just another itinerary check!

Hi all,
we will be in Japan starting from 18 May for 30 days. We travel with two little kids...

Our plan:

5 nights Tokyo (Kamakura included)
1 night Nikko
2 nights Takayama
6 nights Kyoto
2 nights Nara
1 night kurashiki / okayama
1 night hiroshima
2 nights mijajima

(other 7 nights to be decided)

1 (last night) Narita

We'd like to have suggestions for the seven days: Okinawa? Kyushu? Kiso valley?
Some ideas?
Thanks

Firstly, moving around all the time with 2 little kids...packing up and moving luggage and checking in and out of hotels..can take a lot of time.
Options to consider: I assume you have JR Passes?
1. Kanazawa is lovely: beautiful garden and lots of interesting areas. 2 nights there could be a possibility, and its not far from Takayama.
2. staying in Kyoto and doing Nara as a day trip might be better: its not far, and saves all the hassle of moving etc
3. Again, to save moving around, I'd stay in either Hiroshima or Okayama a little longer, and do the other as a day trip.
From Okayama you could go over the bridge to Shikoku: again lots to do as day trips.
4. Going north from Tokyo is Sendai and all the wonderful Tohoku scenery: a few days in this area is very pleasant
Just some thoughts....

Thank-you very much for your answer: you are right. I'll reduce the hotel transfers.
Which city could I chice in Tohoku for staing and moving around?

Which city could I chice in Tohoku for staing and moving around?

Tohoku is not a region that can be easily explored from a base. A lot of its highlights are small towns in the remote mountains, which are time-consuming to access and worth an overnight stay. Instead, I recommend to rent a car for a few days. Not only is it the easiest way to get around, but it also takes care of the luggage issue.

About rental cars:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2024.html

May be Tohoku is not the best choice for us at the moment. We plan to take JR pass (21 days). The upper side of Chugoku or a trip around Shikoku will be easier?
A base we could find there?
Thanks

If you keep to the cities, Shikoku is relatively easy to get around. But the travel times between the cities are considerable, so visiting them in day trips from a base is not a time-efficient thing to do.

The upper side of Chugoku, known as the Sanin Coast, is very similar to the Tohoku Region with respect to transportation.

... umh that seems more difficult than I was thinking...

Any help is appreciate.
Thanks!

Here my final travel plan:


Tokyo (5 nights) including Nikko e Kamakura
Kiso valley (2 nights)
Kyoto (6 nights)
Nara (2 nights)
Okayama/Kurashiki (2 nights)
Mijajima (2 nights)
Kanazawa (2 nights)
Shirakawa-go (1 night)
Takayama (3 nights)
Narita (1 night)
... fly to Rome

My husband says that we spent a lot of time in Kanazawa / Takayama: he suggests to go two days at Takaragawa onsen. I don't know if the time we spent there is really too much and if I could relax with two little kids into onsen....
What do you think?

I agree that two nights should be enough for Takayama.