Hello all – I will be travelling to Japan for the second time in November for 18 days and wanted to see how my itinerary looks. Specifically, I had questions about whether my Kyushu and Osaka/Kyoto days were grouped efficiently.
I will be going alone (27M) and am a more laid-back traveler. My goals when planning this trip were to pick 1 or 2 things per day that were “must-sees”, and then simply see what I want to, when I want to, for the remainder of the time. While I like this idea, I wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing anything too obvious and that my days weren’t too light. I wanted a buffer for myself in case I decided to stay longer and also I didn’t want to keep checking the time!
Essentially, my stays are 1 day Tokyo, 5 days Fukuoka, 5 days Osaka, and 5 days Tokyo. I will be staying in Osaka and Fukuoka as hubs and exploring from there. I did the math with the 14-day JR pass (at the old prices) and it should cover my trip. The dates of the attractions are mostly set, but if the weather is bad on certain days, I may move stuff around (perks of travelling alone).
I was originally going to squeeze Kagoshima into the Fukuoka leg of the trip, but I decided that I wasn’t spending enough time in Fukuoka so I think I will save it for next time.
My main interests are definitely the culture, people watching, shopping, and generally just walking through the cities and exploring. Not the biggest anime enjoyer, but I will be hunting for some Naruto figurines.
Nov 6/7
* Flight in to NRT from SEA at 16:00 (10.5 hours)
* E-sim, check-in, eat, etc.
* Capsule stay
Nov 8 – Hakata
* Fly to FUK via HND
* I was originally going to train, but it’s a 5-6 hour Shinkansen with a transfer vs a 2-hour flight… Decided to treat myself to a shorter commute, especially after a 10.5 hour flight from yesterday.
* BnB near Hakata station
* Explore Hakata area
Nov 9
* Day trip to Hiroshima
* Miyajima
* Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki
* Peace park/museum
Nov 10
* Day trip to Nagasaki
* Find a Champon place
* Peace park
Nov 11
* Day trip to Kumamoto
* Kumamoto Castle
* Suizenji Garden
Nov 12
* Fukuoka exploration
* Nanzoin temple
* Ohori park/Fukuoka Castle
* Fukuoka tower
* Canal City, Tenjin shopping district
* Team Labs Forest (?) couldn’t find too many reviews, it this worth checking out?
Nov 13 – Beppu
* Train to Beppu for Ryokan
* Check-in, explore onsens, relax and recharge
* Hot sand bath (?)
Nov 14 – Osaka
* Train to Osaka
* BnB near Namba Station
* Explore near Den Den Town/Dotonburi
Nov 15
* Fushimi-Inari and Kinkaku-ji
Nov 16
* Uji/Nara day trip
* Big fan of matcha so will hopefully grab some snacks and stuff
Nov 17
* Osaka aquarium
* That one big shopping street
Nov 18
* Kiyomizu-dera night time illumination (pray for no rain)
* Currently debating if I should spend the whole day in Kyoto here? I wanted to go earlier during the day to hopefully see some autumn foliage, but I didn’t want to stay at Kiyo for the entire day. Originally, I was planning to group this day with Nara/Uji day but it seemed a little packed. Looking at the map, maybe I could do it with Uji, and do Nara + something else?
Nov 19
* Train to Tokyo
* BnB near Ikebukuro
* Eat and explore
Nov 20 – 23
* I have pretty much seen the major Tokyo “must-sees” during my first trip, so these 4 days are kind of days to explore and see things I missed, and to see things again. Would a day trip to Nikko be worth it here? I’m hoping to see some fall colours, but I was worried it might be too late.
* Asakusa/Senso-ji during the night time
* Harajuku shopping
* Ginza shopping
* LOFT shopping
* Big Don Q
* Sunshine City
* Really just planning to relax and enjoy the fact that I am in Japan – don’t really have a set schedule for this part of the trip and am planning to go with the flow.
* May check out Toyosu market, but I was in Tsukiji at 2018 just before it closed so not sure if it’s really worth going to Toyosu. I had Sushi Dai that time and would like to go again, but from what I’ve heard, it’s even more packed than before, so I might just skip.
Nov 24
* Luggage at lockers, last minute shopping/exploration
* Flight from NRT to YVR at 18:30
I wanted to purchase chopsticks with engravings on them (my mom accidentally threw out my last set, long story). Last time I did it at a shop in Osaka Castle. Could anyone recommend me other shops that offer this? I don’t really want to go back to Osaka Castle just for chopsticks again.
If you read through it all, thank you so much! It’s my first time solo planning an international trip, so any tips are greatly appreciated 🙂
3 comments
> Fly to FUK via HND
Unless this is a mileage redemption where the second leg is free, why not stay in Narita the first night and fly from NRT? Lots of Jetstar and Peach flights.
> Fushimi-Inari and Kinkaku-ji / Uji-Nara day trip / Kiyomizudera
With three days of activities I would change hotels to Kyoto as it is otherwise a lot of commuting, especially since Kinkakuji and Kiyomizudera are both a good distance away from Kyoto Station and the latter really rewards an early start. Do Nara/Uji on the transfer day (take your bags with you and put them in a locker).
> That one big shopping street
Tenjinbashisuji? Excellent choice.
If it’s your first day in Hiroshima, Miyajima &
Peace park/museum is tight, assume you’re getting up very early.
I really enjoyed Kitakyushu area as well between Hiroshima and Fukuoka – Mojiko Station walking under the bridge to Kanmon was pretty great.
Your Osaka days seem pretty thin, if I were you I’d cut an Osaka day, stay in Hiroshima a night with minimum luggage, then split the activities there to one per day and head to the above on your way back – train/bus to Mimosusogawa, then walk under the bridge and back. Mekari Shrine is also one of my favourite in Japan with it’s sea view!
Not sure if it came up in your research or not, but there’s an overnight ferry between Beppu and Osaka. I’ve taken it a couple times, it’s really economical and saves on the price of a hotel for a night while getting you where you need to go