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20 Day itinerary for first time traveler
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2018/11/21 05:38
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Hey i'm travelling to Japan for the first time in 17th of april 2019. I've read a lot and kind of finalized my itinerary and i'd like to hear your thoughts. 18.4 - Arrival to tokyo (Haneda airport) 19.4 - 20.4 Travel to Osaka and exploring Osaka 21.4 - 22.4 Travel to Hiroshima (Exploring Hiroshima(21) + Miyajima(22)) 23.4 - Travel To Kyoto (Includes stopping at Kobe for the famous beef of course) 24-27.4 - Exploring Kyoto + (Nara + Uji on one of the days) 27.4 - 29.4 - Travel to the alps (Still unsure what we are going to do there) 30.4 - 7.5 - Exploring Tokyo (May include Nikko or Hakone) After that I have 1 more week traveling alone so im not sure yet about where ill travel (Thought about flying to Kyushu or something like that) I'd like to hear your ideas about the itinerary for the first 20 days that ill do with my friends. Thanks for any help!
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by Kinovo
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Re: 20 Day itinerary for first time traveler
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2018/11/21 20:15
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I have two comments.
April is cherry blossom season, but unfortunately, it will end in early April in Tokyo and more western places including Osaka, Kyoto and Hiroshima. If you want to see cherry blossoms you might better go north first.
27th April to 6th May is long holiday season in Japan (called golden week). You may encounter difficulty in finding affordable hotels in touristic areas. If you stay in hostels, then the fare should be stable, but you need to book early.
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by frog1954
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Re: 20 Day itinerary for first time traveler
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2018/11/22 20:27
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Hi,
I am sure you will have a great time in Japan. I have been to Japan a couple of times and have taking a few people for a nice sightseeing a couple of times around Japan as well, so I will share my opinions about the best 'first-time' in Japan suggestions.
18.4 If possible, after arriving, go straight to Osaka. It will be a tiring day, but if you have to travel to Osaka the next day you will lose another day and 1/2 2day in Tokyo might be a waste.
Exploring Osaka in 1 day is good for 'first timers'. Tip: Go to the museum of Housing And Living in Osaka. (600yen entry and 500 yen to rent a Yukata inside... a cheap and fun Yukata experience)
Hiroshima 1 day is great, Miyajima in 1 day is great as well. Make sure you will know the times of the sea levels to see the Torii in high and low water ;)
Kyoto: You will have 4,5 days. This is great in my opinion. On the Nara, Uji day, visit Nara first. Honestly, Uji wasn't really my cup of tea, so if you run out of time you will have seen Nara first.
Tokyo: You will have 7 days in Tokyo, which is plenty. However, it will be golden week. I don't have experience with golden week, but I can give advice on Tokyo itself... For me Tokyo itself really needs at least 3 days. Awsome daytrips from Tokyo are Nikko, Enoshima/Kamakura (can be done together in 1 day), Mt Fuji (Kawaguchiko), Yokohama (definitely make you own cup noodles) and Hakone.
As for the Japanese Alps, the time seems a bit limited. You could visit Takayama or Kanazawa and do the Kurobe Alpine Route. Wouldn't visit the famous snow monkey park, since it will be spring and the monkey likely wouldn't use the hot springs...
On the week alone, to me Kyushu would be way to little. For Kyushu I think you will need around 2-3 weeks to cover. If I may give a suggestion: Wakayama prefecture might be worth looking at and can be done in a week. Or Okayama, Kurashiki and Kanazawa might be a nice place to go in that week.
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by Mikichan1991
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Re: 20 Day itinerary for first time traveler
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2018/11/22 23:16
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Assuming you're flying in and out of Tokyo, I wouldn't plan to end up in Tokyo in the middle of your trip unless you're going to then head up north.
If you're happy to take an internal flight, I would make that flight at either the beginning or the end of your holiday and fly to/from the furthest-away point in your trip. I would then spend 20 days travelling back towards Tokyo.
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by Winter Visitor
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Re: 20 Day itinerary for first time traveler
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2018/11/23 03:12
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I think your first 20 days look good, perhaps a bit too short on Kyoto.
As for the following week by yourself, you can remain flexible. The Golden Week will be over by then, and there should not be issues finding accommodations. One week is a good amount of time to explore Tohoku+Hokkaido region or the entire Kyushu island. I have explored both regions, and they are quite different, and my personal choice would be Kyushu. Make sure to include an onsen experience somewhere.
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by O92 (guest)
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