Hi! I’m going on a 40 day solo trip to Japan next June. (I know that’s a long way away but I love to plan.) I’ve always loved the idea of solo travel and the culture in Japan but I’ve never had the chance to experience it myself.
As it is so far away and don’t like to have a ridged schedule I haven’t planned my exact day to day but I have a list of places I plan to visit while in each city.
Not sure if this is worth mentioning but I will be 18. I’m not sure how much this changes with Japanese laws.
**Tokyo** \- 7 Nights
I would prefer to arrive at Haneda as I believe it’s closer to Shinjuku which is where I’ll be staying. I don’t plan to do much the first day.
General things to do and places to visit while staying in Shinjuku:
-Gyoen National Garden
-Omoide Yokocho
-View from Government Building
-Kabukicho Tower
-Kabukicho
-Izakaya Hopping (but with ramen)
-Book and Bed
-Samurai Museum
-Takadanobaba
**Sapporo** \- 3 Nights
I would fly from Tokyo to Sapporo to get around the 10 hour train ride. (It’s also cheaper)
-Sapporo TV Tower
-Odori Park
-Tanuki Koji Shopping Street
-Nijo Seafood Market
-Susukino District @ Night
-Ramen Alley
-Mt. Moiwa
-Fushimi Inari Temple
-Hokkaido Modern Art Museum
**Otaru** – 2 Nights
-Ice Cream
-Walk around canal
-Otaru Museum
-Music Box Museum
-Antique Shops
-Sushi
**Furano** – 1 day (28 July)
-Biei Pond
-Shikosai no Oka
-Cycling
-Melon House???
-Hike
**Nagoya** – 2 Nights
Once again I would be flying to save money and time.
-Toyota Factory + Museum
-Nagoya Science Museum
-Osu Shopping Street
-Explore Sakae
-Walk Yamazaki River
**Osaka** – 5 Nights
-Dotomdori District
-Universal Studios Japan (probably not)
-Osaka Castle
-Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street
-Kuchu Teien Observatory
-Namba Shops
-Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine
-Kuromon Market
-Teamlab Osaka
-Tenjinbashisuji
**Kyoto** – 3 Nights
-Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shrine
-Kinkajuji Shrine
-Sanjusangendo Temple
-Arashiyama
-Gion
-Monkey Park
-Nishiki Market
-Kyoto Tower
-Mt Shosha
**Hiroshima** – 2 Nights (posibly 1 more for cat island)
-Hiroshima Peace Museum
-Hiroshima Castle
-Miyajima Island
-Ao Island (maybe)
**Fukuoka** – 2 Nights
-Kushiro Shrine
-Ohori Park
-Uminonakamichi Seaside Park
-Tenjin Underground Shopping
-Fukuoka Tower
-Nokonoshima Island
-Momochi Seaside Park
-Jim US Burger
-Kuiyoiken Ramen
**Okinawa** – 3 Nights
I would be flying from Fukuoka to Okinawa.
-Shuri Castle
-Churaumi Aquarium
-Diving
-Okinawa Peace Park
-Mihama American Village
-Kokusai Dori Street
-Cape Manza
-Miyako Island
-Zamami Island
**Hakone** – 1 Night
I would fly from Okinawa to Tokyo. Then take a train to Hakone.
-Hot Spring
-Chisuji Falls
-Lake Ashi
-Hakone Shrine
**Enoshima**
-Iwaya Caves
-Terrace Mall
-Kamakura day trip
-See the Town
As cringe as it is I saw an anime a while back that impacted me. It is supposedly 1 for 1 set in the Enoshima area so it would be super cool.
**Tokyo** – 7 Nights (again)
This time I would stay in the Shibuya area.
-Meiji Jingu Shrine
-Shibuya Crossing
-Yoyogi Park
-Hachiko Dog Statue (from that movie)
-Takeshita Street
-Cat Street
-Shibuya Center-Gai
-Shibuya Sky
-Shibuya 109
If you have anything to add or suggestions, please share!
