My Itinerary

Please critique, advise and comment on:

Tokyo 6 days July 1 - 6
• Wed. July 1 Arrival late afternoon Narita. By the time I get to where I am staying it will be early evening. (use Suica/NEX cards)
• Thur. July 2 Well with possible jet lag I will be awake early so the Fish market. Ferry along the river to Asakusa. Then Ueno and the Ameyoko Market.
• Fri. July 3 Imperial Palace, the Ginza. Kagurazaka . Kabukiza Theatre in the evening.
• Sat. July 4 The National Museum and the Yanaka Ginza.
• Sun. July 5 Harajuku and the Meiji-jinju shrine. Later that evening the Tokyo Metropolitan Building and Shinjuku (hope to get a photo of Tokyo by night).
• Mon. July 6 Day trip Kamakura (Activate the first of my JR passes)
• Tues. July 7 Leave for Kyoto


Kyoto 5 days July 7 - 11
• Tues. July 7 Arrive Kyoto early Afternoon. Ryoan-ji, Golden Pavilion, Ninna-ji, Nijo castle, Kiyomizu dera (temple)
• Wed. July 8 Johnnie Hillwalker's Johnnie Kyoto Walking tour at the Kyoto Train Station. Higashima Walk (takes in Shoren-in, Chio-in, Kodai-ji temples)
Path of Philosophy
• Thur. July 9 Day trip to Nara
• Fri. July 10 Kyoto Handicrafts Centre (thanks julie1). Strolling aimlessly around Gion in the early evening.
• Sat. July 11 Leave for Koyasan



Fushimi Inari
Arashiyama
Bus tour of Major gardens
Suggestions?


Mt Koya Sat. July 11 – Mon. July 13

Himeje Castle Mon. July 13 on way to Okayama

Okayama 3 days Mon. July 13- Fri. July 17
• Mon. July 13 Arrive
• Tues. July 14 See the black castle(Okayama-jo) and Koraku-en Garden
• Wed. July 15 Kibi Plain bike path
• Thur. July 16Kurashiki or Takahashi
• Fri. July 17 Leave for Hiroshima


Hiroshima Fri. July 17 – Sun. July 19
• Fri. July 17 Atomic Dome, Peace Park etc
• Sat. July 18 Day trip Miyajima
• Sun. July 19 Leave for Takayama




Takayama Sun. July 19 – Sat. July 25
• Sun. July 19 Arrive Takayama itself
• Mon. July 20 More Takayama
• Tues. July 21 The Hida Folk Village
• Wed. July 22 Kiso Valley esp. the Magome to Tsumago Walk
• Thur. July 23 Matsumoto Castle
Any other suggestions?




Sendai Sat. July 25 – Thurs. July 30
• Sat. July 25 Arrive Sendai
• Sun. July 26 Matsushima, Godai-do, Zuigan-ji temple
• Mon. July 27 Yama-dera Temple
• Tues. July 28 Hiraizumi
• Wed. July 29 Onsen near Sendai (thanks Optimstik san)
• Thurs July 30 Leave for Narita

Thurs. July 30 Back to Narita to overnight

Fri. July 31 Flight leaves at 19:00

Looks like a good itinerary to me, except that July 7 is too packed. Unless you have been to Kyoto before or are not particularly interested in Kyoto, I would spend a little bit more time in Kyoto.

A well planned itinerary, here are just some thoughts:

For the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, I've heard recently it is off-limit to individual visitors. To visit, you have to join an organized group tour. You have better double check with your hotel before going.

A day-trip to Kamakura is worthwhile, but I would choose Nikko if you haven't been there. Kamakura has temples and shrines, but you'll get a lot of them in Kyoto, Nara and Koya-san. And if you're going to Nikko, do it the day just before Sendai as it's on the way.

For Fushimi Inari Taisha, it's en-route from Kyoto to Nara. Go there early in the morning and then continue to Nara without backtracking to Kyoto.

For Arashiyama, set aside half a day, even better if you can devote a whole day from Kyoto.

You don't need 3 days for Koya-san, IMO one night's stay is enough. If you go up there early in the first day and come down late the second day, you'll almost have 2 days there. Basically there are just 2 main areas to visit, the Okuno-in area and the Garan area.

Consider staying overnight in Miyajima which is beautifully lit up at night. A stroll at dawn is also memorable.

For Takayama, one day for walking through the Old Town is enough. Having extra days and wanting to see more, consider going to Kanazawa first after your Kansai tour. From there without backtracking use bus to go to Shirakawa-go, then bus to Takayama, again bus to Kamikochi and finally bus to Matsumoto. Time allowed spend 1 night at each place; if not, Shirakawa-go and Kamikochi can be done en-route.

If you still have time while in Matsumoto, consider a half-day side trip to scenic Daio Wasabi Farm, the largest wasabi farm in Japan.

In Matsushima, don't forget to take the popular cruise around the islands. Matsushima can be done as a day-trip from Sendai, but staying overnight will reward you with beautiful view of sunset and sunrise.

If time is tight, Yamadera and Hiraizumi can be done as a day-trip from Sendai, Yamadera early in the morning and Hiraizumi in the afternoon though Hiraizumi require a train transfer. To save time in Hiraizumi, take the city loop bus which will take you to the 2 most popular sites, Motsu-ji and Chuson-ji.

In Sendai, don't forget to try out its famous ox tongue meal.

For the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, I've heard recently it is off-limit to individual visitors. To visit, you have to join an organized group tour.

This is not true! Individual tourists can still go there:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3021.html

But the tuna auctions will be off limit during the next few weeks:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3021.html