Hey everyone!
I’m planning my first trip to Japan for next year, and would love to hear some feedback from you lovely people. I’ll be going solo, and I guess it would be good to preface that the purpose of my trip is to see as much of the highlights of the Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka route as I can. I’m an easy-going guy, and from reading so many tips on here, I’ve committed to the “don’t micromanage every second of your trip” advice. I have dedicated myself to just having a couple major things in mind, and exploring when I’m there in the moment. Thus, the below itinerary might seem somewhat barebones, but I hope there’s enough detail to make sure you guys can leave feedback. Without further ado though, here’s my itinerary:
Day 0: Arrive at Narita Airport in the evening. Pick up mobile Wi-Fi box, get a physical suica card/use Apple Wallet to get on the Narita Express and make my way to my hotel in Shinjuku. Get some late dinner from any open convenience store and hit the hay.
Day 1: Tackle the immediate area of Shinjuku and Shibuya by visiting Gyoen Garden, Meiji Shrine, Shibuya crossing, while leaving myself free to take quick trips to relatively close landmarks such as Roppongi should time permit (not likely however).
Day 2: Tackle the furthest trip out by spending a day in Ueno. Sky tree, Sensoji temple, National Museum area, with some time to digest Akihabara.
Day 3: Imperial Palace area, checking out the Palace itself, the Tokyo Tower, Rainbow Bridge, checking out the Kabuki theaters, and so forth.
Day 4: Check out of my hotel as early as possible, and catch a (probably pre booked with SmartEx) Shinkansen to Kyoto. Check into hotel in Gion area upon arrival, and spend the rest of the afternoon and evening checking out the immediate Gion area, going to any shrines and temples that can immediately be checked off by foot, and checking off Nijo Castle and the Imperial Palace if possible.
Day 5: Eastern Kyoto day. Check out the major temples, as many as I can until I thoroughly get templed out. Will definitely take this day slow as to really take in the beauty of this eastern side, and will certainly reserve some time for the Philosopher’s Path.
Day 6: Western Kyoto day. The Bamboo Grove, Togetsukyo, and maybe even a quick trip to the Studio Park (massive EVA fan). Will also try to hit some of the northern Kyoto temples that reside on the west on this day time permitting.
This is where my itinerary gets weird, as I have two potential paths I want to take. I’ll put both, one marked with A and one marked with B. I’d definitely love to hear what you guys think from this day forward, as it is definitely the less concrete.
Day 7A: Check out from Kyoto hotel and head to Osaka. Check into hotel in Umeda, and visit the Castle, Dotonbori, and the Sukiyoshi Shrine.
Day 7B: Stay in Kyoto another day, and basically totally flatten out the previous 2 days to allow me to see more of Kyoto at a slower (but I’d imagine more tolerable) pace.
Day 8A: Take a day trip to Hiroshima, visiting the Castle, Peace Museum, and more.
Day 8B: Check out of Kyoto and head to Osaka, doing the things outlined in Day 7A here.
Day 9A: Take a day trip to Nara, visiting Todai-ji and saying hello to the deer. Wrap up back in Osaka with some more exploration of Umeda and Dotonbori.
Day 9B: Take the day trip to Hiroshima on this day.
Day 10A: A sort of “free day” in Osaka to enjoy the city. Would love to check out the zoo and aquarium, so would heavily consider these. I may even use this day to visit Himeji castle quickly.
Day 10B: Take the day trip to Nara on this day.
Both plans now converge here once more.
Day 11: Check out of Osaka, and take a Shinkansen back to Tokyo (flights out of Osaka were crazy expensive, so I stretched my itinerary to enjoy more of Tokyo). Check in at my hotel in Akasaka. Spend this day exploring this area of Tokyo, while also leaving time to go souvenir shopping and going to hard-offs in Akihabara.
Day 12: Dedicate this day to going to attractions like TeamLab borderless and the Studio Ghibli tour, or having an in-depth walkthrough of the National Museum.
And that’s a wrap! I apologize if this itinerary and my notations are confusing or are seemingly not specific enough. That criticism is more than welcome! I’d also like to hear thoughts on the Hiroshima day trip, and whether you would recommend it or suggest a different day trip from Osaka. Other than that, have at it and roast me if need be. Thank you all!
1 comment
Seems like a fine plan. Just personally, I think Osaka is not that exciting as a tourist city, and investing time from Osaka into more Kyoto or more Hiroshima would be a good idea (personally, I would say Hiroshima).