Hi everyone – my wife and I are looking for feedback on our itinerary! (Resubmitting with some adjustments) We’ll be going for 14 nights, starting in Tokyo and ending the trip in Osaka. (10/21-11/4)
# Itinerary
**Day 0: Arrive**
* Arrival at 8PM, head to hotel in Shinjuku (APA Gyoemmae)
* Nothing planned for this evening, will get dinner near the hotel
**Day 1: Shinjuku, Ghibli Museum**
* Short morning walk through Gyoen Garden
* Check out the view from the Metropolitan building
* Wife wants to find a head spa in Shinjuku – any recs?
* Shirohige Cream Puffs
* Ghibli Museum \[4PM entry\]
* Omoide Yokocho
Unfortunately could only get a late ticket to the museum, very open for ideas for the morning/afternoon
**Day 2: Shibuya/Harajuku**
* Yoyogi park/Meiji Jingu
* Wander through Harajuku
* Shibuya Scramble
* Shibuya Parco and Mega Don
Leaving this day pretty unplanned so we have time to explore naturally
**Day 3: Teamlabs, Odaiba, Skytree**
* Start morning at Tsukiji Market
* Teamlab Planets
* Water Taxi from Seaside Park to Asakusa
* Nakamise Street + Sensoji
* Tokyo Skytree (Kirby Cafe reservation at 8!)
**Day 4: Hakone Loop (Hakone Pass)**
* Store luggage at hotel or at station
* Take Odakyu train in the morning
* Drop bags at Ryokan in Hakone-Yumoto
* Hakone Loop trip
* Rest of evening in Ryokan
We’re having a hard time picking what Ryokan to stay at. ***Do Ryokans tend run out of bookings for their private onsens?*** If not, then we probably don’t need one in our room.
**Day 5: Back to Tokyo**
* Enjoy breakfast at Ryokan
* Take train back to Shinjuku, pick up luggage
* Check into hotel in Akihabara
* Explore Akihabara
**Day 6: Tokyo (Flex Day)**
* Maybe DisneySea?
Open to suggestions
**Day 7: Tokyo (Flex Day)**
* Likely revisit Harajuku & Shibuya
* General souvenir shopping
* Forward luggage to Kyoto Hotel
**Day 8: Himeji, Kurashiki** (Activate JR Pass)
* Morning train to Himeji (Arrive \~11:30)
* Check out the castle for a bit (not planning to go in)
* Afternoon train to Kurashiki, check into hotel
* Explore Bikan area
**Day 9: Hiroshima Peace Park, Miyajima**
* Train to Hiroshima
* Explore the Peace Park
* Ferry to Miyajima
* Omotesando
* Check into hotel (Grand Arimoto)
* Mt Misen (via ropeway)
* Itsukushima Shrine
**Day 10: Kiyomizu Dera, Gion**
* Train to Kyoto (arrive \~11:30)
* Check into hotel in Kawaramachi
* Kiyomizu Dera + Sannen-zaka
* Dinner in Gion
**Day 11: Explore Kyoto**
* Arashiyama Grove
* Sagano Train
* Kinkaku-Ji
* Nishiki Market
***Could use suggestions/recommendations!***
**Day 12: Fushimi Inari, Nara** (Last day of Kansai/Hiroshima Pass)
* Morning – Fushimi Inari
* Afternoon – Nara Park
* Evening – Check into Osaka hotel (Namba)
* Street food at Dotonbori
**Day 13: Explore Osaka**
* Kita/Umeda
* Osaka Castle
* Shinsekai
* Nipponbashi
* Romantic Dinner ***(Our anniversary! Would love recommendations for a special night.)***
**Day 14: Final Morning in Osaka** (Last day of JR Pass)
Departure at ~5PM – any ideas for things to squeeze in during the morning?
# Transit Options
Intra-city travel we’ll cover with IC cards or metro passes based on what makes sense.
We’ll buy the free pass to cover to/from Hakone and the local transit there.
For inter-city travel, we’re split on two options:
1. 7 Day JR Pass (29,500 JPY)
2. Tokyo -> Himeji Ticket + 5 Day Kansai/Hiroshima Pass (\~30,000 JPY)
Both of them come out to roughly the same cost. Option 2 allows us to save some time using the Nozomi Trains on our longer trips. Rationally, it seems that option 2 is better since it’ll save us some time, but I can’t help but feel it’s “simpler” to just get the 7-day pass and not have to think about it again. Am I overthinking this, or is there something I’m missing?
# Final Thoughts/Questions
At this point I’m feeling pretty good about the itinerary. Days 8/9/10 might be a bit tiring between the activities and the longer train rides, but I think they’ll still be pretty manageable? That said, this is my first time traveling so I have no real way of knowing for sure. Would really appreciate feedback on the pacing!
Still figuring out exactly what we should do on our two flex days in Tokyo – DisneySea is one option, but we’d also be open to a day trip somewhere.
Looking forward to your advice and suggestions. Thanks!
2 comments
Hi!
One thing to think about it is the 5 day JR Hiroshima Pass you will need to get off the train at Shin-Osaka, because the pass doesn’t cover the shinkansen between Shin-Osaka and Kyoto There is probably a way to pay additional for it, but the pass only covers locals and limited expresses. Though you would also need to change if you take a Sakura from Hiroshima. I believe most Hikari end at Shin-Osaka or Okayama.
With a Nozomi from Tokyo, you probably need to transfer to get to Himeji. I’m pretty sure that is rarely a stop.
How busy a private onsen is, depends on the ryokan and the options on offer. If there is only a private bath and everyone staying there has to reserve a time, if they want to use a bath, it can get quite busy. If there are other options (like gender segregated larger baths) a lot of people will forgo the family bath.
Good luck1
I post this multiple times a week. If you are going to Himeji, forget about Osaka castle. It is a reconstructed concrete block.