Hello there, I will be flying to Japan (solo) late august and will spend 5 days in tokyo and 7 days in Osaka.
Anyway before looking at my itinerary, I would like to point out my primary purpose for this trip is to hike up Mt Fuji and I like to wander around so abit of a outdoor person, some what of a ambivert so I’m fine with bar and night activities too.
ALSO ALSO finally if i would like to book a mountain hub in Mt Fuji am i too late to do it now?
And below is my itinerary planned by ChatGPT (lol), I’m pretty chill as I’m sure i will visit Japan again so if it’s too jam packed please suggest what to remove and also if there’s too few things to do kinda suggest what are the must-dos!
Day 1: Arrival in Tokyo
* Arrive at Haneda Airport, Tokyo at 5 AM
* Transfer to your hotel in central Tokyo- explore Asakusa to see Sensoji Temple and Nakamise Shopping Street
Day 2: Explore Tokyo
* Spend the morning in Ueno Park and potentially visit Ueno Zoo or Tokyo National Museum
* In the afternoon, explore Akihabara for a glimpse into Japan’s otaku culture- Visit Shibuya to see the famous Shibuya Crossing and Hachiko statue
Day 3: Climb Mount Fuji
* Travel to the Fifth Station of Mount Fuji- Start your climb in the afternoon, reach the Eighth Station and stay overnight at a mountain hut
Day 4: Finish Climbing Mount Fuji and Return to Tokyo (9th September)
* Summit Mount Fuji in the early morning to see the sunrise- Descend the mountain, return to Tokyo- Rest and recover from the climb
Day 5: Explore Tokyo-
* Visit Meiji Shrine and Takeshita Street in Harajuku
* Stroll down Omotesando
* Enjoy a sushi dinner at one of Tokyo’s famed sushi restaurants
Day 6: Transfer to Osaka
* Take a morning Shinkansen to Osaka
* Visit Osaka Castle and Osaka Museum of History
Day 7: Explore Osaka
* Visit Shinsekai and Tsutenkaku Tower
* Spend your evening in Dotonbori for shopping and food
Day 8: Day Trip to Nara
* Take a train to Nara in the morning
* Visit Todai-ji Temple, Nara Park, and Kasuga-taisha Shrine
* Return to Osaka in the evening
Day 9: Day Trip to Kobe
* Take a train to Kobe in the morning
* Visit Kobe Harborland and Meriken Park
* Try Kobe Beef for lunch or dinner
* Return to Osaka in the evening
Day 10: Explore Osaka
* Spend the day exploring other attractions in Osaka.
* Consider the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Universal Studios Japan, or the Umeda Sky Building.
Day 11: Spend Day in Osaka
* I don’t know what to do for today ChatGPT suggest me to go back to tokyo, but i will be staying in Osaka for 1 full day
Day 12: Departure
* Go back to tokyo and take a flight back to my country, My flight is in the late afternoon (5pm)
7 comments
Personally, I found the Osaka Museum of History a bit disappointing. Might be better to skip and put your Day 10 activities on this day instead. Be aware that the Kaiyukan has captive dolphins, which is one reason I’m skipping it. Umeda Sky Building at night has some great views.
I think you’re missing out on some fun stuff in Tokyo’s neighbouring cities, like Yokohama or Kamakura.
Keep in mind that Obon is in August, so you’ll need to book your transport and accommodation asap if your dates coincide. Mt Fuji will also be packed.
I’m not 100% but I think I’ve seen other posters say that all the Mt Fuji huts are fully booked for the season.
If you are an outdoorsy person I’m curious why you are only visiting two enormous cities? There are so many smaller cities to explore. You also might be interested in hiking part of the Nakasendo Trail and spending a night in one of the preserved towns.
I don’t think Osaka has much to offer if you’re already visiting Tokyo, so take this with a grain of salt, but not spending time in Kyoto is a real miss.
https://www.garyjwolff.com/mt-fuji-mountain-huts.html
This page has a link to a Japanese page showing which huts have vacancies
ChatGPT really phoning it in on this one. Why so much time in Osaka? If you’re an outdoorsy person, go somewhere that’s not just endless concrete? Or if you want to do touristy things, surely Kyoto would be better?
I think most Fuji mountain huts are booked for the season (I just booked one on 7th station for Sept 7th a couple weeks ago, was not able to find a spot on any of the 8th station ones), I would say try and call a few on 7th station they may still have a spot or two on weekdays but do it ASAP
maybe add kyoto imo and nara is like 5-6 hours max, teamlabs tokyo is pretty memorable for me, try to add it. Also maybe visit red light district in Osaka, I did a group tour but felt like even alone its safe to walk through (dont take pics). I didnt visit kobe but in dontonburi a lot of the restaurants advertise kobe beef A5 Wagyu.
Also have a backup plan for fuji in case of thunderstorms like be able to change date. The day I planned had a thunderstorm and i didn’t even attempt it.