japan itinerary

This is the itinerary I've drafted for two people travelling in May.

The Alpine Route was added to the itinerary after some hotels were booked and paid for, so we opted to keep the hotels that were paid for and squeezed the Alpine Route in.

We'll have 14 dayJapan Rail Passes. We'd like to know how to make the itinerary better.

Day 1, arrive Haneda late at night, transfer to hotel in Shinagawa.

Day 2, take a taxi to Tsukuji. Try to get tickets for the auction. What time should we arrive? Eat breakfast at Tsukiji. Walkk to Ginza, see the department stores ( we don't want to shop). Go to Yurachko for lunch - can we walk from Ginza? Go to a JR station to exchange the rail pass, not sure which station. Visit Akakusa, Kappabashi Dori and Nakamise Dori. Ovetnight, Shinagawa

Day 3, early morning trains from Shinagawa to Gero. Visit hot springs. Overnight, Gero.

Day 4, 8 am train to Takayama, sightseeing in Takayama. 12.50 pm bus to ShiragawaGo, sightsee, 1650 bus to Toyama. (We were originally going to stay in Takayama but changed things - so Takayama will be rushed sightseeing). Overnight, Toyama

Day 5, 6 am train to Tateyama. We have an 8 am time slot on the cable car booked to start the Alpine Route. Complete Alpine Route, train from Shinano Omachi to Kyoto (via Matsumoto and Nagoya). This is a crazy long day, and we don't mind one crazy long in the itinerary. Overnight, Kyoto.

Day 6, morning in Kyoto, we'd like to Kinkankuji and Ryoanji. Afternoon in Nara. This us a Saturday, we thought we'd spend half a day in Nara as the sights there should be less crowded then Kyoto. Evening in Gion, and see Yakasa Shrine. Overnight, Kyoto.

Day 7, Day trip to Miyajima and Huroshima, overnight Kyoto.

Day 8, Himeji Castle in the.morning, remainder of the day in Osaka. Overnight, Kyoto.

Day 9, this is a festival day, Aoi Matsuri. We'd like to see part of the parade, where's a good place to the parade? We'd like to visit Kiyomizu dera, Fushimi Inari shrine and arashiyama. Evening bullet train to Tokyo. Overnight in Tokyo.

Day 10, Day trip to mt Fuji, weather permitting. We will do this independent using JR passes. Don't really want to take a tour.
Overnight, Tokyo

Day 11, We have 10 am tours tickets for the Imperial Garden tour. See the East gardens after the tour, then go to see Sumo in the afternoon (we have bought tickets). 9 pm show at Robot Cafe. Overnight, Tokyo

Day 12, Day trip to Nikko. Overnight, Tokyo.

Day 13, this is our last day. We'd like to visit Shibuya (and see the crossing), Harahuku and Meji Shrine and Akihabara. Overnight, Narita airport hotel.

Day 14, depart Japan early morning.

How does this look? What changes should I make to the itinerary? Any help will be appreciated. Thank you.

Hi
Day 5, 6 am train to Tateyama. We have an 8 am time slot on the cable car booked to start the Alpine Route. Complete Alpine Route, train from Shinano Omachi to Kyoto (via Matsumoto and Nagoya). This is a crazy long day, and we don't mind one crazy long in the itinerary. Overnight, Kyoto.

This is not the only crazy long day in your itinerary; you have a few of them for example:

Day 6, morning in Kyoto, we'd like to Kinkankuji and Ryoanji. Afternoon in Nara. This us a Saturday, we thought we'd spend half a day in Nara as the sights there should be less crowded then Kyoto. Evening in Gion, and see Yakasa Shrine. Overnight, Kyoto.

Day 7, Day trip to Miyajima and Huroshima, overnight Kyoto.

Day 9, this is a festival day, Aoi Matsuri. We'd like to see part of the parade, where's a good place to the parade? We'd like to visit Kiyomizu dera, Fushimi Inari shrine and arashiyama. Evening bullet train to Tokyo. Overnight in Tokyo.

Day 13, this is our last day. We'd like to visit Shibuya (and see the crossing), Harahuku and Meji Shrine and Akihabara. Overnight, Narita airport hotel.

As for changing your JR pass vouchers and activating them you can do this in Shinagawa Station (it's a JR station and the Shinkansens to Osaka and Nagoya stop there).

Day 6: visiting the Golden Pavillion, Ryoanji, Nara, Gion and Yasaka shrine on the same day...That's impractical and exhausting. But you can do the Golden Pavillion, Ryoanji and Arashiyama on the same day, just start very early and head to Arashiyama first. If you plan to visit the monkey Mountain in Arashiyama then you need to allocate a full day there which means that your night should be quite light to rest otherwise you will be too tired to do anything the next day.

