42 days in Japan (2nd trip)

This is my rough sketch for a second trip to Japan in September 2018. I previously visited for three weeks in 2013. I visited the following: Tokyo (2 days), Nikko (temple area), Kamakura, Fuji climb, Matsumoto castle, Nagoya castle, Hikone castle, Kyoto (3 days with 20 temples or so), Nara park, Osaka, Koyasan (with temple stay), Himeji castle (during repairs), Hiroshima, Miyajima (with misen climb). Here is a more extensive list:

*** BEGIN 2013 LIST ***

REST/FLIGHT (1)

HAWAII LAYOVER (2)
diamond head
obama house
scenic drive
beaches

FLIGHT/PREP/HOTEL (3)

TOKYO (4) [mainly subway travel, possible taxi]
senso-ji (sumida)
asakusa shrine (sumida)
sanrio (chuo)
imperial palace (chiyoda)
club sega (chiyoda)
super potato (chiyoda)
leisure land (chiyoda)
akihabara lights (chiyoda)

TOKYO (5) [subway travel]
zojo-ji (minato)
sengaku-ji (minato)
shibuya crossing (shibuya)
meiji-jingu (shibuya)
toho studios (setagaya)
shunjuen cemetery (kawasaki)
shinjuku station subway (shinjuku)

NIKKO (6) [start 14 day jr pass, go at 6am]
[travel on foot]
nikko station
shinkyo bridge
shoyo-en
rinno-ji
toshugu shrine
futarasan shrine
taiyuinbyo
kanmangafuchi abyss (skipped due to desire to stay in temples)
[travel to kamakura at 5pm]

KAMAKURA (7) [explore on bicycle]
anyo-in cemetery
myoho-ji
ankokuron-ji
chosho-ji
zaimokuza-yugihama beach
hase-dera
daibutsu
sasuke inari-jinja
zeniarai benten
jochi-ji
tokei-ji
engaku-ji
tsurugaoka
[head out to fuji region at 5pm]

FUJI (8) caught in typhoon

FUJI (8) [bus to 5th station, summit and return in less than 8 hours 30 min]
[train to matsumoto]

MATSUMOTO/NAGOYA/HIKONE (10) [walk to castle and back]
matsumoto castle (matsumoto)
nagoya castle (nagoya) [taxi to shrine]
hikone castle (hikone)
[train to kyoto]

KYOTO (11) [explore on bicycle, inside of temples as time permits]
horin-ji (north)
arashiyama monkey park (north)
koryu-ji (north)
toei movie land (north) (dropped due to lack of interest)
myoshin-ji (north)
ryoan-ji (north)
ninna-ji (north)
kinkaku-ji (north)
daitoku-ji (north)
imamiya-jinja (north)

KYOTO (12) [explore on bicycle, inside of temples as time permits]
sento palace (central)
imperial palace (central)
nijo castle (central)
higashi-hongan-ji (central)
nishi-hongan-ji (central)
to-ji (central)
tofuku-ji (central)
nintendo headquarters (central)
fushimi inari shrine (central)

KYOTO (13) [explore on bicycle, inside of temples as time permits]
sanjusangen-do (east)
yogen-in (east)
kiyomizu-dera (east)
kinnan-ji (east)
gion (east)
kodai-ji (east)
yasaka shrine (east)
chionin-ji (east)
shoren-in (east)
heian shrine (east)
konichi-in (east)
nanzen-ji (east)
eikan-do (east)
philosopher�fs path (east)
ginkaku-ji (east)

NARA (14) [early train to nara] [explore on foot]
kofuku-ji
gango-ji
shin-yakushi-ji
kasuga taisha
todai-ji
isuien garden (was closed, but minimal interest anyway)
[train to osaka]

OSAKA (15) [subway travel mainly]
osaka castle
tamatsukuri inari shrine
shitenno-ji
lights

MOUNT KOYA (16) [leave out on first train] [explore on foot]
fudozaka hiking trail (closed due to typhoon, but minimal intest)
nyonin-do
dai-mon
garan complex
kongobu-ji
okuno-in cemetery path
sekisho-in ryokan

HIMEJI (17) [after temple prayers and breakfast] [foot]
himeji castle
koko-en
[train to hiroshima]

HIROSHIMA (18) [explore on foot]
mitaki-dera
shukkei-en
hiroshima castle
peace park

[morning train and ferry]
MIYAJIMA (19)
senjokaku
itsukushima shrine [low tide 8am / high 2pm]
daisho-in
hiking trail to mount misen
[head out 3pm, tokyo at 9pm]

FLIGHT (20)

*** END 2013 LIST ***

I feel like I hit all the major things to see in those places. I keep a very hectic schedule and prefer it that way. I was told by several board members that my trip was not possible, but it was. I do marathons and long distance cycling and have no children, so I am in good shape to get places and need little rest.

