Japan itinerary 10-19 April

We arrive to Tokyo in the evening on 10 April and leave early on April 19 also from Tokyo. Would like some suggestions for an itinerary.

I have been to Japan for two weeks before in the end of 2014. That time I visited Tokyo (one week), Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima. This time I would like to see Tokyo again, but perhaps not more than 4 days. Other than that I would like to see new places.

I have thought about these options:
1. Tokyo-Fuji Five Lake-Nagoya-Takayama-Tokyo
2. Tokyo-Hokkaido-Tokyo
3. Tokyo-Ishigaki-Tokyo

Would like to experience a good mix of nature, culture, food, etc. Any recommendations on what I should prioritize and whether it is best to travel by plane or train?

We think about skipping Hokkaido as we have been advised that April is not the best month. Any suggestions on what are the best places to visit/most interesting region, except Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima?

We�fve been to Ishigaki and Naha at the beginning of April.
I really enjoyed both places, but be aware that the season on Ishigaki hasn�ft really started at that time of year so you do get beaches to yourself (lovely), but some things (bars, cafes, some activities) won�ft be up and running.
Also, direct flights to Ishigaki will be limited at that time of year, so you need to check that out.

With only 9 days. Only one option is suitable. Hokkaido and Okinawa you'll loose too much time getting to and from.

One idea for some places to visit which are not super far away and might be pretty since you're going to be in Japan possibly around sakura time are either Kanazawa or Matsumoto. I think Kanazawa, Matsumoto and Nagano were all smaller cities I really enjoyed. You could do 3-4 days in Tokyo and 5 days in Kanazawa, Matsumoto and Nagano relatively painlessly.

You could also easily do a trip to a few areas in Tohoku, though some areas will still have snow or be cold. You could looks places like:
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7728.html

or Aizu-Wakamatsu.

Good luck!

Thanks! Actually we skipped Hokkaido and this is what our new schedule looks like:
10. Tokyo
11. Tokyo
12. Tokyo and travel to Fuji Kawaguchiko (cherry blossom festival 6-14 april).
13. Fuji Kawaguchiko. Travel to Matsumoto.
14. Matsumoto. Travel to Takayama på kvelden (festival 14-15).
15. Takayama. See Shirakawago on the way to Kanazawa.
16. Kanazawa & Tokyo (shinkansen to Tokyo)
17. Tokyo
18. Tokyo
19: Leave Tokyo 00:01

Hi!

If you want to go to Takayama from Matsumoto you are much better off taking the direct bus which will run you a little under 2.5 hours. Taking JR all the way there is a very long trip, and is going to run you over 4 hours and you must time all your connections perfectly or risk long waits for another train.

I would start looking now to see what accommodation prices are for Takayama and Kawaguchiko. Takayama gets pretty busy with the festival and it's under 3 months away, it's one reason I didn't suggest it earlier.

Good luck!

I think you need to and a day between day 13 and 16. Lots of slow moving transport options. So no full days anywhere. Add hotel check and packing daily etc.

I don't know @Hakata14, the OP doesn't really post what they want to do in each location.. some people just really tour fast or only want to see 1 or two things.

Assuming you leave fro near Shinjuku at 10:15 am you can be in Kawaguchiko Bus Terminal by noon. It does behoove you to take the bus as it is faster than the train in this case.

The 13th is the one really long travel day and it will take around 3.5 hours to get between Kawaguchiko to Matsumoto. If OP left around 10:15 again, they could be in Matsumoto by 2. It doesn't give them that much time but they could see the castle still before it closes. The next morning on the 14th they could see the art museum. They might have a hard time going to the Wasabi farm or the Ukiyoe Museum but they don't necessarily want to go there.

On the 14th they could take the 11:05 from Matsumoto to Takayama and get there at 13:30.

On the 15th they can take the 11:20 to Shirakawa Go and get there at 12:10. They can spend time there until 16:25 and then arrive in Kanazawa at 17:50. They would have time to sight see in Kanzawa that day but I guess they could shop.

On the 16th they could see Kenrokuen and do whatever else they wanted to do before taking a late train back to Tokyo.

Personally, I wouldn't unpack. I would just travel light with a carry on sized bag and keep most of my stuff in my bag and only take things out/put things back as I need to. I might do laundry at one of the business hotels on route in Matsumoto or Kanazawa. If OP is not planning on a lot of shopping and knows how to pack light it is doable. It's not ideal, I would personally take a day off Tokyo and give it to whichever of the sights interested OP the most. For me it would be Matsumoto or Kanazawa, but that's my bias.

I would probably not get a JR pass since I think it wouldn't pay off unless there is a lot of travel outside of this. I'm getting ~13,000 for Kanazawa to Tokyo and 7,000 from Kawaguchiko to Matsumoto. I know some of that is a private line, but I am just estimating prices now. That gives you 20,000 yen for 5 days, so you would need to spend 9000 yen or more during 2 days in Tokyo to make a pass worth it.

I hope this helps!