Hi everyone !
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My girlfriend and I are going to visit Japan for the first time during \~3 weeks (22 days there) at the end of the year (october-november) and I would like some advice regarding the trip that I’m preparing (the more I make research and the more I have questions and doubts).
Important information : My girlfriend has some health issue with her back, causing her to not be able to stay sit very long (train is “\~OK” if she can walk freely, but car and bus are a real pain). Thus, it’s better for us to limit the duration of comutes and to stay at least 2 nights at each of our stops.
We also would like to try to focus a bit more on the natural and traditionnal side of Japan than on the big cities and night life (even if we will of course spend some days in Tokyo and Osaka). Finally, we don’t want to rush, we want to have time to visit.
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Here is the current planning (not fully finished yet) :
* Day 0, Arrival in Tokyo
* Day 1, Tokyo :
* Chill day to recover from jet lag, just walk arround Ueno (park, Toshogu shrine, Nezu-Jinja and maybe Ameyoko shopping district)
* Day 2, Tokyo :
* Sumo stadium early to try to see sumo training
* Akihabara (walk in district, Kanda Myojin, Animate…)
* Asakusa (Kaminarimon gate, Nakamise-dori street and Senso-ji)
* Sumida (Tokyo Skytree, park and Ushijima shrine)
* Day 3, Tokyo :
* Shibuya (crossing, Hachiko, Pokemon center and Nintendo shop)
* Harajuku (Yoyogi park, Meiji-jingū, and maybe Ometesando)
* Shinjuku (Gyoen park)
* Bonus if enough time : Nakano (quick walk on the area, Nakano Broadway, Mandarake)
* Day 4, Tokyo :
* Tsukiji (Hama-Rikyu, outer market), Ginza, Marunouchi, Nihombashi
* Imperial palace east gardens
* Ikebukuro (just walk in the district)
* Day 5, Going from Tokyo to Nikko (2h with 1 change) :
* Visit Nikko (Shinkyō bridge, Tōshō-gū, Rinnoji Temple, Kanmangafuchi Abyss)
* Day 6, Nikko :
* Walk around Chūzenji lake (Kegon falls) (**but it seem to be 50min from Nikko by bus so… worth it ?**), and/or hike in Nikko National Park
* Day 7, Going from Nikko to Hakone (3h15 with 3 changes)
* First part of the “Hakone Loop” (I hope I’ll find a place to sleep somewhere on the loop, to allow us to do the circuit on two days, that would be great)
* Day 8, Hakone :
* Second part of the “Hakone Loop”
* Day 9, Going from Hakone to Kyoto (2h30 with 1 change)
* Nothing else planned that day
* Day 10, Kyoto “north/east” (I haven’t finished to plan Kyoto yet) :
* Kiyomizu-dera, Gion/Nishiki Market/Teramachi, Nijo-jo, Kyoto Gosho, Ginkaku-ji and Nanzen-ji by Philosopher’s path (if enough time)
(I think there’s too much things on that day, working on it)
* Day 11, Kyoto “south” :
* To-ji, Fushimi Inari Taisha , Daigo-ji
* Day 12, Kyoto “west” :
* Arashiyama, Saiho-ji, Kinkaku-ji
* Day 1, Nara (daytrip 1h per way) :
* Park (Tōdai-ji, deers and Kasuga-taisha)
* Naramachi district
* (**Would Nara deserve a second day ?**)
* Day 14, Kyoto :
* Chill in Kyoto or 2nd Nara daytrip depending on our feeling
* Day 15, Going from Kyoto to Koya-san (3h with 4 or 5 changes) :
* Nothing planned that day, recover from trip
* Day 16, Koya-san :
* Visit Koya, Kobo Daishi Mausoleum, Okuno in, walk and hike around
* Day 17, Going from Koya-san to Hiroshima (4h with 4 or 5 changes) :
* Nothing planned that day, recover from trip
* Day 18, Hiroshima :
* Genbaku dome and Peace memorial park
* Shukkeien Garden (Orizuru tower ?)