After this 42 day trip, I want to know if there is anything I am missing that I should truly see (not on my 2013 or 2018 list), particularly important places that don't have a japan-guide page. Also, any rearrangements or suggestions to improve the efficiency are appreciated. Please assume that if an attraction has a japan-guide listing in a city where I have already been, I either saw it or do not have interest. Enough rambling, here is my 2018 list.

*** BEGIN 2018 ***

Day 1: Flight, sleep on last portion to Tokyo
Day 2: Rest in Tokyo hotel (1/2)
Day 3: Tokyo (fish market [5a-9a] / kabuki [10a-2p] / owl café [3p-5p] / baseball game [6p-9p]), Tokyo hotel (2/2)
Day 4: Train [8a-9a] to Odawara (castle [9a-10a]), Bus [10a-11a] to Hakone (glass museum [11a-1p]), Bus [1p-2p] to Gotemba (nino-oka [2p-3p] and itsukushima [3p-4p]), Gotemba hotel (1/2)
Day 5: Bus [8a-9a] to Fuji [9a-8p], Bus [8p-9p] to Gotemba hotel (2/2) (Climbing from a different start this time)
** BEGIN 21 day JR **
Day 6: Train [6a-9a] to Mito (kairakuen [9a-11a]), Train [11a] to Katsuta (Hitachi [11a-1p]), Train [1p-3p] to Tokyo (museum [3p-5p]), Train [5p-7p] to Nikko, Nikko hotel (1/3) (Short time in museum I know)
Day 7: Walk to Nikko [9a-5p], Nikko hotel (2/3)
Day 8: Bus [8a-9a] to Okunikko [9a-5p], Bus [5p-6p] to Nikko hotel (3/3)
Day 9: Train [6a-9a] to Yamadera [9a-11a], Train [11a-2p] to Kakunodate [2p-4p], Train [4p-7p] to Hakodate (mountain [7p-8p]), Hakodate hotel
Day 10: Train [6a-9a] to Noboribetsu (jigokudani [9a-1p]), Train [1p-9p] to Shiretoko-shari, Shari hotel
Day 11: Bus [9a-10a] to Shiretoko (park [10a-3p]), Bus [3p-4p] to Shiretoko-shari, Train [4p-9p] to Asahikawa, Asahikawa hotel
Day 12: Bus [9a-11a] to Asahidake Onsen, Various to Asahidake [11a-5p RT], Bus to Asahikawa [5p-7p]), Train to Wakkanai [7p-11p], Wakkanai hotel (1/3)
Day 13: Ferry [7a-9a] to Rishiri [9a-5p], Ferry [5p-7p] to Wakkanai, Wakkanai hotel (2/3)
Day 14: Ferry [6a-8a] to Rebun [8a-6p], Ferry [6p-8p] to Wakkanai , Wakkanai hotel (3/3)
Day 15: Train [7a-12p] to Sapporo (Hokkaido temple [12p-3p]), Train [3p-7p] to Shimokita, Shimokita hotel
Day 16: Bus [7a-8a] to Osorezan [8a-9a], Bus to Shimokita [9a-10a], Train [10a-1p] to Hirosaki (castle [1p-3p] and samurai [3p-4p]), Train [4p-9p] to Tsuruoka, Tsuruoka hotel
Day 17: Bus [8a-9a] to Dewa Sanzan [9a-5p], Bus [5p-6p] to Tsuruoka, Train [6p-11p] to Nagano, Nagano hotel
Day 18: Train [8a-9a] to Yamanouchi, Shuttle [9a] to Jigokudanai Monkey Park [9a-12p], Shuttle [12p] back to Yamanouchi, Train [12p-1p] to Nagano (zenkoji [1p-2p]), Bus [2p-3p] to Togakushi [3p-5p], Bus [5p-6p] to Nagano, Train [6p-8p] to Omachi, Omachi hotel
Day 19: Various [9a-4p] to Tateyama through Alpine Route, Train [4p-6p] to Kanazawa, Kanazawa hotel
Day 20: Walk [7a] to Kanazawa (castle [8a-9a] and kenrokuen [9a-11a]), Train [11a-12p] to Maruoka (castle [12p-2p]), Train to Takayama [2p-6p], Takayama hotel
Day 21: Bus [8a-9a] to Gokayama [9a-5p], Gokayama house
Day 22: Bus [8a-9a] to Takayama, Bus [9a-10a] to Kamikochi [10a-1p], Bus [1p-2p] back to Takayama, Train [2p-4p] to Inuyama (castle [4p-5p]), Train [5p-6p] to Nagoya, Nagoya hotel
