**When: Oct 15-Oct 29. Flights have been booked at KIX, arrival and departure.**
Priorities: Regional cuisine, then easy scenic strolls with scenic architecture like Shirakawa go and Kinosaki Onsen
Dining:Â Seafood beef, chicken/duck, pork, lotus root/local veg, udon, umeshu, uniquely local mochi (favorite), etc.
Visits are narrowed down to my must-sees.
Please check and advise for:
* something not in season,
* not accessible (easily found),
* repeats,
* not worth the premium, or
* something that is a must-try given my food preferences I’ve missed.
My goal: To narrow down to my top 3 per city/stop as stomach room is finite and make something commute-efficient given the destinations and the JR pass 7-day limit.
**Activate JR West All-Area Pass (7 Days)**
**Kanazawa from KIX (Day 1-2)**Â
* FOOD: Nodoguro (sea bream karamushi), kaburazushi, conveyor sushi, oden, noto beef, kaga yasai. Kanogani not in season.
* Visit: Omicho market, Day trip at Shirakawago
**Stop in Maibara, Shiga on the way to Okayama**
* FOOD:Â Omi Beef, Duckpot, Sweetfish, Funazushi, Somen
**Okayama Day 2 overnight**
* FOOD: Barazushi, Chiya beef, okonomiyaki. Peaches not in season, may try to find at supermarkets.
**Day 3: Okayama, Stop at Hiroshima for afternoon/dinner on way to Fukuoka**
* FOOD: Saltwater eel, okonomiyaki, oysters, Onomichi ramen, momiji manju
**Fukuoka (Day 3 overnight – Day 5)**
* FOOD: Mentaiko, possibly Basashi. Amaou strawberries not in season, may try to find based on glowing recs.
* Possible day trip:Â Kagoshima if taking the shinkansen for boar, chicken, kabocha
* Alternatives for day trip: Saga for squid and lotus root and mudskipper OR Oita for flounder Or Yamaguchi for lotus root
**Kyoto overnight for Day 6, Day 6 Kinosaki Onsen: Relaxation Day trip**
**JR West All-Area Pass Expires (7 Days)**
**Kyoto (Day 7-10)**
* FOOD:Â Umenoyoi, Mochi, Seafood (based on what’s offered), matchaÂ
* Visit: Kinkakuji, Arashiyama, Gion, Kiyomizu dera slopes, Nishiki marketÂ
**Day 11 Koyasan day trip for Okunoin**
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* FOOD: Wakayama Umeshu
**Osaka/Nara (Day 12-13)**
Nara
* FOOD: Umeshu and Mochi
* Visit: Nara Park
Osaka
* FOOD: Anything we’ve missed that is a must-eat/weren’t able to find at previous stops and available, like Udon, sushi and soba, Plums not in season but will try to check, time allowing, and Pears, persimmons, mikan, yuzu, yokan, maybe even manage to bring back a bottle of umeshu.
* Visit: Dotonburi, Shinsekai, Settsukyo Park, Kuromon Market
**Day 14-15** – extra time to buffer into itinerary to the heavily commute-packed Day 2-6 as needed to add to Kyoto/Osaka time.
Based on my priorities, where best do you advise I allocate the extra 2 days?
Thank you!
3 comments
> Kagoshima
Is not included in the JR West pass so you’ll have to pay out of pocket for it.
> Wakayama
* Wakayama soy sauce ramen
* Sea bream at Kada
> Extra days
Kada is a great day trip from Osaka, and the day trip onsen at Kyukamura Kishu-Kada is lovely. You can get the Nankai 2-day pass, use one day for Koyasan and one day for Kada.
All the running around between cities seems exhausting ðŸ˜
There’s not really anything in Maibara tbh, Hikone nearby is much more interesting for tourists. I think you’d almost be better off doing a day trip to Shiga from Kyoto or something if you want to go, and visit one of the nicer cities like Omi-Hachiman or Hikone. Hiroshima is a great city too – more interesting and nicer than Okayama imo, you could definitely spend another day there.