Hi everyone!
I’ve updated my [previous itinerary](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/10azvy8/itinerary_check_1_month_honshu_trip_in_september/) of a month-long itinerary in September (from 1st to 30th) with my wife (first trip to Japan!). Details about our interests, budget etc are available in the original post.
The overall route is Tokyo -> Fuji area -> Alps -> Kanazawa -> Kyoto (with day trips) -> Okinawa Honto.
You can find my detailed itinerary for reference after my specific questions.
**My questions :**
1. Given that we’re planning day trips to Osaka/Himeji/Nara from Kyoto (+transport to KIX airport), I’m debating between buying 3/4-day Kansai Area Passes or Kansai WIDE Area Passes. Which of the two do you think fits my itinerary best and has the best value?
2. We could be in Kishiwada for Danjiri Matsuri on its very last day (Sunday, September 17th). Because we would be based in Kyoto, transit time would be significant. Do you think that the experience is worth the hassle or should we just day trip to central Osaka instead? I’m confused on the festival’s schedule, I don’t know if the last day is action packed or not.
3. Are we mad for planning to spend a week in Okinawa in late September because of typhoon season? To me it’s a calculated risk, depending on the forecasts we would just delay our flight or lose 1 or 2 days on the island if a typhoon hits, in the worst scenario. But I could be very wrong 🙂
4. For our accommodation in Okinawa, we’re looking for a rather quiet and central location near the sea. Any recommendation? (between Onna and Nago?)
5. Bonus question : I’ve spotted quite a few Jomon archeological museums between Kawaguchiko and Matsumoto (Shakado Museum / Chino City Tateishi Museum / Idojiri Archaeological Museum) that seem to be interesting. Is any of them clearly superior to the others? Also, are they worth visiting if we’ve already been to Tokyo National Museum?
Thanks !
Here is my current revised itinerary draft for those interested :
**Day 1 (Saturday, September 2nd) : Arrival in Tokyo Narita**
Plane lands at around 9:00 am.
• Morning : get Suica + sim cards and hop on train to Hotel (probably around Asakusa).
• Afternoon and evening if we have enough energy : Edo Museum / Sumo Museum / Akihabara
**Day 2-4 (Sunday-Tuesday) : Tokyo**
• A day around Asakusa / Ueno
• A day around the Imperial Palace and Tokyo Tower
• A day around Shibuya/Meiji-Jingu/Shinjuku
**Day 5 (Wednesday): Tokyo to Kawaguchiko**
• Tokyo to Kawaguchiko by bus in the morning
• Get rental car and explore around Kawaguchiko and hotel check-in in the Kawaguchiko area
**Day 6-8 (Thursday – Saturday): 5 lakes / Fuji area**
• Drive and visit around the five lakes and the whole Fuji area
• Options : Fuji-Q Highland / Hakone / South of Mt Fuji (tea plantations)
**Day 9 (Sunday): Kawaguchiko to Hirayu Onsen**
• Leave early to see Narai in the morning or a Jomon museum along the road and Matsumoto castle in the afternoon
• Check-in in onsen(+ryokan?) hotel in Hirayu Onsen
**Day 10 – 12 (Monday – Wednesday): Alps around Hirayu Onsen area**
• 1 day in Takayama
• 1 day for Mont Norikura area hiking and sightseeing + relaxing in onsen
• 1 day for Kamikochi area hiking and sightseeing + relaxing in onsen
**Day 13 (Thursday) : Hirayu Onsen to Kanazawa**
• Visiting Shirakawa-go (+Gokayama/Suganuma ?)
• Give back the car in Kanazawa and check in hotel near Kanazawa station. Explore surroundings in the evening.
**Day 14 (Friday) : Kanazawa**
• Explore Kanazawa
**Day 15 (Saturday) : Kanazawa to Kyoto**
• Train from Kanazawa to Kyoto
• Check in in Hotel, ideally not too far from Kyoto station but still in a lively neighborhood. Explore one Kyoto neighborhood in the afternoon/evening.
**Day 16-21 (Sunday-Friday) : Kyoto + Day trips**
• Sunday might be used to go see Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri if feasible. Otherwise just a standard Osaka day trip.
• 1 day around Arayashiyama
• 1 day in Eastern Kyoto (Gion/Kiyomizu-dera/Fushimi Inari)
• 1 day for leftovers (Nanzen-ji/Nijo-jo/Kinkaku-ji)
• 1 day for Nara day trip.
• 1 day for Himeji day trip.
**Day 22 (Saturday) : Kyoto to Okinawa Honto**
• Train from Kyoto to airport (KIX ?).
• Flight to Naha, get rental car, drive to hotel/air bnb, preferably on the sea side around the center of the island.
**Day 23-27 (Sunday – Thursday) : Okinawa Honto**
We chose Okinawa Honto because it seems like it offers a wide variety of attractions and activities (Sea, culture, history etc). We like to mix things up.
• 1 day for Motobu Peninsula (Ocean Expo Park + beach time (Kouri-jima?))
• 1 day in the South (Shuri castle restoration + WW2 sites + Nakagusu castle)
• 1 day in the North (Yambaru National Park / Hijo Falls)
• 1 day to explore nearby island(s) (either Kerama or Ie/Inezajima/IheyaJima)
• 1 day to relax and improvise
**Day 28 (Friday) : Naha to Kansai airport**
• Flight from Naha to Kansai airport. Check in Hotel near the airport and do a last half-day of shopping / relaxing / exploration depending on mood.
**Day 29 (Saturday) : Kansai airport to Paris**
• Flight back
Thanks very much for reading this! Of course, any advice is welcome!
1 comment
Great upcoming trip! Trip planning fun is already holiday 🙂
My personal take for your questions 1 & 2.
1. Looking at your time planned, i would choose the 3/4 day Kansai Area Pass. It covers more than enough to see.
2. Don’t skip Osaka. Actually you easily can spend 2 or 3 days there. You will notice it has a total different vibe than Tokyo.
Overall, you plan a lot of travel. Even though Japanese public transport is great. You still will be looking around where to go, which train, which track and which direction. In other words, it is overwhelming and tiresome. And travel time spend can’t be spend for something else.
There is soooo much to see in Japan. Wouldn’t you want to take some more time to absorb the great impressions? And try the delicious and amazingly affordable food?
Okinawa and Kanazawa are great areas to visit. But it makes your itinerary very cramped.
For a first time Japan visit i would keep it simpler. Visit lesser different places, but explore more the places where you are.
If you like to understand the country better. You can build up the trip by visiting Nara in the beginning, Kyoto somewhere in between and Tokyo at the end.
Nara was Japan’s first capital, then Kyoto and finally Tokyo. You will see architecture differences and understand how Japan is formed in history. In between go to the onsens, visit the alps and mount Fuji.
Base yourself at the start of your journey in Osaka and at the end in Tokyo. And move around in between. You definitely need to take in account the time difference/jet lag when you arrive. It is a bitch i can tell you (4x visitor of Japan)
Just my 2 cents. Bon voyage