Hello!
I am going to Japan for 2 months(maybe more?) and would appreciate some opinions on the itinerary for the first half!
The main goal here is exploring northern to central Japan, hitting the most popular places, while generally following the autumn color. I understand we’re a bit early for autumn color in some places but it’s lined about about as well as I could manage. Of course we won’t know exactly until we’re much closer to the trip.
It will be me and one other person for the trip from Sapporo to Tokyo where a third person will join us.
|Total Trip: October 11 – Dec 13| |Location|Accommodations
:–|:–|:–|:–|
|||||
|11 Oct||Fly into Tokyo, check into hotel (Or skip and go straight to Sapporo)||
|||||
|12-Oct||**Fly to Sapporo**|[Sapporo](https://www.expedia.com/Sapporo-Hotels-VILLA-KOSHIDO-ODORI.h61505591.Hotel-Information?langid=1033)
|||||
|13-Oct||**Explore Sapporo**||
|||→Nakajima Park||
|||→Pole Town||
|||→Maybe Madarake?||
|||→Find cheap food for lunch and dinner||
|||||
|14-Oct||**Explore Sapporo**||
|||→Bike around Moerenuma Park||
|||→Historical Village/Museum||
|||→Jingisukan somewhere for lunch||
|||→Mt Moiwa at sunset||
|||||
|15-Oct||**Chill Day/Explore Sapporo**||
|||→Visit some shrines||
|||→Explore the city/shopping areas||
|||→Get ramen somewhere||
|||→Prepare to leave||
|||||
|16-Oct||**Chill Day/Explore Sapporo**||
|||→Shiroi Kobito||
|||||
|17-Oct||**Trip to Otaru**|[Otaru](https://www.expedia.com/Sapporo-Hotels-VILLA-KOSHIDO-ODORI.h61505591.Hotel-Information?langid=1033)
|||→Activate 21 day JR pass||
|||→Take Train to Otaru||
|||→Check into hotel||
|||→Explore Otaru||
|||→(Could use specific recommendations for sightseeing and local restaurants)||
|||||
|18-Oct||**Head to Hakodate**|[Hakodate](https://www.expedia.com/Hakodate-Hotels-HakoBA-Hakodate-By-THE-SHARE-HOTELS.h19008457.Hotel-Information?bedroom_count_gt=&chain=&chkin=10%2F18%2F2023&chkout=10%2F20%2F2023&daysInFuture=&destType=MARKET&destination=Hakodate%2C%20Hokkaido%20Prefecture%2C%20Japan&endDate=10%2F20%2F2023&expediaPropertyId=&group=&guestRating=&highlightedPropertyId=&hotelName=&latLong=41.76879%2C140.728819&misId=&neighborhood=&poi=&pricing_group=&pwa_ts=1678765311261&referrerUrl=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZXhwZWRpYS5jb20vSG90ZWwtU2VhcmNo&regionId=6128244&rfrr=HSR&rm1=a2&roomIndex=&selected=&selectedRatePlan=210592345&selectedRoomType=202061475&sort=REVIEW_RELEVANT&startDate=10%2F18%2F2023&stayLength=&theme=&top_cur=USD&us_bathroom_count_gt=&useRewards=true&userIntent=&vacationRentalsOnly=false&x_pwa=1)
|||→Take train to Hakodate||
|||→Check into hotel||
|||→Explore Hakodate||
|||→Possibly visit Mt. Hakodate for sunset if not too tired||
|||||
|||||
|19-Oct||**Explore Hakodate**||
|||→Morning Market||
|||→Miharashi Park(Hopefully late enough for autumn leaves)||
|||Goryokaku Park||
|||→Explore others parks/areas(recommendations?)||
|||→Mt Hakodate if not the day before||
|||→Cape Tachimachi||