Day 23: Walk [7a] to Atsuta Jinja [7a-9a], Train [9a-10a] to Nagiso, Taxi [10a] to Magome and Tsumago [10a-5p]), Taxi [6p] to Nagiso, Train [6p-11p] to Shingu, Shingu hotel
Day 24: Various [8a] to Naichi Taisha [9a-12p], Various [12p] to Haytama Taisha [12p-2p], Bus [2p-3p] to Hongu Taisha [3p-5p], Bus [5p-6p] to Shingu, Train [6p-9p] to Ise, Ise hotel
Day 25: Walk [5a] to Ise [5a-8a], Train [8a-9a] to Uenoshi (Iga Ueno Castle [9a-11a] and ninja museum [11a-12p]), Train [12p-1p] to Nara (horyuji [1p-3p]), Train [3p-4p] to Uji (byodoin [4p-6p]), Train [6p-7p] to Kyoto, Kyoto hotel
Day 26: Walk [9a] to Tofuku-ji [9a-10a] and Sennyu-ji [10a-11a], Various [11a-12p] to Mount Hiei [12p-2p], Train [2p-3p] to Kurama [3p-4p], Walk to Kibune [4p-5p], Train [5p-7p] to Himeji, Himeji hotel (1/2)
** END 21 Day JR**
Day 27: Walk [8a] to Himeji Castle [8a-11a], Various [11a-12p] to Mount Shosha [12p-3p], Various [3p-4p] to Himeji hotel (2/2)
** Start 7 Day JR**
Day 28: Train [9a] to Okayama (castle [9a-10a] and korakuen [10a-11a]), Train [11a-12p] to Bitchu Takahashi (castle and town [12p-5p]), Train [5p-7p] to Yasugi, Yasugi hotel
Day 29: Shuttle [9a] to adachi museum [9a-10a], Train [10a-11a] to mastue castle [11a-1p] and samurai district [1p-3p], Train [3p-4p] to izumo taisha [4p-6p], Train [6p-10p] to
Marugame, Marugame hotel
Day 30: Walk [9a] to Marugame (castle [9a-10a]), Train [10a] to Kotohira (kompirasan and kanamaruza [11a-1p]), Train [1p-3p] to Kochi (castle [3p-4p]), Taxi [4p] to Godaisan [4p-5p], Train [5p-9p] to Matsuyama, Matsuyama hotel (1/2)
Day 31: Walk to Matsuyama (castle [9a-11a]), Train [11a-12p] to Ozu (castle [12p-2p]), Train [2p-3p] to Uwajima (castle [3p-5p]), Train [5p-6p] to Matsuyama, Matsuyama hotel (2/2)
Day 32: Cycle [8a-10a] to Kosanji [10a-11a], Cycle [11a-1p] to Onomichi, Train [1p-2p] to Fukuyama (castle [2p-3p]), Train [3p-4p] to Tadanoumi, Ferry [4p] to Okunoshina [4p-5p], Ferry [5p] back to Tadanoumi, Train [6p-7p] to Shin-Iwakuni, Iwakuni hotel
Day 33: Bus [8a-9a] to Iwakuni (castle [9a-10a]), Train [10a-12p] to Shimonoseki, Ferry [12p] to Ganryujima [1p-2p], Ferry [2p] back to Shimonoseki, Train [3p] to Kokura, Kokura Castle [3p-5p], Train [5p-8p] to Nagasaki (Mount Inasa), Nagasaki hotel
Day 34: Ferry [10a-1p RT] to Gunkanjima, Train [1p-2p] to Shimabara (castle and town [2p-5p]), Train [6p-9p] to Kumamoto, Kumamoto hotel (almost as fast as ferry and bus)
** End 7 day JR **
Day 35: Walk [8a] to Kumamoto (castle [8a-10a]), Train [10a-11a] to Kagoshima, Ferry [11a] to Sakurajima, Cycle to Yunohira [12p-3p RT], Ferry back to Kagoshima [3p], Ferry
to Yakushima (4pm to 6pm), Yakushima camp (1/3)
Day 36: Yakushima, Yakushima camp (2/3)
Day 37: Yakushima, Yakushima camp (3/3)
Day 38: Ferry [8a-10a] to Kagoshima, Flight [12p-2p] to Ishigaki, Various [2p-3p] to miyara dunchi [3p-4p], Ishigaki hotel (1/3)
Day 39: Ferry [8a] to Taketomi [8a-5p], Ferry [5p] to Ishigaki, Ishigaki hotel (2/3)
Day 40: Ferry [8a] to Iriomote [8a-5p], Ferry [5p] to Ishigaki, Ishigaki hotel (3/3) **did not see anything of interest on okinawa island that justified extra flight **
Day 41: Flight [12p-3p] to Tokyo, Rest in Tokyo hotel (1/2)
Day 42: Flight, sleep on first portion to US

