Itinerary Check: 12 Days in October

Hello! My partner and I will be travelling to Japan (first time for both of us) for 12 days in October. We are super excited, but also a bit overwhelmed in trying to figure out what we all should/can realistically do in the time that we have. I would love some input on our proposed timelines and itinerary.

A few priorities for us/our travel style:

* we are okay with busy days, but don’t want every second to be planned (some spontaneity/flexibility is appreciated and wanted)
* we would like to spend some amount of time exploring the cities/night-life, but I would also like to balance that with seeing some less “big city/touristy” things when possible
* we would like to see a variety of temples, gardens, etc; also enjoy hiking, outdoorsy things

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Day 1: Tokyo – arrive Narita 6:30am

* activate JR pass, travel to hotel (Shinjuku)
* drop off bags, explore Shinjuku area
* Ramen tour at 6:30 pm, through Tokyo Ramen Tours (we thought this might be a nice/less intimidating way to be able to chat with someone about recommendations in Tokyo and get acquainted with the area on our first night!)
* wander the streets that evening

Day 2: Tokyo – Shibuya and Harajuku

* Meiji shrine
* Shibuya crossing
* Ninja restaurant for dinner

Day 3: Day Trip to Nikko

* explore the shrines, falls, bridges
* be back to Tokyo for dinner

Day 4: Tokyo – Asakusa

* Tsukiji fish market in the morning
* Sensoji temple
* Nakamise street shopping
* Tokyo sky tree

Day 5: Tokyo – Ueno

* Ameyoko market
* Ueno Park
* Kappabachi (knives!)

Day 6: Kyoto

* get up early and get on JR shinkansen Tokyo to Kyoto
* drop bags off at hotel (or pay for luggage transfer)
* explore area around hotel (Solaria Nishitetsu)

Day 7: Kyoto – Gion

* Kodai-Ji temple and area
* Shimbashi street
* Tea ceremony – not booked yet, would love recommendations if anybody has any

Day 8: Kyoto – Arashiyama

* Bamboo grove
* Iwatayama Monkey park
* Gio-Ji temple and moss garden

Day 9: Day trip to Kinosaki

* hit up the onsens, relax and unwind
* maybe Kaiseki dinner in either Kinosaki or Kyoto (still looking for options – any recommendations? Considering Sakuragawa, Kikunoi Honten, Kiyama at the moment.)
* back to Kyoto for the evening

Day 10: Hiroshima/Miyajima

* get up early and take JR shinkansen Kyoto to Hiroshima
* see atomic bomb dome and peace memorial
* drop off bags at hotel (or luggage transfer)
* ferry over to Miyajima for early afternoon
* Itsukushima Shrine and Daiganji Temple
* back to Hiroshima for the evening

Day 11: Osaka

* get up early, travel from Hiroshima to Himeji castle
* continue on to Osaka, check into hotel
* walking street food tour booked for that evening at 5:30pm

Day 12: Day trip to Nara

* explore Nara for the morning and afternoon
* back to Osaka for evening

Day 13: leaving :'(

* do any last minute exploring in Osaka
* shinkansen back to Tokyo
* any last minute exploring in Tokyo
* be back to Narita airport for 6:30pm departure

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Are there any “can’t miss” experiences that I need to add in? We aren’t interested in Disney/Universal Studios/teamLab planets/etc. Thanks so much in advance for your input 🙂