Day 7: visiting Hiroshima and Miyajima on the same day as a day trip from Kyoto you want be able to see or do much, you will either cut Hiroshima short or Miyamjima short or both. It depends on what you want to see and experience there so plan your day better and start really early if want to do that.

Day 9: you can do Fushimi Inari and Kiyomizudera on the same day but to enjoy Fushimi Inari without the crowd you need to go really early in the morning. I don't much about the Aoi Matsuri but you can look up information online about where the parade will take place and where you can see it. The trip by Shinkansen to Tokyo is about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Day 13:
you cane do Shibuya, Harajuku and the Meiji shrine in one day and that would be exhausting enough but what do want to exactly do in Akihabara? Just tick it off your list or have a particular interest that you want to see and experience there? Akihabara can take half a day by itself if you have a particular interest in anime but I find Ikebukuro much better in that field.

I suggest that you consult the Hyperdia website and check the train times and the time you need for travelling from one place to another to work out a better less exhausting itinerary .

You are only human in the end and exhausting yourself in a holiday will only backfire on you.

Agree totally with PP. This itinerary is too crowded.

Just answering one question :
YES you can easily walk from Ginza to Yurakcho.

Enjoy your trip to Japan!

Thank you for the helpful replies.

I know we have a long list of places to visit and don't have much time in Japan. My boyfriend had wanted to go for three weeks, but can't get the time off work. Japan is his dream destination and I really do want him to enjoy his trip.

Regarding the JR Passes, I am aware we can exchange them at Haneda or Shinagawa. We arrive too late in Haneda to exchange the passes. As we plan on getting tickets for the auction at Tsukji we plan on leaving the hotel too early to exchange the passes. I do have a list of offices that will exchange passes and their opening hours.

I am open to suggestion on how to change the itinerary. I can make significant changes to day 10 and 11 if necessary, which I will explain shortly.

Day 6, this is a Saturday. I`d read that the sights in Kyoto are super crowded on Saturday which is the main reason I`d chosen to visit Nara on this day. I guess we could do Fushimi Inari Shrine and Nara. Or even Fushimi Inari and Kiyomizudera. If we opt for the later, I really don`t know how to include Nara in the itinerary. In Gion we're interested in seeing Yaksaka Shrine lit up at night. We'd like to stroll around the area a little too.


Day 7, We are only interested in the Peace Park, Museum an okonomiyaki meal in Hiroshima. We`d planned on leaving Kyoto on a 7.20 am train for Hiroshima. On arrival, we`d visit the Peace Park, Museum (I understand it`s being renovated and it`s much smaller than it usually is) and hopefully enjoy okonomiyaki for lunch. I know of the complex where there are different okonomiyaki stalls. Is there a good okonomiyaki restaurant near the Peace Park or Hiroshima station? In Miyajima, we're only interested in t· Itsukushima Shrine. My boyfriend would like to walk out to the Tori, low tide is at 2.30 pm. What time should we leave Hiroshima to be on Miyajima around 2.15 pm? We have no desire to hike and therefore, don't care to visit Mount Misen. Time permitting we'll stroll around town.

Day 9, we're interested in seeing the Aoi Matsuri Parade, Kinkankuji, Roaynji and Arashiyama. In Arashiyama we're only interested in seeing the bamboo forest and not the the temples in the surrounding area. As sights in Kyoto close early I'd though of travelling to Tokyo in the evening.

Not sure if we should change our plans and stay overnight in Kyoto on day 9.

Day 10, If we stay overnight in Kyoto on Day 9, we could do a few different things on this day.

We can finish Kyoto sightseeing if we haven't been able to get to the sights we'd like to see and then go to Tokyo at anytime. If we do this the a day trip to Mt Fuji will be omitted from our itinerary.

We can have our bags shipped from Kyoto to Tokyo if we feel that we've completed our sightseeing in Kyoto and go to Odawara enroute to Tokyo. If we did this we'd use Hakone as a base to see Mt Fuji and obviously, we'd arrive there later than if we were to travel from Tokyo to Odawara. I still need to read about Mt Fuji and was debating between Odawara (Hakone) and the Fuji Five Lakes region.

Day 13, In Akihabara, my boyfriend is interested in a camera. We're not interested a camera we can buy at home, we're looking for good quality underwater camera. As for Anime, my boyfriend has a little interest in the subject, but I doubt he'll spend long looking at stores that sell Anime. We will be staying in Otsuka, so it's possible he'll have already seen Anime store in nearby Ikebukuro or when we visit Nipponbashi denden in Osaka. If possible we can visit Akihabara on Day 11 after the Imperial Palace enroute to Sumo. There is a festival in Asakusa this day, which is why I'd like to do Asakusa on day 2 instead.

