My partner and I are planning a roughly 4 week trip to Japan, provided COVID-19 travel restrictions are lifted from Canada by March 2021. Although we have never been to Japan before, I think it admissible to note that we are relatively experienced travellers who are accustomed to backpacking for several weeks at a time while staying in modest Airbnbs/ the occasional hostel/even more occasional hotel splurges for 1-4 nights in any given city. For instance, we recently travelled thru Vietnam > Laos > Thailand > Malaysia > Singapore over a period of 5 weeks and managed to superficially explore various regions in each country without feeling too rushed. In short, we’re interested in packing a lot in while still being realistic about logistics.
For our Japan trip, I’d like to gather some insight and feedback pertaining to my proposed itinerary, mainly regarding length of time spent in the Hiroshima/Okayama/Matsuyama area and with regards to Fukuoka and Nagasaki being worth the visit within our time constraints.
I should also note that we will be returning to Tokyo after making use of a 14 day JR rail pass and will be flying RT to Bangkok in order to visit my partner’s father for a few days. After returning to Tokyo from Bangkok, we intend to spend 3 days exploring Hakone and Lake Kawaguchi/Fujiyoshida for scenic views of Mt. Fuji with a potential pitstop in Kamakura en route back to Tokyo on day 3. The remaining 5 days of our time in Japan will be spent in Tokyo. If you have any pertinent recommendations for this region that would also be appreciated.
Without further ado:
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Day 1: Flight from Toronto lands around 4:00PM > Activate JR rail pass and board train directly to Kanazawa > Arrive and check in to accommodation by 8:00PM
Day 2: Full day on foot in historic Kanazawa exploring Kenroku-en, Castle Park, and whatever further research illuminates. Hopefully the jet lag proves manageable.
Day 3: Rise early to finish time change acclimation > explore a local morning market > check out of accommodation by mid afternoon > leave Kanazawa and board direct train to Takayama > potentially check in to a heavily-tattooed-couple-friendly Ryokan
Day 4: Morning walk through Takayama > Check out > Train to Kyoto > Check in to accommodation somewhere around Nishiki market
Day 5: Full day in Kyoto spent temple hopping and snacking our way through the eastern side of the city and the Gion district
Day 6: Full day in Kyoto spent in the Arashiyama area going to the Bamboo Forest and Monkey Park Iwatayama
Day 7: Check out of Kyoto > 1 hour train to Okayama > Stay in Okayama for the evening? or catch the Shiokaze limited express to Matsuyama (2.5 hours) and spend the evening around the famous Dogo Onsen?
Alternatively we could depart Kyoto and take the train directly to Hiroshima?
Day 8: If we make it to Matsuyama, we would take the JR ferry across the water to Hiroshima and spend the day exploring the city and taking the JR San-yo line ferry to Miyajima. Evening spent in Hiroshima
Day 9: Depart Hiroshima for Fukuoka > Check in > devote most of our time to kitschy shopping malls and food tourism
Day 10: Do we need this day in Fukuoka? Do we skip it entirely and head to the more cosmopolitan Nagasaki? Do we even bother with Kyushu island? I’m not sure if our time would be better spent around Shikoku Island, thereby providing more time in Okayama and Hiroshima.
Day 11: Depart either Kyushu prefecture or Shikoku island for Osaka mid-morning > check in to Osaka accommodation > eat, walk, repeat, etc.
Day 12: Full day in Osaka
Day 13: JR train from Osaka to Ekoin Buddhist Temple and Ryokan for mid afternoon check in (I believe this place is accessible from Osaka and Nara via JR train?)
Day 14: Day trip to Nara > deposit backpacks in station lockers > spend most of the afternoon around the Deer Park > train directly back to Tokyo for the evening in time for our JR passes to expire
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That’s it for now. Feedback would be much appreciated!
19 comments
i like how you arent doing the tokyo kyoto only path like so many here do. Id say shave a day off kyoto its not so big you can get a lot done quickly.
always try to leave your plans a bit open i always found more things i wanted to do.
