Apologies for formatting, on mobile
**New overview:**
Osaka: 2 nights
Koyasan: 1 night
Kyoto: 2 nights
Kanazawa: 1 night
Shirakawa: 1 night
Tokyo: 2 nights
Nikko: 1 night
Tokyo: 3 nights
I am a solo female traveler who is active and will either be in Japan for my 22 or 23 birthday (Nov 3). I know enough Japanese to not rely on English signs. Budget: somewhere around $3000 (not including nikko ryokan where my parents are paying)
Unless otherwise stated, I’m usually heading to breakfast by 8:30
– **Day 0**
Leave SFO for a 12hr flight
– **Day 1**
Land in Osaka (late afternoon hopefully)
Get yen, SIM card, etc
Adjust to jet lag
Head to hotel which is close to Osaka castle (50 train)
– **Day 2**
Osaka castle
Amerikamura/shinsaibashi
Try okonomiyaki and takoyaki
Dotonbori
Dinner and back to hotel
– **Day 3**
Leave Osaka after breakfast and travel to koyasan (2h30 train)
Check out a few temples, get lunch, maybe go on a hike or something
Check into ryokan (shojoshin-in) before 5pm
Visit okunoin before sunset (15 walk)
– **Day 4**
This is my birthday (Nov 3)
Up and going early because of morning prayer
Travel to Kyoto (3hr30 train)
Walk around higashiyama and get lunch
Check into hotel (which will probably be near Gion)
Fushimi inari taisha in the early evening because I heard someone say that’s the best time to go? And get dinner in the area
– **Day 5**
Get up early to hopefully get the forest in morning light
Arashiyama bamboo forest (1hr train)
➡️Rent an electric bike (My thinking is I can cover more ground and go to less visited places but is this a good idea for visiting temples?)
Temple hop and get lunch along the way
Back to hotel from rental shop (1hr train)
Get dinner, then wander or relax in room
– **Day 6**
Spend morning in Kyoto
Travel to Kanazawa (3hr train)
Get lunch
Nomurake samurai garden
Kenrokuen
Get dinner and check into hotel
– **Day 7**
Higashi chaya district
Travel to shirakawa (2hr bus)
Get lunch and walk around
Shirakawa-go, check into hotel and get dinner
This is my chill day
– **Day 8**
Lazy morning
Travel to tokyo (5hr30 train)
Tokyo dome area and the gardens
Stay in capsule hotel (I watched a video on the 9hr chain and it looks very nice: https://youtu.be/MrPkbXlZhVY)
– **Day 9**
Tokyo flex day
*If it’s perfect weather I’ll do fujikawaguchiko this day to not take any chances. That would leave day 13 clear for anything I still want to do in Tokyo (suggestions?)*
If teamlabs is open again, this is when I’d go
Maybe go Mario karting?
– **Day 10**
Head out to Nikko (2hr train)
Walk around and see some waterfalls
Stay in ryokan somewhere in the park
– **Day 11**
Morning in Nikko
Travel back to Tokyo (2hr train)
Spend the rest of the day wandering around
Check into hotel in akihabara which I’ll be staying in for the rest of the trip
– **Day 12**
Ueno park
Akihabara
Tokyo tower area in the evening (not up it, I just want to get near it)
See the rainbow bridge and sky wheel lit up
Back to hotel
– **Day 13**
*Depending on the weather this could be day 9 or 12 because it can’t be bad weather*
Day trip to fujikawaguchiko (2hr20 train)
Maple corridor
Kayak on the lake
Maybe see the wind caves if I have time (1hr bus)
Back to Tokyo (3hr if wind caves)
– **Day 14**
Shibuya crossing and 109
Harajuku
Shinjuku
Late flight home out of haneda airport
**Summary**
I tried to plan two or three major things to do each day, with the knowledge that I’ll have to be flexible. Maybe this is somewhat fast paced, I honestly think I can see what I want to see for my first trip. I much prefer the “see a lot in a short amount of time” to the “see not as much but in a longer time”. I’ll definitely be back to revisit places I want to spend more time in.
I spend just about every day on transportation, which I don’t mind as I see it as a great way to sightsee without having to walk lol.
I followed this video to get a rough idea on a plan: https://youtu.be/IuTDuvYr7f0
Some of the main edits are substituting Nara for Nikko, spending a little less time in Kyoto and Kanazawa, and substituting the ryokan in takayama for one in Shirakawa.
**Questions**
-Is it common to see travelers walking around with large backpacks? I’m not comfortable with luggage forwarding so I’ll have my backpack for the stops in between hotels
-Better to walk or bus/train in cities?
-Anything I’m totally missing out on or totally isn’t worth it