I'm really not sure how to organize our sightseeing schedule, especially in the large cities. The places of interest in large cities are:-

Kyoto - Fushimi Inari Shrine, Gion, Yaksake Shrine (especially at night), Kinkakuji, Kiyumizudera, Arashiyama.

Tokyo - Shinjuku (including Golden Gai and Metropolitian Government Offices Observation Deck), Asakusa (Sensoji Temple, Nakamise Dori, Hoppy Dori and Kappabashi dori), Ginza, Yurakucho, Tsukiji, Imperial Palace, Harajuku and Meji Shrine, Shibuya and Akihabara. We were thinking of spending sometime in the evening in Roppongi or Ikebukuro, mainly to have dinner and go for a stroll and enjoy a drink or two.

Osaka - Dotonburi, Osaka Castle, Shinsekai, Umeda (to see Umeda Sky Building, don't plan on visiting the observation deck), Namba, Namba Yasaka Shrine, Nipponbashi den den.

I'm completely overwhelmed in the planning especially since Japan is a destination my boyfriend has dreamed about going to for a long time.

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks,

Hi again,

If Japan is your boyfriend's dream destination then why don't you let him help you in the planning?
He may get a gist of how big it is and the time and distances involved and will come to a more realistic plan.

In regards cameras and electronics, Big Camera and Yodabashi have stores in every suburb. You may have one near your hotel in Tokyo or Osaka. Unless you specifically know of its availability in a particular store in Akihabara, then head there.

As for Hiroshima and Miyajima, I've done what you mentioned in one day. But I wished I had more time.
I saw the Dome, the Peace Memorial, surrounding park and the Peace Museum and finished them by 12:30. We headed to Miyajima to see the Torii Gate and Itsukushima Shrine, we arrived there just before 2:00pm (note that we didn't stop for lunch and just grabbed a few street snacks when we arrived in Miyajima).
But the tourist crowds in Miyajima were absolutely annoying. I didn't enjoy it at all.
I wished to have time for Hiroshima's Shukkei-en Garden, but I didn't. I wish I went to Miyajima when it was a bit more quiet and less crowded with tourists but I don't think that this is ever possible!

The Okonomiyaki village is about 15-20 minutes walk from the Peace Museum, you can certainly take a bus or a taxi and that will reduce your travel time. By the way, just of note that neither of these sites is of walking distance to Hiroshima station unless you have plenty of time on your hand. If you have the JR pass then you can use the red tourist sightseeing bus from the station to take you there but they usually start at 9:00 but check the one with the shortest route to the Peace Museum/Atomic Dome. You can information about this sightseeing bus, routes and timetable online.

As for Kyoto, you can do Arashiyama, Kinkankuji and Roaynji in one day. The bamboo grove won't take much time, but having lunch and buying souvenirs from there may, so will the scenic train or boat ride if you decide to take any. Note that in all major temples and shrines close early (4:30-5:00). Sometimes you may need to use a taxi to cut on travel time by public transport.

You can certainly do Fushimi Inari and Nara in one day. You can do Nara from Osaka too if you prefer. Osaka wasn't my cup of tea so I won't advise you there, but even Dontonburi was a disappointing experience and the vendors were short and rude. But my experience isn't necessarily going to be yours, and you may like it.

You can go to the Gion any time at night if you still have energy after sightseeing to see the Yasaka shrine lit up, or better still, why don't book a hotel near there?

As for Hakone and Kawaguchiko for seeing Mt Fuji, we went to Hakone hoping to see it but the weather for the two days we stayed there was cold, windy and rainy which led to cancellation of the ropeway and the pirate cruise. We couldn't change our trip there because we had already booked a ryokan and couldn't cancel it. This weather made us enjoy the ryokan and its onsens more and we ended up seeing Mt Fuji in its full glory the next day from the Shinkansen we took from Odawara to Shin Osaka. So if you're planning on a day trip to either area make sure the the cloud forecast is less than 20%.

Tokyo was beautiful but exhausting. Trying to fit everything you mentioned in a few days is certainly going to be a nightmare. Priortise what you is most important to you and you cannot miss and leave the rest if time allows.

Good luck with the planning, it's probably the most exhausting part of the trip. But after planning and organising reality transpired to be something different as there are things that we don't have control over such as illness, tiredness, weather, emergencies (such as earthquakes), etc...
In the end, just enjoy being in Japan and experiencing its food, culture, people, history and modernity.

Thank you, Cana. I really do appreciate your help.

My boyfriend had started to plan the trip and is completely frustrated with the whole process. Most of his travelling has been to beach destinations or a trip to one or two different cities. He's now dumped the whole planning aspect of the trip on me. When I try to talk to him about certain things he just gets angry - which is not normal for him. I think he's now realized the headache involved in planning and doesn't know how to begin organizing himself. Our trip is just around the corner so, I'm eager to get the planning done and then head to Japan and enjoy ourselves.

