Hi,
Can anyone please advise on the following itinerary for last week of September 2023:
First time going to Japan with my partner: early 30’s, mild-moderately fit, and main interests are: FOOD, coffee, tea, concept/themed cafes and shops (like Shiba cafe), alternative/”weird” things, and very interested in Hiroshima and mountains/volcanoes.
Very nervous about transportation and language barrier issues. I am currently using Duolingo with a 15 day streak :), and have downloaded Google Translate.
Finances: Willing to spend as this is a far trip for us, but don’t want to go overboard.
Not super interested in temples or gardens.
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Day 1-4: Tokyo
\-explore Tokyo, shopping, shiba cafe, maid cafe, Harajuku, Tsukiji market.
\-eat lots of ramen, sushi, coffee, tea, desserts, souvenir shopping.
\-more to add to this list of concept/themed cafes and shops.
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Day 5: Hakone (one night)
\-Ropeway to Owakudani
\-Lake Ashi- Heiwa No Torii gates
\-Ryokan + private onsen (any suggestions for ones with a private bathroom?)
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Day 6: Kyoto (arrive)
\-explore Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka streets, Gion district (Hanamikoji St), Hokanji temple, Starbucks.
\-lunch at Nishiki Market
\-tea ceremony at a tea house?
\-dinner along Kamagawa River
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Day 7: Kyoto
\-sunrise at Fushimi Inari-Taisha (3h round trip hike, might not do the full hike)
\-Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
\-Monkey Park Arashiyama Iwatayama
\-Lunch at Kichi Kichi Omurice (no more reservations, so will try to walk in for cancellations?)
\-if time allows: tea house or Philosopher’s Path
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Day 8: Kyoto ==> Osaka (day trip)
\-Sot Coffee Roaster
\-lunch and explore around Shinsekai
\-explore, eat, shop around Dotonbori
\-dinner: KAUO FISHING RESTAURANT
\-if time allows: rooftop bar (not important, just wanted to briefly view Osaka from above)
\-back to Kyoto
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Day 9: Kyoto ==> Kanazawa (day trip)
\-Higashide Coffee
\-explore Higashi Chaya District (check out a teahouse)
\-explore Omicho market
\-lunch: Menya Taiga (closed Monday)
\-dinner: Mori Mori sushi
\-if time allows: explore Nagamachi Samurai district
\-back to Kyoto
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Day 10: Kyoto ==> Hiroshima (day trip)
\-Obscura Coffee
\-Atomic Bomb Dome/Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
\-Hiroshima peace Memorial Museum
\-lunch: Okonomimura: Okonomiyaki RON
\-back to Kyoto
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Day 11: Kyoto ==> Kobe (day trip)
\-mainly here to try Kobe beef and explore food culture
\-Mount Rokko cable cars
\-lunch: Kobe Beef Ramen Yazawa
\-dinner: Gyukatsu Tei?
\-back to Kyoto
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Day 12: check out, and fly from Osaka (Kansai International Airport).
I may be able to add one more day to this trip.
I also plan to utilize the JR pass for most of the travel.
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Any advice for accommodations and travel is appreciated, as I have not finalized airbnbs or hotels yet. Arigato gozaimasu! 🙂
3 comments
How are you finding the Japanese course on Duolingo? Having to learn the Hiragana before progressing is really slowing me down, with not a lot of opportunity to practice conversational stuff in the meantime. Think I’ll end up quite reliant on google translate!
Hope you have a great time on your trip. Sounds like you’ll be eating well ☺️
P.S: If you haven’t secured a Ryokan in Hakone (w private onsen to boot!) I’m afraid it’s probably already much too late.
You want to do Tsukiji early in the morning. Really early. By 9 it is pretty much over and just a bunch of tourists.
Hello, I’m Japanese. First of all, you are asking about your itinerary at the **very** last minute. I have to wonder if it can still be adjustable or flexible.
But anyways, here are my suggestions:
1. Take a look at where both Arashiyama and Kichi Kichi Omrice are. Are you basically saying that you will be going up to Arashiyama after the Fushimi Inari visit and then coming all the way down to the restaurant only for lunch, taking one hour one way?
2. There are too many day trips, which means you are wasting a lot of time especially on your day 9 and 10. It takes more than 2 hours one way to go back and forth between Kyoto and Hiroshima as well as Kanazawa. I would stay in Hiroshima overnight and then visit Kobe on my way back to Osaka if I were you. When you go back to Kyoto from Hiroshima, you literally pass through Kobe. And then, you are heading back to the same direction again the following day. That’s totally a waste of time and money to me.
3. Would you want to spend more days in Tokyo, Osaka and Hiroshima if you are not keen on temples and gardens? Having a base in Kyoto doesn’t make any sense to me when someone has such a preference.
4. You put an emphasis on food in your post, but I don’t see that in your itinerary. If you really like eating, wouldn’t you want to do more about it throughout your trip?
5. Forget about Duolingo. It would only make you more nervous and do nothing else. Learning a language is not something you can accomplish by starting just a few weeks before you need it. You might be able to speak some words or sentences, but I’m pretty sure you won’t understand any responses in Japanese. I think there are enough English signs in the cities you are staying.
I think what you want to do is to take a deep breath and to relook and reorganize your itinerary based on your priorities and preferences. There are many things that have puzzled me.
Good luck.