Hi,
I’m in charge of planning a trip to Japan in June with a group of friends (5 people). We’ll stay for 18 days and I have some questions:
– We want to visit both Hiroshima and Miyajima as a day trip from Kyoto. That should be possible if we keep don’t dawdle around, right? Furthermore I heard the Hiroshima Flower Festival is set for June 10/11, which is a possible date for us to go there. But is it worth to visit on the day of the festival, or does it make no sense with our tight schedule? (I fear it might be very crowded and “normal” sightseeing hardly possible).
– We would like to visit lake Biwa for bathing on a sunny day and also rent a bicycle there to explore the region. But lake Biwa is huge, do you have recommendations for specific spots? (Visiting from Kyoto; maybe Omimaiko beach, but are there bicycle rentals?)
– About Sanno Matsuri: I know the “full” version is only in even years, but I can’t find any information on what the small version is. Just some street stalls I suppose? Is that worth it?
– Here is the planned itinerary for our whole stay. Is there anything that doesn’t make sense? Any stuff that we should book in advance? Is there anything that is closed on those dates?
**Osaka:**
– Tue 06 Jun – Arrival in the evening, probably just grabbing some food next to the hotel in Dotonbori
– Wed 07 Jun – Checking out the city (Umeda, Namba)
– Thu 08 Jun – Day trip to Nara
– Fri 09 Jun – Not decided yet, maybe Osaka Aquarium + Minoo Park or Nintendo World
**Kyoto:**
– Sat 10 Jun – Kinkakuji, Nishijin Textile Center Kimono show, Imperial Palace
– Sun 11 Jun – Day trip to Hiroshima/Miyajima (including Flower Festival)
– Mon 12 Jun – Ginkakuji, Heian Shrine, Gion, Kiyomizudera, Fushimi Inari Shrine
– Tue 13 Jun – Arashiyama (Monkey Park, Bamboo Forest, Sagano Scenic Railway, maybe Hozugawa River Cruise)
– Wed 14 Jun – Day trip to lake Biwa if sunny (Bathing, cycling)
**Tokyo:**
– Thu 15 Jun – Skytree, Asakusa, Ueno Park (maybe Zoo), Ameyoko
– Fri 16 Jun – Shibuya (Takeshita-dori, Shibuya crossing, Shibuya sky etc.)
– Sat 17 Jun – Shinjuku (Metropolitan Government Building, Omoide Yokocho, Kabukicho etc.)
– Sun 18 Jun – Day trip to Yokohama (Minato Mirai, Chinatown, Ramen Museum)
– Mon 19 Jun – Akihabara
– Tue 20 Jun – Odaiba, Rainbow Bridge, Tokyo Tower, Ginza
– Wed 21 Jun – Day trip to Hakone
– Thu 22 Jun – Takao-san hiking
– Fri 23 Jun – Disney Land
– Sat 24 Jun – Departure