25 Days Japan Itinerary check

6 comments

1. You are spending way, way too much time in Tokyo – and megacities generally. I’m sure you can keep yourself entertained for 25 days in them – but don’t you want to get out and see other stuff? Kamakura would be very easy to work into this. Maybe Nikko? And yes, of course go to Nara – spend a whole day.

   Unless your Japanese is pretty good, you don’t need to go to Jimbocho, and Sunshine City is not that exciting. It’s just a shopping centre. You could easily combine Ikebukuro with another day … or just skip it – you’re already doing a lot of shopping.

2. Harajuku at 9am… stores don’t open before 10-11am, so first spot to go is Meiji-Jingu and Yoyogi park. About Yoyogi park, it’s a good thing you go on the weekend as the biggest appeal is people watching, if you want to see a garden, then go see a proper garden, Yoyogi park is only a park. For example, Shinjuku gyoen that you have in your a later day is a good option (note that gyoen is not the name of the garden, it mean “national garden”, the name of the place is Shinjuku Gyoen)… speaking of the shinjuu day, It is also kind of useless to go to Shinjuku before 10-11 when the stores open, you should go to Shinjuku Gyoen as it open at 9am… going at 5pm will only leave you one hour to visit (it close at 6pm).

   Yes, Kappabashi is a good place to buy knives. I would suggest you walk the whole street, do one side of the street at a time, also check the side street (on the east side, there is two stores facing each other on the street that cross kappabashi). Decide on the type of knife you want, what kind of steel, take note of the price and once you have visited all many stores (there is at least 10-15 that only sell knives, even more that have knives along other items).

   You do not really need to go to Tokyo Tower considering that you are going to Mori Art Museum, that also have an observation deck on the floor just over it.

   Tokyo National Museum is huge, try to get there before 3pm, it close at 5pm, so you cannot go too late. Also stores close around 6pm in Yanaka Ginza, so make no sense to go there at 6pm.

   Akihabara at 9:30… want to know what ? store only open at 10-11 am (in not 12 in some cases)… shopping destinations are never good morning spots. If you get early in Akihabara, go to Kanda-myojin.

   Denden town at 9:30 ??? you already know what I will tell you. On the other hand, temples will open around 9am in Nara.

   No, Kawaguchiko is not fully covered by JR Pass. Also you won’t be there for 10am because it takes 5h15 to reach from Osaka, in other words. From Shin-Osaka satation. Take the Hikari shinkansen 634 to Shin-Yokohama at 6:11, arrive at 8:50. Take the Yokohama line to Hachioji at 9:07, arrive at 9:54, take the Fuji excursion 11 to Kawaguchiko at 10:09, arrive at 11:26. Part of the Fuji Excursion train will not be covered by the pass and you will have to pay for it (from Otsuki to Kawaguchiko). You should also reserve this ticket as the train is reserved seat only.

   Side note, it it stupid to go to Kawaguchiko between Kyoto and Osaka, because you will have to do a 5h+ ride again to go back to Kyoto… so no, you won’t be in Kyoto at 9:30am if you sleep in Kawaguchiko an leave a 7am.

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   Honestly, would highly recommend to cancel the Kawaguchiko day and do it as a day trip from Tokyo instead.

3. Day 15/16/17 make no sense, why on earth would you to all the way back to Tokyo from Osaka just to go back to Kyoto a day later? Doing all of that to do a day trip to Fuji doesn’t really make sense and you’d be better off going Osaka straight to Kyoto and doing Fuji 5 lakes as a day trip from one of your many days in Tokyo

4. I don’t know about what kind of traveler you are, but man with 24 days in Japan, I’d say go see some of the country and small town Japan too. Whatever interests you, nature, castles and historic villages, onsens, beaches, mountains, or just other unique cities.

   I do think you could spend months in Tokyo and not get bored, if you do like that city and like to go deep into the neighborhoods and regions and day trips from Tokyo. But both Tokyo and Kyoto are just really fatiguing cities.

   Tokyo – Kyoto – Osaka is like doing Rome – Florence – Venice when you go to Italy. If you’re there for 10 days, fine, go bang out that route. But if you have 24 days? Go see a handful of cities / towns based on your interests

5. I was recently back from a 35 day trip with 21 day JR pass. I took a day trip to Kawaguchiko from Tokyo too, I checked the weather forecast the day in advance then bought a bus ticket there.

   You will need to enquire at the JR bus ticket counter directly for a same day return trip, a day or two in advance, because bus seats there are very limited especially on weekends and days with good weather. It takes 2hrs to go there from Tokyo and another 2hrs back. Total 4hrs on the bus alone. JR Bus counter is at JR Tokyo Station Yaesu Exit South beside McDonalds.

6. +1 ta chatte