|||||
|20-Oct||**Head to Aomori**|[Super Hotel](https://www.superhoteljapan.com/en/s-hotels/aomori/)
|||→Morning Market(again)||
|||→Take train to Aomori City||
|||→Check into hotel||
|||→Hakkoda Ropeway||
|||→Explore city||
|||||
|21-Oct||**Resort Shirakami**|[Richmond](https://www.booking.com/hotel/jp/richmond-akita-ekimae.html?)|
|||→Explore Aomori until early afternoon||
|||→Take the 13:51 Resort Shirakami to get the Buna car||
|||→Arrive in Akita at 19:01 and check into hotel||
|||||
|22-Oct||**Head to Morioka**|AirBNB(Orchard)|
|||→Explore Akita in the morning||
|||→Take train to Morioka and get lunch/something to take with for dinner||
|||→Take train to Yahaba station where AirBNB is(owner of apple orchard)||
|||||
|23-Oct||**Explore Morioka**|[Sendai](https://www.expedia.com/Sendai-Hotels-Almont-Hotel-Sendai.h19140641.Hotel-Information?chkin=2023-10-23&chkout=2023-10-28&x_pwa=1&rfrr=HSR&pwa_ts=1678770391465&referrerUrl=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZXhwZWRpYS5jb20vSG90ZWwtU2VhcmNo&useRewards=true&rm1=a2&regionId=3110&destination=Sendai%2C+Miyagi+Prefecture%2C+Japan&destType=MARKET&neighborhoodId=553248635939578919&selected=19140641&latLong=38.268215%2C140.869356&sort=RECOMMENDED&top_dp=57&top_cur=USD&mdpcid=US.META.HPA.HOTEL-CORESEARCH-desktop.HOTEL&mdpdtl=HTL.19140641.20231023.20231028.DDF.223.CID.19735089272.AUDID.7263802306&mctc=10&gclid=Cj0KCQjwk7ugBhDIARIsAGuvgPaZnvLAchbXjpdHDZJm6lbBMt_ILBeSL-fi8OKdnY0_DQElkQlEOPcaAs9jEALw_wcB&userIntent=&selectedRoomType=202054211&selectedRatePlan=210558598)
|||→Take train back to Morioka after morning at orchard||
|||→Explore the landmarks in Morioka and try one or more of the famous noodles||
|||→Take train to Sendai||
|||→Check into hotel||
|||||
|24-Oct||**Explore Sendai**||
|||→Zuihoden Temple||
|||→Aoba Castle||
|||→Explore more of the city||
|||||
|25-Oct||**Okama Crater or Naruko Gorge**||
|||||
|26-Oct||**Okama Crater or Naruko Gorge**||
|||||
|27-Oct||**Matsushima Bay**||
|||→Matsushima bay cruise||
|||||
|28-Oct||**Tashirojima**|Manga Ai-Land|
|||**Head to Tashirojima**||
|||→Take the noon ferry to Tashirojima||
|||→Explore the island||
|||→Check into Manga Ai-Land||
|||||
|29-Oct||**Head to Yamadera**|[Daiwa Roynet](https://www.daiwaroynet.jp/en/yamagata-ekimae/)
|||→Leave Tashirojima towards Yamadera||
|||→Check into hotel||
|||→Explore temples if not too late||
|||||
|30-Oct||**Yamadera to Fukushima**|[Sankyo](https://www.expedia.com/Fukushima-Hotels-HOTEL-SANKYO-FUKUSHIMA.h29107850.Hotel-Information?)
|||→Finish exploring Yamadera||
|||→Hotel in Fukushima||
|||→Find something to do||
|||||
|31-Oct||Fukushima to Aizuwakamatsu|AirBNB|
|||→Take train to Aizuwakamatsu||
|||→Check into hotel||
|||||
|1-Nov||**Aizuwakamatsu/Ouchijuku**||
|||||
|2-Nov||**Aizuwakamatsu/Kitakata**||
|||||
|3-Nov||**Hitachi**|[The Square](https://www.expedia.com/Hitachi-Hotels-Hotel-Terrace-The-Square-Hitachi.h12980312.Hotel-Information?)
