Hi there,
I will be in Japan from April 20 to April 28 this year, flying into NRT and out of HND. I have been to Japan several times before; shortest was a few hours’ layover and the longest – 10 days. So far I have visited Tokyo (multiple times), Kyoto (twice), Osaka (twice), Hakone and Lake Kawaguchi (once), Nara (day trip), Hiroshima (one day), and Fukuoka (one day). I love the city life and variety of food and culture offerings, but also really enjoyed Hakone and the nature around it.
My plan so far is to spend 2 nights (April 20+21) in Tokyo after flying in (to decompress and get used to the timezone), as well as the night of April 27 before flying back. So I have April 22-26 (5 days plus most of April 27) for the itinerary. Since Japan Guide and LIVE Japan forecasts say it’s likely to be a good cherry blossom viewing time up north, I considered either Hokkaido or Tohoku. However, it also says the cherry blossoms won’t start until April 30 in Hokkaido, so I would be a bit early. Also, after reading some comments here and elsewhere, apparently April is not the best time to be in there (in-between seasons), so I decided to postpone Hokkaido until another trip and concentrate on Tohoku.
Luckily I found /u/phillsar86’s wonderful [trip report](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/nahtfk/chasing_cherry_blossoms_in_aomori_and_samurai/) and since it’s 5 days long, I am using it as a template. I’d like to add Sendai and Matsushima Bay if possible, so here is a tentative plan.
* **April 22:** Shinkansen from Tokyo to Aomori, arriving around 2 pm. Visit Aouimi Park, Nebuta Warasse, eat at a restaurant with shamisen performance or the izakaya with the Nebuta masks out front.
* **April 23:** Go to Utou Shrine and A-Factory. Early lunch, then train to Hirosaki to see cherry blossoms at Hirosaki Park. Maybe visit the Apple Park. Dinner somewhere, then see nighttime illumination of cherry blossoms at the park. Train back to Aomori.
* **April 24:** Nokkedon breakfast at the market. Either Asamushi Onsen or Mt Hakkoda and an onsen there – need help here.
* **April 25:** Back to Aomori. Switch to Resort Shirakami train to Akita and enjoy the ride. Spend night at Akita.
* **April 26:** Train to Kakunodate. See weeping cherry blossoms, Samurai district and its houses, visit the woodcraft museum. Train to Sendai. Dinner somewhere.
**April 27:** Check out of the hotel, train to Matshushima, vboat tour of the bay, Zuiganji Temple, eat lunch. Then Back to Sendai and take shinkansen to Tokyo. If the weather isn’t great for boats, may skip Matsushima and go straight to Tokyo.
Will likely get JR East Pass, but since this itinerary is spread over 6 days, may look at JR East South Hokkaido one even though it’s ¥5000 more. Need to do some math on the ticket prices first.
Questions:
* Does this sound like a good allocation of time or should I look at cutting or adding things along the way?
* It would be nice to do some light biking or hiking somewhere, but not sure which area is more suitable for that, other than Mt. Hakkoda if I go for that.
* I have provisionally booked Asamushi Onsen (free cancellation), but are there other onsen/ryokan I should look at?
* Need to figure out dinner in Hirosaki and Sendai. Tsune Sushi in Hirosaki from that trip report sounds good, if I can get a reservation, but open to recommendations.
Any other suggestions also appreciated. Thank you!
by andreiz