Hokay so, this itinerary is not at all set in stone. We’ll be there in late November hoping to catch some nice red leaf action.
I tried to make the high energy activities first, such as Osaka (and drinking) and biking the Shimanami Kaido in the earlier parts of the trip. Haven’t settled on lodging for Osaka, Kinosaki, and Kyoto. If you have parts of the city that you would recommend staying in, or away from please have at it and let me know. We’re millennial hipsters who love artsy/edgy/non-conformist neighborhoods.
Osaka – Stay in Dotonbori?
Kinosaki – I assume it’s hard to go wrong in a place this small.
Kyoto – Shimogyo Ward?
I’ve heard conflicting info on Osaka and Kyoto – that Kyoto has more history but that Americans like myself enjoy Osaka more because of the culture (fooooooood) and that the people are far more outgoing. Would love additional insight!
Day 1 – Land in Haneda, head to Shibuya and check into hotel, eat dinner from 7Eleven or equivalent, maybe head to a bar in Shibuya if up to it.
Day 2 – Ghibli Museum, tool around Kichijoji, head to Shibuya that evening for Sushisho Masa, bars, and karaoke.
Day 3 – Wake up, do something small and easy in Shinjuku, shinkansen to Osaka.
Day 4 – Eat
Day 5 – Also Eat. Maybe get a little tipsy
Day 6 – Eat more… roll around in our fat bodies?
Day 7 – Wake up and head to Okayama to check out the gardens, leave luggage at train station. Head to Onomichi and check into hotel/hostel. Check out the MOA if we have time.
Day 8 – Go get bike, start bikin’. Potential stops include Nanohana, Dolce Ice Cream, Hirayama Ikuo Museum of Art, Kousanji, The Hill Of Hope, Oyamazumi Shrine. I recognize that all of these won’t happen. Stop on Omishima for the night.
Day 9 – Wake up and finish ride in Imabari, maybe stopping at Patisserie T’s or Tanpopo on the way. Then, head to a hot springs. I’ve left some flexibility here, because depending on the weather I’m not sure if we’ll want to be in Beppu or Kinosaki. We’ll need to be finished and at the train station by 4:10 to catch the last convenient trains/ transport.
Day 10 – Soak tired muscles in Kinosaki/Beppu.
Day 11 – Wake up. Put on a little make up. Head to Kyoto. Do something easy once arrived. Head to public bath in evening.
Day 12 – Wake up early and head to various temple to avoid crowds. Spend rest of the day wandering around and drinking coffee.
Day 13 – Head to Tokyo. Stay in Asakusa, head to Kappabashi. Explore Asakusa.
Day 14 – Head to Akihabara and look at nerd things. Try and get a reservation as Sushi Saito for the evening.
Day 15 – Wake up, do last minute souvenir shopping. Soak it in. Head to Haneda for 16:00 flight.
If you think we should stay longer in one place, can you please give specifics on what we should do? This is our first of many visits, and we can’t shake a stick without hitting 1 million things we can/should do so I’d love help narrowing things down.
Thank you so much in advance!
2 comments
Your days can use some formatting, it’s just a wall of text.
Kyoto depends on how much you like historical things, quintessential Japanese aesthetics, and sightseeing.
If you’re not looking for “touristy places” or don’t really care about history, then yeah, you might not get much out of Kyoto.
I personally didn’t love Osaka THAT much. I liked it, and I’d go again, but it’s probably not in my top 5 favorite cities I’ve been in Japan.
Osaka would recommend to stay around Namba, that is close to the nightlife (yep, close to Dotonbori) and likely one of the interest of Osaka. If you want edgy, an area that is a poor area, can be seedy and rough and lot of homeless or poor day laborers live there or with some that would be a bit south of Shin-sekai, the area is called Nishinari and include Tobita Shinchi area… but I would not really recommend it.
For Kyoto I would say Gion/Kawaramachi area, that is closer to several attractions than Kyoto station area would be.
Yes, what usually interest tourist in Kyoto is the traditional side, the culture, history, while Osaka is a bit more on the nigthlife, food. Some people get bored by Kyoto and it’s the favorite city for other, same for Osaka, some think it’s just a smaller Tokyo and other would spend weeks partying in Osaka.
While Okayama if not a bad stop, I would suggest to take the day to visit Onomichi itself. It’s probably my favorite city in Japan. The view from Senko-ji is great and the city have a king of nice retro vibe. Not that much attraction, but I love the atmosphere and there should still be a bunch of cute restaurant and cafe. And eat Onomichi ramen. Also try to get something lemon flavored, they produce lemon on Setoda island (Ikuchijima).
Do you have any idea how long it will take to reach Beppu or Kinosaki from Imabari ? Kinosaki is easily 6h and considering check-in time at ryokan, you would need to be in the train in the morning. Beppu is 2h train and 3h boat (plus wait time)… in other words, that does not look like a great idea.
Actually, it could make much more sense to go to Okayama after the bike ride. It might not be as famous for onsen, but for sure you can find some not too far from Okayama itself.
For onsen, for example Setouchi Onsen Tamanoyu, would be about 2h40 from Imabari (this one is just a onsen, so if you want to do a ryokan, would need to book is separately). Or maybe something in Kurashiki, that is about 2h30 away, for example Ryori Ryokan Tsurugata or Yoshii Ryokan. Or why not just a hotel with a onsen close to Okayama station, like Super Hotel Okayama station east-gate Natural Onsen Bizen no Yu (yes that is a long name).
In Kyoto, while yes there might not be that much people when the temple open, appart from some exception that open really early or just always open, most open at 9am, so while yes you can start the day early, but there is not much point to reach a temple/shrine before they open. The two exceptions I know are Fushimi Inari-taisha and Kiyomizu-dera. Otherwise, just check their opening hours to have an idea.