If you have some basic Japanese, you can try Iki island as a day trip from Fukuoka Hakata port. That is if you like the routes less travelled. You can cycle around the island. The sea urchin and oysters are great there.
https://www.ikikankou.com/en/
More cosmopolitan Nagasaki? HAHAHAHA HAHAHAHA nope. Fukuoka is more cosmopolitan than Nagasaki unless you are after castella cakes and churches. Nagasaki felt as small as Mito in Ibaraki.
Dogo Onsen is indeed famous, but I have a small doubt if the detour is worth it. And also not sure that there is a JR Ferry from Matsuyama to Hiroshima. There is one, but as far as I know, not JR.
Options on the way to Hiroshima also include Himeji, but Okayama is a valid option, with Kurashiki as a possible short trip from Okayama.
Of course it’s also an option to go direct to Hiroshima from Kyoto. Usually, you can expect to do Hiroshima/Miyajima in one day if you don’t want to hike up the mountain, but a lot of people also spend a full day in each, taking more time to relax and see the area.
There is plenty to see in both Fukuoka and Nagasaki like easily 2 day each. It really depend on what you are interested in.
Going to Mount Koya, access is easiest from Osaka and not by JR (that would be a detour), there is no direct line to Nara, so going to Nara after will possibly take up to 3 hours and then going to Tokyo is an other 3 hours, as it is not on the shinkansen line. I clearly see Nara as a day trip from Kyoto, and it would probably be a good idea to do Osaka – Mount Koya – Osaka, just to reduce amount of train in a single day, otherwise it’s a good 5 hours from Mount Koya to Tokyo.
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For the Hakone part that would work for the Fuji-Hakone Pass, so one night in Kawaguchiko, one in Hakone, however, Kamakura is not “on the way”, it’s a detour and not covered by that pass. Yes it could be done, but by not fully using the possible pass that exist. There is alternative pass such as the Kamakura Hakone pass, or simply do Kamakura as a day trip from Tokyo.
While I understand you are experienced travelers, I would build in a half day or full day of just people watching and rest. Japan is unlike any other country I have been to (I visited all of SE Asia and Europe prior to visiting). A tremendous amount of walking will be done and English is very rarely spoken. Trying to find a train/shuttle/bus may take some patience and time in comparison to other westernized countries.
**Train on Day 1**
Assume you are booking Air Canada to YYZ to HND, but doesn’t really matter which carrier or HND/NRT. The train journey (multiple trains) to Kanazawa is itself nearly four hours from HND. If you are able to go, others will be able to as well, so the JR Rail Pass pickup at HND could be packed. Suggest you make sure you can check-in later that evening, and have a back-up plan to stay around Tokyo Station in mind in case your flight arrives late.
**Day 2**
Kanazawa has the best bigliest bicycle rental system. Extremely cheap. Get a free map of the bike stations. Pay $2 by credit card. Use it. Don’t walk. See 2x the things you would have seen if you walked. [https://www.kanazawastation.com/machi-nori-bicycle-rental-in-kanazawa/](https://www.kanazawastation.com/machi-nori-bicycle-rental-in-kanazawa/)
Remainder of itinerary is mostly “should I do this cool thing or that cool thing?” so you should be fine whatever you do, and take into account what others are commenting. Depending on when you enter Japan in March, your trip will coincide with peak of cherry blossom season across Kyushu, and southern/central Honshu where your plans are. Enjoy.
Are you flying into Tokyo? Haneda or Narita? If you’re arriving in Narita, there’s no way you could get to Kanazawa by 8pm if you’re landing at 4pm. Not including going through customs&immigration, getting your JR pass activated, etc., it takes at least 90min to get into central Tokyo from Narita by train, and then another 3hrs from Tokyo to Kanazawa on the shinkansen.