* (**Not enough time to do Miyajima the same day for its Itsukushima-jinja and a hike around Mt Misen ? I think it would rush us to do everything in one day**)
* Day 19, Going from Hiroshima to Osaka (1h30 with no changes) :
* Nothing planned that day yet, **should I consider Genbaku dome and Peace memorial park on the morning before leaving, which would allow us for Miyajima on Day 18 ? But I still feel that it is a lot while I would like our stay in Hiroshima to be more… peace… Advice ?**
* Day 20, Osaka (I haven’t looked at Osaka yet) :
* Not planned yet
* Day 21, Osaka :
* Not planned yet
* Day 22, Going from Osaka to Tokyo (2h30 with no changes) :
* Last walk in Tokyo, shopping, cry
* Last day, Departure from Tokyo
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Even if the itinerary is not finished yet, do you think this would be a good first trip to Japan ? (still a bit “main stream”, but for a first trip I find it hard to skip some of those places)
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**And my global questions about the trip :**
Is Koya-san really worth-it ? I have a lot a expectation from it, but it « cost » 2 days with a lot of travel time, would is there an closer alternative ? Removing it from the itinerary may allow us to do Kamakura or have one more day in Hakone and Hiroshima (for Miyajima), or even a daytrip to Kobe ? Any advice ?
I also have some doubt about the actual “Day 14”… 3 days for Kyoto might be enough or should I keep this fourth day ? Removing it would also allow one more in Hakone/Hiroshima or a Kobe daytrip ?
With this itinerary, is Hakone the best place for onsens? (I fear that there will be a lot of tourists and we may not fully appreciate….) Or are there other places on our trip to enjoy onsens ? Should we put Hakone at the end of our trip to better enjoy onsens after 3 weeks of trip?
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If you read ’till here, thank you so much 🙂
Any comment will be very appreciate,
**Thank you very much !**
2 comments
**Tokyo** – Shops open late (11am) so I suggest going to shrines, parks, museums etc in the morning then explore shopping areas in the afternoon.
**Hakone** – The Hakone loop is designed to be done all at once. There isn’t a reason the break it up, so I would suggest trying to find a nice ryokan near the start/finish. I wouldn’t worry about the onsen experience being crowded as ryokans aren’t massive hotels so there is a limit on how many people can be there. Also people use it at different times so I’ve never felt like it was busy.
**Nara** – One day would be enough. You will probably need day 14 to finish exploring Kyoto so I would keep it there. There are some near day trips around the area should you find you have too much time. You can easily do a Kobe day trip if you want.
**Koyasan** – I think 1 night is sufficient. If you travel there in the morning you have the afternoon to explore which is more than enough. You can then enjoy your overnight stay, see the morning prayers and then head off. Another day would be too much.
Is Koyasan worth it? It’s a unique experience and and would probably depend on how interested you are in the spiritual side of Japan. If you have time I would recommend it. If you only stay 1 night there then you can use the extra day on Miyajima.
I love Nara, and I think that it does deserve two days, but for most people a day trip is enough. Given how a lot of Kyoto’s temples and historical sites have a nasty tendency to close at around 4, you’re probably going to want to spend an extra day there instead. You can always re-visit Nara on your second trip.
I would consider visiting Kinkaku-ji early in the morning to beat the crowds, and then walking on to Ryoan-ji. I’d also strongly recommend visiting Taizo-in at the Myoushin-ji complex nearby, my favourite Kyoto temple after Kin and Ginkaku-ji. It has some of the best gardens in Kyoto and there are some lovely vintage kissaden nearby that have been operating continuously since the late-60’s if you’re into the *other* historical side of Kyoto.
Since this is near Hanazono station, you can do this on your way to Arashiyama or as an alternative if your Saiho-ji reservations don’t quite work out.