Hey, I hope anyone around Japan right now is ok and doing well.
This is my first time going to Japan, also going alone, and I’m trying to not be over ambitious while still getting around to many great places.
I’ll be from March till the start of April.
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Generally for this trip I have many key locations, restaurants and places –
But I am also very dynamic and have no problem just going around and enjoying areas which I have other ideas inside them marked anyways, so I’ll just be writing here some of the planned highlights.
For example, I can see some of those days in Tokyo just shuffling around attractions or cities.
I’d love to hear some recommendations for anything from food, stores, oddities, etc and feedback on if I should be rethinking some of the trip –
# 1. Kansai International Airport → Kyoto Day
* Land around 19:00PM
* Train to Kyoto
* Some Gion at night
# 2. Kyoto Day 1
* Fushimi Inari Taisha Senbon Torii (Thousands Torii Gate)
* Kōdai-ji Temple
* Kiyomizu-dera (Kiyomizu Temple)
* Gion Corner
# 3. Kyoto Day 2
* Kyoto National Museum
* Nishiki Market
* Philosopher’s Path
* Kinkaku-ji Temple
# 4. Kyoto → Hiroshima Day
* Sagano & Arashiyama bamboo trails
* Tenryu-ji Temple
* Ryōan-ji Temple
* Train to Hiroshima stay a night here
* Some Hondori Street & Aioidori (Aioi Street)
# 5. Hiroshima – Miyajima Day
* Miyajima Island
* Itsukushima Jinja
* Miyajima Omotesandō Shopping Street
* Hiroshima Memorials & Museums
* Okonomiyaki Village areas
# 6. Hiroshima → Himeji → Kobe → Osaka Day
* Himeji Castle
* Kobe chinatown Nankin-machi
* Kobe going around (Steakland Kobe, etc)
* Train to Osaka stay
# 7. Osaka Day 1
* Kuromon Ichiba Market
* Namba & Dotonbori exploring
* Kita Ward & Umeda exploring
* JJBA Ramen Shop クセが強い麺屋 れいわ
* Tenma Area Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street
# 8. Osaka – Nara Day
* Nara park
* Tōdai-ji
* Horyuji Temple
* Shinsekai & Shinsekai Market
* Daiki-suisan kaitenzushi Dotombori
* Check out National Bunraku Theatre? (Is there anything to see at the place if not at a show? Might go to a show at one of the days if it seems to work out)
* Sumo tournament at the EDION Arena Osaka (10.3-24.3)
# 9. Osaka Day 2
* Universal Studios Osaka
* Some more exploring Chuo Ward – Naniwa Ward – Nipponbashi
* Kani Doraku Dotonbori Main Branch
# 10. Osaka → Kanazawa → Matsumoto Day
* Train to Kanazawa
* Omicho Market
* Higashi Chaya District
* Nagamachi Samurai District
* Kenrokuen Garden
* Ninjadera Temple
* Train to Matsumoto and checkin for the night
# 11. Matsumoto – Kiso Valley Day
* Bus to Tsumago
* Trail walk or bus to Magome
* Back to Matsumoto
# 12. Matsumoto – Takayama Day
* Bus to Takayama
* Miyagawa Morning Markets
* Old Town
* Hida No Sato
* Showa-kan Museum
* Back to Matsumoto
# 13. Matsumoto – Yamanouchi Day
* Bus to Snow Monkey Park (Jigokudani Yaen Koen)
* Matsumoto Castle
# 14. Matsumoto → Shinjuku Day
* Train to Shinjuku
* Checkin hotel
* Kabukicho
* Omoide Yokocho
* Shinjuku Golden Gai
# 15. Harajuku – Shibuya Day
* Takeshita Street
* Shibuya Crossing, center gai, Shibuya exploring
# 16. Shinjuku – Shibuya Day
* Another day for exploring food and shopping districts such as Shimokitazawa
# 17. Musashino – Chuo Day
* Ghibli Museum
* Kichijōji
* Soybean Farm
* Ginza area (Uniqlo, Itoya, MUJI, threeeppy, etc)
# 18. Koto – Asakusa Day
* AnimeJapan (23.3-24.3)
* Kappabashi Cooking Street
* Nakamise & Ameyoko markets
* Odaiba
* Senso-ji
* Asakusa
* Ueno Park
# 19. Chiyoda Day
* Ichigaya Fish Center
* Chidorigafuchi Park
* Akihabara (stores and stuff pretty much anything from seeing Mandarake, Super Potato, etc)
* Kanda Jinbocho
# 20. Tokyo – Nikko Day
* Nikko Toshogu
* Rin-no-ji Treasure House & Rinnoji Temple
* Back to Tokyo
# 21. Tokyo – Hakone Day
* Owakudani trail
* Open-Air Museum
* Kowakien Yunessun onsen
* Back to Tokyo
# 22. Tokyo → Lake Kawaguchi Day
* Chureito Pagoda
* Stay a night at Kawaguchi possibly ryoken
# 23. Lake Kawaguchi → Tokyo Day
* Kubota Itchiku Art Museum
* Back to Tokyo
# 24. Tokyo → Yokohoma → Kamakura Day
* Cup Noodles Museum
* Minato Mirai area
* Yokohoma Chinatown
* Stay a night in Kamakura
# 25. Kamakura → Tokyo Day
* Enoshima Island
* Kotoku-in statue
* Kencho-ji
* Hase-dera
* Back to Tokyo
# 26. Tokyo Day
* Carefree day going back to wherever I’d like
* 10AM morning after flying back from Narita
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**My biggest concerns at the moment are:**
\- This amounts to 9 seperate places to sleep in so maybe changing some things up to lower this, though not that big an issue.
\- Should I go to the teamLab Planets in Tokyo? I saw that the Osaka one wasn’t really recommended.
\- Is the Yamanouchi snow monkeys worth it for the day planned here?
\- Is sleeping 4 nights at Matsumoto could be better managed? Or if that’s fine considering the days planned? Should I sleep a night in Kanazawa instead? Should I go to Shinjuku by the end of day 13?
\- Is it likely in my timeframe to be extremly colder, possibly snowing at areas like Kanazawa, Matsumoto, Yamanouchi?
\- Should I dedicate a day elsewhere to an onsen? Onsen town?- I also am planning on at least one ryoken so if there’s a recommendation on specific types or preferred locations I’d love to hear!
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Also thanks for everyone here I definitely took the advices found here to heart when I planned out places 🙂
I’ll also definitely be updating at some point or when I’m back on the itinerary and places so stay tuned 🙂