I am planning a 10 days one way trip (early Oct, 2023) from KIX to NRT covering Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Hokane and Tokyo. Initially I wanted only Tokyo and Hokane only but 10 days I can cover more and I don’t want to do round trip between Hokane – Tokyo. Will the following make sense? I am traveling with my mother in law and I doubt she would want to walk as much as my wife, her friend and I would.
Day 1:
* Arrival at KIX airport in the afternoon
* Travel to Osaka
* Check into accommodation in Osaka
* Evening: visit Dotonbori for dinner and explore the area
Day 2:
* Morning: visit Osaka Castle
* Afternoon: visit Shitennoji Temple and explore the surrounding area
* Evening: free time in Osaka
Day 3:
* Morning: travel to Kyoto
* Afternoon: visit Fushimi Inari Shrine
* Evening: check into ryokan in Kyoto and enjoy the onsen
Day 4:
* Morning: visit Kiyomizu-dera Temple
* Afternoon: explore the Gion district
* Evening: visit Yasaka Shrine and its lantern festival
Day 5:
* Morning: travel to Nara
* Afternoon: visit Todai-ji Temple and its famous Great Buddha statue, and explore Nara Park
* Evening: travel back to Kyoto and enjoy the nightlife
Day 6:
* Morning: travel to Hakone
* Afternoon: check into your ryokan in Hakone and enjoy the onsen
* Evening: free time in Hakone
Day 7:
* Morning: visit the Hakone Open-Air Museum
* Afternoon: take a boat ride on Lake Ashi and a cable car ride up to Owakudani Valley
* Evening: return to your ryokan in Hakone and enjoy the onsen
Day 8:
* Morning: travel to Tokyo
* Afternoon: check into accommodation in Tokyo and explore the Shinjuku district
* Evening: free time in Tokyo
Day 9:
* Morning: visit Tsukiji Market for breakfast and see the famous tuna auction
* Afternoon: visit Meiji Shrine
* Evening: visit Shibuya Crossing and experience the neon lights and energy of Tokyo
Day 10:
* Morning: visit the Imperial Palace East Garden
* Afternoon: visit Odaiba and enjoy the views of the Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo Bay
* Evening: travel to Narita airport for departure flight at 5 pm.
Is this too loose or I can pack a few more destination? The daily activities are not in particular order, feel free to suggest.
I have 2 concerns:
\- What kind of transportation arrangement I should make? If JR Pass worth it for my trip? I was told to combine a few passes but I have no idea where to start.
\- Luggages – when we move around the country and staying at different places, show should I manage the luggages?
Thanks!
3 comments
Japan rail tickets will go up by about 70% in October so I suspect that it won’t be worth it.
In general, this seems too busy for 10 days. Most people do this ‘golden route’ itinerary over about 2 weeks. I’d suggest dropping a couple of destinations.
As some specific comments:
* The Tsukiji Fish Market closed several years ago. The fish auctions relocated to a new market, and seem to be much less accessible to tourists.
* If your flight from Narita departs at 5, you’ll need to leave central Tokyo by about 1pm, so day 10 isn’t doable.
I’m not sure what you mean by your question about luggage. You can store luggage at hotels before and after you check out of them, and there are luggage lockers at most large train stations.
Does not seem too bad, the content of each day seems realistic. Maybe appart from day 10, especially if they want to leave luggage somewhere and pick it up before going to the airport. In that case doing something close to the hotel in the morning of departure May make sense.
True about the wholesale market being close. Now the market (toyosu) is not freely available to walk around but they have a viewing deck for the tuna auction, that is if you wake up early enough to get there on time (and figure a way to go before the train run).
I think they ask what to do with luggage to move it. There is two main options, you move it yourself and bring it before check it, leave it after check out or put in locker. The other option is luggage delivery service. You can usually do it from hotel to hotel or airport to hotel, it’s also not same day delivery in most case. For Hakone, you can get it shipped between Hakone-Yumoto station and your accommodation (same day delivery if you are in time). This way you do not have to mange your luggage in the train/bus. Honestly, I am always moving my stuff myself as it is a manageable size.