Hello Reddit! We are a couple (both 24) going to Japan from November 13 – November 28. I’ve (24M) been twice before and did Osaka and Tokyo on my first trip, and on the second trip we went together and did mostly Tokyo with a 2 day/1 night trip in Chichibu. This time, we’re trying to prioritize the Kansai region while still saving some time for Tokyo, so here’s a rough draft of an itinerary we brought together! (:
Preemptive Tasks:
Pocket wifi for each of us [iVideo]
JR Pass (14 day most likely, only if it’s worth it). Buy before September 30
USJ, FujiQ, and PuroLand passes
Shelters:
Osaka: BOOKED Dotombouri Crystal Hotel II Nov13-Nov21, no refunds 😀
Hakone: Desiring to stay in a ryokan for one night on Nov 21, unknown yet.
Tokyo: BOOKED Pearl Hotel Shinjuku Akebono-bashi, Nov 22-28, free cancellation before 22:00 November 19 2023.
Interests:
Music, cycling, Sanrio, Rilakkuma, Miffy, matcha, contemporary art/museums, amusement parks, good and cheap food, fashion shopping (Y2K/Vintage/japanese brand/Harajuku style), fall foliage, cable cars and ropeways. We like temples, but would rather make plans first then go to whatever temples are near unless there’s an exceptionally cool one.
Don’t know when to fit in but desirable places to visit:
[Closer to Tokyo] Nikko, Kamikochi (very rural japan with mountain and ocean, major stretch probably next time), Mizumoto Park (fall foliage), Koenji (vintage/thrift)
[Closer to Osaka] Miffy store (Arashiyama-Kyoto), Minoh (waterfalls, fall foliage, butterfly museum at the Minoh Park Insectarium), Uji (matcha!), Arashiyama (bamboo!), Tofukuji Temple, Eikando Temple (projected perfect foliage Mid-November), Baby Castella (castella cakes), Shimanami Bike Path (TOP PRIORITY BIKING), Koji Kinutani Tenku Museum, Osaka Nakanoshima Art Museum, Immersive Museum OSAKA, The National Museum of Art, Kids Plaza Museum, NIFREL Museum (aquarium and zoo tho), Open Air Museum (old Japanese farm houses in Toyonaka), Museum of Housing and Living, Kenninji Temple (in Kyoto, has a zen garden), ONaruto Bridge Memorial Hall (Awaji Island), Orange Street in Horie (shopping/thrifting), Hoshida Park (Hoshi-no-Buranko bridge),
JAPAN TRIP!
Arrival/Osaka:
November 13: NRT arrival at 16:00, Narita Express 40 to Shinagawa Station and arrive at Shin-Osaka by 21:00-22:00, check into AirBnB and find something to eat then frickin knock out!
November 14: Osaka Castle Park in the morning (any time before 9:00am), then head to Amerikamura/Orange Street for shopping, Dotonbori later at night
November 15: Arrive at 8am to Universal Studios Japan (is this an all day thing? We really only care about Super Mario Land, but are willing to ride the Spider-Man ride since it’s closing in 2024). Looking for recommendations on activities/places to visit around USJ after in case we end up dipping early. Also tips on how to get through the ride lines because we don’t plan on getting the fast pass.
Questions:
Is Kyoto a good place to use bike rentals/bike share services? [1] This reddit thread recommended Hello Cycling. From what I’ve read it seems that the public transportation here isn’t great.
I read that Kyoto is a time to just walk around, explore, and find things to do. What are some good areas to serve as starting points for this?
November 16: Otagi-Nenbetsuji temple in Kyoto (take taxi from JR Arashiyama), walk downhill as there are lots of interesting places (Gioji Moss Garden etc.) into Arashiyama, check out the Togetsukyo Bridge then walk through back entrance of Tenryuji. Stop by Miffy kitchen and maybe Rilakkuma Tea House or Snoopy Chocolat.
November 17: Kyoto day 2, Kinkaku-ji (golden leaf temple) and Ginkakuji (garden) seem like nice temples, as well as Kiyomizudera and the Fushimi Inari shrine. Also a tea ceremony!
