Hi all I am planning a solo trip to Japan and came up with the following. Does the itinerary make sense or does it make sense to do things in a different order? Should I spend more/less time at any of these places? Is there anything you think I should add to the itinerary?
Tokyo – 29 Sept-5th Oct
28 Sept
Shibuya crossing
Hachiko statue
Window shopping in Shibuya and Harajuku
Harajuku crepe
Purikura photobooths
29 Sept
Shopping in Ikebukuro
Pokemon mega store
Coco curry
Meiki shrine (one of the main shrines in Tokyo)
Dinner and karaoke in Harajuku
30 Sept
Sensoji temple (Tokyo’s oldest temple) (located in Asakusa – need to get train)
Sensoji O-mikuji – Japanese fortune-teing
Get metro to Akihabara – Retro Game Camp, Maid Café (not sure, bit weird?)
1 Oct
Tokyo Tower
Roppongi
Mori Art Museum – largest contemporary art museum in Tokyo (located at the top of the central Mori Rower)
Nogi Shrine (samurai)
2 Oct
Nikko (4 hour round trip from Tokyo) – forests, waterfalls, natural hot springs
Shinkyo Bridge – sacred bridge and gateway to shrines and temples
Rinnoki Temple – UNESCO world heritage site; founded by Buddhist monk who brought Buddhism to the city in 8th century
Toshogu Temple – resting place of Tokugawa leyasu
Kegon Falls – PM, visit Nikko National Park which has hiking trails, but if short of time go to Kegon Falls (one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Japan)
Ryuzu Falls (translation: Dragon Head Falls)
3 Oct
Hakone – views of Mount Fuji, onsens, shrines
Hakone Shrine – looks out across Lake Ashi
Onsen – Yunessun hot spring spa (allows men and women together, allowed to wear swimsuit)
Owakudani (translation: Boiling Valley) – take gondola up the mountain to view the volcanic landscape, eat black egg which has been natural boiled in volcano
4 Oct
Mount Fuji (not sure about this – depends if I can see Mount Fuji from Hakone?)
Chureito Pagoda or North shore of Lake Kawaguchiko – beautiful in autumn
Kyoto – 5 Oct-8th Oct
5 Oct
Take it easy, will be tired from Tokyo-Kyoto trip
Maybe take walk to city centre
6 Oct
Fushimi Inari Taisha
Thousands of red torri gates that lead up to Mount Inari
Hike time to Mount Inari and back takes 2-3 hours (go in morning to avoid crowds)
Higashiyama and Gion – old geisha districts
Old tea houses and shrines – takes the whole afternoon to walk through the neighbourhoods
Kiyomizu-Dera, Kodaiki Temple, Yasaka Pagoda
Evening: Pontocho Alley for dinner (one of the most beautiful streets in the city)
7 Oct
Kinkaku-ji (translation: Golden Pavillion) – zen temple
One of Kyotos 17 UNESCO world heritage sites
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove – head over in afternoon
Arashiyama Iwatayama Monkey Park (not far from Bamboo Grove)
Located on top of hill with views of Arashiyama
120 monkeys roam around the park freely and can buy food to feed them
Kyoto Tower – evening
Dinner in Central Kyoto and stop by Kyoto Tower
Hiroshima – 8 Oct – 10 Oct
8 Oct
Atomic Bomb Dome
Peace Park
Shukkei-en Garden
Hiroshima Castle (nickname: Carp Castle)
Built in 1589 but was destroyed in the bombing of 1945
Castle was rebuilt and now hosts a museum where you can learn about Japanese history
On the top, there is a panoramic view of the city
9 Oct
Miyajima Island (Itsukushima/Miyajima (translation: Shrine Island)) – can use JR pass for the ferry to get to the island
Giant Torii – ‘floating’ tori gate has been ranked as one of Japan’s vest 3 views
At high tide, the torii floating gate seems to be floating, but when the tide is low you’re able to walk next to it
Fun way to view gate is to hire a kayak and paddle
Itsukushima Shrine
Built over water in the year 593, the shrine seems to be floating above the water (UNESCO world heritage site)
Entire island has a long history with the Shinto religion
Five-storied pagoda – built in 1407 and restored in 1544
Daisho-in Temple
5000 statues with unique facial expressions lined up towards the entrance of the temple and inside the Henjokutsu cave there is a dimly lit room with a ceiling full of lanterns
The Ropeway – views from the cable cart over the Selo Sea
Okayama – 10 Oct – 12 Oct
10 Oct
Himeji Castle on the way to Okayama
One of Japan’s most beautiful castles. Has never been destroyed by war or natural disaster, it’s one of Japan’s original 12 castles
11 Oct
Okayama ‘Land of Sunshine’
Okayama Castle (Crow Castle) – completed in 1597
Korakuen Gardens – 300 year-old Japanese Garden is one of the three most beautiful gardens in Japan
Kibiji Cycling Road – 2 hour bike ride takes you past shrines, farmhouses and beautiful rural Japanese countryside (hire bike at Bizen Ichinomiya or Soja bike shop)
Osaka – 12 Oct – 16 Oct
12 Oct
Umeda Sky Building – Floating Garden Observatory located on 39th floor for city views
Osaka Castle
Historical museum – unification of Japan in 16th century (apparently quite expensive so check budget)
Shitennoji Temple – one of Japan’s oldest temples
Visit 5-stories pagoda and the Gokuraku-Jodo Garden
Shinsekai – district modelled after Paris
Good spot to try Osaka’s famous street food such as Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki
Kuromon Market – food market that specialises in famous fish dishes
Minami/Dontonbori
Neon lights, music, street food
Gilco Man, the Moving Crab, and Hozenji Yokocho
13 Oct
Nara
Kofuku-ji – temple located a few minutes from Nara’s train station. Second-tallest wooden pagoda, the southern Octagonal Halls and the Central Golden Hall
Isuien Garden – Japanese Garden that dates back to 17th century
Todai-ji – world’s digest wooden structure (UNESCO site), world’s largest Daibutsu-san (bronze Buddha statue) inside
Kasuga-Taisha (UNESCO site) – 3000 stone lanterns lining up towards the entrance
Nara Deer Park – feed deer with crackers, bow to deer and they might bow back
14 Oct
Kobe
Ropeway up to Mount Rokko – cable cart trip, on top of the mountain there is views, botanical garden and observation deck
Soraku-en Garden – iconic landmark, 5 observation decks, restaurants and shops
Nada Sake Museum – Kobe is Japan’s top sake production region
Kobe Beef
Return flight from Osaka 15 Oct
Edit: Apologies for this mess of a post. I typed it on mobile and the formatting went a bit crazy – will clean it up on desktop browser when I get home!