Nov itinerary kyoto osaka shirakawago

Hello! Below is my itinerary for late Nov, and any suggestions will be welcomed! Travelling w a friend and we will love to see scenery, cultural places, enjoy onsen! Picked Nov as we wanted to enjoy the autumn foliage :)

Nov
21 - reach kansai airport in early morn. Travel straight to kyoto. Walk around Higashiyama district, Philosopher path, gion)
22 - kyoto to shirakawago
23 - shirakawago to kaga onsen
24 - kaga onsen to kyoto
25 - kyoto (Arashiyama full day)
26 - kyoto (Fushimi inari shrine, Nishiki market). Travel to osaka to stay for the night as accoms in kyoto are more expensive.
27 - day trip to Nara
28 - osaka
29 - flight home in the afternoon from osaka.

Would getting the 5 days Takayama-Hokuriku tourist pass for the first 5 days be worth it? Or are there other travel pass options for the duration of my trip?

Would u recommend a day trip to kobe on 28nov? Or shd I just stay in osaka?

Any other suggestions welcomed.
Thank you!

hi xian,

the period you are visiting is rather late for autumn colours depending on how early winter comes this year.

your itinerary looks pretty good. i might offer a few inclusions for your consideration. when you travel from kyoto to shirakawago. stay at takayama perhaps. you could then squeeze in some great visits which i believe from what you detailed you will really enjoy.

by using takayama as a base, u could do day visits to one oor more of, shirakawago, hida furukawa and kamikochi. they are all relatively close to takayama. u can check out the details of these places on this site. kamikochi is one of the most beautiful places in japan for picturesque scenery and bushwalking. i do believe that it may officially close for the year, the week before you arrive, but check it out. hida furukawa is an dold well preserved lil town. you can wander it or join a small cycling tour to see the community and culture. "satoyama experience" i think is the company. you can just turn up on the day. the town is only 15 minutes from takayama.

of course shirakawago is great and u probably know about it. i would also recommend a vist here.

as for your time back in the kyoto / osaka area, it all looks good. gion is a great area to explore. as u have such a short stay in japan, i would suggest you spend those few days in kyoto and osaka rather than trying to sacrifice a day to squeeze in kobe.

i would however suggest you consider a day visit or even an overnight stay at my koya (koyasan) easy travel from kyoto or osaka. it is a holy mountain where u can visit and or stay in a temple

enjoy your trip. i will also be in japan during this time :D

ronnie

Hi Ronnie, thanks v much for your detailed reply n suggestions! kamikochi sounds lovely, but you have guessed rightly that it is closed the week before (15 nov) my arrival, unfortunately :( I will do some research on Takayama n Koyosan! Will be a pity if winter comes earlier as I am looking forward to the autumn colors, so fingers crossed:)

Hope you have a wonderful stay in japan too!

you're very welcome xian!

you will def still see some colour but it will have passed its peak. great news is, the weather historically is perfect, especially for traveling. nice and cool and usually dry!

:D

Hi Xian, I think your timing for koyo in Kyoto is just right. I agree with AussieRonnie that you shouldn't try to squeeze in Kobe, and going to Koyasan is a great experience but it would take 1.5 days if you stay overnight and again you would be squeezing in too much. You could easily get more into the 26th. I would suggest either Nijo-jo or some temples near Nanzen-ji. Or you could do some shopping on Teramachi-dori which Nishiki market joins to.
Regards, Richard

Hi Richard! Thanks for your helpful suggestions! Weaving in some shopping sounds good to me:)