My wife and I (both 30 years old) are planning a trip to Japan on October-November 2023. We would like to know your thoughts about this itinerary. Are we missing something?
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**Itinerary**
Osaka – 4 Days
Hiroshima – 1 Day
Himeji – 1 Day
Kyoto – 6 Days (with day trip to Nara)
Nagoya – 1 Day
Tokyo – 11 Days
Mt. Fuji – 2 Days
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**We created a map on google maps,** days are divided by colors.
[https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1otlz4qqHT9aU4kKWUJ637UEWoiKoPCY&usp=sharing](https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1otlz4qqHT9aU4kKWUJ637UEWoiKoPCY&usp=sharing)
Extra (Yellow/Orange on google maps) are extra attractions that we pretend to do if we are not too tired and/or if we have free time
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**Detailed Schedule**
obs: Dia means Day.
**Narita (15/10) – Dia 0**
* Travel: Narita-Osaka
**Osaka (16/10) – Dia 1**
* Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel
* Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
* Sumiyoshi Taisha
* teamLab Botanical Garden Osaka
**Osaka (17/10) – Dia 2**
* Osaka Castle
* Harukas 300
* Shinsekai
**Osaka-Hiroshima (18/10) – Dia 3**
* Hiroshima Peace Memorial
* Atomic Bomb Dome
* Castelo de Hiroshima
* Shukkeien garden
* Travel: Hiroshima-Himeji
**Himeji (19/10) – Dia 4**
* Castle de Himeji
* Sannomaru Square
* Kokoen Garden
* Himeji Zoo
* Nijigen no Mori (NARUTO)
**Osaka (20/10) – Dia 5**
* Universal Studios Japão
* Dotombori District
**Osaka (21/10) – Dia 6**
* 10 yen pancakes
* Rikuro Ojisan Cheese cake
* Kuromon Market
***Extra***
* Nakanoshima Park
* Kemasakuranomiya Park
* Minoh Park
* Hep Five Ferris Wheel
* Kuchu Teien Observatory
* Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street
* Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art
* Pokémon Center Osaka
* Nintendo OSAKA
**Osaka-Kyoto (22/10) – Dia 7**
* Ginkaku-ji Templo
* Eikan-dō (Zenrin-ji) Temple
* Castelo de Nijo
* Jidai Matsuri – 22/10
* Palácio Imperial de Kyoto
* Shirakawa-minami Dori
**Kyoto (23/10) – Dia 8**
* Kinkaku-ji Temple
* Toji-jin Temple
* Nishiki Market
* SAMURAI & NINJA MUSEUM with EXPERIENCE
**Kyoto-Nara (24/10) – Dia 9**
* Nara Park
* Todai-ji Temple
* Isuien Garden
* Kofuku-ji Pagode
* Travel: Nara – Kyoto
**Kyoto (26/10) Dia 11**
* Kiyomizu Dera Templo
* Hokan-ji Temple
* Gion Corner
* Maruyama Park
* Chion-in
**Kyoto (27/10) – Dia 12**
* Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
* Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama
* Okochi Sanso Garden
* Jojakko-ji Temple
**Kyoto (28/10) – Dia 13**
* Kyoto Tower
* Fushimi Inari-taisha Temple
***Extra***
* Tofuku-ji Temple
* Katsura Imperial Villa
* Kyoto National Museum
* Nishi Hongan-ji
* Sanjusangen-do Temple
* Kenninji
* Kyoto Railway Museum
* Daikaku-ji Temple
* Tenryu-ji Temple
* Saga-Toriimoto Street
* Gio-ji Temple
* Yuki-jinja Shrine – Kurama Fire festival 22/10
* Ninna-ji Temple
* Ryoan-ji Temple
* Nanzen-ji Templo
* Shijo Dori
* Hanamikoji Dori
* Tōshōdai-ji
* Yakushi-ji Temple
* Kasuga-taisha
* Byodoin
**Nagoya (29/10) – Dia 14**
* Nagoya Castle
* Nagoya City Science Museum
* Sakae
* Osu Kannon
* Osu Shopping Street
* Nagoya aquarium
* Grand Kiosk
***Extra***
* Museu da Indústria e Tecnologia Toyota
* Higashiyama Zoo
* LegoLand
* Atsuta Jingu Gakuin
* Museum Meiji-Mura
* Higashiyama Sky Tower
* Hisaya Odori Park
**Nagoya – Tokyo (30/10) – Dia 15**
* Mori Art Museum
* Maman
* Parque Hinokicho
* Nezu Museum (Extra)
* Tokyo Tower
**Tokyo (31/10) – Dia 16**
* Kaminarimon Gate
* Nakamise Dori Street
* Sensō-ji
* Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center
* Asahi Beer Hall
* Sumida Aquarium
* Tokyo Solamachi
* Konica Minolta Planetarium “TENKU” in Tokyo Skytree Town®
* Pokemon Center
* Tokyo Skytree
**Tokyo (01/11) – Dia 17**
* Ueno Zoo
* Parque Ueno
* National Museum of Nature and Science
* Tokyo National Museum
* Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum (Extra)
**Tokyo – Kawaguchiko (02 e 03/11) – Dia 18 e 19**
* Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway
* Floresta Musical de Kawaguchiko
* Pagode Chureito
* Arakura Fuji Sengen Shrine
* Museu Kubota Itchiku (Extra)
* Kawaguchiko Natural Living Center (Extra)
* Oshino Hakkai (Extra)
* Yamanakako Hananomiyako Park (Extra)
**Tokyo (04/11) – Dia 20**
* Hamarikyu Gardens
* Hibiya Godzilla Square
* Louis Vuitton
* Hakuhinkan Toy Park (Extra)
* Flagship instrumentos músicais (Extra)
* Ginza Place
* Chuo Dori (FDS)
* Sanrio World Ginza (Extra)
* Uniqlo (Extra)
* Pokemon Center
* Pokemon Cafe
**Tokyo (05/11) – Dia 21**
* Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
* Tokyo Mode Gakuen (Extra)
* Godzilla head
* Kabukicho
