Hello,
There are 4 of us that are planning a our first trip to Japan for roughly 14 full days in mid/late October.
We are looking for any suggestions/recommendations since the planning is still rough. I am having troubles judging time spent in areas.
I understand that some days may be fairly booked but we are hoping to see all we can without feeling completely exhausted and rushed since this may be (but hopefully won’t be) our only trip to Japan.
Notes:
* We plan to buy a JR Pass and plan to not deal with rental vehicles.
* We haven’t booked any lodging yet but plan too soon, so suggestions are greatly welcomed.
* We don’t have much fleshed out when we get back to Tokyo. We would love to head north and get a really quick experience in Hokkaido, but are unsure on how to work it in.
* We also might not be doing everything together, we are more likely to split up in pairs or completely when it comes to museums / shopping.
* Different people have different hobbies/desires in the group from more Historical/Wartime era memorials to Nihonto/Samurai themed stuff to Manga/Bookstores and Anime. There is overlap in interests and we plan to split up/group up as necessarily but would like to see the more famous shrines together.
**Day 1 – Arrival into Tokyo:**
* Arrive in Tokyo
* Buy JR Pass
* Grab some food and hop on Shinkansen to Odawara (lodge in Odawara)
**Day 2 – Attempt to see Mt. Fuji:**
* Explore Odawara
* Travel into Hakone for an attempt to see Mt. Fuji
* Is it worth traveling on to Gotemba or Kawaguchiko either via pass/bus?
* If we only go to Hakone to see Mt. Fuji is this a day long event or just a partial day?
* If the weather is bad we have discussed just leaving to our next destination.
**Day 3 – Arrive in Kyoto/Osaka:**
* Hop on Shinkansen to travel to Kyoto/Osaka
* Not sure if it is generally better to stay in one region or the other but the next few days will be spent in both.
* Kinkaku-ji
* Daitoku-ji Temple
* Rurikō-in Temple (maybe???)
* Kifune-jinja Shrine
* Is this way too much for a day? If so, what is best to remove or just plan to try and add more time?
**Day 4 – Kyoto:**
* Philosopher’s Path
* Eikan-dō (Zenrin-ji) Temple
* Kiyomizu-dera
* Kyoto International Manga Museum
* Shopping
* Is this way too much for a day? If so, what is best to remove or just plan to try and add more time?
**Day 5 – Osaka:**
* Umeda Sky Building
* Osaka Castle
* Amerika-Mura
* Dotonbori
* Nipponbashi
* Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
* Is this way too much for a day? If so, what is best to remove or just plan to try and add more time?
**Day 6 – Himeji Castle to Hiroshima:**
* Leave Kyoto/Osaka and arrive at Himeji Castle
* Spend part of the day at Himeji Castle then hop on Shinkansen towards Hiroshima
* I would like to work in Oyamazumi Jinja on the way to Hiroshima, but I don’t know if it is feasible.
* Arrive in Hiroshima that evening.
**Day 7 – Hiroshima:**
* Peace Memorial Park
* Ferry to Itsukushima
* Explore Itsukushima, Ropeways to Outlooks/Observatory areas.
* Check out the island and hopefully spend the night here (if any lodging isn’t already completely booked)
**Day 8 – Back to Tokyo:**
* Leave Hiroshima and arrive back in Tokyo.
* Explore Tokyo.
* Ghibli Museum
* Akihabara
* Shopping
**Day 9 – Tokyo:**
* Explore Tokyo
* Mikasa Historic Memorial Warship
* Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
* Edo-Tokyo Museum
* Shopping
**Day 10 – Tokyo:**
* Todoroki Ravine Park
* Explore Tokyo
* Shopping
Day 11:
* Takayama ???
* Toyama ???
Day 12:
???
Day 13:
* Would love to try and fit in a short trip to Hokkaido (but that may be asking a lot)
Day 14:
???
Flight Home.
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
Any suggestions on food, lodging, obscure locations with historical significance is greatly appreciated?
Any suggestions on a tattoo friendly onsen/ryokan in any of the above areas to spend one night?
Additionally, any obscure shops for book/manga/music/anime shopping or antiques/swords/samurai stuff is greatly appreciated.
Please help this somewhat lost group, and thank you for reading!
3 comments
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There are a number of Oyamazumi shrines in Japan, but are you referring to the Oyamazumi Shrine located on Omishima Island in the Seto Inland Sea? If so, I have been there twice by public transportation and it was very difficult to get there, so I think it would be very difficult for someone new to Japan to incorporate it into their travel schedule. It would be somewhat better if you could use a rental car.
Personally, I think it is a uniquely wonderful shrine for those who know the history of Japan.
Also, I am not very familiar with Odawara, so I apologize if I am wrong, but Odawara doesn’t seem like a good place for tourists to stay. Are you staying in Odawara for Odawara Castle?
How about considering staying in Hakone Yumoto or Atami?
And also, the Kyoto International Manga Museum is a place with a large amount of Japanese manga, which I do not recommend unless you can read Japanese.
Day 13 for Hokkaido would not be enough. Better to save it for another visit.