My husband and I are going to Japan for the first time this fall, spending 12 days there. Our priorities are urban exploring, Ghibli, onsen, and traditional villages.
* Day 1 – Arrive Tokyo September 14th at 4pm
* Day 2 – Tokyo
* Shinjuku & Harajuku, Shimokitazawa
* Day 3 – Tokyo
* Akihabara
* Nezu Shrine Festival
* Day 4 – Tokyo
* Ghibli Museum
* Day 5 – Nagano
* Kanaguya, Shibu onsen
* Day 6 – Kiso Valley
* Narai
* Tsumago – stay here overnight
* Day 7 – Ghibli Park, train to Kyoto
* Day 8 – Kyoto
* NW Kyoto (Arashiyama bamboo grove, Okochi Sanso Garden, Kimono Garden, Jojakko-ji Temple, Glo-ji Temple, Adashino Nenbutsu-ji Temple)
* Stay in Ryokan
* Day 9 – Kyoto
* Seimei Shrine Festival
* Central, east Kyoto (Nijo Castle, Yasaka-jinja, Gion, Nishiki Market)
* Day 10 – Day trip to Nara
* Day 11 – Extra day in Kyoto, or day trip to Hakone
* Day 12 – Flight out from Tokyo 6pm
Questions:
* Does this itinerary seem realistic?
* Is it worth it for us to buy a rail pass? I tried one of the online calculators and it seemed like a close call
* Any tips for transport in Kiso Valley?
* Is it ok to leave the accommodations for day 11 up in the air so we have flexibility depending on whether we’d like to spend more time in Kyoto or Tokyo or see something new, or is it too hard to make last-minute hotel reservations?
1 comment
it seems doable to me, but outside kyoto my experience is very limited.
day 8 is unconventional but it should work out just fine
day 9 is also ok. i dont know about the festival. but from there, nijo, then nishiki, and move into gion and yasaka into the evening, both do not close at like 4-5pm and in fact may be best enjoyed in the evening
day 11, i would say more kyoto. you are totally missing more higashiyama
BUT if you get nervous staying in kyoto when the next day your flight back home is from tokyo, then, well, go to tokyo.
I would not cut it too close with accomodations. you certainly will find something in big cities like kyoto or osaka or tokyo. but it could be nowhere you want to be, overpriced, and who needs the stress of finding something hours before you need it. id rather book two with an option to cancel or book two (and pay for both) cheap capsules and not show up at one. but you do you