23 days Itinerary Around Japan trip (Tokyo – Nagoya) Feb 2023- Any changes/ideas?

5 comments

1. While Kawaguchiko is located in west of Tokyo, it’s also not really on the way to go to Takayama, actually you will have to take a bus from Kawaguchiko to Mishima station or trackback toward Tokyo to go to Shin-Yokohama to take the shinkansen.

   I would consider doing Kawaguchiko between Tokyo and Disney.

   From Tokyo, the easiest place to access is Kanazawa, even from Disney you can do it in about 3h. Sound much better than spending 7 h in the train.

   Next Shirakawa-go and finally Takayama.

   If I see it correctly, Shinzanso is also a detour and would add travel time. Is it a must or can you change it to a different onsen ryokan ? I would consider finding something in Gero onsen, that is one of the top onsen town in Japan ans is located between Takayama and Nagoya.

   So obviously, next is Nagoya and finally Kyoto, Osaka and fly out of Osaka.

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   If you do not want to change the order that much, at least I would consider to do Kawaguchiko and go to Matsumoto next (can be done in 3h30) from there you go to Shinzanso on the way to Takayama and finally Shirakawa-go and continue with your plan.

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   I personally do not mind moving that much and changing accommodation as frequently, but I also travel solo, not sure how the kids would feel about spending a lot of time in bus/train.

2. Logistic suggestion on the Kawaguchiko to Kanazawa segment: Nohi Bus operates one highway bus daily from Fuji to Takayama that stops at Kawaguchiko and Hirayu Onsen. If you use this to go from Fuji to Shinzanso directly you can likely save many hours of travel time.

3. Not to add more to your itinerary, but checking out The Ghibli Museum with your kids is not to be missed if your family is into Miyazaki films at all. It’s about an hr from Ginza in Mitaka (Western Tokyo).

4. If you’re going to Kanazawa – might I suggest the nearby Fukui prefecture and its [DINOSAUR MUSEUM](https://www.dinosaur.pref.fukui.jp/en/)?

   It is, honestly, really really great. I enjoyed it very much as an adult and there were tons of kids there, naturally, and lots of children’s activities. If you decide to go, I suggest you take the train out to Katsuyama and then just take a taxi. Almost the same price as the bus for all of you and way faster (no wait, etc.)

   In Nagoya, the [Toyota Industrial museum](https://www.tcmit.org/english/) is a really interesting place that is half automotive and half… textiles?! (It’ll make sense if you go and see it.) Really cool stuff and some practical demonstrations and hands-on (I think.. I didn’t partake) activities that your kids will probably enjoy.

   Will this be in late February? If so, plum blossoms will be in season at [Kairakuen](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6201.html) in Mito and it’s gorgeous.

   I was going to suggest the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route after Kawaguchiko but it’s closed in Feb. If your schedule changes, it might be a cool experience. Probably best to rearrange your schedule slightly if you do it but it turns a travel day into something more interesting. It’s open from mid-April through November.

5. Are your kids into Lego? The Nagoya legoland is an outdoor theme park, not like the indoor lego discovery centre that is in Tokyo. My son loved it as a 5 yo, and if it weren’t for covid, we would have already made another trip there. That was also a winter trip (mid to late Jan) and there were almost no lines for the rides.

   There’s also a Ghibli theme park that’s scheduled to open in Nagoya later this year.