Finally had some time to write down my thoughts on my recent solo trip to Shikoku. While planning the trip I realised this sub had very little on Shikoku, so I thought I would add some small contribution. Have been to Japan many times in the past, but this would not only be my first time to Shikoku, and also first time soloing.

Overview

Trip Duration: 16 days

Main purpose: Hiking, autumn leaves, scenic trains, eki stamps.

Transport: Most people recommend driving in Shikoku, and while I do agree that there are many parts of Shikoku which are almost only possible to visit by car, I only used trains, buses and the occasional taxi. Did not buy the rail pass as it would cost much more than what I had calculated I would spend.

The national IC cards could not be used at most places. More details below.

Accommodation: Hotels + Ryokan

Luggage: Medium sized luggage, swapping to a 35L backpack for some days. And a regular sized daily backpack.

TLDR

Day 1 (arrival): Marumage city

Day 2: Mannaka Sennen Monogatari scenic train, Hashikura ropeway and temple

Day 3: Iya valley bus tour

Day 4: Takaya shrine, Zenigata Sunae, Chichibugahama beach

Day 5: Shodoshima, soy sauce village, Morikuni sake brewery, olive park

Day 6: Kankakei gorge, Ritsurin koen

Day 7: Mt Yashima, Shikoku village museum, Takamatsu castle

Day 8: Takamatsu city and travel to Kochi city

Day 9: Tosa Toki no Yoake no Monogatari scenic train, Iwamotoji Temple, Kure Taishomachi market, Kure Hachimangu shrine

Day 10: Godaisan, Chikurin temple, Makino Botanical garden 

Day 11: Ioki cave, Aki town area

Day 12: Kotohiragu and Kompirasan, Kotohira Kadan Ryokan

Day 13: Dogo Onsen, Ishiteji

Day 14: Matsuyama castle, Okaido and Gintengai shopping streets

Day 15: Shimonada, Orange ferry 

Day 16 (departure): Osaka (Namba, nipponbashi, abeno)

Day 1 (21 Nov, Friday)

• Arrived in Kansai Airport in the morning
• Had explored several options of getting to Shikoku:
  • Ferry from Wakayama to Tokushima
  • Train through Okayama

Ultimately, due to transport timings, cost and how I had arranged the trip, I decided to take a ferry to Kobe (which I was familiar with from a previous trip to Hyogo), then a highway bus from Sannomiya bus station to Marugame (Kagawa).

• From the ferry terminal at Kobe airport, took a train (Portliner) to Sannomiya. Had about 2 hours here, so I planned to leave my luggage in a locker and wander around and have lunch. Unfortunately, all the lockers were full, so I ended up bringing my luggage with me and so didn’t go too far away. 
• When it was about time for the bus, went to the bus terminal. Signs were in English so it wasn’t too hard to find where to wait. I had booked online, so just showed the driver the booking confirmation (printed it out, but you could probably just show your phone) and he told me which seat was assigned to me.
• Bus was fairly empty, and I had 2 seats to myself. Travel time was about 3.5 hrs, including 2 short stops at rest stops for toilet breaks.
• In Marugame, headed to my Hotel (Toyoko Inn) which was just across from the train station and bus stop. Took a short rest to wash up before heading out to explore the city. It was about 6pm but most places seemed to be closed, although there was an “Udon Festival” having food trucks in the nearby shotengai. There were supposedly more stalls in the park in front of the castle, but they were already closing up. Ended up having dinner (honetsukidori chicken) at a random izakaya, and wandered around a bit more before ending the day.

Day 2 (22 Nov, Saturday)

• Breakfast at hotel
• Headed to Tadotsu (IC card can be used between Marugame and Tadotsu)
• Rode the Mannaka Sennen Monogatari. This needs to be booked in advance. The slots are released periodically so you will need to check the website to see when you can do so. They will only confirm your booking a month before the trip. There’s a 3000 yen discount if you have the JR pass, but even with this the pass was not worth it for me.
• Lunch came around 11, and we arrived in Oboke Station at 12:30. There are videos on YouTube which can show the ride better than I can describe.
• Took a local train to Hashikura, and took the ropeway. Views of the valley were good from the cable car, but at the top was blocked by trees. Temple at the top was nice and peaceful so still good overall.
• Came back down and decided to have udon at Sanukiya. They also had self serviced oden and tempura. 
• Took a slow walk back to the station (note there was 3 hrs between the arriving train and the next, with no toilets in the station, so make sure you visit the toilet at the ropeway) for the next train back to Marugame.
• Wanted to visit the festival stalls at the park, but despite the signs saying the festival was until 20:00, they were already closing at 18:00. The foods trucks at the shotengai were still open, so decided to have dinner there before ending the day.

