Curious if folks think there’s too much time in Osaka and not enough in Kyoto. Or if Tokyo is overdone or underone.
**Tokyo** (5 nights: Nov 28 – Dec 3).
* Arrival in Tokyo on November 28th.
* Explore Tokyo:
* *Shibuya Crossing*: Famous bustling intersection in Tokyo.
* *Harajuku*: Trendy shopping and fashion district.
* *Shinjuku*: Shopping, dining, and entertainment district.
* *Akihabara*: Electronics and otaku culture hub.
* *Asakusa*: Home to Senso-ji Temple and historic district.
* *Odaiba*: Entertainment and shopping island.
* *Golden Gai*: Nightlife area with small bars and unique atmosphere.
* Day trip to Nikko (Dec 1, \~2 hours one way from Tokyo):
* *Toshogu Shrine*: Ornate shrine complex, mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
* *Kegon Falls*: One of Japan’s most famous waterfalls.
* *Lake Chuzenji*: Scenic lake in the mountains of Nikko National Park.
* Day trip to Mount Fuji (Dec 2, \~2 hours one way from Tokyo to Hakone):
* *Fuji Five Lakes region*: Scenic area around Mount Fuji.
* *Hakone Round Course*: A popular sightseeing route offering great views of Mount Fuji.
**Kanazawa** (2 nights: Dec 3 – Dec 5, \~2.5 hours from Tokyo by Shinkansen)
* Explore Kanazawa:
* *Kenrokuen Garden*: One of Japan’s top three landscape gardens.
* *Kanazawa Castle*: Historic castle with beautiful grounds.
* *Higashi Chaya District*: Traditional teahouse district with preserved wooden buildings.
* *21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art*: Innovative museum showcasing contemporary art.
**Kyoto** (5 nights: Dec 5 – Dec 10, \~2.5 hours from Kanazawa by train)
* Explore Kyoto:
* *Fushimi Inari Shrine*: Famous Shinto shrine with thousands of red torii gates.
* *Kiyomizu-dera*: Historic temple with a large wooden terrace and panoramic views.
* *Arashiyama Bamboo Grove*: Tranquil bamboo forest.
* *Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)*: Iconic Zen temple covered in gold leaf.
* *Gion District*: Historic geisha district with preserved machiya houses.
* *Nishiki Market*: Vibrant food market with a variety of local delicacies.
* Day trip to Nara (Dec 8, \~1 hour one way from Kyoto):
* *Todai-ji Temple*: Impressive Buddhist temple housing the world’s largest bronze Buddha statue.
* *Nara Park*: Expansive park with free-roaming deer.
* *Kasuga Taisha Shrine*: Ancient Shinto shrine with thousands of lanterns.
* Day trip to Ghibli Park (Dec 9, \~2 hours one way from Kyoto to Nagoya):
* *Ghibli Park*: Themed park celebrating the works of Studio Ghibli.
**Osaka** (4 nights: Dec 10 – Dec 14, \~30 minutes from Kyoto by train)
* Explore Osaka:
* *Dotonbori*: Lively entertainment and dining district.
* *Osaka Castle*: Historic castle and park with a museum.
* *Umeda Sky Building*: Futuristic building with an observatory and a sky garden.
* *Universal Studios Japan*: Popular theme park with various
**Return to Tokyo** (3 nights: Dec 14 – Dec 17, \~2.5-3 hours from Osaka by Shinkansen)
* Spend your remaining days shopping for souvenirs, exploring any remaining attractions, or revisiting your favorite spots. You can consider visiting the following:
* *Tsukiji Fish Market*: Experience the lively atmosphere and savor delicious seafood.
* *Ueno Park*: A spacious park with various museums, a zoo, and cherry blossoms in spring.
* *Meiji Shrine*: A serene Shinto shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji and his wife.
* *Roppongi*: A popular district for dining, nightlife, and shopping.
* *Imperial Palace*: The residence of Japan’s Imperial Family, with beautiful gardens and historical significance.
* Depart for Boston on December 17th.
8 comments
For Osaka what you have listed will only take 2 days, so you have too much time. Nara and Ghibli park can be done from Osaka if you want to sightsee more of Kyoto.
Another option would be to reduce both Osaka and Kyoto by 1 day each and stay at Nagoya for 2 nights.
Hi!
I don’t know where you got this itinerary from, but:
I think doing everything you want in Nikko will be hard to do in one day. Chuzenji and Keagon Falls are a ways from Toshogu shrine. It also might be quite cold.
Kawaguchiko (fuji 5 Lakes) and Hakone (where the round course is) are a good 2+ hours from one another and each are around 2 or so hours from Tokyo. Unless you are paying for some sort of day tour from Tokyo, which makes the transfers around Kawaguchiko and Kawaguchiko to Hakone seamless, I don’t think you are going to realistically be doing both in one day together. Most of the tours also don’t do the round course cause they transport you around on their own.
