3 week itinerary

Hi guys,

I am travelling to Japan with my husband on March 9 and will be staying for 3 weeks, its so close and i havent booked anything nor have i finalized my itinerary! Please help me, do u guys think this itinerary is ok? I am very open to suggestions, I have also listed some of the places we were thinking of staying at, any suggestions on transport would also be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

21 Days

Tokyo Airport Mon March 9 6:45 pm

Nagano (March 9-12)
-Hakuba
•K’s Hostel (3 nights)
-Yudanaka Onsen ( Monkeys)

Shirakawa-go (March 12-13)
-Overnight at Gasso House
•Yokichi Ryokan ( 1 night)

Kyoto (3 days) (March 13-16)
-Golden Pavilion
-Fushimi Inari Shrine
-Gion

Mt Koya (March 16-17)
-Overnight at temple (1-2 nights)
•Ekoin Temple
•Shunkn Temple
•Shojoshin-in

-Nara
•Todaiji Temple

Osaka ( March 17-18)
-Himeji
•himeji castle

Hiroshima (March 19-20)
-Peace Park
-Miyajima

Yakushima (March 20-22)
-Jomonsugi ( Hiking Trail)
-Shiratani Unsuikyo Ravine

Beppu (March 22-23)
-Beppu Hot Spring Town


Tokyo (March 23 �E30)
-Departure 30th march

Depending on where you are flying in from that's going to be a long first day. By the time you land, get your luggage and get through immigration and customs and then travel you are getting to Nagano at about 11 or 12 at night.

I will be arriving in Narita Airport, in that case, would you suggest that i stay in tokyo overnight then?

It really depends on how you feel. As I said, depending on where you are flying in from (ie. what country you departed) it could make for a really long day. Sure, you could move through immigration and customs very quickly, some people get through in less than 20 minutes but it really depends on how busy they are. You could arrive behind another flight or something so don't count on being able to get through fast. Then the ride into Tokyo by NEX or Keisei Skyliner takes about 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 30 minutes. After that you are looking at another train ride of about 1 hour 45 minutes (by shinkansen) to Nagano. Add time to all that train travel to navigate Narita airport plus train stations if you've never been there before. So, if you do decide to go on to Nagano your first night, make sure whatever accommodation you book has someone available to check you in late at night.

I would recommend to split the Tokyo stay:
instead of having 7 days in a row at the end of your journey, why not staying 2-3 days in the beginning of your trip and shorten the stay in the end of the trip accordingly.

I guess that Sydney - Tokyo is quite a long flight, and traveling on to Nagano would make it a VERY long day.

Furthermore, there is more change within your journey not to get the megacity packed for 1 week in a row, but part of it just before the quiet days in Nagano / Shirikawa-go.