Hi everyone! I’m planning a trip to Japan in March 2024 and would love to get some feedback on the first few legs of our trip! I’m travelling with my partner, and this will be our post-covid honeymoon. We’re in our early 30’s and our interests include food, culture, hiking, architecture, and photography.
My main questions are:
* Have we missed any ‘must-see’ sights? Or are there any you’d recommend skipping or swapping?
* Is an overnight trip to Hakone from Tokyo worth it? Or should we just do a daytrip and spend the extra day in Tokyo?
* Are any of the days too ambitious (or perhaps too empty, and easily filled with another attraction/activity)?
**TOKYO**
Day 1: Arrive in Tokyo (Haneda) in the morning, some light exploring in Shinjuku, Meiji-Shrine, Yoyogi Park, Shinjuku Gyoen Garden
Day 2: Shibuya: Shibuya Sky, Shibuya Center-Gai, Shibuya Crossing, maybe Takeshita Street?
Day 3: Shinjuku: Department Store exploration and shopping – Shinjuku Station and Odakyu.
**HAKONE OVERNIGHT**
Day 4: Travel to Hakone in the morning from Shinjuku. Do half of the ‘Hakone loop’ with the Hakone free pass. I’m not sure whether to go clockwise or anticlockwise. Hoping to secure some accommodation in the middle. I’m not sure we’ll be able to stay at a Ryokan in Hakone, quite expensive.
Day 5: Continue the second half of the Hakone loop, stopping at Hakone Yuryo on the way out. Travel back to Tokyo in the afternoon/evening.
**RETURN TO TOKYO**
Day 6: Nikko Daytrip: Kanmangafuchi Abyss, Kegon Falls (possibly Lake Chuzenji?)
Day 7: Tokyo Great Bicycle Tour and/or Tokyo Great Kayak Tour. Might try to book a ‘Tokyo Free Guide’ for part of this day as well.
Day 8: Akihabara: Visit some of the electronics/gaming/second hand stores. Hoping we can make this fall on a Sunday to experience the vehicle-less street!
Day 9: Ueno/Taito: Ueno Park, Tokyo National Museum, Senso-Ji & Nakamise-dori Street
Day 10: Chuo: Chidorigafuchi Park, Thousand Toriis, Tokyo Station, TeamLab Borderless Azabudai Hills (hoping it will be open by then), Hamarikyu Gardens
**TOKYO to MAGOME (Nakasendo Trail to Tsumago)**
Day 11: Travel from Tokyo Station to Magome (We will be shipping our bags ahead from Tokyo to Kanazawa and carry a 24-48hr bag). Do the Magome to Tsumago section of the Nakasendo trail. We will be staying at a ‘budget’ Ryokan in Tsumago.
**TSUMAGO to KANAZAWA (then on to Shirakawa/Takayama)**
Day 12: Continue exploring Tsumago until the early afternoon. Travel from Tsumago to Kanazawa by train, the northern way through Nagone (not sure if we’ll have some time to stop and look around).
Day 13: Kanazawa: Kenurokuen Garden, Ninjadera Temple, Kanazawa Castle, Omicho Market
Day 14: Travel from Kanazawa to Takayama, with a stop at Shirakawa-go on the way. Explore Ogimachi Village, Wada House,
Day 15: Takayama: Matsuri no Mori museum, Higashiyama Walk, exploring Old Town
**TAKAYAMA to NAGOYA**
Day 16: Travel from Takayama To Nagoya. I expect we will get to Nagoya in the late afternoon, maybe do a little exploring and get the lay of the land, perhaps tick off one of the items from Day 18?
Day 17: Nagoya: Nagashima Resort Amusement Park (Is there enough here to fill the whole day?)
Day 18: Nagoya: Meiji-Mura Open-air Architectural Theme Park, Inuyama Castle, Science Museum (hoping to catch one of the planetarium showings). Not sure if we can fit much else in this day.
**NAGOYA to Kyoto/Osaka/Hirsohima**
The remainder of the trip will be travelling on to Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima, which I will make a separate post for once I hammer out some of the finer day-to-day details. We plan to spend 8 days in Kyoto, 2 days in Osaka and 3 days in Hiroshima before returning to Tokyo for 1-2 days before flying back to reality.
Thank you very very much in advance, I appreciate any comments and advice you have! 🙂