Hi Reddit, my fiance and I are planning our honeymoon for the cherry blossom season (March/April) for 1 month in 2024. We would appreciate it if you guys can take the time to read and review our itinerary!
**Day 1 (12th March) – Flight**
* Flight from Australia to Tokyo Haneda Airport
* *Overnight stay in Tokyo*
**Day 2 (13th March) – Tokyo**
* Asakusa – Sensoji Temple, local food
* Skytree
* Walk around Sumida River
* Overnight stay in Tokyo
**Day 3 (14th March) – Tokyo**
* Shibuya
* Hanami at Yoyogi Park
* Parco Mall – Pokemon Centre/Nintendo Store, etc.
* Shibuya Sky
* Overnight stay in Tokyo
**Day 4 (15th March) – Tokyo**
* Akihabara
* Overnight stay in Tokyo
**Day 5 (16th March) – Tokyo**
* Harajuku
* Takeshita Street
* Pokemon Cafe
* Overnight stay in Tokyo
**Day 6 (17th March) – Tokyo**
* Shinjuku
* Overnight stay in Tokyo
**Day 7 (18th March) – Tokyo**
* Ginza + shopping
* Overnight stay in Tokyo
**Day 8 (19th March) – Nikko day trip**
* *Use* ***Nikko World Heritage Pass***
* *Take Tobu railway from Asakusa*
* *Overnight stay in Tokyo*
**Day 9 (20th March) – Tokyo**
* Tsukiji Fish Market
* Explore Toyosu
* Lalaport Mall – shopping, food
**Day 10 (21st March) – Flight to Okinawa**
* *Morning flight (\~8 am) from Tokyo (either Haneda/Narita) to Okinawa Naha Airport*
* Car rental
* Explore Naha area – Kokusai Dori
* Okinawa World
* American Village
* *Overnight stay in Okinawa*
**Day 11 (22nd March) – Okinawa**
* Drive up towards northern Okinawa
* Sightseeing, nature
* Churaumi Aquarium
* Ocean Expo Park – Tropical Dream Centre
* *Overnight stay in Okinawa*
**Day 12 (23rd March) – Okinawa**
* Drive down towards southern Okinawa
* Sightseeing, nature
* *Is it worth visiting Ishigaki or Kerama Islands?*
* *Overnight stay in Okinawa*
**Day 13 (24th March) – Flight to Osaka**
* Return rental car
* *Morning flight (\~11 am) from Naha Airport to Osaka (either Itami/Kansai Airport)*
* Explore area local to hotel (maybe Umeda)
* Nipponbashi – DenDen Town
* Dotonbori
* *Overnight stay in Osaka*
**Day 14 (25th March) – Osaka**
* Universal Studios
* *Overnight stay in Osaka*
**Day 15 (26th March) – Yoshino day trip**
* Explore Mount Yoshino – cherry blossom viewing, etc.
* *Overnight stay in Osaka*
**Day 16 (27th March) – Osaka**
* Shinsekai
* Cup Noodles Museum
* Osaka Castle
* *Overnight stay in Osaka*
**Day 17 (28th March) – Izu Peninsula**
* *Take Shinkansen from Osaka to Mishima Station*
* *Take train to Shuzenji*
* Explore local area for rest of the day
* *Overnight stay in Shuzenji*
**Day 18 (29th March) – Izu Peninsula**
* ***Take public transport or rent a car?***
* *Travel to Atami Station*
* Atami Castle
* Mount Omuro
* Izu Kogen
* Jogasaki Coast
* *Overnight stay in Ito*
**Day 19 (30th March) – Izu Peninsula**
* Seven Waterfalls
* Kawazu
* Shirahama Beach
* Toji
* Irozaki
* *Overnight stay in Shimoda*
**Day 20 (31st March) – Kawaguchiko**
* *Travel to Mishima Station, then take Fujikyu bus to Kawaguchiko Station*
* Explore local area – food, shopping, etc.
* Mount Fuji Panoramic Ropeway
* Bike riding in evening
* *Overnight stay in Kawaguchiko*
**Day 21 (1st April) – Kawaguchiko**
* Chureito Pagoda
* Oshino Hakkai
* *Overnight stay in Kawaguchiko*
**Day 22 (2nd April) – Kawaguchiko**
* Explore Lake Yamanaka and surrounding area
* Fujiyoshida
* *Overnight stay in Kawaguchiko*
**Day 23 (3rd April) – Hakone**
* *Use* ***Hakone/Kamakura Pass*** *for next 3 days (3rd to 5th April)*
* Hakone Loop
* *Overnight stay in Hakone*
**Day 24 (4th April) – Kamakura & Enoshima**
* Great Buddha
* Temples
* Enoden
* Exploring – food, shopping, beaches, etc.
