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Late March honeymoon itinerary 2018/11/12 23:51
Hi

I'm planning a honeymoon trip to Japan, arriving on the 18th of March and leaving on the 31st of March, 2019. It will be my wife and I's first time to Japan, and I've tried to pack in a lot to make the most of the time.

A have a few questions in regards to the planned itinerary.
1. Have I planned too much? Should we just add an extra day of exploring Tokyo over the Nikko day trip?

2. We will both get 14 day JR passes. I believe these should cover all the trips we plan on making other than the Tokyo subways. Am I incorrect? Will we have to pay for extra tickets beyond the JR pass?

3. Any suggested activities that we skip or replace? Being our first time in Japan, I've gone mainly off the suggested itineraries from this website and /r/japantravel on Reddit.

4. I know we are a touch early for Cherry Blossom full bloom, but we are hopeful that we will see some especially towards the end of the trip. Should we do anything in particular to make the most of the timing of our trip in regards to the Cherry Blossom?

Itinerary:
March 18 - Arrive late at night, activate JR pass, collect pocket wifi, catch N'EX to Tokyo, take subway to our accom, SLEEP.

March 19 - Explore Tokyo, specifically Shimokitazawa, Akihabra, and Shibuya

March 20 - Disneyland

March 21 - Sleep in, check out Shinjuku and Tokyo Metro Building for view. Travel to Takayama, arrive at Ryokan in time for dinner.

March 22 - Go to Shin-Hokata Ropeway. Travel up and down mountain. Go to Onsen in Okuhida. Back to Takayama.

March 23 - Explore Takayama Morning Markets, the Old Town, take Higashiyama Walking Course. Travel to Kyoto.

March 24 - Explore Kyoto (https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3950_eastern_kyoto_full.html)

March 25 - Day trip to Nara

March 26 - Fushimi Inari Shrine, explore Arashiyama. This day might be replaced with a trip to Osaka to see a sumo match if we get tickets in February.

March 27 - Travel to Himeji castle, explore castle. Travel on to Hiroshima. If time permits, go to Shukkeien Garden

March 28 - Day trip to Miyajima. Itsukushima Shrine and Mount Misen

March 29 - Hiroshima Peace Park. Take train back to Tokyo.

March 30 - Day trip to Nikko. Toshogu Shrine complex, Kanmangafuchi Abyss and Kegon Waterfall.

March 31 - teamLab Borderless, final sightseeing in Tokyo, fly home at night.

Thank you very much for any assistance.
by Masmandiri  

Re: Late March honeymoon itinerary 2018/11/13 10:58
Make sure you buy your tickets as soon as you arrive in Japan and don't be disappointed if it's already sold out.

According to the crowd calendar you're looking at extreme crowds on 3/20
http://www15.plala.or.jp/gcap/disney/

Pretty much the entire time you are in Japan TDR is going to be insanely busy because I believe it is either a college or high school break period and the parks are super popular. I've been on an orange day to Sea and would never go back with those sorts of crowds, let alone worse. Make sure you are there a good 1-1.5 hours before the parks open. And yes, there will be people there that early or earlier. If you really have your heart set on TDR you might want to see if you can afford one night on property. It guarantees you admission and lets you enter 15 minutes early, which doesn't sound like a lot but makes a huge difference.

The bus between Takayama and Shin-Hokata and Shin-Hokata and the Okuhida region,as well as the ropeway fee will not be covered by your JR Pass. The buses are run by Nohi.

Depending on where you are staying and how you plan to get there, pretty much most of Eastern Kyoto is not covered by a JR pass. The closest train stops tend to be the Keihan line, though you would still need to walk 10-15 minutes.

Any buses you take around Nara will cost additional. JR Nara is further from the main sights than Kintetsu Nara (The Kintetsu line is not covered with your pass) but you can walk from JR Nara station. I've done it multiple times.

If you take the bus from Himeji station to Himeji Castle I am pretty sure it costs additional. You can walk it, I've done it multiple times.

The Ropeway at Mt. Misen is not covered, but you can climb to the top and back down. I've only done the hike down. It's pretty easy, no hiking experience necessary, but the stone steps can be slippery if wet.

Enjoy!

