Hi! I (26F) am planning a quick trip to Osaka and Kyoto together with my sister (27F) from Tokyo from June 18 to 20. Please kindly check the itinerary I’ve planned and advise on whether it is too packed, if there are some places I can leave out, and the best way to travel to and from the places by train. We will be using a JR Pass to ride the trains around Osaka and Kyoto. Thank you very much for your kind replies!
Day 1:
– Arrive to Osaka from Tokyo via shinkansen. (around 10 am)
– Go to Kaiyukan Aquarium (since our check in at the hotel is 3PM and we are only bringing a small carry on luggage with us)
– stroll in Osaka Castle/Park (hotel is only walking distance from here)
– Check in and rest for a while
– Harukas 300 observatory
– teamlab garden (I’ve read that it only takes about an hour to see the whole place)
– Dotonbori (for strolling and dinner)
– Back to the hotel
Day 2:
– Whole day in Universal Studios Japan
Day 3:
– Very early check out from the hotel (6 AM)
– Shinkansen from Osaka to Arashiyama
– Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
– Train to Hokan-Ji Temple
– Hokan-Ji Temple and Ninenzaka path
– lunch in Ninenzaka
– Train to Fushimi Inari Taisha
– Fushimi Inari Taisha
– Train to Nara Park
– Nara Park
– Shinkansen back to Tokyo (we intend to have our dinner during the train ride)
INFO: I didn’t add as much time for eating as we intend to eat local and street food as we walk. We also stay just outside of Tokyo in Chiba. We will leave our luggage in the lockers inside the train station so we don’t have to carry it around. We also plan on visiting the teamlab in Tokyo so I’m wondering if it’s worth visiting the one in Osaka. If you can also help, where can I check the timetable for the last schedule of shinkansen from Nara to Tokyo? Again, thank you very much for your kind responses.
2 comments
Day 3 is too busy.
There isn’t a shinkansen station at Arashiyama or Nara, only at Kyoto. So you need to go via Kyoto when arriving and departing on Day 3. When travelling from Osaka to Kyoto it might be quicker to catch the local train as the shinkansen station at Osaka is a bit further away – but it depends on where you are staying.
If you are going to Arashiyama for the bamboo grove then it’s probably not worth the trip – it’s nice for that 1 picture but there isn’t much at the grove. Arashiyama is nice through but you need to spend more time there.
My suggestion is to go to Fushimi Inari first to avoid the crowds. After that you can go to Hokan-ji and explore Higashiyama. If you end up being done by around lunchtime then you can go to either Nara park or the bamboo grove.
Wow, day 3 is definitely very aggressive. This is typically at minimum 2 full days itinerary. I recommend just going to Kyoto early, visit Kiyomizu Dera, Ninenzaka as they are all in the same area. Enjoy Ninshiki market, Gion, etc. Enjoy the starbucks tatami, have nice lunch.