Firstly, ultimately I recommend starting with a few at least a few days in Tokyo unless you have some specific reason not to (e.g., some kind of event elsewhere in the country on a specific date). This gives you a few days to get over jet lag and lets you experience the full impact of Tokyo’s scale. It also theoretically means you’ll be making better use of your JR Pass by not using it at the end of the first day (and the scenery from the Hokuriku Shinkansen is pretty good so you might want to see it during the day), and it means you’ll be under less pressure to get somewhere fast as soon as landing (especially if you have any delays).
Secondly, I would say this more like 3 weeks worth of stuff crammed into 2 weeks. I really thing you need to spread this out in order to make things reasonable. I think doing something like 4 days in Hokuriku, 8-9 days in Kansai, 4 days in the Seto Inland Sea, and then maybe 4 days in northern Kyushu would be more reasonable. This would still leave you with a full week for Tokyo and its environs.
>Day 2
For Kenroku-en, if you go really early (check exact hours before going) admission is free, but more importantly, it’s gorgeous right around sunrise and you’ll have the place almost to yourself.
>Day 3:
This doesn’t really make any sense. Generally if you’re going from Kanazawa to Takayama you’d be doing it by bus and stopping at Shirakawa-go (or perhaps Ainokura) on the way. There is no direct train transit from Kanazawa to Takayama. If you’ve got time, spending a night in Shirakawa-go is also really relaxing.
>Day 4:
Be sure that whenever you ride the Takayama Line you do it during the day. The Hida Wide View is an absolutely gorgeous train ride.
>Day 5:
>Day 6:
I strongly recommend at least 3 full days for Kyoto. It is a city with a huge concentration of things to see, and it really benefits from time spent exploring on foot or bicycle. I suggest looking at [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/5wgxa1/best_way_to_group_these_sites_in_kyoto/dea059y/?context=3) for my general advice about arranging sights in Kyoto, but suffice it to say that if I had 4 weeks to spend on a first trip to the country, I would probably spend at least 4-5 days in Kyoto itself with at least another 3-4 days for day trips in the area (Nara, Osaka, Himeji/Kobe, etc.). And depending on the exact time of year, I might extend that even longer for seasonal events or seasonal foliage.
>Day 7:
>Day 8:
Okayama is fine, but you’re skipping things that are better–Namely Kurashiki and Onomichi. I could (and have) spend days just exploring Onomichi. The whole Kurashiki/Onomichi/Matsuyama area is really beautiful, but be sure you budget ample time if you do it because getting to some of the sights in this area can be time consuming.
>Day 9:
>Day 10:
>Day 11:
Between Fukuoka and Nagasaki I would pick Nagasaki. Both are very nice cities, but Nagasaki is absolutely wonderful.
>Day 11:
>Day 12:
>Day 14:
Please keep in mind that there is so much more to Nara than the deer. It has some of the country’s oldest, largest, and most impressive historical sights.
Also, I think skipping Himeji on this trip is nuts. You’ll pass right by it twice and it’s also a very doable day trip from Osaka or Kyoto.
The short version of it: your plans are ill-conceived, rushed, and while technically somewhat doable, they would result in spending too much time in transit.
Day 1: Realistically speaking you will be arriving in Kanazawa around 10pm, as it will probably take two hours to get through immigration, customs and then exchange the voucher.
Day 4: This is unrealistic. Nishiki Market stalls close fairly early (they start to close around 4-5pm), and you will not get to Kyoto before 3:30-4pm at the earliest.
Day 7/8: This is very rushed and ill-advised. You can stop of course at Himeji (for the castle), Okayama (for Korakuen), or maybe at Kurashiki (for the historical warehouse district), or Onomichi (for Temple Walk) on your way to Hiroshima, however, going around to Matsuyama is an ill-conceived plan.
Day 9/10: My take is that shopping and eating around would be better done in Osaka. More days in Kyoto, or spending time in the above-mentioned cities (Kobe might also come into consideration) might make more sense, as would adding one more day in Osaka for a day trip to Nara.
Day 14: Your plan would result in roughly seven hours of time spent on trains.
If you need some good hostel suggestions let me know I actually travel around japan and film hostel reviews just got back when Covid started. Don’t have most of the vids up yet but I can still give some suggestions.