As for sakura, you just never know. Personally, if it were me, I would skip TDR and travel to Mito (covered by your JR Pass) to see the ume if it is still in bloom. Kairakuen during ume time is quite lovely. I think momo comes a little earlier than sakura and Shinjuku Gyoen has some lovely trees. I seem to remember one tree with several different varieties and colored momo flowers.

by rkold rate this post as useful

Re: Late March honeymoon itinerary 2018/11/13 12:46
You are definitely missing out on a number of gems in many places you are planning to see.
For Tokyo, you didn't mention seeing Sensoji and the & Namamise Shopping St. They are very popular and touristy, but for a reason.
https://goo.gl/q5nDom
Also, your timing is perfect to see the "secret" garden of Sensoji, Denboin, which is only open a couple months out of the year - and compared to the other areas, it is not crammed with tourists.
https://youtu.be/b8Q5dcNWZqg

I don't see why you'd fly around the world and go see some American theme park. If you really want to though, why not see DisneySea, which is at least unique. For going to Takayama from Tokyo, be aware it will take you about 4½ hours.
Regarding going to Himeji, the castle is definitely one of the very best, as well as a surviving original. But after the castle, go see the beautiful Kokoen Garden nearby - it is no less magnificent. Get the combo ticket for both and one is nearly free.
https://goo.gl/65ZtRi

As for Mar 27/29, definitely don't miss Shukkeien. But the hidden gem in Hiroshima City is the gorgeous Mitakidera Temple, which the tourist mobs haven't discovered yet. Go see it before they do and ruin the experience.
https://goo.gl/fAz4ax

For Miyajima, you will be through the Itsukushima Shrine in no more than 30 minutes. Don't skip the Daishoin Temple there as well, which is in many ways even better. If you are putting in a full day, see if you can see the shrine at both high and low tides.
http://www.tides4fishing.com/jp/hiroshima/itsukushima
The shrine is better at high tide, but at low tide, you can walk out on the beach to the big torii gate. If you have some extra time, you could also go see Iwakuni, a bit farther south than Miyajima. It has the loveliest old bridge in Japan, and it is a secret cherry blossom spot.
https://youtu.be/0COOZXi66mM

Speaking of which, you don't mention anything about seeing the blossoms, and it's likely you'll be there during a very good time to see them. It would be tragic if you missed them. Also, if it is your honeymoon, you might look at staying at some love hotels across the country - each room has a different theme and you can make some unique memories.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2031.html

by Ken (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Late March honeymoon itinerary 2018/11/13 21:59
Sorry if this is a bit dense but it's just my random thoughts.

It all looks pretty good. You will be too early for the cherry blossoms but should see some nice plum blossoms. I would always suggest Sensoji Asakusa & Ameyoko to first time visitors so I might try to add that to the first day. You really should visit the Meiji Shrine as well but that may be part of your plans already. I also don't see why so many people go to Japan & visit Disney but it's your trip.
Shinjuku is at it's best after dark with all the neon lights in effect so I would go there in an evening, if at all because I find it a bit too manic for my tastes.
Kyoto is wonderful but will be busy. I might stop at Fushimi Inari on the way to or from Nara depending on how I felt and the weather. Good luck with getting the Sumo tickets it's a really enjoyable experience.
On the 27th as has been said, the garden next to Himeiji castle may be modern but it is superb. You can leave your luggage at the tourist information at the station & hire bicycles to ride to the castle.
I would suggest that if you are going to do the bomb museum that you do it at the start of the day with fun things planned afterwards as I found it really traumatic. I'm really glad I went but would really not want to go again.
I love Hiroshima & you really must make sure to eat some onkonomiyaki maybe visit okonomimura. I find Itsukushima takes me a long time because I people watch especially people having wedding photos done. I walked up mount Misen & got the cable car back ( and vice versa) but either way if the weather is nice it's not to be missed.
Nikko is really not my thing so I wont comment except to say thatI would suggest you at least consider Kamakura instead. Lots of history & the giant Buddha

Finally. Don't forget to allow for the odd wet day and allow time to get lost & relax
by Stan Norrell rate this post as useful

Re: Late March honeymoon itinerary 2018/11/13 22:11
I'd stay in an onsen ryokan in Okuhida rather than just do a day visit and stay the night in Takayama.
1) It's your honeymoon - so you should stay in *at least* one ryokan
2) for the kaiseki food
by Winter Visitor rate this post as useful

Re: Late March honeymoon itinerary 2018/11/14 04:06
@Winter visitor. Good point, well made :)
by Stan Norrell rate this post as useful

Re: Late March honeymoon itinerary 2018/11/14 05:16
On your first day, you say garrive late and collect JR passh.
Did you check the opening hour of the JR pass office at Narita Airport?

The rest of the itinerary seems fine to me. Also agree on all the comments from PPs.

Enjoy your honeymoon!
by LikeBike (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Late March honeymoon itinerary 2018/11/14 06:27
When the JR pass office is closed, you just go to the ticket window instead to exchange your pass vouchers. As per JR East website.
by hakata14 (guest) rate this post as useful

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