I’m not sure what you mean by too much time in Kyoto. You arrive on the 5th from Kanazawa at some point and then have the 6th and 7th before on the 8th you go to Nara and the 9th you go all the way back to the Ghibli Park. On the 10th you leave for Osaka.
Depending on where you are staying in Osaka and where you are staying in Kyoto, it’s more like 1 hour. It’s ~30 minutes from Kyoto Station to Osaka or Shin-Osaka Station. Outside USJ, your Osaka days feel light to me, but I usually visit Osaka from Kyoto outside of going to USJ.
Good luck!
I think you should do a day trip to hiroshima if you’re going for that long
By making Kyoto your base for two day trips, you are spending only a day more in Kyoto than in Kanazawa. While it’s all relative and depends on your interest, that balance strikes me as off.
Throw in minoh park for Osaka. Honestly if you arent using the Osaka amazing pass, you are better off going to abeno harukas, that has better views that the umeda sky observatory
I personally would add more time in Osaka. If you are into food it’s the town for it
In Kanazawa, consider visiting Myouryuji temple (aka ninja temple) that has secret defenses built in. The Samurai district is also worthwhile. Both are not too far from the city center. I have done all this + what you listed in one day.
>Explore Tokyo:
Shibuya Crossing: Famous bustling intersection in Tokyo.
Harajuku: Trendy shopping and fashion district.
Shinjuku: Shopping, dining, and entertainment district.
Akihabara: Electronics and otaku culture hub.
Asakusa: Home to Senso-ji Temple and historic district.
Odaiba: Entertainment and shopping island.
Golden Gai: Nightlife area with small bars and unique atmosphere.
Its a bit to try and do in 2 days, but you might be able to if you budget your time. The one part that might be tough is Odaiba since its not close to any of the rest of the areas you mentioned.
If you are willing to make long days of it I’d try the following:
Day 1: AM – Shibuya + Harajuku + Meiji-Jingu shrine (near Harajuku) and well worth the visit.
PM – Shinjuku and Golden Gai (its in Shinjuku). If you want a nice view of the city (for free!) check out the Tokyo Metropolitan Govt Building. Its a twin towered skyscraper about 10 minutes walk from Shinjuku station. There’s a free observation deck on the 45th floor one of the towers.
Day 2 (with Odaiba): AM: Start at Odaiba in the morning and explore. Then take one of the Sumida river cruise boats from Odaiba to Asakusa.
PM: Visit Senso-Ji and explore in the early afternoon, head to Akihabara after as it starts to get dark.
Day 2 (without Odaiba). AM: Start at the Sky Tree in Sumida city, not free but great views, there’s a huge shopping complex at the base, so you can get a similar experience for shopping as you would in Odaiba.
PM: Visit Senso-Ji and explore in the early afternoon, head to Akihabara after as it starts to get dark.
If you are REALLY ambitious or you don’t spend too much time on the shopping part you could try and do all of that on Day 2 but its a lot.
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>Toshogu Shrine: Ornate shrine complex, mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Kegon Falls: One of Japan’s most famous waterfalls.
Lake Chuzenji: Scenic lake in the mountains of Nikko National Park.
Doable if you start out early and are in moderately good shape, however its going to be cold. Nikko temps are in the 30-50° range (F) in December.
>Day trip to Mount Fuji (Dec 2, ~2 hours one way from Tokyo to Hakone):
Fuji Five Lakes region: Scenic area around Mount Fuji.
Hakone Round Course: A popular sightseeing route offering great views of Mount Fuji.
Basically not doable. For one Hakone is to the SE of Mt. Fuji, the 5 lakes are to the North and cover a large area. Even visiting just one of the lakes is a day trip all on its own. Pick one or the other, but I don’t think both are going to be achievable.
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>Kanazawa (2 nights: Dec 3 – Dec 5, ~2.5 hours from Tokyo by Shinkansen)
Explore Kanazawa:
Kenrokuen Garden: One of Japan’s top three landscape gardens.
Kanazawa Castle: Historic castle with beautiful grounds.
Higashi Chaya District: Traditional teahouse district with preserved wooden buildings.
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art: Innovative museum showcasing contemporary art.
2.5 hours from Tokyo Station, keep in mind Tokyo is quite large so you have to factor in getting to the nearest Shinkansen stop from your hotel/airbnb. Otherwise this all sounds doable in a day or 2 as they are all near each other.
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>Day trip to Nara (Dec 8, ~1 hour one way from Kyoto):
IMO you should stop in Nara on your way from Kyoto to Osaka, otherwise you are backtracking a lot. You could easily start out in the morning from Kyoto on your last day, spend the day in Nara, and finish in Osaka by the evening.
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>Day trip to Ghibli Park (Dec 9, ~2 hours one way from Kyoto to Nagoya):
Ghibli Park: Themed park celebrating the works of Studio Ghibli.
I would put this after Osaka. Nagoya is on the way to Tokyo from Osaka anyway. That said I’d also make sure you have tickets in advance, they are hard to come by now.
Otherwise things seem reasonable, however to make things a little easier you might consider staying in Kyoto and taking a couple of day trips to Osaka.