I would not be getting the JR pass as with the changes and my length of stay I would spend dramatically more money than I ever would just paying for everything with a Suica card (will all trains accept this? I know most will but will it pose a problem?)
Please let me know if you have any tips comments or concerns with my plans. I have a bunch of extra days laying around in Tokyo so I might do some day trips. Let me know if any you recommend.
I am expecting to spend about 8,000 USD on this trip. My breakdown is this. Does this all make sense. Obviously the less the better so if I hear I’m wrong that would be great. My plan for staying is AirBnB. In most places I would like to have a small kitchen. From the little bit I’ve seen I expect to spend 75 USD on average.
Budget:
$125 Daily Outline
———
$70 Housing
$40 Food
$15 Misc
———
Total Daily: $5,000
———
+$1,200 Flight
+$504 IC Card
+230 In Country
+$75 Sim Card
+$1221 Misc
———
Total Total: $8,000
Thanks a bunch!
12 comments
Is the month set in stone? Generally the weather isn’t great in june for large parts of Japan.
Haneda is closer to Shinjuku than Narita, look at a map.
Tbh staying 14 days in Shinjuku and Shinuya which are basically next door to eachother by metro is a bit strange. Missing out on Asakusa, Ueno, Akihabara, Ginza etc.. I think you should consider looking up someone elses Tokyo plan and redo this entire portion of the trip.
The rest of it I will leave for someone else to advise on.
Some random thoughts in random order-
-You don’t say where you’re flying from, but $1200 seems low for your flight budget.
-Likewise the daily $15 misc budget seems extremely limiting. Many of the places you listed have admission fees.
-You may want to cut a few days from Tokyo to give yourself more time in other areas (e.g., Okinawa). Zamami is a beautiful place and worth spending a night or two, especially if you like diving or snorkeling.
-Recommend a day trip to Inuyama castle while in Nagoya.
Miyajima island was lovely! Do go if you can. The street food is amazing and so cheap, there’s a little ropeway with great views and a short 20 min hike. And you see deer roaming around as well.
$75 seems a lot to spend on a SIM card – Ubigi have great offers for 10gb for 30 days for an E sim & it’s not hard to find wifi.
Firstly, I generally agree with what others have said about not going in June. The first week or two can be okay, but the latter half or 2/3 of the month can be just miserable in terms of heat, humidity, and rain. If it’s the only time you can go, then it’s still worth going, but it wouldn’t be my first choice, and I would try to go as early as possible to maximize your time before it gets miserable. I would also plan to do things that are further north or higher in the mountains later in your trip, and areas of Kanto and Kansai earlier on, so as to avoid bad weather as much as possible.
July is also miserable, but usually by the middle of the month the humidity and rain will abate a lot compared to late June, which I find preferable despite the slightly higher real temperature. Also, July has a TON of festivals (especially in Kansai), which at least gives you some reason to bear the discomfort other than merely being the only time that was available on your calendar.
Secondly, I personally do not think Hokkaido is worth it for a first trip. There is ***EASILY*** enough just on Honshu to fill a trip of 40 days (or much longer), and Hokkaido is probably the least Japanese feeling area of the country (e.g., less traditional architecture, more industrialized agriculture, more car dependency, etc.). It’s also huge, a lot of the best parts of it aren’t in or around Sapporo, and it’s quite far from anywhere else you’re going (big time and money investment). Unless there’s something there you absolutely must do there, I would skip it.
And while we’re at it, I actually feel kind of the same way about Okinawa. Personally I would cut both on a first trip and spend more time exploring Honshu and maybe Kyushu or Shikoku.
As for the rest of your itinerary, you’ve got some ideas, but it’s pretty vague at this point so it’s hard to give recommendations without just writing out the whole itinerary for you. A few specific things I will recommend are adding at least a day in Nara, a stop in Himeji on the way to Hiroshima, a night in Onomichi, more time in Kyoto, and perhaps less time in Tokyo and Osaka (though that depends somewhat on what you’re planning to do in them). I’ve done several of these long, solo trips in Japan before, and I have some general advice (much of which also applies to other trips):
* DO spend a lot of time in the major urban areas–There’s more to see than you can possibly imagine. Both Kanto and Kansai are DENSE and you will not easily run out of things to do. I also highly recommend renting a bike while you’re there. Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto are all amazing to explore on bicycle, and you’ll make a lot of discoveries that you wouldn’t have otherwise made in between major sights.
