Itinerary (somewhat) for 19 days in Tokyo/Shikoku/Kyoto – any advice or opinions kindly appreciated

Hey there, I’m going to Japan for the first time in about two weeks (31st Oct. – 18th Nov.) and while I’m generally pretty happy with my plans I thought it couldn’t hurt to make a post here. I’ve browsed this subreddit quite a bit lately and found it very helpful.

General info: I’m male, late 20s and going solo. I’ve been studying Japanese for about two years now and I can manage some basic communication. My interests in the country are mostly architecture, history, religion and nature, don’t particularly care for the anime/manga stuff but I’m open to trying pretty much anything. As for budget, I don’t really have a strict limit, considering I’m not the type for fancy living anyways. I will be visiting a lot of temples and shrines and collect Goshuin. And drink a lot of coffee.

When it comes to travelling I’m not a big planner. Getting lost or distracted is something that will happen to me inevitably, so I usually just roll with it. Therefore, this is maybe a bit weak for an “itinerary” – mostly just the places I’m gonna be at and what I have noted as possible activities.

**Part 1: Tokyo (31st Oct. – 05th Nov.)**

* Arrival in Narita on the 31st of October. It’s gonna be a long flight with a layover in Abu Dhabi, but direct flights were unreasonably expensive in comparison.
* Transfer over to Yotsuya, where my hotel is situated. Decent business hotel with some nice amenities like your own washing machine and microwave. It’s also just about a station away from Shinjuku.
* I’ll stay in Tokyo for 5 nights, until the 5th of November. On my to-do list I have the major temples and shrines, such as Sensoji, Suga Jinjya and Meiji Jinjya as well as Gyoen, the national museum and Mori art museum.
* I definitely want to get into the nightlife a bit, with Shinjuku being nearby I will probably spend most evenings/nights there (unless there’s a good reason to go somewhere else instead).
* Probably gonna check out Golden Gai as well, even if it’s just walking through and soaking up the atmosphere.
* If possible, I’ll get tickets to Shibuya Sky. Haven’t bothered booking them yet though.
* A day trip to Setagaya for thrift- and vintage stores, and Kawasaki for the Nihon-minkaen, a museum park about traditional japanese houses.
* Hit every cafe and Izakaya I come across. Yes, every single one.

**Part 2: Roadtrip (05th Nov. – 13th Nov.)**

* I’m not a big city person. I’m sure I’m gonna love Tokyo/Kyoto and it’s gonna be a great experience, but inbetween, I have a strong need to get out into the sticks. I decided for Shikoku.
* On the 5th, after checking out of my hotel in Tokyo, I’ll be taking the Shinkansen down to Okayama. There, I’ll rent a car (Toyota) and possibly buy a small used bicycle. I found quite a few stores for second hand bicycles and they’re all ridiculously cheap, to the point where renting seems pointless. The idea is to use it for exploring the towns and cities while leaving the car at my accommodation.
* With the bicycle in the trunk, I’ll then drive down to Fukuyama and Onomichi. From Onomichi,taking the route through Setonaikai National Park until I arrive on Omishima.
* In Omishima, I’m gonna check into a hostel or similar for two nights, with the goal of exploring Setonaikai a bit. I think there are some great views to be had there. Also, I want to visit the “cute bunnies and chemical warfare” island.
* Eventually I’m gonna move on to Shikoku, through Imabari (I’ve read the town is known for towels. So maybe I’m gonna buy some towels. Why not) and then to Matsuyama, where I’ll spend the night and try out some onsen.
* Next target is Mount Ishizuchi. There’s a temple at the top and the route there involves some rock walls that can be climbed with chains. Definitely going to do that.
* Depending on how long that climb takes, I will either try and go directly to Kochi south from here or just find some place to sleep in one of the villages on the way.
* Kochi seems like a neat place to spend some time. The castle, markets, botanical garden and history museum are all on my list.
* From Kochi it’s back up towards Iya valley. If possible I’ll find a place to sleep in the mountains (there are some ryokan and hostels around) so I can spend an entire day hiking in the valley.
* After that, driving towards Mount Tsurugi to the east. If I have time, I’m going to climb that one as well and eventually move to Kotohira and Takamatsu. On the way I will most likely spend a night in Tsurugi town or vicinity and of course check out as many temples/shrines on the way as possible.
* Now, in Kotohira there’s a famous shrine complex and right nearby an old Kabuki theatre that both seem worth a visit. I am also going to wander through Ritsurin park in Takamatsu in the morning.
* The roadtrip ends on the 13th of November. At this point, I’ll have to go back from Takamatsu/Sakaide directly to Okayama, where I’ll bring back the car.

**Part 3: Kyoto (13th Nov. – 18th Nov.)**

* After all this, I’ll be taking the shinkansen from Okayama to Kyoto, where I have booked a nice little ryokan basically right next to Sannenzaka.
* I am staying there for 5 nights until the 18th of November, when my return flight takes off.
* With how great the location of the ryokan is, I’ll have the opportunity to get out at about 5:00 in themorning and head right over to Kyomizudera. Take in the sights before the crowds turn up and then go back right in time for breakfast.
* I have a similar plan for Fushimi Inari, but instead of heading back at breakfast time, I’ll do the entire path to the top and then… go down the other side? I haven’t really decided what to do afterwards, but Yamashina-ku seems to have some interesting things to offer as well.
* On the 15th, there is a market for handcrafted goods near the Chion-ji. I will check it out and combine it with looking at some of the more famous locations in the area (Heian-jingu, Ginkaku-ji and the palace garden).
* I really want to wander through a bamboo forest (apparently getting spiders in your face is part of the experience, which is great), so I was thinking about the Arashiyama grove, but the footage I’ve seen was rather disappointing… so I found this place called Rakusai Bamboo park instead, which for some reason seems much nicer, less touristy and is about the same distance from my accommodation.
* Otherwise I’ll just chill at the Ryokan and get drunk on Umeshu.

That’s it! On the 18th, I’ll be heading back. If anybody can recommend cool things to do/see near the locations outlined here, or tell me that something is a really dumb idea, I would greatly appreciate it.

Advice/Recommendations that I would be especially thankful for:

* Anything related to either shrines/temples, coffee or alcohol.
* Food places. I’m not very keen on reserving places, so I’ll mostly just check out whatever I come across, but if there’s anything worth looking out for I’d love to know.
* Accommodation. Because I don’t know exactly when I’ll be where during the roadtrip, I have not booked any accomodation for that part in advance. I plan to either call places a day beforehand or just walk in. Are there any problems with that?
* Driving. I’m aware that Shikoku roads are narrow and steep (which I’m used to from home) and I based my travel times off google maps, adding about 50% to most estimations to account for mistakes and random “oooh, cool shrine over there” stops. Is this reasonable or anything else I should take into account?
* Public transport. My current plan is to just get a Suica card when I arrive. JR pass and similar deals seem to not be worth it considering my schedule, but I could be wrong. As for the Shinkansen, is booking tickets 1-2 days in advance good enough?

Cheers!