Happy Tuesday! I currently live in Japan and am planning a road trip across Honshu for next month. I will be a solo female traveler for the first time, and I am super excited! I am hoping to get some feedback from the group before finalizing my plans. Here are a few things to know about me:
1. I’ve lived here in summer before. Please don’t comment on the heat. It’s the only time I can take vacation, and I am not about to let the weather keep me from exploring. Is it ideal? No. Is it the best I can do? Unfortunately.
2. I don’t really sleep very well. My circadian rhythm is pretty much in alignment with the Japanese sunrise/sunset. I tend to wake up at 4 or 5 every day and go to bed around 8:30 or 9:00 pm. I am high energy and am a fast-paced traveler.
3. Public transportation is not an option on this trip. I will have my own vehicle and intend to drive everywhere or walk. Is this ideal? No, but it’s where I’m at. Having lived here for a while, I am prepared for the high cost of tolls, gas, and parking.
4. I plan to do a combination of car camping and capsule hotels on the trip. I’ve already mapped out a bunch of michi-no-ekis on my route that I can camp at. Whether or not I car-camp or capsule will be entirely dependent on the heat. I am doing my best to avoid making hotel reservations, if possible. Showering will be done at michi-no-ekis (when available) or at onsens.
5. I’ve already done a Kyoto trip before, so I won’t be spending a lot of time at places I have already seen (Kinkajuji, Fushimi Inari, Nishiki Market, etc.)
Day 1: Drive to Shimoda (3.5 – 4 hours)
* Panorama park (if it’s a clear day)
* Joren Falls
* Kawazu Seven Waterfalls
* Spend time on the beach
* Sleep at AirBnb
Day 2: Shimoda
* Morning surf lesson
* Ryugu Sea Cave
* Visit Shirahama beach/torii gate
Day 3: Shimoda to Nagoya (5 – 5.5 hours)
* Morning surf/SUP
* Drive along the Izu coast towards Nagoya (around noon-ish)
* Tombolo Land Bridge
* Highway Oasis (a michi-no-eki with a ferris wheel)
* Nagoya Castle (hopefully at sunset)
* Sky Promenade
* Nabana No Sato Botanical Garden
* This is my busiest day/longest drive. I’m not super interested in much in Nagoya and am basically using it as a stopover. If you have any feedback about this day, I am happy to hear it though.
Day 4: Nagoya to Nara (2 hours)
* Gansenji
* Kasuga Taisha
* Nara Park
* Isui-en
* Todai-ji
* Mount Wakakusa (if open)
* Very unsure if I want to stay in Nara for the night or go ahead onto Osaka to sleep. Any thoughts? Part of me thinks sleeping in a more natural setting might be nice, the other part wonders if waking up in Osaka the next morning will be the better choice. Thoughts?
Day 5: Nara to Osaka (1 hour)
* Osaka Aquarium
* Umeda Sky Building
* Street Kart Osaka
* Stay in a capsule hotel
* I am nervous that I will get bored in Osaka. Most itineraries only recommend eating and drinking. I know the aquarium and street kart will take up a good chunk of time, but I would love ideas for things to do in the early morning while I am awake and nothing is open (gotta love those late opening times).
Day 6: Osaka
* Osaka Castle (sunrise)
* Nakazakicho
* Dontonbori
* Shinsaibashi
* Dontonbori and Shinsaibashi are obviously nightlife activities primarily. I plan to check out the Nakazakicho neighborhood, but I’m nervous I’ll get bored this day. Is there more to see in Osaka than I’ve included here? What would you add to this day?
Day 7: Osaka to Kyoto (1 hour)
* Fushimi Inari
* Kiyomizu-dera
* Tea ceremony experience (already booked)
* Nijo Castle
* Gion
* Stay in a capsule hotel
Day 8: Kyoto
* Arashiyama (only for some early morning, tourist-free photos)
* Kimono Forest
* Otagi Nenbutsuji
* Hirobun – bamboo noodle restaurant
* Kuramadera
* Kurama onsen
* Drive to a michi-no-eki on Lake Biwa
Day 9: Kyoto to Kanazawa (2.5 hours)
* Shirahige Shrine (on Lake Biwa)
* Ninja Temple
* Kenroku-en
* Kanazawa Castle
* Samurai House
* Higashiyama/Higashichaya
* Omicho Market
Day 10: Kanazawa to Hakuba (2.5 hours)
* Happo-one Hike
* Mt. Karamatsu (if open. I’ve heard trails are closed this year)
* Iwatake Lillies or Lake Aoki
* Hakuba Brewing Company
Day 11: Hakuba to Togakushi (1.5 hours)
* Togakushi 5-shrine hike
* Kagami Ike Pond
* Drive to Jigokudani Monkey Park (1 hour)
* Matsumoto Castle
Day 12: Nagano to Nikko (3.5 – 4 hours)
* SUP on Lake Chuzenji
* Kegon Falls
* Ryuzu Falls
* All the falls
* Chuzenji Temple
Day 12: Nikko
* Kanmangafuchi Abyss
* Shinkyo Bridge
* Tosho-gu Area
* Drive home (2.5 hours)
Please send any additional ideas or feedback my way. I am really excited to get to do a little bit of everything across Japan. I mapped this route based on the Starbucks mugs available, which is why I am doing Kanazawa without going to Takayama or Shirakawago. I am open to suggestions, especially if you think a day is too full or too empty. Also, send any restaurant recommendations my way. TIA!
