Hello! I’m headed for my second trip in Japan next month and had a few questions especially about transport! I’ve done a similar trip in 2019, but this trip around has more detail and some places I’ve never been to. I’ve tried to make it as flexible and open an itinerary as possible with some options for chill/flex days, but I’d love any advice, suggestions, or opinions if any!
**April 20 (Thur):**
\- Arrive in Narita at around 3pm.
\- Collect JR Pass, take bullet train to Kyoto immediately (ETA 7-8pm in Kyoto?)
\- If possible, walk around the area a bit, but mostly just plan to sleep
**April 22 (Sat):**
\- First time daytrip to Himeji.
\- Any recommendations on what to do besides looking at the castle from afar?
**April 23 (Sun):**
\- First time daytrip to Nara
\- Main sites to see are Nara Park and Todaiji Temple
\- Open to suggestions otherwise!
**April 24 (Mon):**
\- Day trip to Arashiyama area. I went here in 2019 and loved the area so figured I’d like to take the day to enjoy it. I’m hoping that on a Monday, it won’t be as busy.
**April 26 (Wed):**
\- Day trip to Osaka
\- Thinking of the aquarium in the morning (hopefully won’t be busy on a Wednesday), Shinsekai in the late afternoon, and Dotonbori at early evening/night
**April 21, 25, 27, 28:**
\- Flea market at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine on 25th (worth paying a visit?)
\- General Kyoto sightseeing on these days (Gion, Sanjusangendo, Fushimi Inari, etc.)
**April 29 (Sat):**
\- Train to Tokyo probably in late morning/early afternoon
\- Some general sightseeing around Tokyo if time (Shibuya area probably), but mostly just get settled and chill
\- Unfortunately I realised too late that I had planned my trip with a part of it in Golden Week but I’m hoping that since I go to Tokyo when Golden Week starts, it might not be too busy in Tokyo? A lot of articles I read said that most people leave Tokyo during this time and flood back at the end of the week, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this will work out okay. If not, should I just be prepared for every bus/train ride to be like riding in a sardine tin and for every site to be busy?
**April 30 (Sun):**
\- Daytrip to Kawaguchiko and Fuji Shibazakura Festival
\- I’m anticipating that this day trip will probably be extremely busy due to Golden Week
\- I’m hoping to get to Kawaguchiko as early as possible (possibly even taking the first available train/bus there, which seems to taking a train to Shinjuku station at around 6am, then take a bus at 6:45 to Kawaguchiko (I’m guessing the JR Pass won’t work on this), arriving at Kawaguchiko Station at 8:30am
\- Maybe take some pics of Mt. Fuji if it’s out, but head straight to the Fuji Shibazakura Festival (\~10am to 12pmmaybe?)
\- Back to Kawaguchiko main area in early afternoon (\~1pm), stop by Chureito Pagoda (is it hard to navigate the 400 steps with minor mobility issues?), and possibly Kubota Itchiku Museum if there’s time
\- Take the Mt Fuji Panorama Ropeway, stop by Herb Hall if there’s time, then back to Tokyo\*
\- \*: When I first went to Kawaguchiko in 2019 by train, I noted that the trains stopped running fairly early, around 5:30pm iirc in June. According to Google Maps though, if I’m taking the bus instead, I seem to be able to leave as late as 8pm and arrive in Shinjuku by 10pm. This would obviously allow me more flexibility and time at Kawaguchiko, but just wanted to confirm this was the best option?
**May 1 (Mon):**
\- Daytrip to Hitachi Seaside Park
\- I’m anticipating that this day trip will probably be extremely busy due to Golden Week
**May 2 to 5:**
\- General Tokyo sightseeing (Asakusa \[busy for Golden Week probably\], TeamLab Planets \[is it worth it? I really wanted to go in 2019 but couldn’t get tickets and I’ve heard great things about it\], Ueno, Akihabara, Kichijoji + Ghibli Museum, Shibamata?)
\- I’m planning on visiting the Kameido Tenjin Shrine Wisteria Festival around May 4th, but dates haven’t been officially announced, so this may change.
\- Any other recommended places to visit in Tokyo? I did a bit of the basics in 2019 (Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku, Meiji Shrine etc.) so I haven’t included some of those back again due to limited time.
**May 6 (Sat):**
\- Flight back to Canada from Narita at 4:55pm (arrive at Narita by \~2pm)
\- Would transporation to Narita be affected by Golden Week? I was thinking of taking a bit of time to do some light sightseeing if I could, but would it be recommended to head there early instead?
**General Questions:**
I know I’ve gone on a lot, so I’m really grateful for your time and patience! I have a few general questions about travelling in Japan again after so long.
1. How is the weather in late April/early May? I have a high cold tolerance (Canada), but would it be a good idea to still bring a light coat or is that not needed? For reference, I find 10-12C (50-53F) to be when I’d want a light sweater. When is sunset during this time?
2. I’ve heard that the JR Rail Pass has since switched over to a paper ticket instead of a pass you show staff. I’m not super familiar with the different train lines, so how would I know if the JR Rail Pass would not be eligible for a particular route I was taking? What if half the route was eligible but the other half was not? Would I be stopped at the gate (at which point I would scan an IC card)?
3. I still have my Icoca, Pasmo, and Suica cards from my trip in 2019. Can I bring them with me and load them up? Or would I be required to buy new cards? (I got multiple IC cards during my last trip because I wanted to collect the different types haha)
4. Is Golden Week really as notorious as it seems, specifically in the Tokyo area? Every article I’ve read says to avoid Golden Week as if your life depended on it, but I unfortunately can’t really change plans! I’m looking forward to the potential of seeing carp streamers on Children’s Day around the city though (if that’s a thing)!
Apologies again for the huge post and thank you for all your help!
2 comments
Himeji… go in the castle, it is not that expensive and is in my opinion quite impressive how it’s all made on a wooden structure.
If you get there early, you can manage the castle and garden in the morning and take a bus to Engyo-ji/Mount Shosha, Idid the hike and it took a good 3h total.
To Kawaguchiko, the JR pass only cover up to Otsuki station, you can still use the direct Fuji Excursion train but will have to pay an extra. By yes the bus is the other option.
If you put the JR pass in a non JR gate, it will spit it back. Also, JR stations have huge signs that say JR, kind of hard to miss. Yes, you can switch between two companies midway, not sure how transfer gates react, but yes what you described is right. Worst case exit one and enter the other instead of using the transfer gate.
Yes, all 3 can be used in the same places and are good 10 years after last use.
Yeah JR pass is like a ticket now. So you have to be careful and look after it. It’s pretty simple the lines will say JR in massive letters so you can’t go wrong. With your trip timings you’d need a 14 day possibly for the return to Tokyo, won’t be worth extending it further than that. You might not even break even on a 14 day pass! Have you had a play on the JR pass website that lets you plug in your trips to see if it’s worthwhile?
Btw I like your itinerary it’s relaxed and you are giving yourself time to see areas properly.