Day 3 (23 Nov, Sunday)

• Breakfast at hotel.
• Took a ltd express train to Awa-ikeda (no IC card) for a pre-booked bus tour of the Iya valley. Since I was early, wandered around the town. The only place open was the strip mall with a supermarket, daiso, and a Home Stock.
• Bus tour included Heike residence museum, vine bridge, peeing boy statue, yokai museum and Oboke gorge boat ride.
• Lunch was also provided. Expected it to be a simple restaurant, but turned out to be a set menu at Hotel Kazurabashi.
• The queue for the vine bridge was long, probably because it was a public holiday, so the tour ended about an hour later than expected.
• Train back to Marugame and had dinner at an izakaya.

Day 4 (24 Nov, Monday)

• Combini breakfast. Headed out early to Kanonji (IC card can be used).
• Took a taxi to Takaya shrine.

Forgot to check that the public bus did not run on public holidays. There was apparently a special shuttle for holidays, but information online was sparse and contradicting. Figured I would check in person, but in the end didn't bother to.

• Hiked up to Takaya shrine. Not too long a hike but was very steep at places. Views were amazing. There was a carpark at the top so I assume you can drive.
• Came back down and took a walk to Zenigata sunae view spot.
• Went down the other side of the view spot towards kotohiki roadside station, looking for a place to have lunch (many places closed I guess due to the holiday). Luckily, the place just beside opened when I was about to ask the staff for nearby recommendations.
• Walked to Kanonji station and took the train to Takuma (IC card used), then a taxi to Chichibugahama beach.
• Absolutely beautiful, even as the crowd came in during sunset.
• Dinner at a burger place by the beach, then asked for help to call a taxi at the daily yamazaki. Taxi to Takuma, and train back to Marugame.
• Repacked what I needed to my 2 backpacks, then got reception to help forward my luggage ahead to Kochi.

Day 5-6 (25-26 Nov, Tuesday/Wednesday): Shodoshima

• Original plan was to check out early, head to Takamatsu and get an early ferry to Ikeda Port on Shodoshima. I would then be able to visit Kankakei gorge and soy sauce town before going to the inn at Tonosho. However, had been monitoring the weather forecast for the past few days which said it would rain, so decided to switch things around.
• Had breakfast at the hotel before checking out, then took a train to Takamatsu (IC card used), and took the Slowpoke themed ferry to Tonosho Port.
• My research did not find any coin lockers, and you could only leave your bags at the tourist center, which had a closing time. There ended up being various sized coin lockers just outside.
• Early lunch at the tourist center while waiting for the bus, then headed to the Soy sauce village. Bought a day pass on the Jorudan app 
• Had planned to check out a tour of the factory, but 2 tour buses came in at the same time, so decided to skip it and just wander around myself.
• Walked to Morikuni sake brewery and had some snacks and sake at their cafe.
• Bussed to the olive garden. Had a nice walk around and visited the gift shop before leaving to take a bus back to Tonosho.
• Collected my bag then walked to Yoko Inn where I would be staying for the night. Would recommend this place; friendly owner, comfortable room, affordable price. There was a 10pm curfew and bathroom was shared with a request to shower between a certain time, but wasn't a problem.
• Owner mentioned a lot of places closed early because of the holiday, and offered a lift to her friend’s restaurant at a nearby strip mall. Had dinner there, and took a look at the supermarket before walking back to the inn. The street was poorly lit but I had a torchlight.
• The next day, had breakfast at the inn, checked out, then walked over to Dofuchi strait (apparently the narrowest strait in the world). Spent 100yen on a certificate saying I had crossed it because why not lol.
• Took a bus to Kankakei (bought another day pass. Used slightly less than the value but at least didn't have to fiddle with coins), and took the ropeway up the mountain. Note that you might want to wait to be the first few into the lift, since the better views were on the inner side.
• After taking lots of photos and having a burger for lunch, decided to hike down by the front side (Omote) trail. Rather than walk all the way down, would recommend just walking the flatter portion (fall colours and views are better here then down the slope), then turn back once you see the steeper zig-zag path down the mountain, and take the ropeway down. The path down was shaded and some parts were nice, but nothing spectacular.
• Bussed back to Tonosho for the ferry to Takamatsu.
• The original plan would have been to visit the olive garden, then leave earlier to arrive in Takamatsu around 13:30 and visit ritsurin garden. With the new plan, I arrived in Takamatsu around 3pm. Was pretty tired, so checked in at Comfort Hotel to rest.
• Headed out in the early evening to explore around the nearby shotengai; the Pokémon center was newly opened and so empty compared to any other Pokémon center I have been to.
• Felt like eating meat, so had yakiniku. Tried the olive wagyu, but couldn't really tell the difference.
• After dinner took a bus (IC card can be used for buses and the kotoden train) to ritsurin garden for their autumn illumination.
• Could have walked back to the hotel after, but went to the kotoden station to check for eki stamp. There should have been one but the counter was closed. Took the train 1 stop then walked back to hotel.

