18 day Itinerary lookover and advice

6 comments

1. Your Day 16 is full to the brim, divide taht into two days

2. For your open day, go to Tottori sand dune, only 2 hours away from Osaka

3. I’d definitely try to use your open day for Osaka, it was easily my favorite city. Just walk around Dotonbori and eat all the okonomiyaki and takoyaki.

4. Really not sure why a tour guide is needed for Day 3, the venues are all really self-explanatory or indeed experiential, unless you are very hesitant travelers I am uncertain how a guide could meaningfully add additional color (as opposed to, for example, temples/museums/monuments) in a way that justifies their cost.

   Day 16 is a LOT. This is simply a question of mathematics – you have eight hours for nine sights, plus transportation to/from the start and end locations, plus transportation in-between. I would split this day across Day 15 and 16 (maybe add a bit to Arashiyama, see a temple or two).

5. Arashiyama is a neighborhood filled with incredible temples, shops restaurants and cafes and other things to do.

   You could visit Adashino Nenbutsuji if the bamboo forest is too crowded (which it will be if you don’t start your day early.)

   Adashino Nenbutsuji has it’s own bamboo grove that is always quiet.

   A few minutes walk from there is Otagi Nenbutsuji which is famous for all the quirky and unique statues carved by people in the neighborhood years ago. It’s so cool.

   [otagi Nenbutsuji](https://instagram.com/otagiji_official?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=)

   There is also Gioji – moss temple which is gorgeous.

   You also have a myriad of cafes and restaurants such as:

   1.Pizzeria Lugara
   2. Saganoyu
   3. Cafe Cotorino
   4. Cafe Musubi
   5. Cafe Sagano ( a lovely retro cafe of the way to Adashino run by two elderly ladies)
   6. Arashiyama Nomura
   7. Kameyamaya

   As well as a host of other places. If you go only for the bridge and main bamboo forest you will most likely be severely disappointed.

6. Hi!

   You are unlikely to finish early from Tokyo Disney, but if you do, the obvious place is Ikspiari, the shopping area connected to Tokyo Disney. Even on non-crowded days, amusement parks tend to have long lines.

   You can list as many sights as you want to see in Kyoto with a tour guide, but you’re not really going to spend any time seeing them if you pick too many. Unlike what Google Maps looks like, the famous bamboo forest is about 15 minutes walk to the entrance to the monkey park. (It’s above Tenryuji) A car is not going to get you there much faster because the roads are full of people walking and the speed limit is low. It’s then 20 minute to the top of the hill (which must be walked) where the monkeys are and another 20 minutes back down, so you are looking at an hour just in transport without including any time seeing the grove or the monkeys.

   A Guide saves you time in pointing out places to eat or making reservation, or driving you longer distances like from Arashiyama to Kinkakuji. But they can’t make the experience take less time. You can go to Fushimi Inari and just stare at the entrance, but it took us 3 hours to hike the entire loop and take pictures.

   No one who lives in Japan likes the Go Karts. No one is going to be smiling or waving. They’re one of those things that the people in Japan resent tourists bringing back. They also require all members of your party who are participating to have International Driver’s Licenses.

   Good luck!