Hello All, my first time visiting Japan for a 10 day trip in mid December with family.\
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Day 1 : Tokyo\
– [ ] Arrive in Tokyo at 4 pm\
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Day 2: Tokyo \
– [ ] Nakamise shopping street\
– [ ] Senso-ji temple\
– [ ] Tokyo Skytree town\
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Day 3: Tokyo\
– [ ] National Diet Building\
– [ ] Imperial Palace\
– [ ] Team lab borderless studio\
– [ ] Tsukiji outer market\
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Day 4: Mt.Fuji:\
– [ ] Travel from Tokyo to Mt.Fuji\
– [ ] Oshino hakkai\
– [ ] 5th station\
– [ ] Lake Ashi\
– [ ] Rope way ride to peak of Mt.Komagatake\
– [ ] Hakone shrine Mototsomiya\
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Day 5: Nagano : \
– [ ] Finish any above unfinished attractions above\
– [ ] Travel from Mt.Fuji to Nagano\
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Day 6: Nagano:\
– [ ] Shiga Kogen skiing resort\
– [ ] Monkey Onsen\
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Day 7: Kyoto: \
– [ ] Travel to Kyoto\
– [ ] Arashiyama bamboo grove – after 5pm\
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Day 8: Kyoto:\
– [ ] Kurama onsen\
– [ ] Kinkakuji temple\
– [ ] Imperial Palace – no tour from Dec -28th to Jan 4th\
– [ ] Kiyomizudera\
– [ ] Travel to Osaka\
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Day 9: Osaka: \
– [ ] Universal studios (optional)\
– [ ] Onsen\
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Day 10: Osaka:\
– [ ] More sightseeing\
– [ ] Travel back\
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I would greatly appreciate you all helping me in determining if above listed attractions are good enough for a 10 day trip? Or Are they too much for a 10 day trip? If too much, which ones would you all suggest to be removed.?\
2 comments
Hi!
Not to be rude, but yes, this is too much.
So…starting with day 3. I’m pretty sure Tsukuji Outer Market is a morning to lunch time type activity, in general fish markets are not an afternoon or evening activity. But moving it to first, is not a huge deal.
Day 4 is more problematic. Hakone shrine is a good 2.5 hours away from Kawaguchiko, possibly longer because it is all bus transfers. I have no idea if you are staying in Kawaguchiko or Hakone for the night., but they’re really not that close together via public transit and if you are renting a car you need to think about all the costs and how you feel about driving in Japan. It might be worth it, but I also don’t know about parking in Hakone, since I’ve never driven in Hakone.
You also have Day 4 twice and are going to Nagano that day. You don’t get two day 4s and the trip from Kawaguchiko or Hakone to Nagano is long enough that I don’t see it happen that same day.
Day 5 You can do Shiga Kogen, you can do the monkey Park, I think you would be hard pressed to do both unless you really don’t want to spend a lot of time in Shiga Kogen.
day 7 Kurama onsen is closed. You can visit Kuramadera. But the onsen is closed. If you’re running into New Year’s closures, I would make sure the Imperial Palace is open without tours.
day 8 If you are after the 28th now, all the Japanese have off. USJ is going to be crazy crowded, I don’t think you are doing a lot outside of USJ.
day 9 Again, if you are running into New Years, trains going to… where you are going might be full and some touristy things will be closed.
But I don’t see this working well because you have day 4 2x and your two day 4s are not compatible at all.
I would either cut Hakone and Kawaguchiko and just do Nagano and Kansai, cut Kansai and just do Nagano, Hakone, and Kawaguchiko, or cut Nagano and do Kawaguchiko and Hakone and Kansai.
I would figure out what you are doing ASAP if you are running close to New Years because places will book up especially ryokan because again, the Japanese have off too.
Good luck!
I think your first few days sound doable, though as someone else said Planets not Borderless is open, and the fish market is better earlier. Then it turns into sort of a grind and I fear you will be missing so much rushing from place to place with trains. We did 9 days before and just getting to Kyoto and back to Tokyo was a joy, but also time consuming. The train station and walking times alone with all of these stops will gobble up a lot. I suggest shrinking your travel loop and cut out Osaka. Allow yourself to linger and explore areas more. In my humble opinion.