Hey!
Finalising my solo trip to Japan in February next year and wanted some opinions or recommendations on my itinerary. I’ve tried to space it out so that I can have a bit more time in each place to explore and experience the culture rather than rushing around.
Here it is:
|Day|Location|
|:-|:-|
|1|Flying LHR>NRT|
|2|Land in Tokyo|
|3-5|Explore Tokyo (3 full days)|
|6|Tokyo>Kamakura>Yokohama>Tokyo|
|7|Explore Tokyo|
|8|Tokyo>Nikko|
|9|Nikko>Fujikawaguchiko (via Tokyo)|
|10|Explore Fujikawaguchiko & Fuji-Q Highland|
|11|Fujikawaguchiko>Nagoya (via Mishima)|
|12|Nagoya>Ise-Shima>Takayama (via Nagoya)|
|13|Takayama>Shirakawa-go>Kanazawa|
|14|Explore Kanazawa|
|15|Kanazawa>Kyoto|
|16-21|Explore Kyoto (6 days)|
|22|Kyoto>Nara (visit Horyu-j)|
|23|Nara>Osaka|
|24-25|Explore Osaka & Osaka Aquarium (2 full days)|
|26|Osaka>Himeji>Hiroshima|
|27|Hiroshima & Miyajima|
|28|Hiroshima>Hakone (via Osaka)|
|29|Hakone>Tokyo|
|30-32|Explore Tokyo (3 full days)|
|33|Flying NRT>LHR|
|34|Arrive back in London|
​
The part I am questioning most is Hiroshima. Do I sacrifice a day in Kyoto to be able to allocate a day each for Hiroshima and Miyajima?
For Nara – I’ve allocated a night here so that I can see Horyu-ji and spend more time in the gardens and park near Todai-ji, then go straight to Osaka in the morning. Is this necessary?
Then Fujikawaguchiko, I’ve added a full day here (2 nights) to experience Fuji-Q and the lake at a more leisurely pace, and so I can spend more time in Nikko earlier in the day of travelling to Fuji. But is it best if I reduce this to one night to increase my time elsewhere?
Is there anywhere else that would be worth shaving off some time at these locations?
Really appreciate any suggestions!
6 comments
Hi, personally I wouldn’t spend a night in Nara. Its barely even a full day trip and is a little underwhelming overall. However, it obviously depends what you’re looking for. In my experience though Miyajima and Hiroshima is well worth it.
I haven’t visited Koyasan yet. It’s part of the itinerary for my upcoming trip though. Looking forward to it. You are certainly packing a lot in to your trip. Enjoy!
how about instead of going back to tokyo, you go further down to fukuoka? (are there direct flights to london there?)
i feel that since you are already in hiroshima, you can afford to travel further down to kyushuu area.
I personally love this style of travelling, it helps to know what kind of stuff you’re into as well, where I would probably spend more time in Osaka and take only a couple of days in Kyoto. I always just end up spending weeks in Tokyo and Osaka 😅
Overall it seems like it’ll be really fun!
Day 12 looks insane, ise/shima are on the opposite direction from nagoya as Takayama and the next day you have at most a few hours in Takayama before you need to leave for Shirakawago. Too much running around. Ise is visually pretty skippable unless you’re very interested in the cultural significance.
6 days in Tokyo feels like a waste. I’d choose to stay 2 or more nights in smaller towns like Nikko for example. When you stay anywhere for just a single night, you’re either coming or going. I suggest spending at least 1 full day (2 nights) anywhere/ everywhere.