These Japan first timers would love any opinion on their itinerary. We are a couple in our early thirties. Even though we live in a big European City we both love nature and try to spend every second we can outside. We have tried to incorporate this in our itinerary, but are not sure if it makes the most sense. Besides the great outdoors we love performing arts (the weirder the better), cats, vegetarian food and spooky forests.
We will get the 21day JP Rail Pass (hopefully buying it before the rise) and will activate it at the airport.
We would be **especially thankful for:**
• Critiques and tips on our itinerary obviously
• Suggestions for Sake Breweries
• Places to see the autumn leaves during our time in the country.
• Theater/Dance/Performance
• Hotels
• Veggie restaurants.
Itinerary
**Doubts and thoughts:** This is the longest I’ve ever been able to take off work and I want this trip to be both an amazing adventure, but also a chance for us both to relax a little. So I’m trying to **keep it slow** and relaxed while also including the major sights. I’ve played around with this preliminary itinerary a lot (making sure for example that Kyoto doesn’t fall on a weekend and that the route makes sense with public transportation. However everything can be moved around. The only hotel that is booked may be cancelled until 2 days prior – so thankful for any and all advice.
There are two parts that especially still don’t seem perfect:
1) It seems like Hiroshima doesn’t get the time it deserves
2) I really wanted to hit up Kiso Valley – it is geographically super close to Takayama, however public transport would take 4 hours (one way). Has anyone found a way to combine Kamikochi – Kiso Valley and Takayama?
**Day 1 – TOKYO – (21th Oct)**
*Disclaimer TOKIO (or any of the cities really): I don’t want to plan Tokyo to the t, as I wan’t to take time to fall in love with certain parts, other than the absolute musts I just want to explore, go shopping and eat (a lot).*
• Arrive in Tokyo Narita at 20:00h
• Activate 21 days JP Rail Pass
• Fall into our tiny bed (the Knot Tokyo Shinjuku) – only hotel booked so far
**Day 2 – TOKYO – (22nd Oct)**
• Sleep in
• Go to nearby Cafes and take in the city
**Day 3 – TOKYO – (23rd Oct)**
• Harajuku, Meiji Jingo, Nezu Museum, Shibuya Crossing, Golden Gai
**Day 4 – TOKYO – (24th Oct)**
• FUJI Q Highland
**Day 5 – TOKYO – (25th Oct)**
• Shopping in Ginza
**Day 6 – TOKYO to KUSATSO ONSEN (26th Oct)** (estimated travel time \~ 4h)
*Disclaimer: we are both heavily tattooed and have read that this onsen is very tattoo friendly. If anyone has more info/experience, please let us know. We first planned on going to Kinosaki, however I didn’t find a way to incorporate it into the route without travelling long hours.*
• Drive to Katsuto Onsen with JP Rail Pass (\~ 4h)
• Check in at 15h in traditional Ryokan
• Spend hours on the internet to make sure our onsen-etiquette is on par.
**Day 7 – KUSATSO ONSEN (27th Oct)**
• Soak in Onsen and enjoy a home cooked meal
**Day 8 – KUSATSO ONSEN to KANAZAWA (28th Oct)** (estimated travel time \~ 4h)
• Explore the area around our hotel and go to dinner
**Day 9 – KANAZAWA (29th Oct)**
• Borrow a bike and explore the city
**Day 10 – KANAZAWA – TAKAYAMA (30th Oct)** (estimated travel time \~4h)
• Explore the old town
**Day 11 – TAKAYAMA (31st Oct)**
• Shirawago
• Hida Village
**Day 12 – TAKAYAMA (1st Nov)**
• Day Trip to Kamikochi
**Day 12 – TAKAYAMA – OSAKA (2nd Nov)** (estimated travel time \~ 4-5h)
• Check into the hotel
• Go out and explore night life
**Day 13 – OSAKA (3rd Nov)**
Disclaimer Osaka: I haven’t really been able to warm up to Osaka from the Pictures and we were thinking about maybe substituting it for Hiroshima. But as We’ve never been I would be more than happy for personal experiences, tips, etc.
• (Go to Universal Studios)
**Day 14 – OSAKA – KOYASAN (4th Nov)**
• Temple Stay
**Day 15 – KOYASAN – KYOTO (5th Oct)**
• Rent a bike and hit some of the sights
**Day 16 – KYOTO (6th Oct)**
• Nara Daytrip
**Day 17 – KYOTO (7th Oct)**
• Sights, Shrines and Cafes
**Day 18 – KYOTO/HIROSHIMA (8th Oct)**
• Day trip to Hiroshima
**Day 19 – KYOTO – TOKYO (9th Oct)**
• Hit up our favorite places once again
• Go out for our last dinner
**Day 20 – TOKYO (10th Oct)**
• Buy Souveniers and drive to Narita
14 comments
You need to do some calculations, I don’t think the JR Pass at 21 days is worth it for your trip.