To clarify, we have no overnight stays in Osaka. We only have overnight in Kyoto.

Just curious, what people think is the better option for day 9, to stay in Kyoto or travel to Tokyo in the evening. I do understand Mt Fuji is subject to weather. Of course, we'd check the forecast before going. If necessary we can switch the days we go to Mt Fuji and Nikko. Staying in Tokyo the night of day 9 gives us this flexibility. Staying in Kyoto gives us the flexibility of getting to sights in Kyoto on day 10 that we may not have had a chance to visit.

Hi again Ichibahn,

I fully understand the frustration that you and your boyfriend are experiencing. I went through it too and did the organisation all by myself with the great advice of the wonderful people on this forum.
So my heart goes out to you and wish you all the best in the planning and on the trip itself.

In regards your question about day 9 overnight, as your trip is just around the corner, I believe that your hotels must have been already booked. From your initial itinerary overnight on Day 9 would be in Tokyo. Is it changeable? Is accommodation in Kyoto available for that night?

I guess the answers to these questions will determine what you do.

I also noted that you want to visit Mt Fuji using your JR pass, but visiting Mt Fuji is not covered by JR pass. The JR pass may cover your trip to either Mishima or Odawara. From there all the transport modalities to Hakone or Lake Kawaguchiko areas are not covered by the JR pass.

And when you say that you want to visit Mt Fuji, do you actually mean visiting its 4th or 5th station? Because I don't know how you can do that without a tour or self-drive, but do check online you may find some information on public transport there.

Personally, I would keep it simple and if my aim is the 4th or 5th station I would join a tour. If I am interested in experiencing a ryokan and an onsen, I will book one in either Hakone or Lake Kawaguchiko area and try my luck with seeing Mt Fuji.

It was great seeing it from the Shinkansen as it was totally unexpected following our failure to see it while we were in an area reputable for seeing it; but for what it is, it wasn't worth stressing about not being able to see it from Hakone when we were there. The ryokan and the onsen were great! And if I go to Hakone again, it will be for the ryokan and the onsen not for seeing Mt Fuji.

I found that a lot of the time as tourists we stress about missing something that's heavily advertised but when we are actually there we realise that things were overrated.

So don't stress out during the planning, and when you're in Japan if things don't go according to your plan don't be upset, just enjoy being there. Certainly there will be another time to visit Japan in the future.

Cana, thank you for your kind words. I'm certain our trip to Japan will be enjoyable, and you're right about not stressing on the planning and to enjoy Japan no matter how the trip unfolds.

For Mt Fuji, my boyfriend wants to see the mountain, not necessarily go to the fourth or fifth station. To him (as well as myself and many other people) Mt Fuji is the symbol of Japan. I appreciate your explanation of how to get to the Mt Fuji area using the JR Passes - Hakone (via Odawara) is probably the easier option, but as the shibazakura festival is on during our travel dates, I'm hoping I can organize a day trip to the Five Lakes Region. I don't think we'd like to join a tour to Mt Fuji.

On day 9, I've booked a hotel in Kyoto (the same hotel we will check in to on day 5) and a hotel in Tokyo (the same hotel we stay in from day 10 onwards). I need to cancel one of the reservations, I did these booking recently as I contemplate which is the better option for day 10.

Hi again,
I guess in this case keep your overnight booking for Tokyo on 9th, but bear in mind that you may be too exhausted to do a day trip to see Mt Fuji and the shibazakura festival the next day.

Alternatively, you can keep your overnight booking in Kyoto on 9th and visit Mt Fuji and the shibazakura festival enroute to Tokyo on day 10. The only thing is that the weather can�ft be guaranteed.

Nonetheless if you decide to do this, take a Kodama Shinkansen not a Hikari or Sakura, and get off at Mishima Station (not Odawara).
From Mishima Station, take the Mishima-Kawaguchiko Liner Highway bus to Kawaguchiko Station and then catch the shibazakura liner for the area of the shibazakura festival. Mt Fuji would be seen also from there. Note that this 2 bus journeys are about about 2 hours.
When you�fre done, you can take a highway bus from Kawaguchiko Station to Tokyo.

You can check the official English website of the shibazakura festival for more information on tickets and transportation, timetable, etc..

What I would also suggest is to be flexible with your Nikko day trip and if the weather is better that day then swap it for Mt Fuji day trip, especially if you decided to do overnight in Tokyo on day 9.

I would also advise you to check a 2-week weather forecast of these areas closer to your departure time to get a rough idea of what it would be like and help you in planning your day trips.

Good luck with everything!

Too many places for 14 days. Drop the alpine route and nikko. These two locations are the ones taking up too much traveling time.

Many thanks for the helpful reply. Sorry I didn't log on earlier as I'm recovering from the flu.