Hi there,
Heading to Japan in November for the first time in almost 10 years for a fairly long trip, and only have a rough draft of an itinerary. Kinda want a sense check, and also some suggestions for a Tokyo first timer – my partner hasn’t been to Japan ever, whereas I’ve only visited Osaka & Kyoto.
Even though we’ve got 22ish days, it feels like I might be ambitious with cramming in stops at certain points in trip. We’re both flexible about skipping things, but we’d hate to pass up any “don’t miss” stops so any notes around things to absolutely try would be greatly appreciated.
Also, based on this itinerary it feels like the JR pass isn’t worth it but perhaps I might be wrong?
**Day 1 (Tokyo)**
Arrive around 3PM, check-in at the hotel (in Akasaka) and wander around. We’re landing on Halloween which seems like it’ll be a big deal; apparently Shibuya is saying no to Halloween celebrations this year? We’ll probably try to find something Halloween-y to do.
**Day 2**
Day in Yokohama
Cup Noodle & Ramen Museum
Gundam Factory
Chinatown? Apparently this is a must in the area
**Day 3**
Disneysea day
**Day 4**
Hakone day trip (is this worth doing?)
Dinner back in Tokyo somewhere
**Day 5**
Genuinely no plans here; our last night in Tokyo though we’ll be back later. Thinking this should be more of a sight-seeing day?
**Day 6 (Matsumoto)**
Travelling to Matsumoto Matsumoto Castle
Any suggestions here? The castle felt like the only particularly “touristy” thing that should be done.
**Day 7 (Kamikochi)**
Travelling early to Kamikochi for a day in the alps
Shinhotaka ropeway, Kamikochi
Back to Hirayu Onsen for a stay at a Ryokan
**Day 8 (Takayama)**
Just exploring the old town, and trying to find a place to try Hida beef.
**Day 9 (Kanazawa)**
bus to Shirakawa-Go for a day trip
bus to Kanazawa, check in at hotel and explore for dinner
Kenorku-en for a night viewing
**Day 10**
Kenroku-en Garden day viewing
DT Suzuki Museum
21st Century Musuem
Kanazawa Castle + Nagamachi district
**Day 11**
Omi Cho Market
Exploring Higashi Chaya district
Perhaps covering anything we might have missed from overcramming in the other days?
**Day 12 (Osaka)**
Head off to Osaka
Really want to eat at Endo sushi, as this was a highlight for me the last time I was here.
Osaka Aquarium (I’ve never been, is it a whole day activity/is it worth going to?)
Shopping around.
**Day 13**
Probably a sight-seeing day?
Sumiyoshi Taisha
Shitennoji
Osaka Castle
**Day 14**
USJ for the day
Unwind somewhere else for dinner; unless there’s a reason to stick around the area?
**Day 15**
Nara day trip, so just the expected Nara day trip things
**Day 16-19 (Kyoto)**
I’m trying to plan routes/days based on the destinations in the list below; it feels like there’s a way to be smart about visiting each site. A number of temples have night viewing events whilst we’re there, and it’d be nice to make it to some of them.
Hyakumanben market
Kyoto Palace
Hei-an Shrine
Walking around the Higashimiya area
Arashiyama
Tenru-Ji
Kinkaku-ji
Nijo-Castle
Daikaku-Ji (has a night viewing
Chion-in (has a night viewing)
Kiyomizu Dera (has a night viewing)
**Day 20-22 (Back to Tokyo)**
We’re staying in Akasaka again, and this portion of the trip feels like it’ll be more relaxed. We’re hoping to cover off anything we might’ve missed earlier, and also do some shopping since we won’t need to lug around our luggage anymore.