Hi all! I will be travelling to Japan in September for three weeks, I have a friend from Tokyo from when I was studying abroad who I’ll meet up with but most of the time I will be travelling alone.
Here is my itinerary:
Day 1-7: Tokyo (for Tokyo, the order of things isn’t really important, I’ll switch around stuff if it’s more convenient)
- 1: arrive at Haneda airport at 4pm; travel to hotel in Akihabara; visit Akihabara or go to Shibuya at night
- 2: Asakusa: Tokyo Skytree, Nakamise street; Kappabashi street; boat tour; Ginza, Hie shrine; Roppongi at night; Mori tower
- 3: teamLab Planets; Tsujiki fish market; imperial palace; later Shinjuku: Gyoen garden; Kabukicho tower; Golden Gai; Omoide Yokocho
- 4: Ghibli museum; afterwards Harajuku; Meiji shrine; Omotesando; Takeshitadori; Shibuya Parco; Shibuya Sky; Nonbei Yokocho
- 5: Ryoguko: Edo Tokyo museum; Hokusai museum; Samurai museum; later Ueno Park; possibly Tokyo Swallows baseball in the evening
- 6: Day trip to Nikko: Toshugu shrine; Rinnoji temple; Chuzenji lake
- 7: Day trip to Kamakura; possible stop in Yokohama when returning
Day 8-20: travelling through Japan (I haven't booked most of this part, so it's still possible to switch stuff around)
- 8: Osaka: Shinsaibashi; Osaka Castle
- 9: Osaka: Universal Studios Japan
- 10: Osaka: Day trip to Nara: Todajji temple, Nara park
- 11: Himeji & Hiroshima: train to Himeji (visit the castle); train to Hiroshima; peace memorial park; peace museum; atomic bomb dome; Shukkei-en garden
- 12: Miyajima & Kyoto: travel to Miyajimaguchi and Miyajima: Itsukushima shrine, Misen mountain; Shinkansen to Kyoto
- 13: Kyoto: Kinkakuji; Nishiki street; Nijoji castle; Pontocho street; Gion; Daigoji temple
- 14: Kyoto: trip to Arashiyama; Fushimi-Inari shrine; Ninenzaka; Kiyomizu temple; Kyoto Skyway
- 15: Kanazawa: Maeda castle, Higashi-no-chaya; different museums
- 16: Kanazawa: Kenrokuen garden; art museum; old samurai quarters
- 17: Shirakawago & Takayama: bus trip to Shirakawago; afterwards trip to Takayama: Jinya building; Miya river
- 18: Kawaguchiko: boat ride; hike around the area; Fujisan World Heritage Center; stay at Onsen hotel
- 19: Hakone Loop: travel to Gora/Hakone; possible hikes; stay at Onsen hotel or travel back to Tokyo
- 20: Kobe: train ride to Kobe, NJPW wrestling show in Kobe
- 21: travel back to Tokyo; return flight at 5pm
I’m not quite sure about everything, especially about the end of my trip. My friend told me to go to Kawaguchiko, however I also want to do the Hakone Loop and I’m not sure how to connect the two. I also want to visit a wrestling show, however NJPW’s big show for the month will be in Kobe while I’m already back in Toyko. I should possibly shuffle some stuff around, e.g. the stay in Osaka or Kyoto.
Also, I’m not sure if two days in Kanazawa are too much. I heard good things about Fukuoka and might go there instead after Hiroshima.
Lastly, has anyone done a similar trip? Is it wise to buy a two week rail pass? It seems really expensive but there are a lot of train trips in my plans.
Thank you to everyone that has advice for me or additional places to visit!
by mKayTDB