Kyoto/ Nara/ Osaka/ Koya San/ Kinosaki

Hi

Please help I'm planning a trip around the above places in April 2016 and have managed to finalise my itinerary for the first half of my trip however I cant seem to figure out the best route to take for the second part. Please someone help me out.

So the plan so far is;

7th April - Arrive Koyoto (pm) (this will be from Hiroshima)
8th April - Koyoto
9th - Koyoto
10th - Koyoto
11th - Check out of Koyoto accommodation

We need to be back in Tokyo for late afternoon on the 15th April so have approx 4 1/2 days to visit Nara/ Osaka/ Kinosaki and Koya San.

I cant seem to work out the best route or whether we need to stay a night in Nara or Osaka or both. Shall we return to Koyoto after Koya san? I want to stay in temple lodging in koya san and understand 1 night in Kinosaki would also be needed.

Any advice anyone could give would be great.

Hi there! I've never stayed at Mount Koya but I've spent a lot of time at Nara and a few nights at Kinosaki.

Kinosaki is only worth going to if you are going to go to the public baths, IMO. It is a lovely town, but it is small and the only real attraction is the onsen. We stayed at a great ryokan there (Nishimuraya) and had a private bath in the courtyard, but while the food was spectacular and the rooms awesome, I think we really missed the point of the town having everything to ourselves.

Personally, it seems to me that you are on a tight time budget, maybe you are better off leaving Kinosaki for another time when you could tie it into seeing some sights on the other side of Japan?

Nara is great to stay overnight at. If you can, get a room in the classic part of Nara Hotel which is like stepping back in time. Having the parks to yourself early in the morning is great, and very peaceful. I could take or leave Osaka, especially if you are seeing a few other cities. But some people love it there.

So I'd go Kyoto to Nara to Mt Koya (via Osaka) then from there to Tokyo (probably via Osaka again). If you want a nice place close to Tokyo with onsen, in the place of Kinosaki - Karuizawa is very handy, also Enoshima is one of my favorites.

First off: It's Kyoto, not Koyoto.

I've spent a night on Koyasan, and it was great. I got there early afternoon and went to Okunoin (the cemetery) after checking in to my temple accommodation; the cemetery has a great atmosphere, especially around dusk. The food at the temple lodging was really good, but it is all vegetarian so be prepared for tofu! I then woke up early the next morning to watch the fire ceremony. A daytrip to Koyasan just doesn't cut it and you miss out on the essentials, so definitely stay a night.

Nara is worth spending a night at, but it's not necessary; both it and Osaka are close enough to Kyoto that you can get away with daytrips (unless you want to go to USJ in Osaka).

A potential idea could be to leave Kyoto and spend a day in Nara, then travel to Osaka and stay overnight. Spend half a day in Osaka and travel to Koyasan, stay overnight there and then return to Osaka the next day for another night. You could ask your Osaka accommodation to keep your suitcase for the night you spend at Koyasan so you don't have to drag it there! Or consider packing a small bag for a few days, and using the takyubin service to transport your luggage from Kyoto to meet you on the second night in Osaka (takyubin can 'hold' your luggage for up to 7 days).

IMPORTANT: you will need to sort out your itinerary ASAP, because accommodation for the Kansai region in April has already started to sell out months ago. Late April will be easier than early April.

Thanks for the responses. So iv decided to cut kinosaki and follow this itinerary;

11th- kyoto -nara
12th nara- osaka
13th- koya san
14th osaka
15th Tokyo

Do you have any recomendations for things to do in Osaka?

Once again thanks so much for your help : )

Osaka:

Museum of Housing and Living: has a life-size replica of streets in Osaka as they would have appeared in the Edo period. You can enter the shops and houses, walk around, and even wear yukata and get your picture taken in the original streets (extra fee).

Castle: very pretty (although a replica) in a nice park. Inside the castle is a museum about the history of Osaka.

Peace Museum: in the same park as the castle; has history of World War II and aftermath.

Tennoji: Buddhist temple and Shinto shrine in the same location (unusual).

Minoo Park: about 1/2 hour outside of the city. Large park with waterfalls and a small hike. Good escape from the city!

USJ: Theme park, has Harry Potter world. If you do choose to go, I suggest going after 3pm when tickets are cheaper.

Dotonbori: go at night to see the lights.

Giant ferris wheel: great night view over the city. Located next to the aquarium.

We travelled to koya San from Kyoto early morning via Osaka and arrived mid morning to koya San. We spent the day seeing the sites, had a great bath and food at temple stay and left early next morning and returned to Kyoto where we had left our main luggage and only took a overnight bag.

Thanks for the info its been a great help...My itinerary is finally done, accommodation has been found for everywhere but Koya-san (fingers crossed we find something soon)..Headache over...Hurry up April : )

Thanks again!!