14 day itinerary without Kyoto

8 comments

1. This is just a suggestion, which you can completely ignore if you disagree.

   Osaka and Nara are EXTREMELY close to Kyoto, like 30-45 mins by train max. You could spend the whole 2 weeks seeing further parts of the country that you wouldn’t be able to visit during your studies, and visit Osaka and Nara on weekends plenty of times during your 4 months in Kyoto! Just the way I would do it, but everyone is different! You’re gonna have a great time either way!

2. Some of your pathing is brutal. A lot of it comes down to traveling far distances in a short period of time

   Stuff like Koyasan over to Kumano kodo/ Nachi falls by public transport will take you over 6 hours.
   (Note Nachi falls is not by Wakayama city. It’s on opposite sides of Wakayama prefecture)

   Coming back from Nachi & Katsuura over to Nara park is another 5-6 hour marathon

   And then from Nara to Takayama is another 5-6 hours

   Since you’ll be in Kyoto, you are close to some of these places in Kansai region. You can visit them as a weekend trip or day trip while you attend university. Basically, you don’t need to waste your precious time on them before you are stuck in Kyoto

   Nara park is an easy a day-trip option from Kyoto.

   Koyasan, is further. There is a direct highway bus that goes from Kyoto to Koyasan in ~3 hours, making it another weekend trip option.

   The Kumano Kodo/ Nachi falls is a rough trip from Kyoto (~4 hours) but still a weekend option, with some planning.

3. What the other comments said, you’ll easily have time to do Osaka and Nara in your four months, and even Koya San and Wakayama could be a weekend trip while you’re studying in Kyoto. Even Hiroshima is only about 3 hours on train (roughly) so that could be another weekend trip.

   If I were you, I’d head somewhere further during these two weeks, eg. In Hokkaido you could catch the first of the autumn foliage and the weather is far cooler than down south. Could then pop by Sendai before spending time in Tokyo and returning to Kyoto.

4. I would highly recommend to spend your time as far from Kyoto as possible because you may not be able to travel to distant places in Japan later. This means going to places in Tohoku, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku.

   You seam to like outdoor activities have you considered going to hike in places like Yakushima? What about Dewa Sanzan?

5. Whats the deal with people seeking out Ichiran ramen? Its a chain. I’m sure you can find something better and specific to Osaka.

6. Fixing formatting:

   **Context**: I am an international student that’s going to study in Kyoto from October to February. Never been to Japan before and will be arriving 2 weeks early to travel. Not planning to see Kyoto during that time – will have 4 months to explore it while studying. Physically active, have solo-traveled before and like packed schedules. Trying to budget as much as possible while not missing much.

   ## Itinerary

   **14.09 Osaka**

   * Arrive at KIX at 13.00, take the train to Osaka, drop off bags
   * Stroll around Osaka castle
   * Dotonbori in the evening
   * Eat at Ichiran Ramen

   **15.09 Osaka**

   * Amerikamura
   * Shinkensai
   * Eat Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki (@Fukutaro)

   **16.09 Koyasan**

   * Nankai Koya Line from Namba Station in Osaka to Gokurakubashi Station, transfer to cable car to Koyasan
   * Banryutei Rock Garden
   * Okunoin Cemetery
   * Shukubo temple lodging

   **17.09 Wakayama**

   * Back to Osaka, then the Nankai Main Line to Wakayama
   * Nachi falls or Tomogashima 

   **18.09 Nara**

   * Train from Wakayama to Tennoji, then transfer to the Yamatoji Line to Nara
   * Isuien Garden
   * Wakakusa mountain

   **19.09 Hida-Takayama**

   * Train from Nara to Nagoya and then transfer to the Hida limited Express to Takayama.
   * Takayama Jinya
   * Hida no Sato
   * If time, Old town

   **20.09 Hida-Takayama**

   * From Takayama Bus Station to Norikura Bus Terminal (2700 meters above sea level)
   * Climb Mount Norikuradake
   * Back to Takayama

   **21.09 Kanazawa**

   * Bus to Kanazawa. 
   * Nagamachi Samurai district
   * Gyokusen Inmaru Garden
   * Kanazawa Castle & Park
   * Kenruko-en Garden
   * Kazuemachi Chaya District and Higashi Chaya Geisha District
   * Menya taiga – Black miso ramen

   **22.09 Kanazawa**

   * Omicho market sushi
   * Oyama Shrine
   * Contemporary art museum
   * Turban curry – eat

   **23.09 Tokyo**

   * Hokuriku Shinkansen to Tokyo
   * Drop off bags
   * Shibuya crossing
   * Yoyogi park and Meiji-Jingu shrine
   * Shinjuku in the evening

   **24.09 Tokyo**

   * Asakusa 
   * Tokyo National Museum
   * Ueno Park

   **25.09 Tokyo**

   * Akihabara
   * Tsukiji Market (food)
   * Cross Rainbow Bridge
   * Odaiba

   **26.09 Tokyo**

   * To be decided

   **27.09 Hakone**

   * Take the Tokaido Shinkansen from Tokyo to Odawara, and then transfer to the Hakone Tozan Line to get to Hakone-Yumoto.
   * Get Hakone Free Pass
   * Hakone Ropeway
   * Owakudani Hell Valley
   * Cruise included in the pass (to Hakonemachi-Ko port)
   * Hakone-Jinja Shrine & Torii gate

   **28.09 Kyoto**

   * Reverse the route to Odawara, then take the Tokaido Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka. Grab luggage. From there the train to Kyoto

   ## Questions

   * Are there any obvious inefficiencies when it comes to the transportation / route?
   * Shukubo recommendations?
   * Is this itinerary stupid?

7. I think your itinerary is good, but if you’re living in Kyoto for months and want to explore before you settle down, you might want to consider spending more time in Kyushu, the Tokyo/Kanto region, and in the north a bit, as Osaka, Nara, and all those places you listed are all easily accessible from Kyoto anyway.

8. Update: thanks to everything that has been said in the comments, I’ve decided to drop Osaka, Koyasan, Wakayama and Nara from itinerary.

   Now I have 5 more days to fill. But I guess that’s a very good problem to have 🙂