dinner somewhere
**Thursday 06th April: Miyajima – Osaka**
* Leave hotel, and leave day pack in coin locker at station.
* Arrive \~09:30 in Miyajima.
* Itsukushima Shrine
* Momijidani Park
* Ropeway up Mount Misen
* Hike down towards Daisho-in temple
* Omotesando Shopping Arcade
* Leave for Osaka \~17:00ish
* Arrive \~19:30 in Osaka at hotel in Kita district near Osaka-Umeda station.
**Friday 07th April: Osaka**
FREE TIME/UNDECIDED but Dotonbori shopping seems obvious. Maybe Osaka Castle but may be architecture-weary by this time.
**Saturday 08th April: Nara Day Trip**
* Kofuku-ji
* Todai-ji
* Nara Park
* Mt Wakakusa
* Shopping/ sake breweries maybe
* Return to Osaka for dinner in evening
**Sunday 09th April: Yoshinoyama Day Trip (sakura dependent)**
* \~2hrs each way on train (Sakura Liner Yoshino from Osaka-Abenobashi station)
* 4-5hrs in Yoshino to see sakura/shrines there. Find lunch somewhere.
* Return to Osaka for dinner in evening
**Monday 10th April: USJ Day Trip (tickets booked)**
* Aim to arrive early \~08:00 to get Timed Entry to Super Nintendo World
* Harry Potter also!
* Eat in Theme Park
* Maybe dinner in Osaka evening but doubtful
**Tuesday 11th April: Osaka – Kanazawa**
* Send bulk of luggage to Tokyo (is this possible 3-4 days in advance?)
* Take \~10:45 Thunderbird train up to Kanazawa. Arrive in Kanazawa \~13:30 and walk to hotel.
* Higashi Chaya district in afternoon; look for somewhere for dinner in evening.
**Wednesday 12th April: Kanazawa**
* Omicho Market for breakfast?
* Kenroku-en
* Kanazawa Castle
* Gyokusen-en for matcha tea experience (time/interest dependent)
* Lunch somewhere nearby
* Nagamachi district – Nomura-ke Samurai residence
* Nishi Chaya district – Myoryu-ji (Ninja temple – might close too early?)
* Ninja Weapon Museum
* (Whole day seems a bit too packed?)
* Make-your-own Sushi dinner at Coil in evening?
**Thursday 13th April: Kanazawa – Takayama**
* Leave Kanazawa \~08:00 via Shinkansen to Toyama, then Hida Limited Express to Takayama.
* Arrive \~11:30 in Takayama at ryokan near station.
* Hida no Sato Folk Village
* Showa Museum
* Dinner at Sakurajaya booked for 19:00
**Friday 14th April: Spring Festival**
* Spend morning in Old town area shopping/sake breweries.
* Follow festival activities later in the day/evening
* 15:00 Marionette performance?
* Early dinner
* 19:00: Yomatsuri parade
**Saturday 15th April: Takayama – Tokyo**
* Take Hida Limited Express to Nagoya, and then Shinkansen to Tokyo.
* Arrive \~14:30 at hotel near Haneda airport.
* Return to favourite part of Tokyo if energy/motivation allows
**Sunday 16th April: Tokyo – HOME**
* Get to airport \~08:00.
* Flight leaves 10:40.
So some questions about certain days:
* For Hakone Day trip, is it realistic to go clockwise around the sites and be able to get to Hakone Yuryo for 4pm start? I’ve booked for 5pm but they have recommended to start earlier for dinner reservatation at 6pm.
* For the arrival day in Kyoto, have I put too much there? Only Kiyomizudera is a must and I’d like to spend time to do the Tainai-Meguri there.
* Is the North Kyoto day too packed? Is it possible to start Mt Kurama/Kibune at 13:00pmish say?
* Similarly, is the Arashiyama day too busy? Tenryu-ji is a must, and I don’t want to jeopardise seeing it if the Sagano train+Boat ride takes longer than what I think. I could go before, but I think the Monkey Park closes earliest so putting that first whilst its early.
* Is visiting Himeji Castle en-route to Hiroshima sensible, or squeezing too much in here?
* Does anyone know how Yoshinoyama’s sakuras flower compared to the forecast? This year it’s early so I might be too late for Yoshinoyama to be in full bloom. I can spend another day in Osaka if so.
* Is 12th April in Kanazawa too packed? I’ve heard it’s quite a small city but might be optimistic here.
* Do the Spring Festival activities go on continuously throughout the day? Or will there be time to visit other things in-between things? I haven’t made arrangements because I doubt there’ll be much time but just wanted to ask. I assume it will be obvious where/when things are going on since I guess it will be very busy.
I think most of the itinerary is sensible; maybe slightly too busy overall but we’re quite quick when visiting places and want to have more stuff scheduled which we can drop when busy rather than wondering what to do next.
Thanks for any advice/help!