Hello all, my partner (30) and I (29) are planning a trip to Japan for this November and have a rough schedule of our itinerary. If anybody had any suggestions of things we’re missing or if there are any blunders we’ve overlooked, some help would be much appreciated! We’re especially curious if there are any suggestions for Kochi and the Kumano Kodo towns we’re passing through (Tanabe, Yunomine Onsen, Koguchi, Katsuura)
The spots of trip that we are the most excited for and planned out first were hiking a section of the Kumano Kodo trail and visiting a countryside town in Shikoku called Umaji, which is known for growing Yuzu. We’re not especially big-city oriented and are excited to try the food and see some historical areas of the cities, but that’s the reason why we’ve only dedicated a couple of days each to Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto.
And some additional assorted questions:
Weather in the mountains- should we expect temperatures approaching freezing at night in mid-November?
Where to find matsutake if it is in season? It would be amazing to try a matsutake dish at a restaurant but am having a hard time finding where it might be available and what prices we should expect?
Where to find Japanese citrus? We’d really like to try fresh Sudachi, Kabosu and Shikuwasa. We’re hoping they might be at the city markets, or maybe at regional food stores in Tokyo?
Thank you!
Nov 7 Tu (NRT -> Tokyo)
Morning
\- Arrive in NRT at 7 am
\- Pick up JR pass, e-sim at airport
Afternoon
\- Takeshita Street and Yoyogi park
\- Check-in to Shibuya hotel
\- Nearby Izakaya for dinner
Nov 8 W (Tokyo)
Morning
\- Inokashira Park and Ghibli Museum
Afternoon
\- Train to Shinjuku for exploring area and lunch at Omoide Yokocho
Evening
\- Back to Shibuya for dinner & Shibuya sky
Nov 9 Th (Tokyo -> Kyoto)
Morning
\- Shinkansen to Kyoto
\- Nishiki Market for lunch
Afternoon
\- Kiyomizu-dera
\- Check-in to hostel, go to Gion for dinner
Nov 10 F (Kyoto -> Osaka)
Morning
\- Early start at Fushimi inari taisha for sunrise
\- Back to Gion-area for lunch
\- Kyo train to Osaka (hopefully!)
Afternoon
\- Lunch at Kuromon Ichiba Market
\- Check-in to Namba hostel
\- Dinner at Dotonbori
Nov 11 Sa (Osaka)
Morning
\- Osaka Castle
\- Walk back through Amerikamura
Afternoon
\- Early afternoon at Shinsekai market
\- Walk back through to Dotonbori for dinner
Nov 12 Su (Osaka -> Yunomine Onsen)
Morning
\- Train to Kii-Tanabe
Afternoon
\- Bus to Yunomine Onsen
\- Check in to ryokan, see hot springs and explore area
Nov 13 M (Kumano Kodo \~13km walking)
Morning
\- Bus from Yunomine Onsen to Oyunohara & Kumano Hongu Taisha
\- Bus to Ukegawa trailhead to start the trail
Afternoon
\- Finish hike in Koguchi, check in to guesthouse and dinner
Nov 14 Tu (Kumano Kodo \~14km walking)
Morning
\- Breakfast from guesthouse and start trail in Koguchi
Afternoon
\- Continue on trail to Kumano-Nachi Taisha and Nachi falls
\- Bus to guesthouse in Kii-Katsuura
Nov 15 W (Kii-Katsuura -> Osaka)
Morning
\- Tuna auction at Katsuura docks, tasty tuna for breakfast
\- Train to Osaka
Afternoon
\- Check-in to Kita area hotel
\- Osaka Museum of Housing and Living (?)
\- Tenmangu Shrine and Tenjinbashi-suji for dinner
Nov 16 Th (Osaka -> Kochi (4h))
Morning
\- Early shinkansen from Osaka to Okayama
\- JR Dosan line to Kochi. Long ride but should be great fall colours
Afternoon
\- Visit Kochi Market for lunch
\- Check in to downtown hotel
\- See Kochi Castle
\- Hirome Market for dinner
Nov 17 F (Kochi-> Umaji (2h))
Morning
\- Gomen-Nahari Line to Yasuda and bus to Umaji
Afternoon
\- Check into Umaji Onsen
\- Umaji agricultural cooperative factory
\- Explore Umaji by bicycle and see Yuzu farms
Nov 18 Sa (Umaji -> Tokyo (9h TRAIN DAY))
Morning
\- Bus leaves Umaji at 11:30 to Yasuda and then Gomen-Nahari to Gomen
\- JR Dosan line from Gomen to Okayama
Afternoon
\- Shinkansen Okayama to Tokyo
Evening
\- Check-in to Hostel in Asakusa
\- Late night ramen after a very long journey
Nov 19 Su (Tokyo -> NRT)
Morning
\- Asakusa souvenir shopping
Afternoon
\- Narita express to airport and flight back home!