You might want to get tickets to the Gion Odori, which is the fall annual geisha show in Kyoto, runing in early Nov. On another note, I also have tattoos and went to Kinosaki onsen. It was only a 2hr train ride from Kyoto and one of my favorite things we did in Japan.
we just got back and i am recommending the Genji Kyoto Hotel to anyone who will listen – great location, beautiful design, amazing staff!
I think you only need a 14 day JR pass, from day 6 to 19.
“”Outdoorsy” but spending 10 days in basicallyTokyo. Makes no sense. It’s a huge city, I lived in Japan for 10 1/2 years, been back several times, and I’ve not spend a month’s worth of days there. You are more on track with Kyoto, though tourist spots are overrun.
Look into the Kumano Kodo. I hiked 50 Km in two days last month. It’s entirely different from what MOST foreigners ever do in Japan. Very sparsely populated mountains and forest, and it’s an ancient pilgrimage.
There is a bus from Kanazawa to Takayama, which actually stops in Shirakawa where you can get off and explore, there are also coin lockers for your stuff at the Shirakawa bus station (source: am there right now). It’s obviously not covered by the JR Pass, but the price (4000¥/person) is similar if you would do a day trip from Takayama, since it’s the same company (search for “nouhi bus”, they have an english website, idk if links are ok in this sub). Enjoy Japan!
Edit: Usually you can just rock up and pay on the Bus, but this one must be booked in advance. There’s a ticket office in Kanazawa, and supposedly you can book online or via phone.
Spent 4 days in Osaka this spring. I liked the hustle and bustle and really enjoyed Osaka castle and Dotonbori. But if I had to choose between Osaka and Hiroshima, I’d go to Hiroshima for the museum / historical impact. Really profound experience. Osaka is great if you like food (not my thing). But of all the places I’ve been in Japan, it wouldn’t rank real high.
Looking at this, I think you could condense Takayama / Kanazawa time. The old town in Takayama is not that big. And neither is Kanazawa. You could squeeze a day there.
I would not day trip to Hiroshima from Kyoto. Too far. And doesn’t give you time to really enjoy Hiroshima. Hiroshima has a street car system which is not conducive to ripping into town and seeing everything.
So Kusatsu is best accessed from Tokyo but Kinosaki is easily accessed from either Osaka or Kyoto. The public onsen in both cities are tattoo friendly so no worries there. Some ryokans/inns may not allow tattoos though so it’s important to check the policy of the places you plan to stay. These trip reports of mine may be helpful for your planning.
– [Tokyo Overnight Trip: Tattoo Friendly Kusatsu Onsen (Gunma)](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/meafbh/trip_report_kusatsu_onsen_in_gunma/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
– [Kyoto Day Trip: Arashiyama Scenic Railway and Riverboat Ride](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/mibm8t/kyoto_sagano_scenic_train_hozugawa_riverboat/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
– [Kansai Side Trip: Tattoo Friendly Kinosaki Onsen and Himeiji Castle](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/sna5au/kansai_side_trip_tattoo_friendly_kinosaki_onsen/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
– [Takayama: Autumn Weekend (Gifu)](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/mg8ir9/autumn_weekend_in_takayama_gifu_prefecture/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
Fall festival in Takayama is a sight to behold. Definitely recommend it.
My favorite vegetarian-friendly places with super unique dining experiences were Genki in Tokyo, Sawano in Kyoto, and OKO in Osaka. Truly all so different and one of a kind.
If you’re ever in a pinch though, you can always count on a Mos Burger or Coco Ichibanya for some vegetarian options!
Genuinely surprised that Kusatsu hot springs allow tattoos, but it looks like it’s true. You should definitely check out Sainokawara open air bath. They also have traditional yumomi performances at netsunoyu. You can see if your ryokan has a kashikiri onsen (rental for like 45 min) if you want to go in together (assuming you’re a heterosexual couple).
Didn’t know that Kusatsu Onsen is also tattoo friendly! Thanks for the idea, we are currently planning to go to Kinosaki Onsen as I have previously been to Kusatsu before, plus this time I am travelling with my partner who is heavily tattooed as well. It will be interesting to see how Kinosaki compares to Kusatsu. I had plenty of fun walking around in Kusatsu during my two nights stay, and trying out all 3 public onsen baths is an adventure itself. So if the route works for you, definitely go for it!
My current plan is to go from Osaka – Hiroshima – Kinosaki Onsen – Kyoto – Tokyo , so Kinosaki Onsen fits well without adding too much extra time on transit. We are also going to be in Osaka during your palnned days, so we might see your there!
Autumn leaves: Kusatsu will have autumn folkage. To get from Kusatsu to Kanazawa in 4 hours, you are probably connecting between bus and shinkansen in Karuizawa. October is the autumn leaf festival for Karuizawa. I would stop over there. Pre-pandemic the taxi companies in town offered an autumn leaf tour, you can check if it’s still on, if not, you can rent a bike to explore the town. It’s quite lovely!
Add Gokoyama, its not far from Takayama and its BRILLIANT. But no trains, we drove, i guess there might be buses. If not enough time really enjoy Takayama, its also really nice.