Rough Itinerary Check: mid-October to early-November (~21 days) – Tokyo, Hakone, Fuji, Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Tottori, Hiroshima

Hello r/JapanTravel! My sister and I are trying to finalize our trip to Japan (first time). She’s now a college graduate (yay!) and I had time off approved by work, so we’re hoping to get a plan set for next month before she begins her new job.

We’re currently looking at around 21 days of total travel time, but this can be adjusted by a couple of days. I’m big into film/gaming + more active outings, while she’s very much into the culture and sightseeing. While we’ve complied possible activities for the locations, I’m worried things might become repetitive, or we might miss out on activities we’d wish we did. Also hoping to do some things that aren’t as touristy (I’m personally looking forward Tottori since it’s a bit off the beaten path), but the touristy activities are cool too.

I’ve planned a rough daily schedule for about half the trip but thought it might be better to list all our ideas for each location. We don’t plan on doing everything that is listed, but were wondering if some can advise what might NOT be worth doing, and if there are any recommendations not listed?

**Tokyo (\~6 days total, including date of arrival and departure, half for the start & half for the end)**

* Tokyo International Film Festival (likely just one movie)
* Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building or Shibuya Sky (for city view)
* Super Potato Akihabara Branch (other gaming stores too, but I know this is a popular one)
* Nintendo TOKYO オフィシャルストア (just a quick stop most likely)
* Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall (read it’s a beautiful concert hall, with great sound)
* Chidorigafuchi Park
* Gallery Okubo (tea tasting experience)
* Mount Nokogiri (day / half-trip hike)
* Tokyo Ramen Festival (seems like it would be a fun stop around lunch)
* Kikkoman Soy Sauce Museum
* Cup Noodles Museum Yokohama
* Tokyo Joypolis (just one arcade I found, I’m sure there are some better ones)
* Hitachi Seaside Park + paragliding at エアパークCOOパラグライダースクール (day trip)
* Temples/Shrines/Castles
* Meiji Jingu
* Sensō-ji
* Takahata Fudoson
* Imperial Palace
* Ushiku Daibutsu

**Kobe (1 day total)**

* Mount Rokkō
* 2023 Kobe Port Fireworks Festival

**Kyoto (\~3 days total)**

* Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
* Hozugawa River Boat Ride (Hozugawa Kudari)
* Kurama Fire Festival
* Nigohachi Festival
* Kimoto rental for sister
* Geiko/Maiko Experience?
* Temples/Shrines/Castles
* Fushimi Inari Taisha
* Kinkakuji Temple
* Jidai Matsuri
* Hōkan-ji Temple
* Kiyomizu-dera
* Byodo-in

**Osaka (\~2-3 days total)**

* Dotonbori
* Pure Osaka? (not sure about this, trying to find some nightlife)
* Korea Town?
* Nakanoshima Park
* Nara Park + Mochi Pounding Show + Ikomasanjo Amusement Park? (Nara Day Trip)
* Temples/Shrines/Castles
* Osaka Castle
* Tōdai-ji

**Tottori (\~2-3 days total)**

* Tottori Sand Dunes (interested in doing paragliding on the dunes)
* Tottori Sand Museum
* Mount Mitoku (hike)
* Uradome Coast (kayak rental?)
* Aoya Japanese Paper Workshop?
* Mt Daisen (maybe biking?)
* Kannon-in (temple)

**Hiroshima (\~1-2 days total)**

* Grand Torii Gate + Itsukushima in general (have fun exploring)
* Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
* MAZDA Zoom-Zoom スタジアム 広島 (baseball? unsure how to plan ahead)

**Hakone (\~1 day total)**

* The Hakone Open-Air Museum / Loop (seems like a great way to spend a day)
* Mt. Omuro (half-day trip, possibly day leaving/arriving to Hakone)

**Fuji (\~1-2 day total)**

* Oishi Park + Fujikawaguchiko area (my sister wants to spend time in this area)
* Shiraito Falls
* Hanno Ozawa (heard you can get custom stamps here, might be interesting)

I’m also a bit unsure whether we should go with the JR Pass before it raises in price (still need to figure out the best way to plan the train rides too). Been also debating whether to cut down or add locations (like Nagano, Matsuyama, etc.), since it might be a while until we can visit again.

Lastly, my sister was wanting to stay at a ryokan for at least a day, so I wasn’t sure if anyone had recommendations of what the best one might be?

Apologies for all the text. Big thanks to anyone who decides to read this.
Safe travels!