That's a lot to read. Thank you for any input.

Just like to point out that some place like uji, has charms of its own. It is nice town by a gushing river and much green tea products. So sometimes it might be nice to spend some more time in town besides just seeing the famous attraction, byodoin.

Also those islands about Okinawa are known for their beaches. True.
But they have mountain walks, waterfalls view, canoing, tree house stays, swampland, marshland and other nature activities. You might want to try some of these instead of just charging through.

Lastly, is Onsen not your thing? Like arita onsen or misasa Onsen. There are many onsens throughout Japan. With different properties. Not your thing?

Nothing else to add. Very time efficient plan.

Just some thoughts:
Day 10 - Shiraoi north of Noboribetsu has an interesting Ainu Museum. There is also an onsen hotel right by Poroto-kotan if it will sub for one in Noboribetsu.
Day 13/14 - stay on Rebun-to or Reishiri-to to save ferry time.
Day 23 - if you're heading south (Nagiso-Tsumago-Magome), keep going down the mountain to Nakatsugawa; more trains stop there than Nagiso, and you're going the same way to get to Shingu.
Day 35 - Kumamoto - since you are going to Ganryujima, you might want to check out Musashi's grave in Kumamoto (Otsu) or the cave he lived in on Kinpo-san.

Paced like a business trip. I wouldn't remember anything except from the photographs.

Joshua:

I didn't mean to imply on the schedule that we would just charge to the one site (e.g. byodoin) and leave. I definitely take a few minutes to take in the surroundings. Regarding Okinawa, it just seemed to me that there was nothing that the main island offered of interest that wasn't already in Ishigaki and surrounding. We'll definitely do the kayaking and hiking on Iriomote (not to mention all the other similar stuff back on the main islands) and the beaches and snorkeling on Taketomi. As for onsen, we are going to do Kamuiwakkayu Falls in Shiretoko and Oyunuma in Noboribetsu, but I didn't really have much interest in detouring to a town for onsen, especially at the cost of seeing something else. Thanks for the ideas.

Anaguma:

Day 10: the noboribetsu stop was pretty much just something to break up the long ride to Shiretoko and doesn't include a hotel stop. The museum definitely looked interesting, but we basically had time to stop in one place and I opted for the jigokudanai over the museum.

Day 13/14: your suggestion would save me three hours on the ferry. I didn't catch this. Originally, I had the two islands on a single day trip (and may still revert to that). However, I would no longer have the convenience of staying in the same place three straight nights. I'm not sure what I'm going to do here.

Day 23: your suggestion is solid. I have made the change. Originally I did not have Magome in my plans and did not see how far it was from was Nagiso. Thank you.

