Hi there!
For a while now I’ve been creating the itinerary for me (35) and my girlfriend (31) and would like to check if it’s too packed and any tips would be welcome. Also tips/recommondations or fun activities to do and things not to miss for any of the places listed would be highly appreciated. We love food, music (hiphop, electronic, funk, etc.), photography, culture, vintage games, sports and are pretty active in our day to day lives – would be great to meat locals, we like to get surprised (weird is good, alternative lifestyle sub cultures maybe). I have been to Japan before myself on a very tight budget, my girlfriend hasn’t. Therefore I’ve tried to create a trip with a mix of places I’ve not been to yet and spots that she should definitely experience. With a combination of some bigger cities, smaller places and space for some down time/relaxing. The itinerary has a very rough day to day planning, it’s a random mix in no particular order of things I think would be cool and haven’t been to myself mostly. We would have considerable budget to spend and sometimes splurge.
Additional questions would be:
– would the places we want to visit make sense in summer or winter? We haven’t planned in which season we’d like to go.
– which train pass would be most feasable for us? There’s quite a few for different regions and lines..
– How easy is it to rent a car and which company is recommended? Can you pick the car up in 1 place and return it in the next
– Which city would make the most sense to fly back to Europe? Thought Fukuoka would be best, but I might be incorrect.
Itinerary
\- Day 0 fly into Tokyo
Day 1
Tokyo
\- Take it easy/walk/jetlag
\- stroll through 1 neighboorhood/take it easy
\- Harajuki
\- Lunch mini pig cafe (to get some dopamine to last us the day)
\- Shinjuku at night?
\- Sleep early
\- Day 2
\- Tokyo
\- Golden Gai
\- Teamlabs Planet
\- Kichijoji area
\- Ryu No Myako Inshokugai
\- Sumo tournament
\- Day 3
\- Tokyo
\- Daikanyama area
\- Kabukicho Yokocho (Food Court in Tokyu Kabukicho Tower)
\- Yakatabune sight seeing dinner cruise
\- Miyashita Park (hangout spot close to Shibuya)
\- Shibuya Sky for sunset
\- Day 4 (2,5 hours travel from Tokyo)
\- Nagano
\- walk around/explore
\- Day 5
\- Nagano
\- day trip to Jigokudani snow monkey park (1h,45m from Nagano)
\- take lunch-box for lunch on the way
\- Yudanaka (explore, dinner, then back to Nagano)
\- Day 6
\- Nagano
\- day trip to Tsubame Onsen (Nagono -> trein Sekiyama Station -> bus Tsubame Onsen) (2 hours from Nagano)
\- Day 7 (3 hours from Tsubame Onsen) (leave early)
\- Kanazawa
\- Omicho market
\- Oyama Shrine
\- Kanazawa Castle
\- 21st Century Museum of Contmeporary Art
\- Samurai House
\- Samurai District
\- Day 8 (2 hours from Kanazawa)
\- Shirakawago (book bus in advance?)
\- walk around Unesco site
\- Ryokan/nice hotel
\- relax
\- Day 9 (4 hours from Shirakawago)
\- Kyoto
\- explore the city (which neighborhood?)
\- lunch
\- Monk restaurant
\- Day 10
\- Kyoto
\- Temples, etc.
\- Nishiki market (street food)
\- Amanohashidate day trip (beach)?
\- Day 11
\- Kyoto
\- temples and stuff
\- Pontocho alley
\- Day 12 (15 minutes vanaf Kyoto)
\- Osaka
\- explore the city
\- Amerikamura area
\- Osaka Boat Cruise /T(d)onbori river cruise (Wonder Cruise you can book in advance)
\- Bar Cherry Bomb
\- Pink Kawaii Cafe
\- Dotonbori
\- Shinsekai area
\- Spa World (24/7 open)
\- Day 13 (20 minutes from Osaka)
\- Kobe
\- explore the city with Patries’ colleagues/tips from them
\- Pro wrestling match?
\- Day 14
\- Kobe
\- explore the city with Patries’ colleagues/tips from them
\- Day 15 (3h,15m from Kobe)
\- Kumamoto
\- explore the city/take it easy
\- Day 16 (45 minutes by car from Kumamoto)
\- Aso Kuju National Park
\- Takachiho Gorge
\- Kurokawa Onsen Oyado Noshiyu
\- Sleep here
\- Day 17
\- Aso Kuju National Park
\- Daikanbo lookout (hike?)
\- Day 18 (45 minutes to Kumamoto -> 3,5 hours Kumamoto to Ureshino Onsen)
\- Ureshino onsen
\- relax after the national park
\- Day 19 (1,5 hours from Ureshino onsen
\- Nagasaki (late arrival)
\- Explore the city
\- Day 20
\- Nagasaki
\- Shopping/souvenirs
\- in the evening take train to Fukuoka (1,5 hours travel)
\- Day 21
\- Fly back from Fukuoka
1 comment
Kenroku-en garden in Kanazawa.
Afaics there are no direct flights from Fukuoka to Amsterdam/Brussels (chosen due to your usage of the word ‘vanaf’), but there seems to be a connection from Osaka to Helsinki which you could consider.