Itinerary check march april 2016

Hello guys!!!

How are you!! Just asking if you could help me with an opinion regarding this itinerary...

It'll be my third time in Japan, travelling with 2 other people who have never been there, so my approach will be to give them a glimpse of how wonderful Japan can be while I also go to some places I've never been (like Kanazawa).

I'm hoping to catch some cherry blossoms too but I'm pretty aware we might be too early in the season...


(23/03) 01 – Arriving at Asakusa, getting to the ryokan and visiting Asakusa and Akihabara if time allows.
(24/03) 02 – Kamakura, stopping at kita-kamakura to visit the temples there, Daibutsu and Hasedera, on the return to Tokyo stopping at Yokohama, China Town and finishing with dinner at Ramen Museum
(25/03) 03 – Sidetrip to Nikko
(26/03) 04 - Tokyo Tower and surrounding area, from there either imperial palace or shibuya, shinjuku and harajuku.
(27/03) 05 – Leaving Tokyo, Day at Nagoya, Castle, Tokugawa museum and garden, tech museum. Sleeping at Takayama
(28/03) 06 –Shirakawa-go half day and takayama, leaving for and sleeping at Kanazawa
(29/03) 07 – Day at Kanazawa, sleeping at Hiroshima.
(30/03) 08 – Hiroshima in the morning, Miyajima in the afternoon, sleeping there.
(31/03) 09 – Some more Miyajima in the morning, Himeji Castle, Mount Shosha and arriving at Kyoto in the night
(01/04) 10 – Kyoto North, Ryoanji, Ninaji, Kinkakuji, Arashiyama and TenryuhiBarrio Este, ruta del "Camino de la Filosofia�h, Kiyomizudera ( el templo del agua ), Ginkakuji ( pabellon plata ), desviacion hacia el centro al templo Sanjusangendo ( con 1001 budas de oro y 26 estatuas patrimonio de la humanidad
(02/04) 11 – Uji, Nara and fushimi inari taisha
(03/04) 12 – Osaka finishing with Kobe beef at Kobe
(04/04) 13 – Kyoto East, Ginkakuji, Philosopher's path, Kiyomizudera, Higashiyama, Sanjusangendo Return to tokyo
(05/04) 14 –Hanami Day, Ueno Park, Sumida River...
(06/04) 15 – Tsukiji and flying home.

First of all Many thanks for your time and consideration...

As you may see this includes some pretty basic in Japan :D!

Personally I've never been to Himeji or Kanazawa. And after being at Matsumoto castle last time I can't wait to go to Himeji (of course both times I was in japan it was under renovation works)

I've been both times to Japan in the summer so I don't really know what to expect regarding spring season... I really hope we might be able to see some cherry blossoms, like I said I'm aware we might be early in the season, so any tips for that taking into account this itinerary?

Any other recommendations or posible destinations you'd like to add or change?

Many thanks in advance my friends

I think it is generally a very pleasant trip. But I feel that the following days will be very rushed compared to the rest of the itinerary:

Day 6-7: Takayama-Shirakawago-Kanazawa
Day 11: Uji, Nara and fushimi inari taisha

You will be able to see just the surface of these destinations, which can be okay for people who like such a fast pace, but it is too rushed for people who prefer a medium to slow pace of travel.

Many thanks Uji,

Good observations...

Regarding the day at Takayama I think you're right and it will be very rushed.... The idea is only arrive at Kanazawa that day to have dinner and sleep... But I think you're right.

And do you think for the second day you mentioned it would be better to do two side trips on two separate days? one for uji and another for Nara? Or leave fushimi inari for another day?

thanks

Regarding the day at Takayama I think you're right and it will be very rushed.... The idea is only arrive at Kanazawa that day to have dinner and sleep...

It really depends on the person. Shirakawago is small and can be seen in half a day unless you like a really slow pace. But Takayama has more to see. Some people are okay with just walking through the old town in half a day, but many people will prefer a little bit more time. Likewise, under 24 hours in Kanazawa will allow you to see just 2-3 of the city's many attractions.

And do you think for the second day you mentioned it would be better to do two side trips on two separate days? one for uji and another for Nara? Or leave fushimi inari for another day?

Fushimi Inari takes 15 minutes to three hours depending in how far up the mountain you want to walk. I think that the average visitor probably spends about an hour. So, that is not the main issue.

But Uji and especially Nara are entire cities with lots of sights. Uji's Byodoin can be seen in a 2-hour layover (and the other sights are not that very outstanding), but Nara has an entire array of top-attractions that many tourists allocate at least an entire day to.

But in the end it comes down yo your travel style. For example, it is possible to combine Fushimi Inari, Byodoin and Todaiji into a single day. If that is all you want to see, it is possible.

Once again many thanks Uji,

My idea with Uji is to show them only byodoin and omotesando as it's interesting because of the tea shops and focus mostly on Nara for the day....

Regarding shirakawa-go, actually the plan is to do it exactly in half a day finishing around 1 pm or something like that.

I assume takayama would be the one city where we won't spend really as much time as we should then no?

many thanks!

I'm guessing that your itinerary for 01/04 is just a typo, since you repeated some of your items on 04/04. Also I don't have anything extra to recommend since your trip is already packed as it is!

Some minor suggestions:
1) I agree with Uji that the 28/03 is very packed. If you are planning to leave Shirakawago by 1pm, then I think it would be best to skip Takayama in the morning. I don't think it is feasible to cover both within that time frame. Alternatively, you can skip out on Nagoya, since you will be visiting Himeji Castle (and possibly Kenrokuen at Kanazawa), and use the time to wander around Takayama's lively old town area in the afternoon on the 27/03 instead. I recommend the later since Takayama has a very different atmosphere compared to most of the other places you are covering.

2) If you have not booked accommodation yet, I suggest staying in Hiroshima on both 29/3 and 30/3 since (i) it would likely be cheaper and (ii) would be less hassle having to move your luggage. You can easily cover 2-3 attractions in Miyajima in half a day, stick around until after dark when the lanterns along the coast is lit up, then head back to Hiroshima. You won't be missing out on anything by not staying on the morning after. It would also save you at least 40 minutes of travel time on the 31/3, which you can spend at Himeji or elsewhere.

3) Unless you are going to do other things in Kobe on 03/04, or have a particular restaurant in mind, you can probably just stay in Osaka and find a decent Kobe beef restaurant there. Osaka's nightlife is more interesting than Kobe's in my opinion, especially the Dotombori district which is a must.

I take it that you have already booked your flights? If not, may I suggest possibly entering through Kansai Airport and leaving through Narita/Haneda. You can then start off in Osaka/Kyoto, and work through days 27/03-04/04 in reverse. This will eliminate the need for the Kyoto/Osaka to Tokyo train ride, which means an extra 3-4 hours of exploration time.

It is a typo, thanks for the comment to you too!

Yes my idea is to visit both kenrokuen and himeji castle, so it could be actually a good idea to skip nagoya and like this allow that whole day to be spent at takayama...

I haven't booked accommodation yet at hiroshima or miyajima, so it could be a good idea to not having to move the luggage from both places... Also Miyajima is actually real close to hiroshima so you are right indeed it would spare me a few troubles just staying both nights at hiroshima...

3) Do you know any good restaurant at dotombori that serves kobe beef and is in a good price range (like kobe steak land for example, which is the one I was thinking about going)...


Yes,I have already booked all the flights and I will be arriving and leaving from Narita, it is actually the only option flying from mexico.

Once again many sincere thanks for all your suggestions