Tips for a great itinerary with family july

Hallo ,
9 days in japan please your opinion with my itinerary JP pass japan : Arr/Dep Tokyo
3 nights Tokyo
1 night hakone (activate JR Pass 1 W)
nights Kyoto
1 night Hiroshima
1 night Osaka or nara .....?
1 nights in Tokyo
please your opinion ?
great interest in local food/culture/people, nice places....
Thanks a lot

Hi!

How old are the members of the family? Traveling with a 7 year old is different than traveling with a 15 year old.

Personally, I think trying to do that trip in 9 days sounds exhausting unless you are a group of 25 year olds who pack super light and even then it is very fast paced.

I think if you only have 9 days in Japan you might want to be a little less ambitious. I would cut either Hakone or Hiroshima. Just to warn you now, July in Japan tends to be hot and humid. Based on the people who post to this forum, Europeans and Australians tend to find it particularly unpleasant. Perhaps since you are in Japan in July you might want to consider going some place that really shines in July like Hokkaido or Tohoku.

Good luck!

I agree with the above response. Nine day is not enough time to attempt those cities. Every second day to lose half a day with travel and hotel check ins/outs.

Omit either Hakone or Hiroshima. Personally with none days. I'd attempt both. But up to you.

Hi, let us know what your tolerance is to heat and humidity and it would be easier to help. I wouldnt go to Kyoto in particular in July (or August or September - again) but then I dont really like getting out in temps over 30 celsius and high humidity. Instead I'd look at places like Kamakura, Karuizawa, Kamikotchi, Takayama (which does still get pretty hot), Shirakawa-go.

All these �g1 nights,�h why even bother going to those places?

ok thanks
my kids are 13 and 15 years

Hi!

Honestly, I would talk to your kids and your partner. Each of you should get one MUST DO and then each of you should write down 3 "would like to do." Looking at these lists see how many "Must Dos" and "like to dos" are similar and how many can work in a 9 day trip together. Dragging around cranky tweens/teens is not fun so make sure to include them in the planning.

Again, I would think long and hard about whether you really want to go to Kyoto and Hiroshima in the heat and humidity. I'm honestly from a similar climate, so I can mange it, but many many people find it oppressive. If you don't like humidity, this is a great time to check out places like Hirosaki, Hiraizumi, Towadako or Hokkaido. But if everyone in your group has several things you need to do in Kyoto, then go there.

You only have 9 days. Most people don't enjoy changing hotels every night. I know that is one of the things that is high on my kid's list of things she hates. I can sometimes get away with it a couple times during a 14 night trip, but every night for 6 or 7 nights is a big no, which is currently what you have.

People on this forum aren't fond of it, but places like Hiroshima can be done as a day trip from Kyoto or Shin-Osaka. I've done it multiple times. You don't get to see everything and you do miss things, but again depending on how much you want to see and what you want to do, it is technically possible and will save you from the time it takes dealing with packing everything up, getting everything on the train, finding a place to store it while you sightsee or going to your next hotel. Osaka and Nara are both easy trips from Kyoto. You can do a day trip to Nara and spend the night in Osaka for dinner and then head back to Kyoto to sleep. But again, this really depends on you figuring out what exactly you want to do because Japan is bigger than you think and you have limited time.

Good luck!

Drop Osaka and Hakone. Do Nara as day trip from Kyoto (three nights), two nights Hiroshima.