8 comments
Why avoid hotels and sleep at capsule hotels? You might as well use the GoTo Travel campaign and book a private hotel room (I think you’ll get the discount even when you book directly, without having to use a travel agency), I wouldn’t feel too safe using a capsule hotel with shared bathrooms. Wouldn’t want to shower at a sento either if its avoidable.
If you don’t mind going out of the way a little, don’t forget the Chirihama Nagisa driveway, a national highway on a beach! That’s close to Kanazawa, but to the north.
Add Minoo Falls for Osaka? or any other hike around the area really.
Some of these days are a little too packed; may be best to arrange some of these by highest priority so you don’t feel too bad missing out on some stuff for each day. However traveling solo DOES help speed things up.
Just a heads up, as well as your aforementioned heat, it’s also one of Japan’s busiest tourism months due to summer holidays and obon (summer festival) season. This will naturally slow you down a lot and you’ll need to take things at a slower pace, due to both the heat and crowds.
I genuinely don’t mean to sound discouraging, it’s just a forewarning so that you can enjoy Japan with less worries!
Nabana no Sato is on the wrong side of Nagoya if you’re coming from Shimoda. It looks close but depending on route/traffic it can easily take you about an hour to get to from Nagoya. So you’d be taking an hour there and then presumably back to stay over in Nagoya. Seems like a bit of an odd addition to the day and not totally worth it in the summer months anyway (imo). It feels like you’ve got way too much packed in on that day.
I’d recommend doing something on the Chita peninsula instead if you’re not so interested in Nagoya. Somewhere like Tokoname could be nice for an hour or so and is somewhat on your way over depending on the route you take. Or stop off at one of the smaller towns and try some local crafts (traditional tie dyeing etc).
Nagoya castle close at 4:30, sunset is after that. The palace is a pretty cool reconstruction, the decoration inside is stunning and I think it would be worth stopping to see it properly.
Osaka is not boring, there is many area to see and have more than just food to offer. You mostly listed the shopping area, and for someone who said Osaka is food, you missed Kuromon ichiba. You should also check for Umeda sky building around sunset or after, the view when it’s dark is great.
Kanazawa there is a lot for one day, you might not be able to do it all.
Also, I don’t see how you can fit a visit to Matsumoto just like that in the middle of that day, as it’s quite a detour. If would take more days, but you could do from Kanazawa stop to shirakawa-go on the way to Takayama and cross the alps in Oku-hida onsen at Hirayu and continue to Matsumoto, then Nagano.
I do not know if you plan to live in Japan for longer and if you will have more occasions to travel, but from my personal experience as someone who visited a lot of regions, this feel really really rushed and just touching the surface of the popular spot. You could easily spend 4-5 days if not more between Nagoya and Nara, going to Matsuzaka, Ise, Asuka, Kashihara, that is a great area. I could say the same about the area around Kanazawa.
Maybe I’m wrong, but your comment about the Starbuck mugs make it feel as you care much about the mug than the city you plan to visit. You also miss the Kobe (next to Osaka) and Gifu (Takayama) mugs.
How is parking in the cities? One early morning activity I did in Osaka was visit a laundromat. Maybe day 7 you’ll need it.
Can I ask where in Japan you’re living currently? If it’s Tokyo, then I gently suggest maybe postponing this trip, or perhaps splitting it up and doing a shortened version. Even if you’re not based in Tokyo, I personally don’t think now is the time to be doing a big cross country, multi-city trip. Also know that locals in many areas are still quite against having outsiders/tourists coming to their towns (many are calling for the go-to campaign to be cancelled or postponed). There have even been cases of people keying cars with the licenses plates of different prefectures.
I understand really wanting to travel during summer vacation, I was also looking forward to doing some domestic travel in August. However now that cases are starting to tick-up again, especially in Tokyo, I won’t be traveling this summer as I feel it would be kind of irresponsible.
Ultimately the decision is up to you though. Personally, I couldn’t do it with a clear conscience. As far as your itinerary goes, it looks pretty jam packed in my opinion with a lot of driving time.
I do see the fun in seeing every place for 1 day. But I feel like you might be really tired after the 4th or 5th place you visit. So I suggest maybe skipping 1 -2 places and staying longer in some places. Nagoya is especially packed maybe take it more easy.Overall a very god though out itinerary. Depending on traffic you might need to add/subtract 1 hour.
Warning: Fushimi Inari itself is essentially a full day thing.