Itinerary check – 21 days in Japan in 2022

6 comments

1. Generally speaking, try to save the shopping spots for the afternoon as shop usually do not open before 10-11am, while many more cultural attractions such as museum, temple/shrine, can open around 9am.

   With that in mind, day 4, I would start by Senso-ji, that would open earlier, then Akihabara you can stay later, for example if you want to go play in the arcades and such.

   If you plan a lot of shopping, you should actually try to put most of your Tokyo days at the end of the trip, so you do not have to carry more stuff all around Japan.

   I do not think you need a full day for Fushimi-Inari.

   Ryokan in Tokyo ? you have any specific idea ? I would try to do it in Kanazawa instead.

   Overall, not bad.

   ​

   As for your extra, yes Hakone is a good stop on the way to Kansai for onsen.

   Nikko, you can do it as as day trip from Tokyo if you focus on the temple/shine area, that is what you listed. For two day, that would be good if you want to include lake Chuzen-ji area or something further from Nikko station.

   Shirakawa-go, you can sleep both in Kanazawa and Shirakawa-go. Right now you plan to go to Kanazawa on day 12 and sleep there. Day 13 go to Shirakawa-go and sleep there, day 14 go back early to Kanazawa and you can take the train to Tokyo at the end of the day. Do not plan too much time in Shirakawa-go, like you can get there for lunch time, or even around 1pm. There is not too much to do and it it relatively small. Staying in one of the old house is actually quite fun.

   ​

   JR pass, you kind of need to get the 14 days pass if you end up getting it. As if it is even worth getting it is a different story, it would require a bit more calculation, but I am honestly not sure, it might be cheaper using a combination of regional pass and regular tickets.

2. Ninja-dera closes at like 4 pm and you can only explore it by guided tours. The time I went they had a little booklet with English translations. I reserved a spot in advance. Your Kanazawa day seems a little light, the tour took maybe 40 minutes max?? Take advantage and stroll around the fishmarket and the old district. The best sushi I have ever had was in Kanazawa.

   I like Fushimi-Inari but I don’t think it’s an all day affair. Also I think Tokyo isn’t the best city to enjoy a ryokan.

   The sun sets quite early in Japan, don’t think evening is the best time for hiking, even when it’s light,

3. On day 4 start the day at Asakusa and finish at Akihabara. Most shops in Tokyo tend to open around 10/11 and close around 9 so always better to do shopping in the afternoon.

   For your spare days, you could add another day to Kyoto as there is a lot to see there and only 2 days there might be rushed.

   Another option would be Takayama which is a nice country town. You would only need 1 day there but if you like cycling or hiking you can add another day as there are some good options nearby. If you choose to go to Takayama I would go via Shirakawa-go. So day 13 spend in Kanazawa. Day 14 travel to Shirakawa-go in the morning then from Shirakawa-go to Takayama in the afternoon.

4. That’s a nice itinerary you’ve got there, not too much stuff and it’s very flexible. Just a few things I noticed though:

   > Day 5 – Kamakura

   Hasedera and The Buddha are pretty close to each other. Except if you start your day late, I think you can do both of these in the morning.

   > Day 9 – Nara

   I suggest visiting Nara Park. It’s close to the station and it might be a good break between temples.

   > Day 12 – Koyasan, Travel to Osaka, then train to Kanazawa

   This trip takes 5 hours minimum, so you might want to split it up.

   > Any Ryokan suggestions?

   From your schedule, I suggest either Kyoto or Kanazawa. Both cities have a good variety of ryokans to stay at. Keep in mind that many Ryokans have a early curfew (8 or 9pm maybe) so try to avoid adding things to do after dinner.

   > Which JR pass?

   ~~At the moment, the [Hokuriku Arch Pass](https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/ticket/hokuriku-arch-pass/select.html) for your last 7 days there is the most reasonable option, but if you end up adding Takayama and / or Nikko, I’m pretty sure the 14-day JR pass would be better.~~ my mistake read u/gdore15 ‘s reply.

5. Tokyo – go up the Skytree, worth the cost. I did at sunset and it was great. You can walk to it from Asakusa if you want, right over the river. Actually, you can get a nice walk in if you start at the bottom of Akihabara, up to Ueno, then to Asakusa to Skytree. But hitting a train would cut that down into minutes.

   Kyoto – separate it into two day walking trips, north and south. There’s guides out there for this. Popular spots in Kyoto can get swamped HARD later in the day, so I suggest hitting the popular spots at the crack of dawn. Fushimi Inari is great, head there as early as you can, but it’s really only 2 hours. Same with Kiyomizudera.

   Himeji is totally worth it. Consider hitting Kobe to/from it. Osaka castle is fine, tho. You don’t go there for the castle, but the lands.

   Be aware that many temples and shrines are rather quick sites. You spend more time travelling to them than actually being at them because you look, gander, then you’re done in like 5mins. Because of this, look into guides that chain them together like in Kyoto or Nara.

6. If you like nice views and biking I’d suggest the shimanami kaido in Onomichi. If you already have the JR pass you could achieve your goal of staying in a Ryokan, see a smaller city than Tokyo and Kyoto, and check out the islands with an incredible bike path and rental system. https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3478.html Good luck!