Day 35: the cave was on a short list of like four things for the whole trip that didn't make the cut for me. The grave does not hold much interest for me.

Hi Jason,

I don't know your travel style or the things which you like, but I do feel as though you are trying to do a bit too much in some of your days.

For example, travelling to Mito and Nikko in the same day. You have given yourself 2 hours to visit the garden in Mito, but did you know it's a fair walk to the garden and the best parts take at least 30 minutes to get to within the garden. This means you would not be able to actually fully see the garden and also have a good chance of missing your train that you are hoping to catch.

The same is true from Kamikochi and Inuyama in the same day. If I was travelling, I'd probably try and stay in Kamikochi and Inuyama overnight. However, my travel style is more about visiting more sites in one location which are often not found in guide books. Also note that it takes quite a bit of time to get to the nice places in Kamikochi and there is a chance that the bus may even leave from different locations meaning that you might not be able to get to each place within your designated time (I might be wrong with this one - but not on needing more time in Kamikochi)

The Ainu museum in Noboribetsu is nice, but do note that it will take up roughly half a day to visit due to limited trains and actually visiting the museum itself. Just don't ask me about the bears :-(

I agree totally on the self-exploring. But the OP seems to have a set amount of time. It sometimes takes too long just to find that hidden gem, though the experience is truly rewarding. (I posted on Honen-in and soon after JG showcased the pic on Philosopher's walk)

With regards to that, I think he has a pretty solid plan. Kudos to OP for doing the cycling. I did that too but I don't see many others following suite. :(

One day 23 you are visiting Magome and Tsumago but you have taxi beside them. Are you visiting each and taking a taxi in between? That would be a shame, because there is a beautiful trail between the two the follows the old Nakasendo.

Mfedley: It's kind of my style to do a bit too much in one day. I received similar statements for my 2013 trip, but it turned out great, and I plan to do the same in 2018. I won't be doing Nikko on the same day as Mito, just going up to get a hotel for the next day. Evening is the best time for travel in Japan since everything is closed. As for the walk, I did notice that the close station is closed during my arrival. J-G says a 30 min walk, which means I can do it in 18-20 at my usual pace. Still leaves about 80 minutes. And those times are approximations. I do see now from google maps how large the garden actually is and will probably allow some extra time. I didn't plan the exact train departures yet and can revisit those closer to time.

Regarding Kamikochi, a close inspection of the bus schedule shows that it simply isn't possible for me to spend the night in Gokayama, take the bus out to Kamikochi, spend more than an hour, and make it to see Inuyama before closing. The bus transits were greater than I anticipated. Thank you. If the bus back out were five minutes faster, it would be possible to spend two hours at Kamikochi but even this is not enough. I must move Inuyama to the following day between Nagoya and Kiso. So my updated day 22 and 23 look like this.

Day 22: Bus [7a-8a] to Takayama, Bus [9a-10a] to Kamikochi [11a-4p], Bus [4p-6p] back to Takayama, Train [7p-9p] to Nagoya, Nagoya hotel
Day 23: Walk [6a] to Atsuta Jinja [6a-8a], Train [8a-9a] to Inuyama (castle [9a-10a]), Train [10a-12p] to Nakatsugawa, Bus [12p-1p] to Magome [1p-2p], Walk [2p-3p] to Tsumago [3p-5p], Taxi [5p] to Nagiso, Train [6p-11p] to Shingu, Shingu hotel (clarified the walking trail here. there is some padding in times and will be walking to lower elevation. might be closer to 90 min than 60. long day for sure.) I appreciate the good info.

Josh: That will be a relatively short ride for me. Highly looking forward to doing that ride. Wish I could take my road bike with me.

Daai Maou: I am walking the trail. I did not clarify enough on my original posting. Thanks.

I visited Yaeyama Islands and Okinawa Honto this march, and I also cycled a part of Shimanami Kaido, so here are my toughts:

First of all, Shimanami Kaido isn't exactly as flat and easy as most travel books say - the bridges between islands are quite high above the sea, so to get to them, you need to cycle up a long and steep access road, which can be quite difficult. And you have to do it six times. Also, there are two (even longer) steep uphill stretches you need to climb when crossing Oshima (island), so you should be prepared for that. You should also know that most of the bicycles that you can rent are the kind of bicycles that people use for riding around the town and are not really suitable for long distance cycling, especially for climbing the steep parts of the road. There are few places that have better quality road and mountain bikes, but those are way more expensive than the regular ones.
Bottom line - Shimanami Kaido is an amazing cycling road and you should do it, I just don't think it's possible to do it comfortably on your schedule. If you consider the distance (40 km from Imabari to Setoda, and another 30 km from Setoda to Onomichi), steep climbs to the bridges, and the fact that you'll (often) want to stop to admire the view and take photos, you will likely spend most of the day cycling.