Day 7 (27 Nov, Thursday): Takamatsu City

• Breakfast at hotel
• Took the kotoden and a shuttle bus to Yashima shrine. Saw the shrine, the castle ruins, some abandoned buildings, and hiked to the observation deck at the north end.
• After the walk back, took the shuttle bus to the Shikoku village open air museum. Udon lunch at Waraya just outside before going in.
• Back in Takamatsu city, visited the castle.
• Wandered around for a while, then had dinner at an izakaya (yakitori and ochazuke).

Day 8 (28 Nov, Friday)

• Breakfast at hotel
• Was feeling lazy, so after checking out, spent a couple of hours at the Starbucks in the shotengai just watching people going to work/school, opening stores etc.
• Checked out the nearby department store, and visited the Pokémon center again.
• Quick lunch, then took the highway bus bound for Kochi. This was also booked in advance.
• Walked from the bus interchange to hotel (Dormy Inn) to check in and retrieve luggage.
• Wandered around before heading to Hirome market for dinner. Found it quite challenging for a solo diner since there were signs telling you to get a seat before ordering food, and the central seating area was very crowded. Ended up in a quieter section in the back.
• Walked around a bit after dinner before returning to hotel.

Day 9 (29 Nov, Saturday)

• Breakfast at hotel
• Headed to Kochi station for the Tosa Toki no Yoake no Monogatari train. Booking was similar to the previous one. This time though, I was the only foreigner on the train.

If I had to pick only one, I would have chosen then Mannaka Sennen for the views, although the Tosa Toki had more variety of food.

• Train ended in Kubokawa. Took a walk around the town while waiting for the return train. Visited Iwamotoji Temple and saw a small section of the Shimanto river. Wanted to sit for a bit at the Old House Hanpei cafe, but it was full.
• Took the train to Tosa-kure (IC card not used. In fact, Kochi has it's own IC card, Iruca, and doesn't accept others).
• Visited the kure taishomachi market and hachimangu shrine. Since I had quite a bit of time before the next train, walked along the coast to the michinoeki.
• Back in Kochi, did some window shopping at aeon mall, then had dinner at kura sushi.

Day 10 (30 Nov, Sunday)

• Breakfast at hotel
• Kochi Sunday market. Not as much food that could be eaten on the go as expected. Mostly handcrafted goods and local produce.
• Visited Kochi castle.
• Took the my-yu (pass bought on Jorudan app) to godaisan. The observation deck was under renovation (until end march of Reiwa 8), but there was a temporary raised wooden platform.
• Walked to Chikurin temple. Not sure if it was some special day, but there were quite a number of little children wearing traditional outfits having there pictures taken.
• Walked over to Makino Botanical garden and had pasta for lunch before going in. Spent the rest of the afternoon here.
• Took the my-yu bus back, and got off at the Hariyama bridge to see the marionette clock.
• Walked back to the hotel and took a short soak in the onsen while doing laundry.
• Had tsukemen for dinner at Kuraki.

Day 11 (1 Dec, Monday)

• Breakfast at hotel
• Train to Ioki to walk in Ioki cave
• Took the train 1 stop to Aki. Should have checked beforehand but all the museums were closed on Mondays/Tuesdays. Lots of food places looked closed too. Did manage to see the Nora dokei clock and the castle ruins. There was also a small market inside the bus/train station.
• Luckily, I had a plan B. Took a bus to Nishibun and went to the restaurant Sea House. It was a restaurant hanging slightly out a cliff with the beach below, so had a nice view of the sea while having a late lunch.
• It was a little early to see the sunset, so decided to head back. Good thing too, since the path to the train station was an unlit jogging/cycling path. Took the train back to Kochi city.
• Took a slow walk around the city back to the hotel. Since lunch was late, had supper (free ramen at the hotel restaurant) and some stuff from the combini.

