Hi everyone.
Thanks in advance for your responses and thank you to the sub generally, it’s been so helpful while planning my trip.
I’m a first time visitor with 17 days there at the start of November. I’m 31 male, enjoy atmospheric cities, architecture, nightlife, food, hikes/nature and culture. My focus on my travels is having a variety of experiences while also getting to know the places I go to rather than rushing them. I’m also very adventurous and like to go to random spots.
I’m in two minds on whether to do a version of the classic first-time route or try to mix it up a bit. Experiencing koyo is also a big factor on my trip but based on my research I understand that I might be a bit early (3-21 Nov) to see the best of it.I know roughly what I will want to see in each spot but I am going to keep this fairly high-level as I want to decide where I will be when so I can book accommodation, then focus on what specifically to do in each place.
The only set things I have are that I want to be in Osaka on 11 Nov as my favourite DJ will be playing there and I want to spend a night at a ryokan in an onsen town. I am also planning to end my trip in Tokyo in the hope that the koyo has set in more by then in the capital.
Am also fine to get a JR Pass if it’s worth it when I decide my route.
I have a rough itinerary but am considering options instead of Hiroshima/Miyajima and Hakone. Miyajima is the main reason I would go to Hiroshima really.
Friday 3 Nov:
Arrive 22.30 in Tokyo
Get Suica and sim card.
Hope getting out is quick enough that the monorail/train is open from Haneda to Shinjuku.
Check in to hostel in Shinjuku, shower, head to Golden Gai for a walk, a drink and a bite
Saturday 4 Nov:
Jet lag recovery day.
Morning – Senso-ji, Nakamise-dori, Hozo-mon, Asakusa-jinja, Tokyo Skytree observation deck (or is this a massive tourist trap as I’ve been reading?).
Get some soba for lunch.
Afternoon – Denboin-dori and Sumida Park/River.
Evening – Hoppy Street and also see Senso-ji after dark. Head back to Shinjuku to explore more of its nightlife in a different part of Shinjuku.
Sunday 5 Nov:
Morning – Hanazona-jinja and Shinjuku Gyoen
Afternoon – Nakano Broadway (I’m not particularly into manga/anime but I am intrigued to check somewhere like this out).
Note – I will discover more of Shinjuku and Tokyo in my final few days of the trip.
Evening – Shibuya / Shibuya Centre-gai
Monday 6 Nov:
Early train to Kanazawa.
Put bag in bag storage in station
Rent a bicycle for the day.
Late morning – Kenrokuen Garden and Prefectural Museum of History and the Kaga Honda Museum
Lunch – Omicho Market (quick lunch)
Afternoon – Karuemachi tea district and Higashi Chaya tea district.
Visit traditional teahouse (Ochaya Shima). Is Nisha Chaya a better option that either of the two I listed?
Early evening Nagamachi and Nomura House there too.
Is squeezing this into one day feasible or would it be best spread over 2?
Evening – train to Osaka
Tuesday 7 Nov:
Morning – train to Osaka.
Afternoon – have a bit of a chilled day walking around the city. Go to Used and Shinsekai.
Wed 8 Nov:
Very early morning train to Hiroshima arrive around 9.
Get to Miyajima by 10.
Hike Mt Misen and ropeway down.
Lunch – quick Okonomimura
Afternoon – A Bomb Dome and Peace Park. Hiroshima-jo if I have time.
Evening – train to Osaka(
I know it’s a full day but is Hiroshima worth staying the night in? I like to walk around at night, have a bite and a drink, take in the atmosphere and walk around a little more in busier areas).
Thursday 9 Nov:
A day chilling in Osaka with little planned other than to walk around and get lost. Also hit the main sites in the evening such as Dotonbori, maybe DenDen Town. I know I’ll like Osaka and wandering aimlessly around for a day. I also think the nightlife looks great so am considering doing Kyoto as a day trip on 2 or 3 days. Is that a bad idea? From what I gather it takes long enough to not be worth doing it as a day trip.
Friday 10 Nov – Osaka (day trip to Nara or Minoh waterfall or Kobe)
Saturday 11 Nov – Another day wandering around Osaka and exploring different neighbourhoods. Maybe go to Himeji castle for a day trip or to Teamlab Osaka. Am planning to have a temple break today before going to Kyoto.
Wander around Utsubokoen and then Kitashinchi in the early evening.
Evening – Acid Paul is playing so I’ll go to watch him.
Sunday 12 Nov (morning train) – Wednesday 15 Nov (early train) in Kyoto. I am not going to go organise this party of the itinerary yet as I want to get the overall structure then look into Kyoto since there’s so much choice here.
Wednesday 15 Nov:
Morning – check into Ryokan.
Early afternoon: Hakone ropeway, Owakundani, try to do the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise or Hakone-jinja shrine then to ryokan for onsen and dinner.
Thursday 16 Nov: Breakfast at ryokan and enjoy onsen before checking out and heading to Tokyo.
Thursday 16 Nov – Monday 20 Nov in Tokyo. As with Kyoto, I’m going to do more thinking before deciding since there’s so much to see but I want to do a day trip to Kawaguchiko. Or maybe go to Nikko as a day trip as the train ride and Nikko are meant to be beautiful in November
Alternatively, I’m considering replacing the trip to Hiroshima with either Kamakura before Kanazawa. Or replace Hiroshima and one of the Kanazawa days with Takayama hike before Kanazawa or replace Hiroshima and Kanazawa with Kochi to do part of the 88 pilgrimage hike after.
The other idea I’ve had is to get a train from Osaka to Fukuoka with a day trip to Kagoshima to also visit Sakurajima. This is extremely tempting but will it be too far considering the length of the train journey? The other reason I’m tempted is to utilise a JR Pass while it is still more affordable.
I’m also undecided about Hakone as I’m tempted by a less popular onsen to go to. Perhaps Arima Onsen? Or is Hakone too beautiful to miss at that time of year? Maybe even stay another night in Kagoshima and go to an onsen there.
Also, is Nara worth the day trip? Is it different enough to Kanazawa?