15 Day Japan Itinerary Advice

Hi!

My friend and I are are traveling to Japan, arriving at Tokyo Narita in the evening on the 20th of March and departing Narita in the evening on the 5th of March.

We are struggling with our itinerary as there is a lot of amazing stuff we would like to do, and need some advice from some pros on how to weedle down our itinerary. :)

Our rough itinerary at the moment is as follows:
Tokyo (3 days)
Osaka (2 days) + 1 day for Koyasan
Miyajima (1 or 2 days)
Kyoto (3 days) + 1 day for Nara day trip, +1 day for Mt Yoshino day trip
Hakone (2 days)
Tokyo (final night/half day)

1. As mentioned in the itinerary we are thinking about doing a day trip from Osaka to Koyasan. Several friends who have visited recommend it, however we don't really wish to stay overnight because temple stays don't really seem like our thing.

I was reading on Japan Guide that you can take the train from Osaka Namba to Gokurakubashi Station, then hike using the Fuduozaka Trail, then the Women's Pilgrim's Course to and around Koyasan. If we were to depart Osaka quite early, judging by Japan Guide and Hyperdia we should be able to reach the township of Koyasan around midday, leaving us a half day to explore? We would catch the cable car on the way back down if possible.

My question is - is this feasible and worth it? If not, are there any recommendations for itinerary changes ?

2 Same goes for Miyajima. If the travel length down to Miyajima is going to be quite far just for what we want to do (hiking and relaxing), advice for that would be helpful. If anyone can recommend alternative locations between Tokyo and the Kyoto/Nara/Osaka areas which offer what we are after then please feel free to help out!

We are very aware that we have a limited time, and so spending too much time traveling versus experience the country is something we are afraid of. :) It is also cherry blossom season of course, so we wonder if more time in the Kyoto/Nara area might be more beneficial?

Thank you!

Sarah.

Miyajima is very nice and the trip down there is fun (a lot is in tunnels). But it is very cold there in March. And don't discount the significance of seeing the dome in Hiroshima, which was more important to me than I ever expected it to be.

That said, you cant spend too much time in Kansai, IMO. I'd try to get to Nara and stay overnight, it is a brilliant town for walks and hikes (try staying at Nara Hotel if you can, it is like stepping back in time). Hikone is nice, too and I understand it is a sakura town. I've only been in winter and the castle grounds were great then so I'd expect they would be extraordinary in spring.

Another place close to the cities that has good hikes and some good onsens is Karuizawa. It is about an hour out of Tokyo by shinkansen. People say it is a shopping destination but we go for the walks. Also we stay at Tsuruya ryokan which is brilliant, and caters well to first timers (which is good because your first time at a ryokan can be a bit daunting).

Cant comment about Mt Koya. we've been to Japan about 8 times now but never made it there, probably for the same reason you have reservations about it.

Thanks for the help!

At the risk of asking a loaded question - how cold is cold? I don't mind it being a bit brisk (it's almost preferable when you're going to warm up during the walk :) ) but if there's likely to be snow there at that time then we removed Nikko from our itinerary for that reason. :)

We are definitely going to hit up Nara. Kyoto/Nara are getting just under a week all up. Yoshino looks stunning. We also want to explore a small part of the Old Tokaido highway in Hakone if it's not likely to be too cold for those. :)

Your "cant spend too much time" may be misintepretated as "shouldnt spend too much time in Kansai. I would prefer to use the words "it is impossible to spend too much time"...

Anyway, on Koya mountain, staying overnight as a temple is an experience in itself. Sure, you can stay overnight in temples elsewhere in the world but Japan's temple lodging is different due to the peacefullness, and that you aren't expected to follow any religious customs. Just think of it as staying in a ryokan. That said, it is pretty expensive and there any souvenier shop, onsen, kaiseki ryori waiting for you.
You get to eat vegetarain cusine that is way better that expected. Some of the places looks best after night fall too.

But if staying overnight at a templs scares the hell out of you, there are hotels like 9 hours chain.

Then again, if you aren't there for the temple lodging why go to Koya? Sure, it is an amazing place but it takes way too long to get there. If you have a car and am touring Wakayama it makes sense, if not I would recommend it only if you are a seasoned Japan traveller and looking for something different.

Think Mt Hiei but with less walking, and better looking trees. Also, with an actual town to buy stuff. Don't ask me how they can populate the school though, it seems like less than 3,000 people stays here.

haha, yes I mean it is impossible to spend too much time in Kansai.

I havent been back in March for a few years, but when we went (about the same time as you) it was cold in Tokyo, the winds were strong and bitterly cold. When we hit the plum blossoms were still out and the sakura wasnt yet. We went to Kyoto (warmer than Tokyo) then Miyajima (dreadfully cold and windy in the exposed areas, but still fun - no snow but I think it would have been warmer if it was snowing), then Nara (a bit warmer which was when the sakura started to bloom) then on to Nikko where it snowed on about 1 April, but that was unusual (and funnily enough it was warmer the day it snowed than the windy day before). By the time we got back to Tokyo on about the 3rd April the sakura were starting to fall.

It'll depend on the wind, but really if I were you (and it seems that you dont like the cold) I'd take full on heavy jackets to keep out the wind and have on something to keep your legs warm. That was where I felt it the most. And I think you might find that inland it is not as windy, even if it is snowing. Food for thought, eh?

By the way, Karuizawa would be likely to have snow that time of year. Still worth going though.