I’m doing a 10-day solo trip to Japan starting April 2. It’s my second time in Japan, the last time was in 2018 when I spent a week in Tokyo. Since I’ve already seen most of the main sights, this time I’m planning to venture out of Tokyo and visit Hakone, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima. I’m going to spend most of my time in Kyoto though, where a friend of mine is an exchange student.
I know that my schedule is quite full, but I’m used to travelling with a packed itinerary. I’m also a uni student, so I’m staying in hostels and trying not to spend too much money. I speak Japanese at an N5-N4 level, and can read kanji quite comfortably.
**Day 1 | Helsinki → Tokyo:**
* Arrival at Narita around 13:00.
* My hotel is in Asakusa, so I’ll probably get the Keisei line to Ueno and then the Ginza Line to Asakusa.
* After leaving my luggage at the hotel, visit Sensoji Temple, Nakamise-dori and maybe Ueno Park to see if there are any cherry blossoms left.
* Evening trip to Akihabara to see the neon lights.
**Day 2 | Tokyo:**
* After waking up, head to Tsukiji market for breakfast
* Get a train to Shibuya and visit Shibuya Sky and Hedgehog Cafe
* Lunch?
* Shopping at Harajuku and Shinjuku Gardens
* I’m thinking about booking tickets for the TeamLab Planets. Not sure about this one though.
* Later, a quick visit to some local bar in Asakusa
**Day 3 | Tokyo → Hakone:**
* Take the morning train to Odawara. My JR Rail Pass won’t be activated at this point, so I’m either going to take the Tokaido Line from Ueno, or head to Shinjuku and take the Odakyu Line. While the Shinjuku → Odawara trip is included in the Hakone Free Pass, I’m not sure if taking a detour via Shinjuku is worth it.
* Drop my bags at the hostel in Gora and have lunch.
* Head to Owakudani, experience the Lake Ashi pirate ship, visit Hakone Shrine and Hakone Sekisho
* Head back to the hostel to enjoy the onsen and have dinner in Gora.
**Day 4 | Hakone → Kyoto:**
* My JR Rail Pass will be activated on this day.
* Take the morning train to Odawara, have breakfast there (but where?) and then take the Shinkansen to Kyoto.
* Drop my bags off at the hostel, which is right next to Shichijo Station.
* Considering the early start, I’d probably want to take it easy today. Maybe visit the Nijo Castle and the Imperial Palace Gardens?
* See the sunset at Kiyomizudera
**Day 5 | Kyoto:**
* Start the day with a visit to Fushimi Inari Shrine and the surrounding pathways
* Lunch
* Wander around the temples and old streets on the east side of Kyoto. Visit Gion and the surrounding areas
**Day 6 | Kyoto → Nara → Osaka → Kyoto:**
* Day trip time! Head to Nara first to see the deer and have lunch there
* Then take a train to Osaka
* I probably have time to visit either the Aquarium or the Castle. Not sure which one is better. I’ve read that the castle is basically just a concrete copy built in the 90s, so I’m leaning towards the Aquarium.
* Check out Dotonbori, have some takoyaki, visit a few bars and head back to Kyoto on the last Shinkansen
**Day 7 | Kyoto:**
* Since Day 6 is going to be quite hectic, I’m planning for a late start on Day 7.
* Head to Arashiyama
* I actually haven’t done too much research on what there is to do in Arashiyama besides the bamboo forests. Temples, probably.
* Wander around Arashiyama and Western Kyoto. Maybe check out Nijo Castle or the Imperial Palace Gardens if I didn’t have time to do that on Day 4.
**Day 8 | Kyoto → Hiroshima:**
* Take the morning shinkansen to Hiroshima
* Drop my bags off at the hotel, which is near Kanayamacho station
* Have okonomiyaki lunch somewhere
* Head to the A-Bomb Dome and visit the museum
* Take a ferry to Miyajima and see the sunset at Itsukushima
**Day 9 | Hiroshima → Okunoshima → Tokyo:**
* Take the morning shinkansen from Hiroshima to Mihara, then a local train to Tadano-Umi and a ferry to Okunoshima.
* Check out the poison gas museum and of course, BUNNIES!
* Take the ferry back to Tadano-umi. There’s probably aren’t a lot of places to have lunch in such a small village, so it might be a smart move to have lunch in Mihara instead.
* Take the shinkansen to Tokyo. I might probably have to transfer trains at Osaka or Kyoto. I’ll probably be in Tokyo around 20:00.
* Since my hostel is in Shinjuku this time, I might go for a quick visit to Golden Gai and visit the “not suspicious bar”, a very suspicious bar that I visited the last time I was in Tokyo.
**Day 10 | Tokyo → Helsinki:**
* I have the morning and afternoon to myself, since my flight doesn’t leave until 18:00.
* No plans for today really. I might just wander around. If you guys have any suggestions, I’m open to them.
That’s it. All comments and suggestions are welcome!