* Map things things out ahead of time so you can visit things in a logical geographical order. Also be sure you know what getting to your destinations entails. Sometimes two destinations that both appear on lists of day trip options require VASTLY different amounts of time and effort. Know this before you spend 2 hours riding a train only to find out that the destination is a further hour away from the station on a bus that only comes once per hour.
* Don’t do things as day trips that would be on the way to your next destination anyway. It’s not that much effort to change accommodations if you pack relatively lightly, and staying locally both saves you time and money, and offers you new experiences by letting you see the place you’re visiting at different times (and with different crowd levels). A great example of this is Kamakura, which many people do as a day trip from Tokyo, even though they’ll pass right by it again on the way west later in their itinerary.
* Consider staying in hostels rather than hotels. Most hostels offer private rooms (kitchen and bath are still shared) and I tend to find them more relaxed and homey than cheaper hotels (i.e., business hotels). You’re also much more likely to find out about local attractions or meet interesting people (both foreign and Japanese) in a hostel environment, which can be a big bonus when you’re traveling by yourself for weeks on end.
* Plan full days that you can slot into different dates on your itinerary depending on weather or other circumstances. For example, I like to do moss gardens on days with light rain, so I might set Ohara aside to do on a rainy day while in Kyoto, and I’d save indoor activities for days with particularly poor weather.
14 days in Tokyo seems a lot. If you go to Okinawa make the most of it!
You can also go in Yokohama (close to Tokyo) and explore the Izu Peninsula after (or before) Hakone, it’s a beautiful region.
– Have you already found a flight to Japan that fits your budget? Maybe you’re seeing something different, but I’m not seeing any sub-$1.2k flights from Ohio to Tokyo
– Have you budgeted for your domestic flights? Those are at least $100 if you’re going on a budget airline out of Narita. The bullet train tickets are also a pretty penny; expect to spend at least $100 each time
– Budget for domestic trains too. Japan has great public transportation, yes, but it does get expensive and can add up quickly.
– As everyone else has said, get ready for rain every day. And if it’s not raining, you will be sticky from the humidity.
– Hokkaido is a great place to visit, but if you’re not planning to rent a car, there are limited rail options for the island. Otaru is well-connected to Sapporo, but that’s about it. Coach buses exist, but you need to do your research.
– Your Okinawa leg is unrealistic, especially for 3 days. You need a car in Oki. And you need a flight to Miyakojima; it’s halfway between the island of Okinawa and Taiwan.
– 3 days is not enough for Kyoto, especially if you have 40 days to play with. A lot to see there; more than in Osaka IMO.
– Add Yokohama to your list; it’s only 30 minutes away from both Shibuya and Tokyo stations. If you’re going to break the Tokyo area up into two legs, consider Yokohama as a base of operations for one of them.
– I’d make Enoshima and Kamakura separate day trips. Kamakura is a mini-Kyoto; there’s a ton of shrines and temples. Hakone is a good opportunity to stay overnight in a ryokan, but those get pricey. All three are easier to access from Yokohama than Tokyo, for your consideration. And avoid all three on the weekend; in addition to the current foreign tourist flood there will be Tokyoites making their weekend getaways.
I feel like you’ve planned a 40 day trip like someone would plan an intense 20 day trip. Personally I’d be exhausted.
I just came back from Japan, and whilst I don’t think it’s unique to Japan, I regretted the number of different locations we went to.
Just because Japans travel infrastructure is brilliant doesn’t mean it’s instantaneous. The bullet train doesn’t really go as fast as a bullet. Every time you move cities you’re losing half a day or more. Even if that’s just getting a bit lost, having to relearn where things are.
