Hi everyone,
We are going for Japan for 18 nights in April 2024 and I was hoping to get some advice on our itinerary, mainly is it too packed or am I missing anything epic!
Also are we missing out if we dont go to Hokkaido?
This is what I have planned so far:
OSAKA 3 NIGHTS Staying Dotonbori. (See Osaka Castle, Namba Yasaka Shrine, Umeda Sky Building , Universal Studios)
KOYASAN 1 NIGHTS, Staying in a royasan (Danjo Garan temple, Daimon Gate, Kongobu-ji temple.Â
NARA 2 NIGHTS, (Nara Park, Kasuga-Taisha Shrine, Todai-ji Shrine)
KYOTOÂ 2 NIGHTS (Bamboo Forest, Tenryi-ji temple, Nishiki Food Market)
GET TRAIN TO NAGOYA & COLLECT RENTAL CAR, DRIVE TO SHIRAKAWAGO
SHIRAKAWAGO 2 NIGHTS (World Heritage Site, Shirakawago Three Houses)
KAMIKOCHI 1 NIGHT (Hiking in Kamikochi area, staying in a mountain lodge)
MAGOME-JUKO &TSUMAHO-JUKU 1 NIGHT (Explore towns)
DRIVE TO NAGOYA & RETURN RENTAL CAR
TOKYO 3 NIGHTS (Red Tokyo Tower, Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo Sky Tree, Shopping Ginza, Shinjuku National Garden)
HAKONE 2 NIGHTS (Open Air Museum, Hakone Shrine, Travel on Hakone Ropeway, Little Prince Museum, Staying on Lake Ashi)
RETURN TO TOKYO & FLY OUT
Any tips or suggestions are really appreciated 🙂
14 comments
Why the caps?
April is usually cherry blossom season in the Gifu, Nagano area. If the timing is right, you might want to visit somewhere known for cherry blossoms.
The only thing I would suggest is to group your Osaka- Kyoto – Nara stay in one. Just stay in Namba and do day trips to Kyoto and Nara . Then travel on to Koyasan.
I would not get 2 days in Nara, the park is great but it is a one-day trip at max.
Also as someone pointed out, Osaka-Kyoto-Nara, don’t need 3 different acomodations.
You can just stay at a great place on Osaka/Kyoto and then catch a train to the other places in the morning.
Osaka – Kyoto: time est. 45m in a local train, 15min on a rapid line.
Kyoto – Nara: time est. 1h in a local/rapid train.
I know from your itinerary that you are really into mountains landscapes, but try googling about Kamakura/Enoshida, south of Tokyo. It was a high point in my recent trip to Japan.
Kamikochi only opens around April 15, so please factor this into planning.
What you have listed for Nara can be done in less than one day, there is no need to stay two nights. The only reason to stay two nights would be if you are additionally visiting wider Nara prefecture (Mt Yoshino, temples around Sakurai, etc) and in that case Sakurai could be equally convenient.
Ditto Shirakawago – it is a small, very touristy town and can be seen in a matter of hours. As with all “day trip destinations” around the world some swear by staying overnight bc evenings/mornings are quieter, but there’s absolutely no need to stay two nights.
is this your first time in japan? i cant imagine only staying in one spot for 1-2 nights at a time. and 2 nights in nara seems like WAY overkill to me.
Himeji Castle?
While in Koya-san, you absolutely should go to Oku-no-in and do the 2km walk through the cemetery to the Inner Shrine, Gobyo. It was one of the most magical parts of my trip.
Also, I will second what another commenter said and say Himeji Castle. It’s breathtaking and very convenient from Osaka/Kyoto area.
If you think you’ll like the Bamboo Forest in Kyoto definitely try to squeeze in Fushimi Inari Taisha. Lots of temple architecture to photograph and has the iconic Senbon Torii (Thousand Gates) tunnel.
If going to Universal Studios, I cannot recommend the fast passes enough. Definitely look into the packages they have available. If Super Mario World is a must you need a timed entry ticket separate from your park entry ticket. It might change by April but keep in mind.
Just dump all your osaka and Nara days into kyoto. I wouldn’t worry too much about osaka. It’s essentially a worse tokyo.
I (as a Dutchie) spend 3 months in Japan and spend some time in your areas of interest.
I think you are from Europe? (Ireland?) Take into account some jetlag, like 2-3 days.
Furthermore, what do you like to see and do on holidays? I know people are against Nara, but I just loved it and enough to spend a whole week there.
Will you go 18 days or 28? I’m confused at your post. Also, who is we? Young couple or parents with kids?
Your plan to rent a car is amazing, we did this (several times and once with a campervan), but please in advance research the roads you will travel (google maps and then street view). The non toll roads (yellow on google maps) can be sooooo dangerous (but very very cool).
So if you are into it, rent a campervan instead and visit some Michi No Eki’s to experience Japan a bit more. We went to Ainokura, which was nice, but not like I had imagined. Keep that in mind if you walk around an old town like Shirakawago, sometimes the unexpected is way more impressive in the end.
Hokkaido can be done another time, preferably if you need to travel in July and August, less heat 🙂
Just a FYI the little prince museum is permanently closed
I’ll also be covering a lot of ground in mid April for 2.5 weeks. Are you planning on getting a JR pass?
Spend more time in Kyoto if you can! That was our regret, there’s so many things to do and see there.