As for the Yaeyama islands, I would skip Iriomote, which is difficult to do as a day trip from Ishigaki, and spend more time exploring Ishigaki. There are kayaking tours on Ishigaki, and you can also go hiking through the jungle there. The best spot for snorkeling is the western end of Yonehara beach (but you should go there only during high tide), and the best beach is probably Sunset beach on the western side of the northern peninsula. While on Ishigaki, make sure to try asaten (seaweed tempura), yaeyama soba, and the delicious Ishigaki beef. Also, shikuwasha drink and shikuwasha candy are very good.
Taketomi is a great day trip from ishigaki, and the best way to explore it is by renting a bicycle. Also, glass-bottom boat tours are nice way to see the coral around the island.

One thing i forgot to say - in my opinion, the Churaumi aquarium and the rest of Ocean Expo park on Okinawa is a reason enough to visit, but i really like aquariums...

TxF: I cycle regularly and can hold 20mph (35kph) for the duration on a course with rolling hills. Road bikes are available where I'll be starting. Two hours over flat bridges wouldn't be a problem. Three hours would be leisurely. So I figured four would be fair enough to stop and enjoy myself. Plus a fifth hour for the temple. However I am prepared to cut out Fukuyama Castle and save three hours if need be, per your suggestion. Regarding Iriomote, I am surprised to hear your suggestion. The ferry itself really only costs two hours total (nine hour day instead of eleven). I'm looking at it in terms of a three-dot J-G rating versus one-dot. The mangroves just look better from the pictures. Was it your experience, ignoring the loss in time on the ferry, that Ishigaki was better than Iriomote? Regarding the aquarium, I live very near probably the two best in the US. I'd definitely like to go, but I want to see things I can only see in Japan. Thanks for the advice!

Yes, I would say that for me, Ishigaki was better than Iriomote. Might be just that we were very lucky because everything was nearly perfect during our visit- we had five warm and sunny days, sea was warm enough for swimming and snorkeling, and since we visited in March, there were almost no tourists once we moved away from Ishigaki City. We were also lucky that the owner of the hostel we stayed at (Shiraho Friends House) is a great guy who knows everything about the island so thanks to his suggestions we got to see the many great places that weren't in the travel books.
As for Iriomote, the two days we spent there were nice, but the island wasn't quite as wild as I expected. The coastal area feels like any other remote rural Japanese area, and the parts of the jungle that are easy accessible feel a bit touristy. But if all you want to spend a few hours kayaking through the mangrove forests and than hike a few hours through the jungle, then Iriomote is probably better than Ishigaki.
You should know that there are only 5 buses a day connecting ferry ports with other places on the island, so you should plan your activities carefully, or you'll end up waiting a long time for the next bus to arrive. Renting a car or bicyicle is probably a better option, but i doubt you'll be able to find a good road bike there. There are also tour companies on Ishigaki that offer kayaking/hiking day tours to Iriomote, but their travelling pace might be too slow for you.

The one thing that stands out to me from your itinerary is getting from Sapporo to Shimokita in 4 hours by train. It takes 5 to get from Sapporo to Aomori alone, you're really looking at more 7 hours train travel between the two.

Mon: I'm going in 2018 when the Shinkansen from Hakodate to Aomori will be complete. That should take it to about 4 hours. Perhaps closer to 5. Thanks.

Don't forget it takes another 2 hours to get from Aomori to Shimoka. The new shinkansen only covers a relatively short span (160km) which I calculate to save roughly an hour of travel, so even with good connections you're probably still looking at a 6 hour overall journey compared to the normal 7+.

yllw: yep, it looks closer to 6 when i calculate with the shinkansen estimates. won't affect the schedule though, just a later arrival to the hotel. thanks.