November 18: Day trip to Nara [1] [2]
November 19: Chilling in Osaka in the morning, then head to Shin-Osaka for the Hello Kitty shinkansen departying 11:37, arriving Nishi-Akashi at 12:01 (potentially staying on the train for longer to do all desired Hello Kitty activities), hang out on Awaji (Onion attraction) then get dinner at Kobe.
November 20: Biking (flexible, want to do Shimanami Bike Path but can take recommendations for other potentially easier places to cycle close to Osaka instead, and can be a half day thing), ship luggage to Tokyo.
November 21: (Friend recommended itinerary) Leave Shin-Osaka Station by 6:02am on Shinkansen Nozomi 202 towards Tokyo, arrive at Shin-Yokohama Station and take Shinkansen Kodama towards Shin-Osaka, arrive at Odawara Station and take Hakonetozan Line towards Hakone-Yumoto, arrive at Hakone by 9:00am, arrive by 10:15am to Hakone Shrine/gate area and walk through Old Tokaido Cedar Avenue, arrive by 11:00am around Hakone-machi Port and find some lunch, at 12:00/12:30pm take Sightseeing Cruise Pirate Ship from Hakonemachi-ko to Togendai to arrive by 1:00pm, then take the ropeway up to Owakudani (arrival 1:20pm) for volcanic views and black egg, then take the funicular down to Gora Station and head to Hakone Open Air Museum, then Gyoza Centre for dinner and rest in ryokan.
Ryokan options:
Gora Hanaougi – 62,000 yen PER PERSON (400 dollars per)
Aura Tachibana – 65,000 yen TOTAL (200 dollars per)
Hakone Kowaiken Ten-yu – 85,800 yen TOTAL (300 dollars per)
Hanaori – 300 USD per
November 22: Hakone Open Air Museum again in the morning if wanted, Venetian Glass Museum, tentative FujiQ (public transportation from Hakone to FujiQ takes longer than thought, so probably not), head to Tokyo and do Tokyo things
November 23: Tokyo things (mainly Shibuya), Usagi ramen, Se So Neon concert @ Spotify O-EAST
November 24: Tentative FujiQ/Puroland
November 25: Nakano Broadway
November 26: Shinjuku/Shibuya/Harajuku day, buying lots of things!
November 27: Tentative FujiQ/Puroland
November 28: Be at NRT for departure at 19:05.
MAIN QUESTIONS:
1.) I really really really want to spend at least a half day just biking (preferably an easy route) through some beautiful fall foliage. As long as its close enough to Osaka or Tokyo by public transportation and renting a bike isn’t too hard, looking for recommended spots to do this
2.) Looking for a ryokan in Hakone with a private bath/potential to reserve the public onsen for private use, as one of us has tattoos and also it’d be more cute anyways hehe. Could be a splurge; Yama No Chaya looked great but there’s no more rooms available on the day we want to go unfortunately.
3.)On November 20, we would like to ship the luggage from Osaka to Tokyo, spend a day in Hakone on November 21, then pick up the luggage in Tokyo on the 22nd. Would this be okay with the luggage forwarding providers?
4 comments
Hello, I’m Japanese
I’m very happy that people from overseas come to Japan.
I live in Osaka
There are also many delicious meals
Are there any restaurants you plan to visit when you come to Osaka? ?
If you don’t understand, I’ll let you know, so I hope you make some good memories in Osaka 👍
I booked at Mizunoto in Hakone based on a recommendation I saw in this sub. Might be worth a look.
Ryokans that over private Onsen without reservation, tend to be more expensive it seems to me.
If you have no problem going to a public onsen, try to find a ryokan without onsen at all.
I saw some deals for december in Hakone and also Kiso valley for like 10,000 yen per person. With breakfast and dinner included.
Surely they might be less fancy than the most expensive ones, but still look decent.
So much fun planning a trip to Japan, isn’t it?
Edit: sorry, just saw that you looked for a private onsen. Never mind 🤪
Doesn’t Kamikochi close like second week of November ish?