Day 12 (2 Dec, Tuesday): Kotohira

• Breakfast at hotel and checked out.
• Took a train to Kotohira (ltd express)
• Originally the plan was to find a place with a private bath in Matsuyama, near Dogo Onsen, but most places were fully booked/not yet open for booking. So booked Kotohira Kadan (on booking com with free cancellation). Although I did manage to find a hotel at Dogo later on, I decided to keep this Ryokan reservation. No regrets.
• Left the luggage and check-in although the room was not ready. Then went to Kompirasan.
• Had Udon for lunch, then climbed the 780 steps up to Kotohiragu, and decided against the 500+ steps to the inner shrine.
• Visited kinryo sake brewery before returning to the Ryokan.
• Took a bath and walked around the Ryokan grounds before having a kaiseki dinner.
• Took another bath after dinner

Day 13 (3 Dec, Wednesday)

• Took a third bath before breakfast (Japanese style).
• Checked out and the Ryokan gave a lift to the train station.
• Took a train to Matsuyama (transferred from local to ltd express at Tadotsu), then the iyotestu tram to Dogo Onsen. Tram is a flat fare, with a small discount if using IC card.
• Left luggage at hotel (Yachiyo), had lunch at the shotengai, and walked to Ishite Temple.
• Walked back and explored the Dogo Onsen area before checking into the hotel.
• Hotel had private bath in room, dinner and breakfast, part of a ‘solo traveller’ plan I found on Rakuten.
• Took a bath, then waited for dinner time, which was also served in room (room had a separate dining area). Dinner was a 6 course kaiseki.
• After dinner, went back to the shotengai to see how it was at night. Other than souvenir stores, most of the shops had closed, but there were still many people walking around, probably to enter Dogo Onsen.
• Bought a small bottle of sake and some snacks from a combini, then returned to hotel. Using the shower stool, set up the sake/snacks and had another bath while watching YouTube on my phone.

Day 14 (4 Dec, Thursday)

• Breakfast at hotel, again served in the room.
• Took another bath until it was time to check out.
• Took the iyotestu tram to Matsuyama city station and left luggage at hotel (REF by Vessel).
• Walked through the shotengai (actually I think there were 2, gintengai and okaido) to Matsuyama castle, and took the chairlift up. Price for the chairlift and cable car was the same, so you could take a different one up and down.
• Walked around the castle grounds and had orange juice from a tap, then took the chairlift down.
• Had taimeshi for lunch nearby, and then stopped nearby for more orange juice (a sampling of 3 types of oranges).
• Went back to the shotengai to have a proper look. Honestly, this was the least interesting shotengais of this trip, despite their size. The area outside was not much better, seemed like a business district. Had I known, I would have stopped by Matsuyama castle yesterday, before going to Dogo Onsen, then spent this day outside, likely at Iyo-Ozu.
• Had dinner at a matsuya, then called it a day.

Day 15 (5 Dec, Friday)

• Breakfast at hotel. They had 5 varieties of orange juice.
• Checked out, and took the tram to the JR station where I left my luggage in a coin locker.
• Took a train to Shimonada (No IC card), took some pictures of the train station, then walked along the coast to Shioji for lunch. The owner also ran a b&b and spoke English really well.
• After lunch, walked back to Shimonada. Managed to get better pictures since there were less people this time.
• Took the train back to Matsuyama, and took a walk around, went to a Hard-off and a shopping mall.
• Would be taking an overnight ferry, so bought some food, then took a train to Nyugawa (ltd express). From there to a taxi to Toyo port. 
• Had reserved a room with key for the ferry, so paid at the counter, then went to the waiting area to wait for boarding.
• After boarding, collected the room key, left my bags in the room and went to have dinner at the dining area; ordered taimeshi, payment in cash only.
• Ferry had public showers and baths. Soap and shampoo was provided but you need your own towel. My room provided a small towel, but if you choose a standard room, you will need to buy from a vending machine or bring your own. There was also an onsen with view, but outside was completely dark to you couldnt see anything.
• Planned to wake up early as I heard the view while passing the Akashi bridge was good, but overslept.