Also I think Nara park is almost a waste it really is a bit boring for how far it is. Also have you considered Hiroshima instead of Fukuoka?
Omg I am so jealous I want to do another trip of Asia especially Japan
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You’ve already recieved lots of good advice here, but I’ll just chime in to say you plan is a bit too rushed. I did 5 weeks last summer and stayed 2-3 days in each city (longer in Tokyo and Kyoto) and it never felt enough.
Take out a couple of your cities.
[i did a rather lengthy trip report where i go into it in further detail.](https://reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/duaxxw/trip_report_5_weeks_in_junejuly/)
I spent a couple of days in Fukuoka in March. I considered a day trip to Nagasaki, but was deterred by that fact that there are only slow trains between the two. If things are reopened there is a lot to see/do in FUK.
If you were to fly from Haneda to Fukuoka, you could spend two days there and then activate the JR Pass. Then do your itinerary in reverse and gain two extra days of travel before returning to Tokyo.. Domestic flights for tourists are inexpensive.
I’ve been to Japan 3 times (and each time we went for 3 weeks). So that means you have about a week extra than we had. Apart from Matsuyama we’ve been to all the cities you’re planning on going to. It looks like you end up in ~~Tokyo but will not have any time to spend there?~~ Is this a deliberate choice? No matter how often I’d return to Japan I don’t think I’d ever skip Tokyo (but that might just be my preference).
Your time in Kanazawa seems fine. Sadly when we were there it was raining very heavily so we didn’t get to check out as much as we had liked but what we saw was nice.
Are you only going to Takayama for a potential visit to a ryokan? Because I remember Kanazawa actually being on the way from Kyoto to Takayama (so you’re making quite a detour to go back to Kyoto again after Takayama). I enjoyed Takayama, we saw some snow and we visited the Hida Folk village which I enjoyed. That plus a giant (and ancient) ginko tree plus the (rather touristy) old town centre.
Your time in Kyoto seems quite short. I’ve made this mistake before (the first time we went to Japan we stayed in Osaka and made 2 day trips to Kyoto from Osaka). This was not nearly enough time. Kyoto public transportation is bad compared to other cities (imo at least). If you take the bus chances are you get stuck in traffic a lot. There’s only like 2 subway lines and there’s most places aren’t easily accessible by JR either (there’s like 2 lines?).
If you just want to get a general feel for the city and don’t mind missing out on (imo) must sees then it’s doable. I’d advise to climb Fushimi Inari at night since it’s open 24/7 whereas most other temples will close by 4pm (with some closing a bit later, but never later than 5pm), which is quite early. Also Kyoto is crazy busy. So many tourists. Especially during spring blossom season.
We didn’t spend the night in Okayama, but we did visit it (we combined it with Kurashiki) as a day trip from Osaka. The park is nice as is the castle. We didn’t really do anything else here so can’t say if there’s much more to do here. I’d advise you to spend another day in Kyoto or Hiroshima instead but of course it’s up to you.
I loved Hiroshima. Everyone said you only need like 1 night there and I guess you could, but it was one of my favourite cities in Japan. The atmosphere was just so nice. Maybe compared to the more busy life of Tokyo and the hectic business that is Kyoto (due to the many tourists) I felt Hiroshima was a nice laid-back city without being boring since there’s lots to do and see. Miyajima is nice (but also very busy like Kyoto was with many tourists). The dome memorial and the museum are must visits. But it is emotionally draining. I advise to not end the day there but end it on a lighter note. The castle was nice and there’s a garden with beautiful koi as well. We’ve been to many parks and many have koi but this park/garden (almost next to the castle) had the most and prettiest koi we’ve seen. Plus feeding them is always fun (you can buy fish food for cheap at the park). We also did a day trip to bunny island and Onomichi from here Hiroshima.
Fukuoka was also fun, but it really is a shopping mall city. The malls often have interesting architecture though (and it’s Japan, you can always find fun shops you’ve never seen before). Plus of course all the malls will have food stalls.
