My partner and I are going to Japan on September 29 to October 10. First time in Japan, from South East Asia. Flying in thru Osaka, flying out of Tokyo. Technically 12 days but we won’t be able to do anything on our flight days.
**Sept 29: Arrival**
Arrive at 8:00 pm in Kansai Airport. Go to hotel in Osaka
**Sept 30: Osaka**
Checkout some sights, eat in Dotonbori
**Oct 1: Osaka-Kyoto**
Be in Kyoto by lunch. See Gion District maybe a temple or two.
**Oct 2: Kyoto**
More sightseeing, do a tea ceremony
**Oct 3: Kyoto-Kinosaki**
Buy tea, go around a bit in Kyoto.
Leave by lunch to Kinosaki and stay at a ryokan. (*3 hr train ride*)
**Oct 4: Kinosaki-Okayama**
Leave Kinosaki at 2 pm to Himeji. Himeji castle for an hour and proceed to Okayama.
The Hamakaze line from Kinosaki to Himeji seems to leave either at 7am or 2pm. I guess we’ll just walk around Kinosaki for a bit (*3 hr train ride*)
**Oct 5: Okayama / Bike day**
Depending on the weather:
\- Okayama to Imabari to bike a shorter route of the Shimanami Kaido. Go to 1-2 islands and back to Imabari, then back to Okayama. (*2 hr train one way*)
\- or Bike Kibi Plain in Okayama, then see Okayama / Kurashiki
\- or Hiroshima for A-bomb museum and Okonomiyaki then Okayama / Kurashiki
**Oct 6: Shikoku Sightseeing train**
Do the site seeing train from Oboke to Tadotsu (2pm – 5pm)
Train from Okayama to Oboke (*2 hrs*) then Tadotsu to Okayama (*1 hr*)
**Oct 7: Okayama to Tokyo**
Get to Tokyo by Lunch (*4.5 hrs train*). We’re staying near Ueno Station
Walk around Yanesen neighborhood, then Ueno Park.
**Oct 8: Tokyo**
Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku
**Oct 9: Tokyo Ghibli Museum**
Ghibli Museum then maybe some shopping
**Oct 10: Flight out**
One last site / shopping before getting on our flight at 1pm
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1 day Osaka, 2 days Kyoto, 1 Kinosaki, 1 Okayama/Biking, 1 Shikoku Sightseeing train, 2.5 days Tokyo
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Is this too weird of an itinerary? We initially planned on staying more in Osaka and use it as base for day trips to Kobe, Nara and 2 or more days in Kyoto. But we ended up with a plan where we’re staying the most days in Okayama. Are we missing out in not staying more in Kyoto and not even going to Nara? The gardens, temples and castles look really nice but we also want to see Japan’s country side, hence the site seeing train. And, we’re not really cyclists but being able to bike in Japan specially on the countryside would be really awesome.
It’s one of the first things we added to the itinerary from the videos we’ve seen, but is the Shikoku Sightseeing train worth it to take up a whole day? We we’re trying to fit this with another activity but no luck, unless other activity is also in Shikoku. It also has to be on a Friday or weekend.
Ryokan: Any suggestions for a ryokan stay aside from Kinosaki? One in Shikoku would be great, we will be able to fit it with the sightseeing train. Iya Valley Hotel caught our eye but it’s not available on these dates.
Is this too much train rides? We will be getting the JR Pass. I’m also used to commuting 4 hrs in a bus and excited to ride Japan’s trains. The total of the long rides is around 16-17 hrs though. Is this too long? Will the long rides be too boring?