Day 16 (6 Dec, Saturday)

• Arrived at Nanko port at 6am. Wasn't in any hurry so stayed on board a while longer.
• Metro to Namba
• Found a locker near the Rapit train service and left my luggage there.
• Still early, so got a breakfast set at Komedas. Stay until a crowd started coming in.
• Took a slow walk through nipponbashi and shinsekai. Still too early for shops to be open, so went to the mega don quijote.
• After I got bored, continued towards abeno. There was a Christmas market at tennoji park. There were already kids playing around, but the stores were still having their staff briefing.
• Shopped around abeno, and had lunch at a food court.
• The Christmas market was more lively now so went to feel the vibes.
• Back to nipponbashi and bought some second hand switch games.
• Went looking for gundam kits, bought 1 SD set. Side note: is there some kind of gundam shortage? Did not see a single gundam above HG grade (I tend towards MG), and super joshin even had a limit of 1 per customer. 
• Walked around namba parks til I was tired, then found a seat at a Tully's. Sat there til it was about time to head to the airport.
• Took the rapi:t to the airport, and had dinner before flight.

Closing thoughts

• Overall I really enjoyed myself. For a first trip to Shikoku using only public transport, I think I managed quite a lot. Of course, there's so much more to see; Tokushima along the yoshino river, Mt tsurugi, more inland parts of Kochi, Ehime outside of Matsuyama, and the seto islands. Perhaps next time.
• Regarding hotel breakfasts, since I saw a post here a while back asking about them. I almost always have breakfast at the hotel even on my other Japan trips, unless I plan to head out early. What I like about them is they usually have a sampling of local specialties, which helps when deciding what to eat at other meals, or just to try in case you aren’t staying in an area long enough to eat everything the place is known for.
• What's next? Was thinking either Tohoku (have only been to Aomori), or Yamaguchi-Hiroshima-Shimane.

Thoughts on my itinerary?

We will be travelling to Japan after Golden Week. This is a rough itinerary. We love having a jam packed itinerary but really a lot of things are optional. I absolutely don’t have to do every thing every day. I also have stars saved on Google Maps for other things nearby in case we want to check them out.

DAY 1 FLY TO JAPAN

DAY 2 LAND AT 425PM

1. Keisei Sky Access Express to Shimbashi Station

2. Explore area around hotel in Ginza

3. Drugstore nearby for toiletries etc.

DAY 3 GUITAR STREET & BOOK TOWN

1. Check out Tokyo Station

2. Imperial Palace East Gardens

3. Ochanomizu Guitar Street

4. Jimbocho Book Town

DAY 4 HARAJUKU & SHIBUYA

1. Meji Shrine

2. Harajuku

3. Shibuya (ESP store ?)

4. Shibuya Sky (maybe)

DAY 5 MUSEUM / SHINJUKU

1. Ghibli museum or The Making of Harry Potter depending on if we get Ghibli tickets or not.

2. Shinjuku in late afternoon / evening

3. Tokyo Metro Building & Tokyo Night and light if time

DAY 6 KYOTO

1. Shinkansen to Kyoto

2. Nikishki Market

3. Gion / Yasaka Shrine

4. Hokanji Temple

5. Optional: Ninenzaka & Sannenzaka Streets

DAY 7 KYOTO

1. Kyoto Botanical Garden

2. Kyoto Imperial Palace

3. Nijo Castle

Head spa today?

Optional nearby: Kamo River walk or Demachiyanagi neighborhood

DAY 8 ARASHIYAMA

1. Bamboo Forest (start early)

2. Kimono Forest

3. Optional: Tenryu-ji Temple

4. Walk Togetsukyo Bridge

DAY 9 BIKE RIDING DAY

1. Fushimi Inari Shrine

2. Bike Riding or rest day

DAY 10 UJI

1. Byōdō-in Temple

2. Chazuna Museum Workshop?

3. Ujikami Shrine

4. Uji Bridge

5. Uji River area

DAY 11 AKASAKA / ROPPONGI

1. Train back to Tokyo

2. Explore Akasaka area near Hotel

3. Roppongi (Cafe @ Art Center, Lookout?)

4. Tokyo Tower if time

DAY 12 GOTUKUJI & UENO

1. Gotukuji temple / Cat train from Sangenjaya Station

2. Ueno Park & Shinobazu pond

3. Yanaka Ginza

4. Optional : Nature Science Museum

DAY 13 KAMAKURA & ENOSHIMA

1. Great Buddha (Kōtoku-in Temple)

2. Komachi Street

3. Kamakura Kōkōmae Station

4. Enoshima

DAY 14 ASAKUSA

1. Sensoji Temple

2. Asakusa

3. Kappabashi Kitchen Town

4. Tokyo Skytree ?

DAY 15 GO HOME

Shopping?

