Itinerary to add to 2 week trip for a 3 week trip

5 comments

1. Yes, in general it does seems to work.

   While it is possible to go to Fuji five lakes from Kyoto, it is personally not my favorite as you would either have to stop at Mishima and take a bus or go to Yokohama first. Let’s say that a place like Hakone is generally easier to access and still have possible view on Mount Fuji.

   For Kyoto, it would be easier to name the area. So east I guess we talk about Higashiyama, roughly between Kiyomizu-dera and Gion. West, Arashiyama. North, Kinkaku-ji. Central like Nijo-jo and Nishiki market or like Kyoto station ? South like Fushimi Inari-taisha, or Uji and Fushimi Sake district ?

   As this is not super clear, it’s a bit hard to tell. In any case, I would recommend to stay in the area around Kawaramachi/Gion/Sanjo, it is well connected to other area of the city and would be easy to check Nishiki Market any morning or finish any day around Gion, Yasaka shrine and Ponotocho.

   For Tokyo, what/where is Yamamoto ? Akihabara can be a full day if you are really into shopping for anime/manga stuff and going to play arcades, otherwise, it could be just a couple of hours question.

   While Tokyo Tower is somehow an iconic tower in Tokyo, there is other observations deck that are often better rater. My favorite would be Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, that also have a nice view on Tokyo Tower. The good thing about it is the sky deck (you can go outside on top of the building) and they also have an art museum. Also looking forward going to Shibuya Sky that is quite new and seems to be good.

   In the extra, I would not especially do a day trip to Fukuoka. Yes, it is nice and there is enough to fill 2-3 days. But considering that street food stall that open a bit late is one of the special thing there, that would be a shame to be short on time to properly appreciate it.

   Shimanami Kaido if you plan to do two day for the cycling, it can easily be four days in total, like taking one day for Onomichi in itself, that is a really nice place, and one day for Matsuyama to see the castle and Dogo onsen.

   2-3 days for Kyushu is not exactly what I would call exploring, I plan to do 2-3 weeks and still wonder if I can fit everything. I can easily see how you can save if for your next trip to Japan.

2. I think your 2 week overall plan looks extremely solid. I can’t comment about Fuji Five Lakes but everything else is basically as I’d plan for myself.

   If you add a week, I suggest you consider returning via Kanazawa. Fukui has some really neat places, including a dinosaur museum which was actually really rad, and Kanazawa is fairly well-known. Depending on the year, you could elect to use the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route (approx. 3/4-1 day) to travel from Toyama (via Tateyama Station) to Matsumoto (via Omachi City, train) or to Nagano (via Omachi City, bus, ~2 hours). I would recommend Matsumoto (maybe with a stay/day/half day depending on your plans) and then directly to Kawaguchiko. There is a limited express train from Matsumoto to Otsuki which takes under 2 hours and will save you some travel time.

   I would skip Fukuoka and Kyushu for this trip – things there are fairly spread apart and you really should devote some time to them, else it can feel really hectic. No comment on Shimanami Kaido – no experience. But it’s not a bad way to spend a few days if you’re down there in that area from what I’ve heard. You could even take the train around Shikoku and return via Wakayama. If you do that, you might consider skipping the day trip in Nara and doing Nara on your way back. Not a big difference though; Nara isn’t far from Osaka.

3. Unless you absolutely LOVE temples and shrines, I’d reduce Kyoto down a touch. That’s kind of the majority of the sights you’ll see.

   Osaka is worth exploring for another day or so. After Kyoto, Nara starts to feel very similar so maybe layer things so you don’t have temples back to back.

   Perhaps consider seeing nature, going for a hike as a day trip from Tokyo or Osaka. Kamakura is worth going to, but be sure to explore around.

   Keep in mind that some places don’t take an entire day to take in. Akihabara, for example, is cool but it’s like 99% shops, 80% of them all new merchandise so it can get old quick. Have other places in the same area to hit up like Ueno. For example, I did a single day before as Asakusa -> Ueno -> Akihabara -> Imperial Palace with lots of time to spare, and could have probably done Tokyo tower and Rainbow Bridge/Odaiba and more.

   Also, I always suggest hit up super popular places early in the morning. Asakusa and Fushimi Inari were amazing at the crack of dawn.

4. For sightseeing in Tokyo, Shinjuku, Imperial Palace, Shibuya and Harajuku are close, so you can fully enjoy it if you have one day. You stroll around the Imperial Palace early in the morning and have lunch in Shinjuku. After strolling around Harajuku and Meiji Jingu Shrine, the course called downtown Shibuya is the standard for dinner.

   You can also enjoy Asakusa, Odaiba, Roppongi and Tokyo Tower in one day. Asakusa and Odaiba have a lot of lunch shops, and there are many dinner shops and bars in Roppongi.

   I really want you to eat real “Tempura” and “Unagi-kabayaki (roasted eel)” in Asakusa.
   “Aoi Marushin” is famous for tempura restaurant s . I personally like “Tsuruya” at Unagi restaurant s. There are other opinions, but these are the two restaurant s in Asakusa I recommend.

   https://www.aoi-marushin.co.jp/top.html

   https://osietesite.com/gourmet/tokyo/asakusa/japanesefood/tsuruya

   Funabashiya in Shinjuku or Kinshicho is also a long-established tempura restaurant.

   Instead of shortened sightseeing in Tokyo, please take a look at Nikko. However, Nikko is far from Tokyo, so I recommend staying in Nikko for about 3 days if possible.

   Nikko is the most famous “Irohazaka”, “Toshogu Shrine”, “Kegon Falls” and “Lake Chuzenji”. Toshogu Shrine has a lot of historical heritage preserved, so take your time to take a look.

   Well, the biggest concern is Fuji Five Lakes. This place is perfect for a place to see Mt. Fuji. However, transportation is inconvenient in Fuji Five Lakes, and it takes a long time from Tokyo and Kyoto.
   So you have to be prepared to take about half a day just to get to Fuji Five Lakes.

   Also, if you are unlucky and the weather is bad, you won’t be able to see Mt. Fuji, so if you can afford it for about a day, you will have a chance.

   If you have time on the last day of your stay in Japan, you can just stop by Akihabara to buy souvenirs.

5. When I went the first time, having 3 weeks, I took the following approach.

   First three days in Tokyo

   Next direct to Hiroshima for 2 nights

   Then to Kyoto stopping at Himeji.

   10 days total between Osaka and Kyoto including a day trip to Nara. If I had decided that I would have preferred to go back to Tokyo earlier, I had that option since I had had some time in Tokyo. So I had a lot of flexibility as I went. I was booking airbnb a day or two in advance of moving and had 2-week JR pass. I actually spent one day more in Osaka than I wanted because of a Typhoon.