Hello! I am planning my first trip to Japan. I’ll be arriving in Osaka (KIX) on Friday, Oct. 27, and flying out of Tokyo (NRT) on Friday, November 10. The Tokyo leg is pretty set in stone, so I’ll spare you those details for now, but I am starting to second-guess my Kyoto/Osaka plan.
Here’s my original plan (and what I currently have lodging reserved for; refundable if I want to change)
* **Day 1 – Friday, Oct 27:** Arrive at KIX at 3p and go straight to Kyoto hotel. Only goal is to stay awake till 9/10 and try to get on a normal sleep schedule.
* **Day 2 – Saturday**: Loose, “no plans” day to allow for potential jet lag (though I am coming from central USA, so hoping it won’t be too bad).
* **Day 3 – Sunday:** Train to Osaka with the goal of hitting some record stores in the daytime and Dotonbori in the evening. Not trying to do much beyond that. Stay the night in Namba (I will still have my Kyoto hotel during this, so wouldn’t need to lug bags or anything).
* **Day 4 – Monday:** Train from Osaka to Nara. Spend the day in Nara doing the usual things in the Nara Park area, then head back to Kyoto.
* **Day 5 – Tuesday:** Fushimi Inari super duper early and hit some other sites in eastern Kyoto on the way back up toward the hotel.
* **Day 6 – Wednesday:** Arishyama super (maybe not duper?) early for all the touristy things.
* **Day 7 – Thursday:** Train to Tokyo. Plan to arrive at Shinjuku Station between rush hours, so don’t anticipate doing much in Kyoto before that unless there’s anything I feel I missed.
**CONCERN:** My biggest concern with the above plan is arriving, having one day in Kyoto to adjust, and then heading to Osaka/Nara. Again, I hope the USA travel will not make me too jet lagged, but I wonder if I am being overly ambitious for such a short time in Osaka?
**Here are my two other alternative ideas:**
* **Alternative 1**: Don’t do Osaka. Spend that time in Kyoto, but still do a Nara day trip on a weekday. I don’t hate this idea, but I kinda feel a little silly not taking advantage of being a 15min bullet train ride away.
* **Alternative 2:** Stay in Osaka Day 1 (arrival, Fri) and Day 2 (Sat), Nara on Day 3 (Sun) and go up to Kyoto for Days 4-6. My biggest concern with this is doing Nara on a Sunday as opposed to a weekday and feeling like I have to “do Osaka” on my first full day when I might be jet-lagged. And besides having a shorter train ride on my arrival day, it’s basically the same concern as my original itinerary: lots of moving around the first couple days right after arrival.
**WHAT WOULD YOU DO?** If you were me (34, first time in Japan), which one of these sounds most appealing? Do you think it is worth making the trip to Osaka for a day? Would you spend all the time in Kyoto and save Osaka for a future trip?
Thanks so much for your feedback. This sub has been super helpful!!
4 comments
Option 2 is my choice. I’d cut down on the travel time by staying in Osaka for Friday and Saturday (not to mention I find accommodation cheaper there), then go to Nara on Sunday and go straight to Kyoto. Kyoto seems tight on time and you are spending a lot of time transiting on the train between cities. Option 2 will mean you only need to make three train journeys: Osaka > Nara > Kyoto> Tokyo. Osaka touristy areas and attractions are very close together, so is significantly more walkable in a day than many other major cities, so even if you are jet lagged, if you are in Namba or nearby, you can nap at your hotel then go out again and not miss too much. Osaka is one of those places I don’t feel like I need to have a checklist (unlike Kyoto), it’s kind of enough to walk around and just experience the city and its amazing people and atmosphere, with some shops marked you wanna hit along the way. If anything, I’d say it’s the perfect place to be jet-lagged unless you want to experience the nightlife. Expect crowds in Nara on Sunday, but it is still enjoyable since it is a very large park with a lot of space. Walk past the initial crowded entry area of deer as there are plenty deeper inside the park. Look into the Kansai wide pass to see if it works out for you financially, and time wise.
You can luggage forward any large bags from Osaka straight to your Kyoto hotel so you don’t need to drag it round with you at Nara, just ask your hotel the morning before about “kuroneko” meaning “black cat” for the luggage service, they will help you with filling out the Japanese form and payment. I paid 2400 Yen per suitcase, albeit for a much further distance and over 2 days. That way you can travel with a small backpack for that time. Alternatively you can use one of the luggage storage facilities at Nara station for 800 yen or less.
US jetlag is actually amazing for Kyoto travel. You naturally wake up early enough to catch the sights at their least crowded, without needing to force yourself with an alarm clock. I would do a modified version of Alternative 2:
* Day 1: Arrive at KIX, go to Kyoto. Go to bed around 10pm but don’t sweat it if you wake up at 5-6am
* Day 2: Kiyomizudera (if you are interested – this opens at 6:30am unlike other temples which open at 9), and Higashiyama temples.
* Day 3: Day 6. If you want to do the bamboo forest with any semblance of tranquility you’ll want to be there early for sure. (Bamboo -> Kameyama Park -> temples)
* Day 4: Wake up early for Fushimi Inari, then go to Nara, then sleep in Namba. For luggage you can either take your bags with you and store them at the train station at Inari / Nara, or ship them via Takkyubin.
* Day 5: Equivalent of Day 3 (Osaka)
* Day 6: Equivalent of Day 2
Osaka is great for foodies. I would just get a hotel near Osaka or shin Osaka (this is the shinkansen station) station. From there you can take a subway or train for Osaka, Nara, and Kyoto within a 30 min ride.
For Tokyo you mentioned Shinjuku station during rush hour. If you can avoid it during rush hour. I got off of ShinGawa station from the shinkansen and took Yamote subway to Shinjuku station. It was hard to find a spot for my luggage without bumping into people. My recommendation is take the shinkansen from 9am to 12pm so you get to Tokyo before the major rush. Or like others said use the luggage forward service and your life will be easier.
I would agree on Option 2. I did the reverse, since I traveled Tokyo to Kyoto, stayed there 4 days and moved on to Osaka for the last 3 before leaving via KIX. I did Nara after I went to Fushimi Inari (caught the first Keihan train at 5am so I was knackered by early afternoon). Did the day trip to Himeji from Osaka, and went back for Arashiyama the next day because of the Sagano Train schedule. It isn’t really that hard to commute between Osaka and Kyoto if you go early enough, but still best if you don’t have to backtrack. Not that much to see in Osaka anyway, it’s really the food that’s the highlight of the experience there. I stayed in Shinsaibashi, which is near Dotonbori, and if you stay similarly near like in Namba or Shinsekai area where there’s also lots of food stalls, you can just wander around your first night and first day to take in the sights and eat your way through.
Also, it’s actually more sensible to go via Osaka Station and not through shin Osaka going to Kyoto. it’s even cheaper to use Keihan or Kintetsu lines (if you’re not tied to JR Pass) which start at Yodobashi / Namba which are closer to Dotonbori.