Hey guys, I'm planning my first trip to Japan and would love some feedback on my itinerary.
Is it too much? am I rushing or missing something?
| Night(s) | Base | Plan / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Tokyo | Arrival, jet lag recovery. One full day for a Mt. Fuji day trip (Kawaguchiko or Hakone, weather dependent). |
| 3 | Takayama | Travel Tokyo → Takayama. explore |
| 4 | Kanazawa | Morning in Takayama. Bus to Shirakawa-go,explore. Continue to Kanazawa in the afternoon. |
| 5–12 | Kyoto | Morning in Kanazawa,explore. Afternoon direct train to Kyoto. Kyoto as main base for: • Kyoto city sights • Nara • Osaka• Himeji • Hiroshima + Miyajima (long day trip or overnight) • Onsen town (e.g. Kinosaki Onsen) |
| 13 | Wild Card | not decided yet, but something special |
| 14–17 | Tokyo | Final Tokyo stay |
Hey, I noticed you mentioned "direct train to Kyoto from Kanazawa, but there isn't any direct trains afaik. You will have to transfer trains at Tsuruga
Solid first trip structure, honestly not too rushed at all. The Kyoto base for 8 nights looks long on paper but you're packing in a lot of day trips, so it makes sense.
Day 4 is your tightest day. Takayama morning, Shirakawa-go, then onward to Kanazawa is doable but doesn't leave much breathing room. If you can, consider staying a second night in Takayama and doing Shirakawa-go as a morning loop before heading to Kanazawa fresh. But if you're set on the current plan, just keep Takayama morning short.
For Hiroshima and Miyajima, I'd lean toward the overnight. Doing both as a Kyoto day trip is a lot of train time for what you get. One night on Miyajima itself is pretty special if you can swing it.
For the Fuji day trip early on, keep an eye on isfujivisible.com a few days before and grab whichever day looks clearest. Kawaguchiko is the easier bet from Tokyo, about 2 hours by highway bus from Shinjuku.
Thank you very much! I will take this into consideration and thanks for the website. Very useful.
you are welcome! good luck!
7 nights in Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Himeji, Hiroshima&Miyajima, onsen town is rushed. What month are you going? I would skip the onsen town if it’s one of the 6 hotter months as onsens are less enjoyable in warm weather.
Going on march. Okey. Probably Nara can be half day instead of a full one. Same with Osaka? What would you suggest?
I personally enjoyed Osaka (stayed there for 5 nights) but I would recommend 2 nights for the average tourist.
Reasons I stayed long in Osaka: had a friend there, spent a full day at Universal Studios, back in 2023 there was the 2 day amazing Osaka pass for 3,500 Yen (I got on half a dozen boat rides + Osaka castle + 2 ferris wheel + metro transport included on this pass). Hotel room rates were so affordable: I stayed at Namba & Shinsaibashi in a 10m2 single room for ~US$35/night. Osaka is generally cheaper than Kyoto in terms of room rates, so if it were me, I would base myself in Osaka. Osaka is more lively than Kyoto at night.
I think onsen are still very relaxing in summer, especially if this is your only chance of experiencing it. OP should just do it the one day they don't already have plans for.
Apparently OP is going in March which is a cold month and ideal for onsen.
Decent first structure. But the Takayama and Kanazawa days are very packed. Also, a Mt Fuji day trip to either Kawaguchiko or Hakone is not worth it imo, unless you are spending at least 1-2 nights there. And for Hiroshima/Miyaijima, i would recommend 3D2N to fully cover both areas without any rush.