JAPAN TRIP MARCH 2024 HELP NEEDED PLEASE

Hi,

I have been obsessively lurking and reading the forums for months and finally worked up to asking for for in- depth guidance for this solo female traveler on her first-time trip to Japan March 13th-27th.  I have had this trip on my bucket list forever and I will actually be celebrating my birthday while there.   I hope to balance the intensity of sightseeing with time for reflection, relaxation, and a bit of pampering.  I am most interested in simply exploring and strolling, bike riding, visiting temples, shrines, museums, perusing art galleries and just window shopping.  I do not plan to do Team Labs or any sort of animal cafes, Pokémon or Anime related activities.  

It seems that it will be an incredibly long first day of travel;  I will be flying out of SFO on 3/12,  landing at HND at 2:50pm, connecting 3 hours later at 6pm to Osaka via ANA, then take the train to Kyoto and finally collapse at the hotel.  I decided to begin my trip in Kyoto first, as I have read that everything will be super crowded on the weekends and even more so with kids out of school and with it also being Sakura season.  

That being said, I am open to reworking certain aspects of my proposed path from Kyoto forward, if it is illogical logistically or if I am missing out on hidden gems by sticking closer to the Golden Route, especially given the anticipated crowds. 

I am trying NOT to overpack, instead only taking a small rollaboard suitcase and tote bag so that I can be as mobile as possible given all the moving around and taking public transportation. 

Hotel availability at this late juncture is somewhat limited, pricing is higher now, relative to the season and therefore I have made a several of hotel reservations, as suggested, some of which overlap, all with the ability to cancel, based on the proposed dates and areas/cities below :

**March 13-15 Kyoto (Gion)- (which option?)**

option #1- 15-16th – stay in Kyoto only one additional day since I arrive late at night on the 13th

option #2- 15th-17th- stay in Kyoto and do day trips (Nara, Himeji)

option #3- Move to **???** and explore another area not covered below 

**March 17th-19th Kanazawa** 

**March 19th-21 Takayama**

**March 21-25-Tokyo (Ryogoku)**

**March 25th-27th- Tokyo- Ginza**

Soooo… does my proposed path  above make sense, or should I modify it and if so, how would you suggest I do so ?

Once my path and dates are solidified, I will then layer in my must do/see sightseeing points of interest, train routes using google maps and then plot in my departure times from my hotel for each day. I have no problem being up and out at 5am and eating at odd/early time slots, if it means beating the crowds. 

I am usually a TYPE-A traveler who plots out each day precisely in a spreadsheet, with lunch and dinner reservations for each day in each city.  

Consequently, my anxiety has been on 10, between not speaking any Japanese, combined with the thought of NOT having any sort of advanced plan, meal wise, and instead, “just go with the flow” and pick any restaurant that looks good. 

 I have vowed; however,  that I am going to do just that and trust the process. I am concerned with my initial travel day, and I hope to grab something in the airport between flights as I am fearful everything will be closed when I reach Kyoto, and I will have a super early start the next morning, and nothing will be open when I head out. 

I also wanted to try to fit in at least one authentic Ryokan (w/onsen) experience, where would you slot in one night; during the first half or the second half of the trip? 

I was unsure where to try to fit it in  since as a solo traveler I am concerned the trek to get to an Onsen town during the second half of my trip might prove to be the opposite of relaxing for me, so I may have to just find an onsen instead in one of the existing cities if shifting my whole itinerary around just doesn’t work. 

I am most appreciative of any and all feedback.  I am trying not to stress and overthink each and every aspect, but it is an epic trip, perhaps my only one to this part of the world, I do not want to feel as if I totally screwed it up by not doing enough research beforehand.

Thanks in advance.

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