15 Day Itinerary in April

Hi,
We will be travelling to Japan in early April with our 6 and 8 year olds. We would like to see different attractions and take our time enjoying each city, eat and shop and don't want to be rushed.
Here is the itinerary I have come up with:
Day 1: Arrive in Tokyo at night
Day2-6: Tokyo with day trip to Hakone
Day 7 Arrive in Kyoto
Day 8-11: Kyoto
Day 12-16: Osaka with day trips to Nara and Himeji Castle
Day 17: Leave from Osaka Airport

Should we cut Osaka short and go to Hiroshima and Miyajima? Miyajima looks very beautiful, but I am not sure if the kids are old enough to find Hiroshima interesting.
Would Kobe be a good day trip with kids?
I would appreciate any thoughts and advice and any other recommended overnights or day trips. Thanks!

If you love crowded cities then your itinerary is excellent. Personally I wouldnt go all the way to Miyajima if you arent going to get anything out of Hiroshima - look at Nara instead. Nicer deer, more to see.

I would steer away from Himeji because it is likely to be very crowded, and go to Hikone (near Maibara, which is near Kyoto) instead. Nice castle, great views.

I like Osaka but you are already going to Tokyo so Osaka may be more of the same, at least from the kids' perspective.

Nara can just as easily be visited from Kyoto as from Osaka.

Kobe Harborland might appeal to the kids. It has a large ferris wheel and some other areas that might appeal to them and also one of Japan's three main Chinatowns. However it's nothing amazing.

Himeji Castle is best seen from the outside, in my opinion. I would be tempted to forget about Himeji, shorten your time in Osaka, and visit Matsumoto Castle instead and then head to Takayama, which holds one of the best festivals in Japan on April 14-15 every year, if that's convenient.

Whatever itinerary you choose, you are sure to see, do and experience many great things.

You don't really need to move hotels between Tokyo and Kyoto, unless you want a change of scene for its own sake. Travel between the two is cheap and quick.

I'd be inclined to have a few days in Kanazawa rather than Kyoto, and maybe do a castle day at Hikone (on Lake Biwa), rather than Himeji. Himeji is a big climb, even for adults, and quite hair-raising to do. It can also be packed.

Nara is very nice, I don't much like the deer but the area is beautiful.

From Kyoto, Fushimi Inari is quite lovely, thousands of tori winding up and down the hill.

Great Tokyo day trips include Mt Takao-nature, a walk up a hill, and an onsen at the railway station at the bottom; Kamakura, if you like a few temples and some Japanese beachside; and for museums, Edo Tokyo, which is near the sumo district, and Miraikan, the science museum on Odaiba. Both museums provide things to interest the kids. I always enjoy a walk across the Rainbow Bridge if time permits.

Have a wonderful time in Japan.

Gaah, should have said:

I'd be inclined to have a few days in Kanazawa rather than Osaka...

You don't really need to move hotels between Tokyo and Kyoto, unless you want a change of scene for its own sake. Travel between the two is cheap and quick.[

@Who must mean Kyoto and OSAKA not Kyoto and TOKYO.

Thanks LikeBike I was having city confusion while typing!

Hi!

I took my 7 year old to Miyajima and we didn't go to Hiroshima. (I've been multiple times previously, and I didn't think she was ready for it.) Mine really enjoyed it, but we also didn't at the time live near the water, so she was fascinated by all the crabs and can see during low tide. She enjoyed walking to the torii on the sand and enjoyed some of the momiji sweets. I believe that was also the same trip we went to Nara. She enjoyed the deer there, but they are aggressive (the ones in Miyajima use to be more so, but on our last visit you couldn't feed them anymore) and I got bit a few times when I did not feed a particular deer fast enough. So they both have pluses and minuses, it really depends on what experience you want.

Honestly, I would look at travel times and make sure you are comfortable with the ones you have planned. I know my now 9 year old prefers we limit travel times unless we are going somewhere she really wants to go.

Good luck!

Thank you all for your feedback.
Takayama is 4.5 hours from Tokyo and 3.5 hours from Kyoto. Is it worth it to go there for one night? Seems like a long commute.
Another place that was suggested was Kanazawa. Should we go to Kanazawa from Tokyo, on our way to Kyoto? 1 or 2 nights? Does it make sense to go to Takayama afterwards? It is about 3 hours away.
Also, we are planning on going to Hakone for a day trip from Tokyo and go to a hot spring, but I am reading that it is better to stay overnight since it has a lot to offer. Any suggestions?
So, is this a better itinerary? Not too much travelling with the kids?

Day 1: Arrive in Tokyo at night
Day2-6: Tokyo with day trip to Hakone and Kamakura?
Day 7: Go to Kanazawa
Day 8: Go to Takayama, visit Shirakawa on the way
Day 9-13: Kyoto, Day trip to Nara
14-16: Osaka
Day 17: Leave from Osaka Airport
Thanks!

Hi!

I know my child and you would need to pay me to take her to Shirakawa Go, I went to in 2010, which seemed like a tourist trap. There are many people that love it. It frequently rates highly, but I personally did not like it at all. I do not begrudge its residents from trying to make money, but I felt like nearly every building was either a hotel, a restaurant (all serving nearly the same foods) or shops (also selling a lot of the same things) The scenic overlook is scenic, but I am not sure it is worth it in terms of money or time just for that. I personally do not think it is interesting to most children.

My daughter loved Hida no Sato village, which I believe we did in 2017 on that same trip to Miyajima and Nara, which is within Takayama. I prefer it to Shirakawa Go because it has a lot more interactive exhibits about life in a Gassho Zukuri village vs. Shirakawa Go which seems more about how people living in a town of Gassho Zukuri stay afloat financially today. I would not want to go to Takayama during the Takayama Festival though because it will be insanely crowded and trying to get around to and from Takayama might be really challenging. We were on a super crowded train in Osaka in 2018, and I seriously was afraid my child was going to get crushed. It was bad enough for 1 hour, I would not want it for the trip between Takayama and Toyama or Nagoya.

Unless you are going to Hakone just for the night, you can't easily do Hakone and Kamakura in one day.

Good luck!

Thanks rkold! Hakone and Kamakura would be 2 different day trips, which leaves less time for Tokyo, so not sure if we should 2 both or not.

I agree re Shirakawa-go. It is pretty enough but 2 hours is plenty. It looks pretty much like the photos.

Your plan has a heavy focus on busy places and cities which is fine if you like cities and lots of people. While I am one of the biggest Takayama fans around, I wouldnt go during the festival. Festivals are fun but there are a lot of inconveniences and waiting around.

I would make Nara a place for one or two nights rather than a day trip. More space, less people, nice and green - it has been a favorite of ours for several trips and is still a highlight of any trip. In fact, I could pretty much spend 2 weeks there and relax and that would be an ideal holiday.

If I follow the second itinerary, I will be in Takayama a week before the festival. I will have to go to Kyoto first and then Takayama, to be there for the festival.

I'd do the second one then. Takayama is excellent enough as it is. I dont know that I'd be wanting to drag a 6 year old and an 8 year old around through crowds at festival time.