On a 40 day trip I’d be planning way less, by which I mean a complex itinerary. I’d have all the things I want to do on a Google map and then staying somewhere until I felt I’d seen what I wanted and then move on. Unless you’re going somewhere that will be really hard to book, I reckon you can make it up as you go along. You’re not going in a super popular tourist season.
For instance — you have 5 nights in Osaka and only 3 in Kyoto. Personally I didn’t really like Osaka that much, but I loved loved loved Kyoto and could have happy spent 7+ nights there.
For me two nights is minimum in a place. Waking up and going to bed in the same place, I don’t think you can say you’ve “been” somewhere unless you’ve done that. You’re going to walk past a cute bakery during the day and then not be able to visit it the next morning for breakfast etc
Just some thoughts, and with the very clear context that I find most peoples itineraries on here dizzying and totally not what I would want out of a holiday.
Very jealous of your 40 day stay, I’d love to do such a thing to really immerse myself in Japan. You will love it!
Hey man, I’m currently in the second half of a 38 day trip to Japan. I’m in Fukuoka right now.
The daily budget seems reasonable, that’s about what I’m on.
Personally that would be way too hectic and way too many days in Tokyo for me. Especially the 1 night and 2 night stops with the amount of activities you have planned and taking into account packing and transportation.
I would pick a few less destinations, find some cool hostels and try to meet people to do stuff with.
With your budget you will also not need a kitchen in the accomodation. Eating out is super cheap and with the amount of activities you have planned you definitely will not have time to cook.
Spend more time in Kyoto and less in Sapporo, you will be done with Sapporo in one day, unless you want to go to Historic Village of Hokkaido, but it’s still doable in one day…
Or if it’s first time to Japan, feel free to skip it, Hokkaido’s beauty is beyond Sapporo, but you need to travel and hike and see it mostly by car, as train infrastructure is only good for a few cities.
As others have mentioned. Definitely map out all the locations you want to hit so you can optimize your travel time between buses/walking/trains. It physically doesn’t feel line much but it really adds up. Google maps had me doing 30-40 min (walk 8 min, wait for train 3 min, take train for 6 min, transfer another 3 min, etc…)from one temple to another. It adds up but doesn’t feel like it!
Another thing to try and look up before is open/close time and also plan around that. Based off my experience..temples close ‘early’ 4-6pm but also open really early, a lot of shopping and dining don’t open until 11-11:30 (something I really had to get used to in Asia in general since I’m an early person and there’s nothing open besides shrines!).
If you’re into temples/shrines and plan to visit a few during your 40 day trip; temples sell this stamp/shrine book (goshuincho) that you can take around like a “passport”. They do charge 500 yen per ‘stamp’ which can add up over a 40 day trip!
Another thing I did last minute was add in a trip to a local public onsen when I could at the end of the days where we walked a lot. I left evenings pretty open so that didn’t effect my schedule too much, but did limit food options that were still open around 9pm!
Last but not least…to echo others…pleaseeee spend at least a week in Kyoto. I’m jealous you have 14 days in Tokyo and you probably can find enough things to fill those 14 days or more, but I’d do more research on Kyoto. I plan to visit only Kyoto next time I’m back in Japan and want to spend at least 1 hopefully 2 weeks in the area.
Being 18 shouldn’t be an issue, I was that old on my first visit to Japan and there were no problems. Regarding accomodation, imo it’s much better to look at hostels/guesthouses unless you *need* the bathroom to be private. Usually you can book a private room with a shared bathroom and kitchen for not very much (source: stayed in Nagoya literally last weekend for 4500jpy/night). Also for the travel budget, do Nagoya<>Osaka and Hiroshima<>Fukuoka as highway buses, they’re about three hours and maybe about 3000jpy each.
I would personally cut out Okinawa considering your timings, and also split Enoshima/Kamakura into two days. Also for Tokyo, rather than staying in Shinjuku twice, you could do seven days in Shinjuku and seven days in somewhere north-east-y like Asakusa? I’ve done that on a previous trip and whilst you can obviously travel around Tokyo easily, as you’ve got a *lot* of time in the city it is nice to have a set of “fresh eyes” on the same city as you’re closer to different things.