September 2022 – 5 days Osaka/Kyoto/Himeji/Nara Itinerary

**EDIT:** The title is wrong, it should say 7 days, not 5.
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Here’s my second draft of my 7-day Kansai trip. (Thanks to everyone who offered advice on the [first draft](https://redd.it/w7ibkz)!!) It will be my first visit to Japan.

##**September 4, 2022**
– Train from Tokyo to Kyoto
– Afternoon: Nijo Castle (closes 4pm), Kinkakuji (closes 5pm)
– Check-in at hotel

##**September 5, 2022**
– Morning: Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kiyomizudera
– Lunch at Nishiki market
– Hanami-Koji, Imperial Palace

##**September 6, 2022**
– Train to Nara
– Nara Park
– Todaiji
– Horyuji if time permits
– Train back to Kyoto

##**September 7, 2022**
– Free day in Kyoto for shopping or random strolls

##**September 8, 2022**
– Check out of Kyoto hotel
– Train to Osaka
– Lunch at Kuromon market
– Check into hotel
– Namba
– Dotonbori

##**September 9, 2022**
– Free day in Osaka for shopping or random strolls

##**September 10, 2022**
– Train to Himeji
– Himeji Castle
– Train back to Tokyo

##**Note:**
– I took out all Tokyo parts because I’ll be living in Tokyo as a student, and I can go to the attractions at any time.

##**Questions**
– Is my itinerary too tight/loose?
– Am I missing anything I should check out?

2 comments
  1. Horyu-ji is a bit far in Nara. Places like Yakushi-ji, Toshodai-ji and Heijo-kyo might make more sense.

    Add Koko-en garden in Himeji.

    Personally I would get a couple of ideas for the “free days”. I find it much easier to have a list of options rather than just searching for things to do/see while I’m there. Just in general, I prefer to have too much options every day and just select what to do once I’m there, depending on how I feel.

  2. I’d say your whole itinerary is pretty loose. Sept. 6th is quite light, even *with* Horyuji (which would be about 30-40 minutes each way from Nara train station). The whole day is a lot of travel, but perfectly doable if you start early. There’s also way more stuff right in Nara if you want to ditch Horyuji and not deal with the extra travel time.

    Sept. 7 through Sept. 9th basically have nothing on those days. Even on the 8th, where the most things are listed, lunch/Nambda/Dotonbori could be maybe a couple of hours if you eat and walk through everything, unless you’re going to do a ton of shopping (which would obviously take longer). You could certainly add things in Osaka, including the Umeda Sky Building, Shitennoji, the aquarium, the castle, the Osaka/Umeda tran station area, Sumiyoshi-taisha, etc. In Kyoto, you could add Ginkakuji, the bamboo forest, or a bunch of other temples/shrines/attractions to fill up Sept. 7th.

    Even on Sept. 10th, Himeji can be more like a half day if you get there early. It’s a decent walk from the train station to the castle, and it can take 1-2 hours to get through the castle, but them that’s about it. You’ll likely be back in Tokyo in the early evening.

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