Itinerary Check 23 days in Oct, 1st time! help re: Kyoto and Kusatsu Onsen ♨️

Hello! My boyfriend and I are going to Japan from Oct 12-Nov 3. I have been pouring over this reddit for ideas and reviews, so thank you everyone for contributing on the daily! I am fairly confident in my schedule currently, but wanted to get some ideas for what to do in Kyoto (maybe make another day trip instead?). I had to push our Amanohashidate trip into our Osaka time due to a ryokan availability. u\_u If it looks a little light, it is also because we are both potatoes, and will spend a lot of time eating. It’s also why I am trying to add rest days lol.

Full schedule below, but condensed questions here:

1. We are planning on getting the 21-day JR pass, and will likely have to eat the cost on the last couple days… unless there’s a better option? We will be taking a couple of shinkansen trains so I heard it was worth just to get the pass instead.
2. Suggestions for things to do in Kyoto? Or should we go for another day trip? (Oct 19)
3. Should we do an extra day at Kusatsu Onsen? There is a lot to do in Tokyo, but honestly we like relaxing and spa-time more than city/nightlife. My concern is there’s not a lot of notable food in Kusatsu (or is there…?) I just have that fear of missing out (even though we are going for longer than most)

First and fore-most I am trying to lock-in dates so I can book hotels since our trip is only 5 months away (woo!) So answers to 2 and 3 would be super helpful.

[“Calendar” view of our trip with some links to events and hotels](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ftgzja1KIvQgDhg9Jtv8-pB1ivnrEKsPEw7MNsQ_4rU/edit?usp=sharing)

I’ve heard that 10pm is a hard cutoff for hotel check-in, so I’m keeping it in mind, but a couple of these packed days have me sweating.
Oct 12 (Osaka)
Arrive at 7am after annoying layover. Could not get around it. 9 hours in ITM, so not really long enough to exit & reenter. :'( If anyone has recommendations for sleeping at/near ITM, I’d love some help!
In Osaka, hit the Aquarium, Castle, and teamLab Osaka in the evening. This kind of banks on how tired we are from the layover…

Oct 13 (Osaka > Hiroshima)
Osaka to Hiroshima, stopping in Himeji to see the castle

Oct 14 (Hiroshima > Miyajima > Osaka)
Tour around Itsukushima/Miyajima island, maybe eat in Hiroshima again before arriving back in Osaka.

Oct 15 (Osaka)
Check out the Hiraoka-Jinja festival, Nintendo store, Ohatsu tenjin dori in the late afternoon/evening

Oct 16 (Osaka > Amanohashidate)
travel to Ryokan and relax. Maybe check the beach a little.

Oct 17 (Amanohashidate > Kyoto)
Spend the day in Amanohashidate, ride bikes, take the sky rope across, maybe chek out Ine. Return to Kyoto in the evening.

Oct 18 (Kyoto)
Kiyomizu-dera in the morning, then take time going up Fushimi Inari. Probably won’t have energy for more.

Oct 19 (Kyoto)
Might be dead from Fushimi Inari, but suggestions for stuff to do in/around Kyoto here would be nice! We are thinking of shopping for some Yukata. Maybe check out downtown?

Oct 20 (Kyoto)
Arashiyama, see the monkeys, ride the [Sagano Romantic Train](https://www.sagano-kanko.co.jp/en/index.php) (lol!) Might need something for the evening here, too.

Oct 21 (Kyoto)
Uji day trip!! I love matcha and hojicha, I hope they have both!! Stop by the Kyoto-Animation store near Kohata station because I am a big fan. Return to Kyoto… I hear that Yasaka-Jinja and Maruyama Park are lovely at night.

Oct 22 (Kyoto)
We spend a lot of time in Kyoto, which is why I’m considering another day trip. But it’s because I really wanted to witness the [Kurama Fire Festival](https://www.japan.travel/en/spot/67/). It sounds so cool!

Oct 23-25 (Hakone)
Depart Kyoto early for Hakone! Stay at a Ryokan for 2 nights (wow) and relax after all that shrine walking. xD See the sights, and maybe some nice fall leaves. Go directly to Tokyo after.

Oct 26 (Tokyo)
Tokyo Disney Sea!! \\o/

Oct 27 (Tokyo)
Big shopping day: Mega Don Quijote & Shibuya Parco, grab a case for souveniers. Going to hit up a bar in Golden Gai.

Oct 28 (Tokyo)
Harajuku, then Shinjuku Marui Anex. I have heard good things about buying anime gacha from Surugaya. Might be another light day.

Oct 29-30 (Kusatsu Onsen)
Kusatsu Onsen! Relax at baths, maybe hike Mr. Shirane (I wanna see the volcano pool! \*\_\* ) Hang out at the [various baths](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7402.html). This is kind of a big one for me, because I have a fore-arm tattoo (mid-size, i would say), but I have heard that there are plenty of tattoo-friendly onsen in Kusatsu. We are debating doing an extra day here instead of immediately returning to Tokyo…

Oct 31 (Tokyo)
Kirby Cafe Petit (a friend is helping me with a reservation, but this day is currently flexible), Akihabara, Ameya Yokocho, Ueno Gardens. This is another light day, but maybe I’m underestimating it.

Nov 1 (Tokyo) Packed day
Pokemon Center MEGA, Ikebukuro, Namco store, Nakano Broadway, Tokyo Metropolitan Gov Building (instead of skytree or tokyo tower, they are too crowded…)

Nov 2 (Tokyo)
Tsukiki fish market (early, early), teamlab Tokyo, maybe nap from getting up so early. No evening plan yet…

Nov 3 (Tokyo)
last day Q\_Q No plans, but return to shops for anything we didn’t buy on first trip. Eat favorite foods. Plane out of HND at 9pm.

Thank you so much for reading! And thank you in advance for any replies! <3