Travelling Solo in May 2015 for 3 weeks

I will be traveling this May on my first solo trip to Japan for 3 weeks. I have a very general itinerary list at the moment, so I am open to any great tips/spots for solo travel.

May 7th-16th: Arriving in Osaka, going straight to Kyoto Area
- Nara
- Osaka

May 16th-27th: Tokyo Area - Leaving from Osaka
- Hakone
- Izu Peninsula
- Yokohama
- Fuji-San

Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance. :)

With 9 days in the Kyoto/Osaka area, you can see a lot! I'd add another day trip or two to your itinerary... more if you see all you want in Kyoto and Osaka in a shorter time. For example, consider Ise Jingu in nearby Mie Prefecture; a night at a temple on Mt. Koya in Wakayama Prefecture; visiting Kobe and Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture, the Tottori Sand Dunes in Tottori Prefecture, or Hiroshima and Miyajima in Hiroshima Prefecture.

For the Tokyo area, also consider Kamakura along with Yokohama, or Nikko. There are also a lot of side trips from Tokyo as well.

If you like flowers, I'd visit Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo as one example. The Choushi train line visits some beautiful coastlines and lots of fields on Na no Hana (Rape Blossoms). Or Ashikaga Flower Park is famous for flowers as well.

Have fun!

Thank you so much scarreddragon! I looked up the places you have mentioned above, and will be definitely adding them into my itinerary.

It's hard to tell how long I will be wanting to stay in each place as this is my first time, but I love the mention of places that are a bit off the beaten track. :)

Mio

Well, without knowing exactly what you are looking for, I'd recommend adding Kanazawa to your itinerary, especially the Kenrokuen garden.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4200.html

From Kanazawa you could also visit Shirakawa-go, specifially Ogimachi Village.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5950.html


If you like nature and hiking, check out the walk from Magome to Tsumago in the Kiso Valley. Both Magome and Tsumago are beautifully preserved towns and you can hike along the Nakesendo between them.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6075.html

If you post some ideas of what kind of trip you are looking for or what your interests are you'll get lots of help from people here.

Thank you for your tip and recommendations daai maou!

Certain things that I am particularly interested in finding on my trip:

Gardens/Flower Parks
Flea Markets/Vintage Markets
Special Events happening in May (6th-27th)
Traditional Handicrafts
Places with an interesting historical background (though I am sure many places will have this)

Mio

There are 3 festivals occurring during your trip.

The Aoi Matsuri in Kyoto.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3948.html

I was at the Aoi Matsuri last year. The only recommendation I would make is try to see the parade on the palace grounds. The parade loses a lot of its atmosphere on the city streets.


There is also the Kanda Matsuri in Tokyo.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3073.html

And also the Sanja Matsuri in the Asakusa district of Tokyo.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3073.html

Side-note. If travelling alone, be sure to get medical insurance that has had positive reviews, an emergency phone with good battery life, and load up a decent amount of credit on it, especially if it is on roaming.

If you go hiking, take a whistle and a real map, rather than relying just on tech.

Is it possible to start the trip in Tokyo first? Early May is a very good time for some flower destinations which can be done as side trips from Tokyo.

Showa Kinen Koen for tulip, best from late April to early May
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZBFhaYH5kw

Hitachi Seaside Park for nemophila, best from late April to early May
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVzE-8iBQHA

Ashikaga Flower Park for wisteria, best from early to mid May
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=886ERA-M2hU

Hitsujiyama Park for pink moss, best from mid April to early May
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcRMfE4Rsfc

Thank you all for your tips!!!

Would it be too late for the best blooms in around Tokyo if I don't end up there until mid-May?
I am debating whether I should switch up my schedule a bit if that means I would miss most of them! Kyoto doesn't sound like there will be too many flower festivals in around that time.

Can't really say in absolute certainty as a lot depends on the unpredictable weather. My guess is that by mid May you can still see some wisteria and nemophila but highly doubtful about tulip and pink moss. Even if there are still tulip and pink moss in the fields their prime blooming time would have already passed and the colour would not be as vivid. Overall early May is a safer bet.

Thank you, William!

I may just take my chances, and aim to head over to the blooms around Tokyo mid-May. It would be great to catch the Wisterias and the others mentioned, even if it was at the tail-end of it.

If you know of any flowers near Kyoto in early May, that would be really good as well!

Thanks the overwhelming reponse and your help everyone!

Mio

In the Kansai region the following pink moss park is located roughly north of Kobe and the best time is said to be from mid April to mid May.
http://www.hananojuutan.jp/

Another popular pink moss excursion from Tokyo is the Fuji Skibazakura Festival near Motosu-ko which is one of the Fuji Five Lakes. Temperature in that region is cooler and blooming time lasts a bit longer. Last year the festival ran till June 1. Monitor the following links for update information for this year schedule.
http://www.shibazakura.jp/index.html
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6919.html