Hi!
We’re a group of 4 heading to Japan during the first two weeks of April and wanted to get a sense if our itinerary is doable or if we are cramming too much into one trip. Three of us have been to Japan before while it’s the first time for one of us. We plan to go to Tokyo/Kanazawa-Shirakawago/Kyoto/Osaka/Lake Kawaguchi with some day trips on the side. I have a rough draft of our itinerary and any advice or suggestions would be appreciated!
Day 1 Tokyo
– Arrive in the early evening and check into hotel near Tokyo station
– Grab a quick dinner near our hotel
Day 2 Tokyo
– See if we can catch the last bits of cherry blossoms in Tokyo around Meguro River
– Explore Shibuya
– Explore Shinjuku
– Shibuya Sky
– Drop off our luggage at Yamato for luggage forwarding to Kyoto
Day 2 Kanazawa/Shirakawago
– Shinkansen to Kanazawa
– Eat an early lunch at Omicho market
– Explore Higashi Chaya District if we have time
– Take the 2PM bus to Shirakawago, explore and stay overnight
Day 3 Travel
– Explore Shirakawago some more and leave around 10-11am to head back to Kanazawa
– Head to Kenrokuen if we have time, if not head straight to Kyoto
– Arrive in Kyoto, pick up our luggage and check into our hotel/eat dinner.
Day 4 Kyoto
– Head to Kameoka for cherry blossoms
– Take the Sagano scenic railway back to Arashiyama
– Eat lunch in the area and explore the shopping strip and nearby area (bamboo forest/monkey park/etc)
– Eat dinner and head to Gion for a night stroll and walk back to our hotel (15 minutes)
Day 5 Day Trip to Amanohashidate
– Head to Amanohashidate in the morning
– Rent bikes and bike around the sand bar and surrounding area
– Take the chairlift up to Kasamatsu Park
– Take a ferry ride
– Visit Chionji Temple
*Note – I was trying to squeeze in Ine as well but I feel that it would be too rushed and we wouldn’t be able to enjoy both places fully.
Day 6 Osaka
– USJ in Osaka
– Dotonbori at night
Day 7 Kyoto
– Explore Sanenzaka and Ninenzaka/Kiyomizudera early in the morning (These are all located within 10minutes of our hotel)
– Head to Fushimi Inari
– If we have time and we’re not too tired, head to Uji
Day 8 Nara
– Head to Nara Hasedera
– Visit Fujiwara and maybe eat lunch in the area
– Visit Nara Deer Park and Todaiji Temple
*Note – Is this enough to do in one day? Any advice?
Day 9 Lake Kawaguchi
– Drop luggage off to forward to Tokyo
– Head to Lake Kawaguchi
– Eat lunch and visit Mt Fuji Panoramic Ropeway if we’re feeling up for it, if not head to Ryokan
– Relax and eat dinner at the Ryokan. Go for a nightly stroll if we’re up for it
Day 10 Lake Kawaguchi/Tokyo
– Check out of hotel and rent bikes to bike around the lake
– If the Cherry Blossom festival is happening, visit the festival
– Leave around 2-3PM and head back to Tokyo
– Pick up our luggage and check into hotel
– Eat dinner
Day 11 Tokyo
– Visit Asakusa and Sensoji
– Visit Ameyoko Shopping District
– Visit Akihabara
Day 12 Day Trip to Kamakura/Enoshima Island
– Kind of a relaxing day, we’ll go with the flow
Day 13 Tokyo
– Maybe the Ghibli museum if we can get tickets otherwise a free day for all of us where we can visit places that we felt that we missed
Day 14 Flight back home 🙁
Thank you so much in advance for any feedback or advice!
1 comment
If you are in Japan for peak cherry blossom season, I’d recommend staying in Kanazawa and skipping Shirakawago unless you have a strong reason for going there. The cherry blossoms along the river in Kanazawa are glorious and the streets along the river banks will be full of Japanese families strolling and enjoying the cafes. You will miss a lot if you if only have an hour or two there. Shirakawago is architecturally interesting, but the UNESCO designation made it a huge tourist site, so it is no longer really a village , and you will be sharing it with countless bus tours in high spring season.