Itinerary for 10 days - 2017

Hello everyone, I am going to Japan this coming winter for a 10 day-trip going to Osaka-Kyoto-Nara-Tokyo. We will be using an IC card throughout our trip since we will not be returning back to Osaka. We have more days in Tokyo because we are more interested in the city life. Here is our itinerary, if you have some suggestions/comments to make this a little better it will be much appreciated.

Questions:
1. What IC card can we get that we can use throughout our trip? (starting in Osaka and ending in Tokyo, I did my research and Pasmo I think is the best that can be used almost anywhere. Any recommendations?)
2. What is the best time (morning/afternoon) to go to Ghibli Museum? (our tickets are booked but not sure if there is a specific time we needed to be there)
3. Are coin lockers safe to use? (I also did my research but want to know more from people with experiences)
4. Do you know any private onsen in Tokyo that is very affordable? (less than $100 budget for a day)

Osaka
Day 0 – arrive at night - Osaka (ITM) airport to hotel
Day 1 – Osaka Museum of History - Osaka Castle - Osaka Station city - Grand Front Osaka - Umeda Sky Bldg.
Day 2 – Namba – Dotonbori - Shinsaibashisuji street - Osaka Aquarium - Tempozan park/Ferris wheel – evening train to Kyoto

Kyoto
Day 3 – Nijo Castle - Ninomaru Palace - Fushimi Inari – Kiyomizudera - Yasaka shrine - Maruyama park - Kyoto Imperial palace

Nara-Kyoto
Day 4 – day trip to Nara – back to Kyoto in the evening to catch a train to Tokyo

Tokyo
Day 5 – Shibuya - Harajuku
Day 6 – Ikebukuro Sunshine city – Harajuku – Shibuya - Mitaka Ghibli Museum
Day 7 – Ueno – Asakusa - Oshiage
Day 8 – Shiba-koen Tokyo Tower – Roppongi - Mori Tower Tokyo city view
Day 9 – Akihabara - Odaiba
Day 10 – Shinsho-ji temple - Narita park - Narita Airport-last day



Thank you so much for your suggestions and comments!

1. You can't buy a Pasmo in Osaka, you can only buy an ICOCA. You can use that in Tokyo too, but you won't be able to refund the remaining balance on it. IC cards stay valid for ten years without use, so it might be worth hanging on to it!

2. You should have booked a specific entry time when you got your Ghibli tickets - entrances are staggered throughout the day to ensure the museum never gets too busy. Check your booking.

3. Yes, very safe! Make sure you either have change on you to use them, or money on your IC card (some allow payment with IC cards). Larger lockers can be harder to find as they're not as common and fill up quickly.

4. No, sorry. A private onsen is going to cost a lot of money anyway. There is an onsen theme park in Tokyo that might suit you, if it's being naked in front of strangers that worries you (and it shouldn't - it's all part of the experience and you get over it quickly!) - the theme park requires you to wear swimwear.

Day 3: Way too busy. Those sights aren't all close together, so it's going to take you time to travel between them. Drop one or two things (I didn't find Nijo that great, personally). Either that, or take one day from Tokyo to give yourself an extra day in Kyoto - it needs it! You could also put Fushimi Inari on the next day, as it's on the same train line as Nara (and open 24/7 - go early in the morning to avoid the tourist crush).

You have two days with Harajuku/Shibuya - why?

Thank you sq for your reply!

1. That's what i thought as well, i can't get Pasmo bec. we will start in Osaka. Thanks for recommending ICOCA! we will get this.

2. I received an email from the JTB agency who are issuing the tickets, they confirmed the day of our desired admission and said they will be sending it in the mail. I will check the times once i receive it.

3. Thanks for sharing some info about the coin lockers! im really worried about leaving our bags especially in a place where lots of people come and go.

4. I will be travelling with my partner and would like to experience the onsen privately if possible. I just wanted to know if anyone has found a hidden/unpublicized onsen that is affordable according to our budget, but i guess we will just skip that part and do it on our 2nd trip in Japan.

Day 3 at Kyoto: we will skip Nijo castle. Thanks sq!

Day 4 at Nara: if very do-able/feasible, we will do Fushimi Inari in the morning before going to Nara for this day.

Shibuya/Harajuku: i was told by a friend that i will be possibly maybe doing my shopping there so just in case 1 day is not enough. BUT, i will be changing day 6 Shibuya/Harajuku shopping day to Shinjuku instead before going to Mitaka Ghibli Museum. i think that is more practical.

Again, thanks for your time and for the helpful info sq!

for private onsen, there are a few that you can try, though i am unsure if they will be within your budget (if you go during the week rather than on weekends, the rates will be cheaper):

in hakone, a day trip from tokyo, there are many onsen resorts along the local train line. i have stayed in one at gora station (last station on the hakone railway) called 季の湯 雪月花 (hotespa.net). in addition to three private onsen (you can use them whenever they are not in use by someone else), the rooms have their own private onsen on the balcony. this may suit your needs.

in the opposite direction, in nikko, north of tokyo (but also a day trip), i have stayed in an private onsen resort called 平家の庄/Heikenosho. it's quite a way up in the mountains, but the private onsen are situated right along the river and open up to it. there were about 7 onsen there, and we had no problem finding some open when we wanted to use them. be aware though that many private onsen facilities do not have showers or baths in the rooms, and for bathing purposes, you will need to use the communal baths separated by gender. if you are uncomfortable with this, i suggest getting up at 3 am to use them when they are empty. (i can vouch that this works, haha)

there are many places like these, but they are rarely advertised to tourists, so they require hunting or knowledge of japanese.

Thank you kayjazz!

The private onsen with balcony seems like a very good place to stay. I might have to do more research about their website since it is in Japanese and will ask my friend to help me translate and look for dates and pricing.
I already saw Heikenosho in tripadvisor already with very good reviews. Would definitely want to try that place too, but as expected sadly it is not within our budget.

Thanks again for your recommendations!

If you are buying from Jtb, their tickets don't have a specific time. You can go in at any of the 4 slots: 10,12,2,4
The best is late at 4, in terms of crowd. If you wish to spend all day ay the museum, that might not work for you. But if you think 2 hours are enough, then it might be the best choice.

Thank you for the helpful info HnH!
We will go with your suggestion and arrive to the museum around 4 pm with lesser crowd.

Should we use Tokyo Wide Pass (3 days) while we are in Tokyo?

I know we are not really going too far within Tokyo but I would still like to know if it is worth it or not. If not, we'll go with the ICOCA card throughout our trip.

Thank you very much!