I know these are posted all the time but I’d appreciate some review of our tentative itinerary. This is in April of next year but leaving out exact dates for privacy/safety. Open to anything we may have missed that isn’t listed on every tourist site and Google search. Thanks in advance!
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* Tuesday: land in Tokyo at 6pm, check into hotel in Sinjinku
* Wednesday: Sinjinku – low key day in Tokyo to adjust to time change, walk around the gardens and Meiji Shrine, maybe an animal cafe for lunch and food tour/bar hop in Golden Gai during the evening
* Thursday: Chuo City – Team Lab, Fish Market Tour, shopping in Ginza
* Friday: Shibuya – Thrifting & lunch in Shimokitazawa, Shibuya Crossing & sunset at Shibuya Sky then dinner nearby
* Saturday: Bullet train to Kyoto, check into Ryokan and have relaxing afternoon & evening; dinner and tea ceremony at Ryokan
* Sunday: Kyoto – temples & shrines (Fushimi Inari, Kiyomizu, Honen-in, Ryoan-ju Temple, Okochi Sanso Garden), shopping and dinner at Nishiki Market
* Monday: DO WE TAKE A SECOND DAY IN KYOTO? We could split the temples and shrines to be on the east side one day and west side the other since I know we won’t see all the ones I listed on Sunday. Anything else we should do in Kyoto? If not, what’s a good day trip from Kyoto? We’re not too interested in Nara.
* Tuesday: Day trip to Hiroshima & Miyajima OR is it worth staying on Miyajima for the night instead of going back to Kyoto?
* Wednesday: Travel to Osaka and check into hotel; relax at hotel spa then food tour in evening
* Thursday: Osaka – Osaka Castle & Nishinomaru Garden, lunch and shopping in Dotonbori then head to Osaka airport and take red eye to Honolulu. IS THIS ENOUGH TO FILL THE DAY? We don’t need to get to the airport until about 5pm
* Friday-Sunday: Weekend in Honolulu to break up the flight and jet lag before going back to the continental US
1 comment
I would personally restructure. I’d go Tokyo -> Hiroshima on Saturday, stay over night, return to Kyoto with a stop at Himeji Castle (much better than Osaka Castle) on Sunday, and make Kyoto your base until the following Thursday. It’s simple enough to go to Osaka for whatever you’d like to do from Kyoto, but to me Kyoto is more charming and pleasant.
Whatever you end up doing, one day in Kyoto is inadequate and the one day you have is inadequate to visit the locations you’d like to see. Spend more time in Kyoto, IMO!