I also visited Nagasaki (Fukuoka and Nagasaki are the only places we visited in Kyushu though, so I can’t say anything about the rest of the island). Nagasaki was fun, but it wasn’t my favourite place to visit. If you’re on the fence about visiting Nagasaki and Fukuoka I’d skip it for more time in the other places. That said, they’re still both fun cities to visit I’d just personally choose more time in Kyoto, Hiroshima and Tokyo. An extra day in Osaka so you can do your day trip to Nara more leisurely (instead of having to backtrack and then continue towards Tokyo) is adviseble. Especially since Osaka is a very “evening” city imo. Sure there’s plenty to do and see during the day but you have to visit the Dotonbori area in the evening.
This post was way too long lol.
I always get excited when talking about Japan.
EDIT: Oops I missed a paragraph somewhere so just ignore my part about you skipping Tokyo, I see now that you are not skipping Tokyo.
If you’re looking for day trips you can do from Tokyo my favourite places were Kamakura and Nikko for cities. I also really loved the trip to Kenkonzan Nihon-ji Temple near Hama-Kanaya station. It’s a beautiful park with lots to see. This is a very long train ride though and we only did it because we had so much time in Tokyo and we had already been to Tokyo twice before. That said, I do not regret going here 1 bit because it was one of the highlights of our last trip.
2nd EDIT: From Osaka we also did a day trip to Himeji and Kobe (we combined these). Himeji was beautiful (especially with the cherry blossoms, but I guess it’s always beautiful since the structure itself is just fantastic). I think I preferred Himeji + Kobe to Okayama + Kurashiki, but I enjoyed both days. You could also do Himeji and Okayama or some other combination. They’re all in the same general direction (whether you come from Osaka or Hiroshima).
i’ve done japan 4 times and wished each time that i had spent more time in kyoto!!! things are pretty far apart there, if you do nara its a full day etc. my favorite places in tokyo are in shimokitazawa and daikanyama, be sure to check out those areas.
My advice… Spread it out or break it up into two trips. We spent 7 days in Tokyo and don’t even feel we scratched the surface and are planning a second trip to see some of the smaller cities
Since we stayed in Tokyo, I’m not sure about the rest of the country, but Tokyo was one of the most expensive places we have traveled. After Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and China, we had a little bit of sticker shock when they were charging $7 US for a half pint of beer.
Kanazawa is lovely. If you like curry get to GoGo curry in Kanazawa. Fast food japan style.
If you are arriving late to any small’ish accommodation then you need to let them know & check it’s ok.
The trains always run on time.
Kyoto is a great visit as is Tokyo. Hiroshima is a nice place and a great base for visiting the surrounding area.
Osaka is just a big city. We spent a couple of days there for Himeji and Nara.
Tokyo is easy to get around.
Can you fly in or out of Fukuoka and/or KIX? An open-jaw flight sounds like a good idea here, it reduces the back-tracking you have to do just to get to Tokyo, and Kanazawa is closer to Kansai than Kanto.
Consider the following points:
* one would need 3-4 days just for Kyoto highlights
* Hiroshima+Miyajima is at least a 2D1N trip for better appreciation
* Ekoin is in Koyasan – a 3hr trip from Osaka one-way. Plan accordingly, this is easily a full 2D1N trip where you have to leave Osaka early.
* Nara is an easy whole day, or a very-rushed half-day trip, and there’s more to the place than just deer and the big buddha+temples around it
At this point you’re down to less than a week of free time, and we haven’t even allocated time for Osaka+usual daytrips from Osaka. There’s also a wealth of sights from the Sea of Japan down to Osaka like Lake Biwa, Hikone, Fukui, etc.
I’d also suggest starting your trip down south if you can fly in via Fukuoka – sakura season starts earlier there, and given the list of places you’re hitting, a south-to-north, west-to-east trip at the specified time means you hit peak bloom all the time.
If you still think that travelling through “Vietnam > Laos > Thailand > Malaysia > Singapore” in five weeks wasn’t a crazy idea, you’re too far gone to help.