Rate my itinerary please (Tokyo Hakone Osaka Kyoto) 13 days

First time coming to Japan in 14 years. Any Advice is much appreciated, especially on:

feasibility

any good food/ onakase to reco

do I need a. JR pass (from calculations thus far I don’t think so?)

Sunday, November 26, 2023

920am: Flight from Singapore to Narita airport

5pm: Arrive in Narita Airport

1.5hr travel time

630pm check in to hotel

7pm Dinner at Ginza Kagari Ramen (20 min walk)

Monday, November 27, 2023

Free and easy

visit Imperial Palace’s eastern gardens

check out the kabukiza Theatre

Tuesday, November 28, 2023

7am wake up early and go to Sensoji temple (20 mins train)

Asakusa Neighborhood exploring

Lunch 12pm

Akihabara afternoon (tokyo national museum if time)

Dinner gyukatsu ichi ni san and back to hotel

Tokyo sky tree

Wednesday, November 29, 2023

5am Toyosu fish market for auction (see mood, will take 1 hour to travel to yoyogi). if not 6am Tsukiji market (will take 40 mins to go to yoyogi)

9am: walk to yoyogi park + Shibuya crossing + Meiji Jingu

12pm: lunch at Ebisu Yoroniku

2pm: \~30 mins travel to Shinjuku gyouen garden

5pm – 20 mins travel to Tokyo Metropolitian Gov Building for sunset

7pm Dinner and home

Thursday, November 30, 2023

8am check out breakfast

10am romancecar/shinkansen to Hakone

2pm check in Hakone Onsen

Friday, December 1, 2023

9am check out breakfast

10am: Shinakansen from Tokyo to Kyoto (estimated 3 hours)

2pm: check in hotel

Dinner at Pontocho Alley

Saturday, December 2, 2023

830am – Nijo Castle

lunch Mendaka ramen

11am – Gion District + Yasaka Shrine + Maruyama Park

Eikando Zenrin-ji Temple +Shinyodo Temple if time

3pm – Higashiyama District

8pm -Kiyomizudera night temple illumination

Sunday, December 3, 2023

9am – ryoanji and Kinkaku ji

Arashiyama full day (8 hours)

monkey park, togetsukyo bridge, tenruyji, bamboo groves

Monday, December 4, 2023

9am – Fushimi Inari

Nishiki Market

1pm – 1 hour travel to Nara (Todaiji , deer, Huerto or kakimase udon )

9pm – return to Kyoto

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Chill and check out 12pm

Lunch and leave for Mount Koya in afternoon

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

830am: Leave after morning prayers and breakfast (3 hours train)

12pm: check in to osaka accoms

2pm: Osaka Castle

5pm: Umeda Sky Building

Chiyomatsu Dinner

Thursday, December 7, 2023 9am – 1.5 hours trip to Himeji

11am – Himeji castle + garden

2pm – travel to Engyoji Temple (1hr)

5pm- Rikimaru sushi (20 mins from Engyoji)

2 hours travel to Osaka, back eta 8pm

Friday, December 8, 2023 9am – check out

11am- Sumiyoshi Taisha

1pm – travel to Airport

455pm Depart from KIX Osaka airport

11pm back in SG

3 comments
  1. “10am romancecar/shinkansen to Hakone
    2pm check in Hakone Onsen
    Friday, December 1, 2023
    9am check out breakfast
    10am: Shinakansen from Tokyo to Kyoto (estimated 3 hours)
    2pm: check in hotel”

    You seem to be missing the bit where you travel from Hakone to Tokyo…

  2. This is quite difficult to read without proper spacing and punctuation but no, you do not need a JR pass if you are flying into narita and exiting via KIX. I would suggest to book a hayatoku 21 wide reserved shinkansen (cheaper shinkansen tickets bought in advance via the site) or alternatively another cheaper option which is the overnight sleeper bus.

    The new cost of JR pass, unless purchased before 31 oct, can barely break even. Just get an IC card, pasmo passport or whichever from narita, and preload it. You can also consider getting the local subway day tickets eg 72 hours which make sense if your accommodation is near a subway line (non-JR) and you would make at least 3-4 trips per day.

  3. Honestly, just 1 night in Hakone (where you check in at 2pm) is a bit a waste of time imo. Depending on where you are, getting from Odawara station to Hakone can take up some time and it might be a bit more of a hassle than you want for 1 night/half a day.

    13 days of Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto and Osaka is doable in theory … but you might want to relax a bit more. It might not be enjoyable if you’re constantly on the move.

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