Hi all! Just found this sub and I’ve been reading through some posts already and learning a lot. I’m working on an early itinerary for a first trip to Japan and am hoping to get some comments about really early planning issues. We’re still filling in the day-to-day of things, so not all details and event items will be filled in yet. We (28f and 28m) land Sept 3rd and leave Sept 22nd and are planning to get a 2 week JR pass. Hotels not bought yet (trying to do so soon). Most ideas are from 3 week itinerary examples and a travel book I bought which I am still reading through.
Overall questions from me are at the end!
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Sun Sept 3rd – land midday, probably not do much except get dinner and walk around our local area (maybe staying in Shinjuku or something like that)
Mon Sept 4th-Tues Sept 5th – aiming for 2 sections a day in Tokyo to not do too much. No specific dates and locations set yet but these could include: Harajuku, Shibuya, Akihabara, Tokyo Station, Ueno, etc
Wed Sept 6th – Day trip to Nikko, stay in same Tokyo hotel, day 1 of the JR pass. We just discovered this area but it sounds like there’s temples, shrines, and some good outdoor areas.
Thurs Sept 7th – DisneySea? I heard great recommendations from a coworker. Aiming for a weekday for better crowds. Staying in same Tokyo hotel
Fri Sept 8th – Sun Sept 10th – head to Kyoto and do whatever the big things are here! This would be 2 full days plus part of the travel day Friday, no specifics planned yet but giving the time since Kyoto seems to be big.
Mon Sept 11th – Head to Osaka. Try to leave earlier in the day because this current itinerary has little time for Osaka during the day
Tues Sept 12th – Super Nintendo World AM (go early, be done in a few hours and skip the rest of the park). Osaka afternoon/evening (are there good options of things for Osaka evening, or do you need a full dedicated day for this?)
Wed Sept 13th – Day trip to Nara, stay in Osaka hotel. Deer park, temple, garden, UNESCO spots, etc.
Thursday Sept 14th – Head to Hiroshima. Possibly stop at Himeji and/or Okayama on the way for the castles? Is there time to fit both in in one day?
Friday Sept 15th – Full day in Hiroshima. Peace museum and other historic/outdoor items
Sat Sept 16th – Day trip to Miyajima Island, stay in Hiroshima hotel. Looks like mostly outdoor items like shrines, temples, etc.
Sun Sept 17th – Head back towards Tokyo but stop in Hakone. Looking at a Ryokan for 1-2 days so keeping it low key this first day. Should we get luggage forwarding here and/or in other spots?
Mon Sept 18th – Ryokan breakfast. Pirate ship cruise to chill and see Mt Fuji, see boiling valley, then hanging out in the Ryokan rest of evening.
Tues Sept 19th – Open-Air Museum and anything else we’ve missed that’s easy to fit in after check-out, then head back to Tokyo (last day of JR pass)
Wed Sept 20th – Thurs Sept 21st – Last 2 days in Tokyo, similar goal as beginning of trip where we do \~2 main areas per day (and possibly revisit any we really liked at the beginning of the trip).
Sept 22nd – Basically just breakfast, maybe one last thing, then heading to the airport at noon.
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These are my current questions:
* Are there any spots in here that seem incorrect, or any important spots we may have missed?
* Open to honest feedback on the DisneySea day! I do want to go but I’m not sure if I’m making a mistake by not putting in more time in another area (another day trip or more dedicated time to Himeji and Okayama?)
* I’m worried we don’t have enough time in Osaka due to the day trips I am looking at. Do you think this would just be sufficient if we leave Kyoto early, drop luggage off at the hotel, then try to start our first Osaka day early for the day things? Or is this fine since Osaka seems to mention things about good night life?
* I moved Hakone from near the beginning of the trip to near the end so the dates wouldn’t be on a weekend (originally would’ve been Fri-Sun). AFAIK that seems correct because the Ryokan would be more popular on weekends, but did any other expensive locations bump into weekend slots?
* How important is luggage forwarding? I read something about using it for Hakone, but should we use it at other times? I believe we’d bring suitcases that are plane carry-on size but they still won’t be the smallest. Once we start nearing the end of the trip that might be when I pull out the extra duffel bag for souvenirs so we might be coming back with more luggage at the Hakone point too.
* Any other important/key travel tips to know? Feel free to assume I know little if you have what might be a relevant tip.
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Thanks in advance everyone!! Really appreciate your comments.
9 comments
Day 14 seems a bit busy for my liking, assuming you do it all.
Keep in mind, September will be hot, humid and sweaty. Not sure where you are from, or if you are used to this. I suggest bringing some quick drying clothes. September is also typhoon season. I got stuck in Osaka as the Shinkansen was down… all to say, by the time I got to Tokyo, I lost the entire day. Do plan for that.
I didn’t use the luggage forwarding service, but plan to for my next trip. My friends did and their travel was a lot more stress free.
Hotels – most (almost, all) hotels will not let you check in early. But, they will let you drop off your luggage while you explore. I did that in my previous 2 trips and never had an issue.
You will need a data connection. Figure out what you intend to rely upon. My suggestion is to get a e-sim as it is easier.
