Hii,
I’m going to Japan in December, all the way to early Janurary.
I’ve planned an itinerary which I think will give me a great taste of the different prefectures in Japan, but also a chance to chill out and relax (this is a holiday!)
I included a bunch of things to do in each city (probably a bit too much to do in the time I’m there), but I would love some reccomendations on if a city is worth it, or any hidden gems/things not worth visiting.
Please help me out!
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TOKYO – 4 Days
\- Shinjuku, harajuku, tsukiji outer martket, akihabara, imperial palace, ginza, yasukuni shrine, asakusa, sensoji temple, japan museum, rikugien, ueno park, yanaka, aquarium, meiji shrine, yoyogi park, nakano broadway, odaiba, sengakuji temple, shibamata, ghibli museum, mount mitake, takaosan, rainbow bridge, akihabara, hanayashiki, sumida riverSIDE TRIPS: Nikko, Kamakura, Yokohama
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NAGANO – 3 days- Togakushi shrine, Zenkoji temple, Ninpo Museum, Yamanouchi, matsumoto, nozawa onsen, nagano art museum
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KYOTO – 5 days
\- Nico castle , Sento palace, Nishiki Market, Kyoto imperial palace, Kiyomizudera , Higashiyama and lion, Ginkakuji, Kyoto national museum , Nanzenji temple, Fushimi inure shrine , Daigoji temple, Tofykuji temple, Tori temple, Kinkakuji , Shugakuin villa , Ninnaji temple, Kibune , Karuma – rural , Kokedera, Katsura villa , Yoshiminedera, Himeji , Kiyomizu dera temple , Philosophers path , Kodaiji temple, Kyoto botanical gardens , Kyoto international manga museum , Arashiyama Otagi, monkey park
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DAY TRIPS: KANAZAWA
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OSAKA – 3 days
\- Universal studious, minami, osaka aquarium, osaka castle, sumiyoshi taisha, museum of history, shinsekai, shitennoji temple, minoo park, osaka expo 70 park, tenma, science museumSIDE TRIPS: Nara, Miyajima Island, mount koya, himeji
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SAPPORO – 3 Days (I’ll be her for Christmas!)
\- Sapporo art park, sapporo snow festival, historic village, mount moiwa, susukino, lake toya, lake shikotsu, sapporo christmas market, odori park, snow!!
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SENDAI – 2 DAYS
\- Sendai Castle, foxes, Onsen, Snow Monsters, matsushima, mitsui outlet park, tomizawa site museum, rairaikyo gorge, big statue, toka falls hike?
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MT FUJI (not sure which town) – 3 DAYS (I’ll be here for new years, not sure how this will turn out as I know things shut down..)
\- Mt fuji, lakes, new year shrine visit, chill out and walk around
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TOKYO – 3 DAYS
\- Complete anything I didn’t do the first time round
This will be my frist time travelling alone, so some advice is greatly appreciated!!
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1 comment
Hi!
I don’t mean to be rude but it would be a lot easier to get an idea of your schedule if you break it up a little better. As it stands I am unsure if when you say (as an example) 4 days in Tokyo does that include arrival day and departure day to Nagano or does the 3 days in Nagano include traveling to Nagano, 1 full day in Nagano, and then departing from Nagano? or is it just 3 days in Nagano and there is another day that was arrival and another day that was departure.
Without this information it’s really hard to know whether this plan could work.
I can say that you are not going to the Ninpo Museum at all during your trip, because it is closed from the end of November until mid-late April because of snow.
[https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6006.html](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6006.html)
Togakushi is technically open, but some of the trails could be covered in snow and you will need to figure out how to navigate them yourself. I believe the bus to and from the upper shrine and possible the middle shrine does not run in the Winter.
How are you planning to get from Osaka to Sapporo? Are you flying?
Assuming you have 3 full days in Osaka and none of those days involve travel from Kyoto or flying to Sapporo, I do not know how you are going to do everything you want to do in Osaka in addition to: Hiroshima/Miyajima (1-1.5 full days) Koya-san (1 full day) Nara (1/2 a day) Himeji (1/2) a day. I’m getting 3 full days for a minimum just doing those activities, let alone USJ which is a full day on its own.
Good luck!