|||→Visit park||
|||||
|4-Nov||**Tsuchiura Fireworks**|[Celecton](https://www.booking.com/hotel/jp/the-celecton-premier-tsutiura.html?auth_success=1)
|||→Head to Tsuchiura||
|||→Watch Fireworks||
|||→Get Hotel||
|||||
|5-Nov||**Head to Tokyo**|[Henn Na](https://go-hhhhotelgroup.reservation.jp/en/hotels/hnh-asakusa-tawaramachi)
|||→Take train from Tsuchiura to Tokyo||
|||→Meet friend in Tokyo, rest day||
|||||
|6-Nov||**Tokyo**||
|||→Senso-Ji||
|||→Nakamise Dori||
|||Lunch||
|||→Ueno||
|||→Skytree||
|||Dinner||
|||||
|7-Nov||**Nikko/Utsunomiya**|[Turtle Inn](http://www.turtle-nikko.com/hotori-an/)
|||→Take train to Nikko||
|||→Check into hotel||
|||→Explore Nikko||
|||||
|8-Nov||**Nikko → Back to Tokyo**|[Sakura Cross](https://www.booking.com/hotel/jp/sakurakurosuhoterushang-ye-ru-gu-anetukusu.html)
|||→Finish exploring Nikko||
|||→Return to Tokyo||
|||||
|9-Nov||**Tokyo**||
|||→Tsukiji Outer Market(breakfast)||
|||→teamLab Planets||
|||Lunch||
|||→Akihabara||
|||Dinner||
|||||
|10-Nov||**Tokyo**||
|||→Gotokuji Temple||
|||→Shiro-Hige’s Cream Puffs||
|||→Tiramisu Homemade||
|||→Starbucks Reserve||
|||Lunch||
|||→Yoyogi Park||
|||→Harajuku||
|||→Meiji Jingu||
|||→Shibuya(dinner)||
|||||
|11-Nov||**Tokyo/Kamakura**||
|||→Train to Kamakura||
|||→Breakfast at station||
|||→Hokokoji Temple/Bamboo Garden||
|||→Tsurugaoka Hachimangu||
|||Lunch at Komachi Dori||
|||→Take enoden train to hase station||
|||→Explore temple, caves, coast||
|||→Kotokuin temple||
|||→Walk to kamakura station and explore||
|||→Train to Tokyo/Dinner||
|||||
|12-Nov||**Tokyo**||
|||→Shinjuku Gyoen||
|||→Tokyo Metropolitan Building||
|||→TakashimayaLunch||
|||Lunch||
|||→Golden Gai||
|||Dinner||
|||||
|13-Nov||**Head to Kyoto**|AirBNB|
|||||
|14-Nov||||
|-||**Kyoto Base/Undecided**||
|13-Dec||||
We will be in Kyoto for a month after this initial plan. It will be used as a base for exploring more of central/western Japan. Obviously a good chunk of it will be spent in Kyoto but I also plan on exploring Hiroshima/Fukuoka as day trips from our AirBNB.
Hotels are all booked but able to be cancelled if needed. I am waiting to get plane tickets until I hear some opinions, also we’re considering extending. Either extending Japan or going to Taiwan/South Korea/etc while on that side of the planet. I am in a good spot since I am getting off of a contract 2 weeks before trip start and have a job lined up for early spring 2024 so I am trying to take advantage of it.
Thank you very much!
5 comments
If you actually want to explore Northern Japan, get out of Sapporo. You’re spending what 5 days just in one city? Hokkaido is the largest Prefecture in Japan and spending most of your time in the main city is fine, but there’s so much more to explore. Since it looks like you’re slowly meandering your way north to south, maybe start in Asahikawa/Furano and do one or two days there and then a few days in Sapporo.
I recently visited many of these places:
Otaru: A day trip from Sapporo in my opinion. There is really not a ton to see. The canal area is nice but doesn’t take long to walk. The main shopping street is interesting (esp. if you like to shop) and has a cool music box museum/store at its end. If you like chicken, seek out Naruto Honten.
Morioka: Not a lot to see here either IMO. I found the castle site underwhelming. I liked the temple area and there are some very nice western-style buildings (created by Japanese architects). My noodle choice was jajamen, a Korean import. I ate at Pairon, allegedly the original. It was very filling and be prepared to wait in line.
Matsushima Bay: Take the train to Hon-Shiogame Station and get on the cruise there that will drop you in Matsushima where you can visit the temples.
Yamadera: Wish I had understood this in advance, but Yamadera is a series of many temples. You access them all on one path from the main street. It is well worth the climb to the top. The standard photo of Yamadera is of a very old overlook, and not actually a temple or shrine. I saw it all in a leisurely half day.
You don’t have Hachinohe and the coast on your itinerary. Kabushima Island is a breeding area for black-tailed gulls and worth seeing. The coastal trail there is one of the most beautiful walks I have ever done. The Sunday market (4-9 am) is incredible.
If you like to drive, I highly recommend driving in Japan, as this will greatly reduce the time you have to change to public transport. Although parking can be a problem, I’ve looked at the cities you’ve passed through and it’s not particularly a problem, even free in some places, like Hokkaido.
With the trams in Hokkaido, each one can take a long time to pass, so you’ll have to waste your tour time waiting for the next one to arrive.
When I visited Hokkaido, I rented a car and it helped me a lot, especially after 18:00 pm when a lot of public transport had stopped.
If you don’t have the means to rent a car, you can keep some phone numbers for taxis, which will help you with some of the access issues, but brings with it the problem that your access costs will increase.
Sounds like a nice trip. My only suggestion is a stop at Hiraizumi on your way to Sendai, if that appeals to you.
Keeping an eye on this one. Kinda doing the same in reverse. Coming up north from Niigata to amoris and Sapporo and then going south through Sendai to Tokyo a week behind you.
I believe I pushed North a week to get a slightly larger chance on fall leaves then the 19th. Based on random previous internet posts