If you activate the JR pass on september 6… are you getting the 14 day pass or 21? Why not get the Nikko area pass (I think with the Tobu line, please check) and activate the pass for the day you go to Kyoto. This way you will have the pass for your return to the airport. And, you should be able to make do with a 14 day pass , if my math is right.
IC card – you will need one, in addition to JR pass. You can pick it up at the airport in Tokyo. it is handy for buying drinks from vending machines, paying fare for transit, and can be used at most shops.
Can’t stress this enough- – bring at least 2 pairs of good (and broken in) and comfortable walking shoes.
I’d just say leave some time to meet people outside of Tokyo. And yes, walking shoes. One can easily walk 20+km a day. I’d suggest a bike rental because it expands one’s range of movement.
Yeah get some basic Japanese if you’re traveling into the countryside. It’s a good thing.
Disneysea I would recommend but I love Disney and Disneyland. It will be crowded so you need to have an interest in it otherwise you might walk away frustrated.
September is the peak of the typhoon season in Japan. Make your schedule flexible, and be prepared for last minute schedule changes.
Seems odd to go to USJ and only do super Nintendo world – there is only one ride essentially (mario kart) which I did a couple days ago and thought it wasn’t great just ok (the other ride Yoshi is literally a kiddie monorail that lasts a few minutes) . There are a few extra activities if you buy the power band but basically you’ll need an hour tops in that part of the park as it’s not big. It’s also super crowded so not the nicest place to linger and there is very little shade. You could combine short trip to USJ and get boat across to Osaka aquarium and see the whale shark then ride on the big Ferris wheel I guess?
>How important is luggage forwarding? I read something about using it forHakone, but should we use it at other times? I believe we’d bringsuitcases that are plane carry-on size but they still won’t be thesmallest. Once we start nearing the end of the trip that might be when Ipull out the extra duffel bag for souvenirs so we might be coming backwith more luggage at the Hakone point too.
I used Kuroneko extensively while in Japan. I wouldn’t say it’s essential since you said you’re only bringing carry-on baggage but it’s both affordable and super-convenient if you’re bringing checked or carry-on baggage.
One thing to remember about a lot of Japanese hotels is that they won’t allow you to check-in prior to 3PM or thereabouts without paying an additional fee. Sometimes this fee is by the hour, other times they’ll charge you a full extra day; it depends on the hotel. Most hotels will hold onto your luggage until you check-in if you arrive early, but this means having to go to your hotel which is a major inconvenience if it’s not near a major station. Lockers are everywhere and if your baggage is small enough then you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding one, but be aware that you *may* have to spend up to an hour at particularly busy stations searching for one.
Forwarding your luggage means that you don’t need to worry about these problems and can focus on enjoying your destination. I’d definitely consider it for days when you are looking to head out early or otherwise don’t want to waste time (ie. Kyoto-Osaka) or days when you’re planning to do a daytrip in-between hotels (ie. visiting Himeji in-between Osaka and Hiroshima.)
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>Thursday Sept 14th – Head to Hiroshima. Possibly stop at Himeji and/or Okayama on the way for the castles? Is there time to fit both in in oneday?
No offense to the good people of Okayama but I would recommend focusing on Himeji; Okayama is more or less a transit hub whereas Himeji is the most spectacular castle in all of Japan. Not to mention Koko-en and some lovely cafes. I tried to do Gifu and Nagoya in one day and regretted it, so I would advise sticking to one daytrip per day.,
My first impression of your itinerary is that you keep a nice balance of taking more time to seeing certain bigger destinations and also having a good variety of destionations on the plan. Some comments:
Whether you go to Disneysea and USJ or not is really up to how much you’re into these kinds of big studio theme parks. From what I heard they are often super crowded and have long lines for the rides (1-2 hours sometimes) so whether this is worth your time is very subjective. Personally I wouldn’t bother visiting a theme park on a first Japan trip. I think I would spend this day as an extra day in Tokyo, because 4 full days for all of Tokyo is not a royal amount of time, or instead swap it for a day trip to Kamakura or Yokohama.
Same goes for USJ. If you’re not too into theme parks you could add a full day in Osaka or a third full day in Kyoto (3 full days is probably advisable over 2 full days, considering all the sights in Kyoto).
Himeji + Okayama on the same day that you travel to Hiroshima is possible, but will leave no time to explore in Hiroshima on that day. This may be fine as you will spend the next full day in Hiroshima. Also, check out Kurashiki which is very near Okayama. I went to both Okayama and Kurashiki and liked the latter one a lot more.
An extra day in Osaka is possible, but first make sure that you have enough sights that you are interested in in Osaka. For me the nicest places are Osaka castle and the Shinsekai area. The Doutonbori area is fun to see at night but doesn’t require much time. Otherwise Osaka isn’t very attraction heavy so unless you have specific interests like the aquarium or USJ you will not need to spend more than 1-2 full days here.
In Hiroshima I’d highly recommend koba bar..Bom (the owner) is a fantastic host.
Also near Hiroshima in Kure, there’s a neat little beach I’d highly recommend checking out. It’s called Karuga sea side park.
In Osaka definitely go to dontonbori. You can get cheap takoyaki there. It’s banging.
Kyoto has Tenryu-ji temple (it’s beautiful) it’s also near the bamboo forest.