Greetings, all! I booked flights a trip to Japan for 9/28-10/13 of this year and reserved accommodations. All can be cancelled for free for the next several weeks, so I can make changes if necessary. My flights were booked purely with Chase Points (ANA Economy Plus – fully refundable, just in case), which frees up a lot of budget for other things. I plan to use public transit and purchase a JR Green Rail Pass; luckily I’ll be arriving just before the price increase. Regarding accommodations, I’m mainly staying in business hotels near major rail stations, except for 2 nights at fancy ryokans. For luggage, I plan to take a carryon-sized suitcase with 8 days of clothes and a backpack. Most of my activity ideas are taken from Japan Guide.
Day # | Date | Day of Week | Start City | End City | Notes
:–: | :–: | :–: | :–: | :–: | :–
0 | 9/28 | Thursday | N/A | N/A | Depart US for Tokyo
1 | 9/29 | Friday | Narita Airport | Tokyo | Arrive at Narita mid-afternoon and transit to hotel (in Asakusa); grab dinner and walk around immediate vicinity
2 | 9/30 | Saturday | Tokyo | Tokyo | Take it easy, adjust to time change, and explore Asakusa
3 | 10/1 | Sunday | Tokyo | Tokyo | Western Tokyo Full Day
4 | 10/2 | Monday | Tokyo | Tokyo | Side trip to Nikko or Kamakura; can’t do both in one day.
5 | 10/3 | Tuesday | Tokyo | Hakone or Izu-Kogen | Transit and then stay the night at a fancy ryokan. Hakone comes highly recommended, but seems like a bit of a tourist trap. Accommodations that aren’t in walking distance of Hakone-Yumoto station are tricky to reach via public transit. There seems to be more to do once there, however. Izu-Kogen is slightly further, but I found a nice ryokan that’s within walking distance of the rail station, so it seems much easier to reach. For that reason, I’m now leaning towards the latter.
6 | 10/4 | Wednesday | Hakone or Izu-Kogen | Kyoto | Transit to Kyoto, check into hotel, and explore immediate area time-permitting
7 | 10/5 | Thursday | Kyoto | Kyoto | Eastern Kyoto Full Day; do laundry at hotel before bed
8 | 10/6 | Friday | Kyoto | Kyoto | Side trip to Nara
9 | 10/7 | Saturday | Kyoto | Osaka | Northern Kyoto and/or Arashiyama Half Day, then transit to Osaka; check-in, dinner, and nightlife
10 | 10/8 | Sunday | Osaka | Osaka | Osaka Full Day Walk or Eclectic Osaka, then dinner and nightlife
11 | 10/9 | Monday | Osaka | Miyajima | Transit to fancy ryokan on Miyajima Island, then explore island (parts of Miyajima 1-Day Walk) and relax
12 | 10/10 | Tuesday | Miyajima | Hiroshima | Ride ferry across bay to Hiroshima proper, store luggage at hotel, then complete Hiroshima Half Day
13 | 10/11 | Wednesday | Hiroshima | Nagoya | Stop at Himeji Castle on the way to Nagoya; visit JR Central Railway Museum time-permitting
14 | 10/12 | Thursday | Nagoya | Nagoya | Visit the Toyota Commemorative Museum and the Toyota Auto Museum, then explore; maybe visit Toyota Kaikan time-permitting
15 | 10/13 | Friday | Nagoya | Narita Airport | After breakfast and checkout, transit directly to Narita for 5:00 pm flight home
My main worry about the above itinerary is that it may be too ambitious, and that I risk burning myself out. Plus, some of the details are a little rough. I appreciate any feedback and recommendations you can provide. Cheers!
Edit: Forgot to mention, this will be my first ever trip to Japan (to Asia, for that matter). If it’ll help, I can post a list of the accommodations I booked.
1 comment
Love the formatting.
The last train station in Hakone is Gora, not Hakone Yumoto and Sounzan if you count cable car. There’s also bus for public transit. If you’re not into onsen, then it’s not for you.