* *Overnight stay in Kamakura*
**Day 25 (5th April) – Tokyo**
* *Return back to Tokyo*
* Shimokitazawa
* Relax for rest of the day
* *Overnight stay in Tokyo*
**Day 26 (6th April) – Yokohama day trip**
* Chinatown
* Cup Noodle Museum
* Ramen Museum
* Explore around – food, shopping, etc.
* *Overnight stay in Tokyo*
**Day 27 (7th April) – Tokyo**
* More exploring in Shibuya – shopping, food, etc.
* *Overnight stay in Tokyo*
**Day 28 (8th April) – Tokyo**
* More exploring in Shinjuku
* Gotokuji Temple
* *Overnight stay in Tokyo*
**Day 29 (9th April) – Tokyo**
* Kappabashi – homewares shopping
* Explore Maihama area – Ikspiari Disney shopping mall, etc.
* *Overnight stay in Tokyo (preferably near Disney Resort, e.g. Urayasu)*
**Day 30 (10th April) – Tokyo**
* Disneyland
* *Overnight stay in Tokyo (Urayasu)*
**Day 31 (11th April) – Tokyo**
* DisneySea
* *Overnight stay in Tokyo (Urayasu)*
**Day 32 (12th April) – Flight back home**
* *Take public transport to Haneda Airport*
* Evening flight back to Australia
**Notes:**
1. I don’t think we would need the JR Pass.
2. Are our chosen passes suitable, or are there any alternatives which are better and can save us more money?
3. Our idea for the middle part of this itinerary was to gradually move from left (Osaka) to right (Tokyo), with places to visit/stay in, in between (i.e. Izu Peninsula, Kawaguchiko, Hakone/Kamakura).
4. Is it better to rent a car in Izu Peninsula, or would we be fine with public transport?
5. We tried to order the cities/places of interest in order based on the cherry blossom season (using Japan Guide’s cherry blossom forecast as reference). We hope to see as much sakura as possible with this order, but we are already aware that Okinawa blooms the earliest and so we won’t see any sakura there. We also understand that sakura can bloom early, and that the forecast can vary.
Thank you for your help 🙂
4 comments
Looks pretty well planned and structured!
One suggestion would be to fly from Haneda to Naha (instead of Narita), and Naha to Itami (instead of Kansai). These airports are a lot closer to town and will save a good hour or two, even though flights there might be slightly cheaper.
4. A rental car would be best for Izu I think. Public transport is pretty limited out there.
Re Ishigaki or Kerama: You could do them, but you’d need to fly for Ishigaki. Either way you could easily make them a day trip (first flight/ferry out, last flight/ferry back). Definitely get a rental car for Ishigaki though.
First of all, big congratulations! My first reaction on the itinerary is: wow 31 days – so lucky! However, I notice that most of your itinerary (beside Okinawa) is really just around Tokyo. If I were you, 31 days is a great opportunity to explore the far flung of Japan.
95% of the tourist that go to Japan (like myself) can only spend 7-14 days, so our itinerary is tied to Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka/Hakone/etc. Elusive destination like staying at the renowned Takefue Kyushu/Beppu, Miyajima/Nagasaki or even staying overnight at some secluded templ, or doing some scenic hike at the renowned Nakasendo trail are out of reach and require a second visit.
I am surprised that you are spending 13 days in Tokyo for instance with 4 days dedicated just to Shibuya and Shinjuku. I’m not sure if 13 days in Tokyo can be say better allocated to say explore Kyushu / Beppu / Miyajima / Nagasaki — versus flying direct from Okinawa to Osaka (maybe 3-4 days to do all that), so that leaves you 8-9 days in Tokyo still which is still very generous.
Destinations like Kawaguchiko, Hakone and Izu are easily reachable from Tokyo and can be reserved next time when you are in Japan not for the entire month. I recommend skipping Hakone as there are so many other Onsen town that is 100% more interesting than Hakone that you can explore (Kinosaki, Kusatsu Onsen). You still have a lot of time to plan – so go wild 🙂
For the Izu Peninsula I would rent a car as you’ll be able to explore much more freely. You might find this trip report helpful. We stayed twice on the Peninsula when living in Japan. It’s gorgeous.
– [Tokyo Day/Overnight Trip: Early February Cherry Blossoms on Izu Peninsula](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/mlugpb/early_cherry_blossoms_in_the_izu_peninsula_in/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
Keep in mind it will be warm in Okinawa but some beaches may not officially open til later in April. Your hotel should have info on the best places yo go nearby when you are there. Check on the open dates for any pool at your hotel too.
Tip for yoshino, get the blue symphony train. It’s a premium experience for just a bit more. Book 1 month in advance