We are HUGE foodies. Like seriously we travel for food and eat absolutely anything!! We also love video games, anime, nature, hiking, history, museums, culture…
We really want to see fall colors and we want to maximize the chances of seeing alot of changing colors.
We are fast travelers, but also like to take our time and enjoy nice scenery and spots so please let us know if this itinerary is too relaxed or rushed.
*3 Big questions at the end of post! *
**Sun, Oct 15 (Tokyo)**
• Arrive at Haneda, should have digital Suica Card ready, activate eSIM .
• Take transit to hotel, check in, casual dinner – explore immediate area if we have energy.
**Mon, Oct 16 (Tokyo)**
• Asakusa
\-The Hanayashiki Amusement Park
\-Sumida Park
\-The Tokyo Skytree
• Senso-ji temple
**Tue, Oct 17 (Tokyo)**
• Ameyoko / Americaya
• Akihabara
-Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center
\-Tokyo Anime Center
\-Mandarake Complex
\-Super Potato
Any other cool spots?
**Wed, Oct 18 (Tokyo)**
-Disney Sea
•Nishiazabu Taku at 8:15pm
**Thur, Oct 19 (Tokyo)**
• Shimokitazawa
• Shibuya
\-Starbucks just across the road from crossing, grab a coffee and sit on the second floor
•Shinjuku
\-piss alley
\-golden gai
**Fri, Oct 20 (Nikko)**
•Get up early and ride to Nikko
•ryuzu
•yudaki falls
•Kegon-no-taki
•Chuzenji Lake
•Hangetsuyama Bus Stop (might not be feasible we have to check this part as buses are rare).
**Sat, Oct 21 (Nikko)**
•Toshogu (and Rinno-ji ; Futarasan-jinja ; Taiyuin)
•Shinkyo Bridge
•Kanman Path & Kanmangafuchi Abyss
•Ride back to Tokyo for the night. (stay near tamachi station)
**Sun 10/22 – (Kyoto)**
•Get up early and ride to Kyoto
•To-ji
•Nijo-jo (& Imperial Palace Gardens if possible)
•Sanjusangen-do (heard conflicting trip reports, will probably only take a quick look)
**Monday 10/23 – (Kyoto)**
•Nara Day trip
**Tuesday 10/24 – (Kyoto)**
•Fushimi Inari Taisha (at dawn)
•Tofuku-ji
•Nishikidori/Pontocho/Teramachi-dori & Shinkyogoku (around noon)
•Kiyomizu-dera
•Evening in Gion
**Wednesday 10/25 – (Kyoto)**
•Ryoan-ji – 8:00
•Kinkaku-ji – 9:30
•Daitoku-ji
•Gio-ji
•Okochi Sanso & Bamboo Garden
**Thursday 10/26 – (Kyoto)**
•Ginkaku-ji
•Philopher’s Path (+Honen-in)
•Lunch at Kiyama at 12pm
•Nanzen-ji
•Chion-in
•Kodai-ji nighttime illumination if we have the time
**Fri, Oct 27 (Osaka)**
Train to osaka early morning
Amerikamura
Osaka Castle
Tenjinbashi-suji
Shopping Street
Osaka Tenmangu Shrine
**Sat, Oct 28 (Hiroshima)**
• maybe half day in osaka
• Then peace park and museum
• Atomic Dome
• Okonomiyaki
**Sun, Oct 29 (Miyajima)**
Shrine early morning or late afternoon depending on tide
• Mount Misen hike
• Train to Takayama
Not sure if to stay in miyajima for one night or hiroshima again
**Mon, Oct 30 (Himeji-Hida wide view to takayama)**
• Himeji castle early morning
• Kobe for lunch if we have the time
• Train to Nagoya to catch the hida wide view to Takayama
• check in and Dinner in takayama
**Tue, Oct 31 (Takayama)**
• Explore the town and Historic Street
**Wed, Nov 1 (Takayama-Hirayu onsen)**
• hida folk village in the morning
• bus to Hirayu onsen (leave baggage at hotel)
• shinhotaka ropeway
• stay in Hirayu onsen hotel
**Thur, Nov 2 (Kamikōchi)**
• Kamikōchi 7am
• check in at ryokan at 3-4pm
**Fri, Nov 3 (Matsumoto)**
• Check out around 10am from ryokan
Go to Matsumoto
Go to tokyo afterwards
**Sat, Nov 4 (Tokyo)**
• Kamakura day trip
• Be back by 4:30 to prep for L effervescence (reservation at 5:30)
**Sun, Nov 5 (Tokyo)**
• tsukiji market
• Teamlab Planets
• Mori Building
(anything else I should add to this last day instead? Maybe pokemon cafe? )
*Leave Tokyo around 7pm and cry because I missed Coldplay lol*
**Food reservations:**
• Already have food reservations for Nishiazabu Taku for Oct 18
• Wait listed for Den Oct 16 and Oct 17 (it’s ok if we can’t make it though)
• Kiyama Cot 26
• L’effervescence for Saturday November 4 at 5:30pm
\*these are the fancy options of the trip. Will gladly take more recommendations or even delicious hole in the walls and/or cheaper options if you have them.
3 Big questions:
1. Does it make sense getting another hotel for Hidayu Onsen so I can be there early for kamikōchi or can I do a kamikōchi day trip and get back to takayama?
2. How can I make a reservation at Ben Fiddich cocktail bar?
3. Is Kamakura worth doing on that Saturday considering I have to be back around 4:30pm for the restaurant or should I just stay local in Tokyo?
If you read this far, I thank you!!!
6 comments
> fall colors
You’re likely too late for Kamikochi (it usually peaks mid/late October so would require shifting to the very first part of your trip), Oku-Nikko and Takayama are good timing.
> Hirayu Onsen
Since you are going to shinhokata ropeway (which requires passing through Hirayu Onsen) it makes sense to stay overnight if you don’t want to be commuting back and forth. I might ditch the Nov 2 ryokan and catch the last bus from Kamikochi to Matsumoto.
> Kamakura
Itinerary says Kanazawa. Which one do you mean? The travel times and costs involved are vastly different.
“pick up Pocket Wifi (Japan Wireless), activate eSIM”
Why both?
For Nikko day 1 I would suggest trying to fit in ryuzu and yudaki falls in addition to kegon falls. It’s one bus ride to go up to yudaki and then hike down to ryuzu and then take the bus back to kegon falls.
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You’re not really gonna see any fall colors. You’re about a month early unfortunately. Unless you count just seeing like some random tree that might have changed colors a little bit.
Kitano Tenmangu shrine sale is on the 15th of the month in Kyoto. You’ll be there. It’s a great place to get antiques / souvenirs – we picked up a bunch of stuff there (vintage kimono, textiles, handcrafts, confectionary molds and stamps), and it was a great vibe.