* Shinjuku Golden Gai
* Hanazono Shrine (Extra)
* Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
* Hands Shinjuku (Extra)
* Palácio Imperial de Tóquio
* Castelo Edo
* Kokyo Higashi Gyoen
**Tokyo (06/11) – Dia 22**
* Gyukatsu Ichi Ni San (Extra)
* Gachapon Hall
* Akiba systems idle
* Oshiro Cat Café (Extra)
* Retro Game Camp (Extra)
* Don Quijote Akihabara
* TAITO Station Akihabara (Extra)
* Mandarake (Extra)
* Akiba Cultures Zone (Extra)
* KOTOBUKIYA (Extra)
* Super Potato
* SEGA
* HEY (Hirose Entertainment Yard) (Extra)
* SEGA
* Radio Center (Extra)
* Radio Kaikan (Extra)
* Yodobashi-Akiba
**Tokyo (07/11) – Dia 23**
* Meiji Santuário
* Parque Yoyogi
* Daiso (Extra)
* Mipig Café
* Takeshita Street
* Togo Shrine
* Shiba inu cafe
* Tokyu Plaza
* 3COINS (Extra)
* Toy Sapiens
* Ragtag (Extra)
* Starbucks
* Shibuya Crossing
* Hachiko Estátua
**Tokyo (08/11) – Dia 24**
* Team Lab Borderless
* Odaiba Seaside Park
* Joypolis (Extra)
* Unko Museum – Poop
* Diver City Tokyo Plaza
* Museu Nacional de Ciência e Inovação (Extra)
**Tokyo (09/11) – Dia 25**
* Museu Ghibli
* Inokashira Park
* Harmonica Yokocyo (Extra)
**Tokyo (10/11) – Dia 26**
* Free day
**Tokyo (11/11) – Dia 27**
* Free morning
* Airport after lunch
***Extra***
* Jiyugaoka
* Tokyo Disney Resort
* PEANUTS Cafe
* Rio Meguro
4 comments
Only mentioning because you have the Ghibli museum on your list and you plan on going to Nagoya.
If you can get tickets you could add a day in Nagoya and go the Ghibli park.
Pace yourself so you don’t end up with temple burnout in Kyoto. You really don’t need to see a lot of them, after a while they’re kinda samey, so really focus on what you want to see at each location. For example, I crossed Ginkaku-ji off my schedule when I realized it was very very small, and the park-like grounds around it, while nice, are about the same as you can experience walking through Maruyama Park. It wasn’t worth going to the extra work of getting transportation around Kyoto, since we weren’t interested in doing the Philosopher’s Walk to get back. It’s a lot of walking.
That said, your day 11 will take you about 3 hours total if you don’t have anywhere to linger. Higashiyama/Gion area of Kyoto is far more compact than it looks. We stayed in the ryokan attached to Chion-in and literally saw all of it in about 4 hours and then had to decide what to do with the rest of our day. If the weather is bad, Maruyama Park will be very quiet and you won’t have to fight crowds on the streets to/from Kiyomizudera, but if it’s nice, everything will be crowded and it might not be as enjoyable. Plan according to your mood, and really focus on the specific places you want to see for personal reasons – don’t just keep a master list and check them off as you go, or you’ll do too much and remember none of it. And yes, temple burnout is REAL. After two or three you’ll be bored, it’s very samey unless there’s a specific reason to see one, like who is enshrined there, what era of history it is famous for, or a very neat bit of architecture that is unlike the others. Remember, shrines and temples are living places of worship for people, so it’s like going to see too many cathedrals in Europe – at some point they’re kinda the same and it’s someone’s church you’re intruding into, so unless you have a keen interest in some historical, architectural, or artistic value for a specific location, there’s no reason to try to see all of it.
Edit: OH that was the other thing to mention. Your food-related Osaka maybes.
Rikuru-ojisan cheesecake? NOT GOOD. That is, if you’re westerners used to the tang of cream cheese in your cheesecake. We got some on our last night in Osaka because I wanted to taste-test the texture of Japanese cheesecake, as I am a cheese connoisseur and routinely bake my own cheesecake. Rikuro’s isn’t cheesecake so much as it’s an egg souffle – it’s light and fluffy, yes, but it tastes 100% of egg and ZERO cheese, or cream cheese. Feel free to experience if you just want to know about the difference in texture but if you want good cheesecake, this is not good cheesecake. Also, the 10 yen pancakes? There will be an hour-long line for them from open to close. I don’t know if they’re worth the line, because the line was always so long I didn’t want to bother. We could see the line from our hotel room window, it was insane. Judge that at your own discretion.
When in Himeiji,, don’t skip out on Engyoji. Truly magical place, with lots of temples hidden in the forrest on a mountain. Its a 20 min. busride away from the castle and ropeway uo the mountain. The Last Samurai (Tom Cruise) was filmed there
I see you noted down Mandarake as extra. I dont know what you’re into, but if you like anthing retro (games and toys etc) its a must-do imo 🙂 love that store!