**13 Day Trip Overview (1st April to 14th April):**
Osaka (1st – 5th) >>> Koyasan (5th – 6th) >>> Kyoto (6th – 9th) >>> Tokyo (9th – 14th)
4 people (2 x mid 20’s & 2 x early 50’s)
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Any help on this itinerary would be greatly appreciated and thanks in advance for reading!
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**Day 1 – Osaka – 1st April**
Arrive in Tokyo Haneda Airport @ 07:30hrs and allow 1hr max for us to get through arrivals etc.
Pick up 14-day JR Pass from T3 JR centre and pick up pocket wifi.
**Hikari from Shinagawa is 10/40 past the hour from 7 am to 7 pm**
Get the Keikyu Airport Line to Shinagawa Station where we catch the Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka Station then to Osaka-Namba where our hotel is.
Hopefully, with some sleep in us from the flight and train, we will be able to explore the area around Namba/Dotonbori for lunch before heading down to Tsutenkaku via Namba Yasaka Shrine.
See Osaka Castle then to Aquarium and Ferris Wheel in the evening.
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**Day 2 – Nara/Osaka – 2nd April**
Train from JR Namba station (45mins on Yamatoji Line – Rapid Nara).
Walk down Sanjo Dori St to Nara Park. Look out for Nakatanidou (a Japanese sweet shop). See Kofuku-ji Hokuendo on the way. Explore Park and feed deer. See Todai-Ji, Isuien Garden, and Kasuga-Taisha. Higashimuki Shopping Street.
TeamLabs Osaka Botanical Park in the evening.
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**Day 3 – Hiroshima/Himeji Castle – 3rd April**
Metro from Namba to Shin Osaka then Shinkansen which runs 5-7 times per hour to Hiroshima.
See the peace park, museum, and atomic bomb dome. Okonomimura. Hondori Street
(Hopefully) Train to Himeji to see the Castle. Dinner in Dotonbori.
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**Day 4 – Osaka – 4th April**
Get train over to USJ. Aim for 30 minutes before opening time. Will have bought the express pass 7 so have timed entry already confirmed. Plan to spend an entire day here. If we don’t have dinner there, then have dinner in Dotonbori.
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**Day 5 – Travel to Koyasan – 5th April**
Travel from JR Namba station to Gokurakubashi on the Nankai Ltd Express train using JR Pass. Then get cable car to Koya. Bus from Koya station into town and check into Temple lodgings. Walk to Daimon Gate then walk to Kongobuji Kompon Daito Pagoda then to Kongobuji and the Banryu-tei Rock Garden. Walk through Koyasan to Okunoin Cemetery to see Mausoleum of Great Master Kobo Daishi. Head back to temple lodging for dinner and relax.
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**Day 6 – Travel to Kyoto – 6th April**
Wake up early to see the morning ceremony. If we missed anything the day prior, do that today before heading to Kyoto and checking in to hotel. See Kyoto tower and Shoseien Garden before heading over to Kiyomizu-dera, Sanneizaka and Ninenzaka. Finish by going to Komasatsu Alley.
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**Day 7 – Kyoto – 7th April**
San-In line to Saga-Arashiyama. Walk through bamboo grove. Walk over to Senkoji Temple before heading over to monkeys. Then head to Kinkaku-ji temple.
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**Day 8 – Kyoto – 8th April**
Fumu-ishi nari in the morning. Nishiki fish market then head over into Gion district for an explore (Shirakawa lane, Hanamikoji Street, Maruyama Park etc).
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**Day 9 – Travel to Tokyo – 9th April**
Shinkansen to Shinjuku and check in probably around midday. Shibuya and Harajuku – Meiji Jingu Shrine, Takeshita Street – walk to Shibuya, see the crossing and the Hachiko statue, Shibuya sky tree.
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**Day 10 – Tokyo – 10th April**
Ueno – Ameyoko shopping district, wander around Ueno Park, head over to Senso-Ji and Nakamise-Dori street, and finish off at Tokyo Sky Tree.
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**Day 11 – Tokyo – 11th April**
Get the train to Shimoyoshida from Shinjuku to go to the Arakurayama Sengen Park to get great views of Mt. Fuji and hopefully the cherry blossom. Last train back to Shinjuku around 5.30. **Recommendations as to what to do after seeing the iconic sight.**
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**Day 12 – Tokyo – 12th April**
Go to the art aquarium, explore the Tokyo area, and go to TeamLabs. Do we need to do both? Is it best to just do the acquarium or TeamLabs? Also any recommendations for what to see or do in the Tokyo area would be appreciated.
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**Day 13 – Tokyo – 13th April**
Purposefully left this spare in case the previous days are unrealistic. If the previous days are realistic, have we missed something?
**Day 14 – Fly home @ 09:30hrs – 14th April**
2 comments
Which hotels are you staying at?
Day 1 itinerary looks way too ambitious. Don’t underestimate the processing time for airport customs and luggage retrieval. Could easily be 3 hours. Plus then you have that 3 hour train ride from Shinegawa to Osaka. Plus you’re going to be jet lagged and fatigued from all that travel.
Osaka Castle closes at 5 pm and the aquarium is on the other side of the city. You sure you have energy for those? Any day 1 travel in any country I try keep it chill.
Going to Hiroshima but no Miyajima?