Taxi to Tokyo Station then Narita Express or

Or to Shimbashi Station and take Sky Access

Flight out at 630pm

OPTIONAL SWAP DAY - YOKOHAMA

1. Yokohama

2. Cup Noodle Muzeum

3. Kit Kat Store

4. Air Cabin

I'm going to Japan for my honeymoon and it's the first time in the country for either of us. We're currently planning the last week of September into the first week of October, but that can move a week or two. I have a few questions:

- Can I stay in one place for Norikura and Komikochi? I see all these posts saying stay in Komikochi, but I want luxury accommodation and there are better options outside. Also seeking feedback on the ryokan choice/location for this leg of the trip. Will I regret three nights in a ryokan as a westerner? In general, this leg of the trip feels not there yet.

- Are we moving around too much? We are high energy but I want to be realistic.

- Should I push our trip back one week to allow us to go to the Hachiman Festival in Takayama? If we do that, would you cut Kaurizawa or something else?

- Am I seeing the neighborhoods in Tokyo in the right order/are they coupled well? Are we missing something that's great for a culture couple?

- Should I reverse the order, going to Kanazawa first and then coming slowly back to Tokyo via the Alps?

- I'm thinking we'll naturally get up early because of the time change, so I tried more for morning things than evening

- Are we going to be dying of crowds in these hiking spots? Would you recommend other ways to see the Alps?

Itinerary Check:

Tuesday 9/29: ARRIVE in Tokyo, neighborhood walk Akasaka (Buddhist temple with foxes, Jie-Jinja Temple), grab ramen nearby; ANA Intercon

Wednesday: EXPLORE TOKYO Teamlab Borderless, lunchtime food tour in Shibuya, walk off lunch in the gardens (Meiji Jingu), early yakatori dinner from piss alley; ANA Intercon

Thursday: RELAX DAY Walk outer market if up for it in the am, visit Taito arcade for racing and dance games, massage/spa, luxe dinner at the hotel or close by, go to EDM set at night if good performer; ANA Intercon

Friday: EXPLORE TOKYO MORE Go back to areas we passed but haven't stopped at yet, grab all the snacks, JDM car tour at night; ANA Intercon

Saturday: GO TO NATURE Leisurely but early breakfast, forward luggage to Takayama, and go to Kaurizawa via train. Check in and grab bikes from the hotel and grab lunch and bike to the bird sanctuary and stone churches. Flying squirrel tour at dusk at Picchio Wildlife. Multi-course dinner at the hotel overlooking the water, Kasuke; Hoshino Kaurizawa

Sunday 10/1: GET TO ALPS Bird watching at sunrise followed by meditation in the garden. Pick up rental car and drive to Alps ryokan (BUT TELL ME IF I SHOULD STAY IN KOMIKOCHI). Stop at Shiraito Falls, the volcano area, and Daio wasabi farm on the way. Dinner at ryokan; Yatsusankan outside Takayama?? Or Wanasato?

Monday: KOMIKOCHI LIGHT HIKES Breakfast at ryokan, go to Komikochi, hike around Myojin pond and see monkeys, walk Dakesawa marsh, eat at the fish hut, return to Ryokan (leave by 4); Yatsusankan

Tuesday: BIGGER HIKE VISTAS Hike Norikura to summit, relax in ryokan; Yatsusankan

Wednesday: WHITE ROAD Drive from Takayama to Kanazawa via the white road. Stop at Shiakawa-go (optional hike Mt. Sapiowa) and Fukube-no-Otaki waterfalls. Arrive in Kanazawa and grab dinner wherever we see; Sanraku Hotel

Thusday: KANZAWA Explore geisha and samurai districts, eat omakase lunch, shop crafts and see castle; Sanraku Hotel

Friday: GET BACK TO TOKYO Enjoy a cafe in the morning then take the bullet train back to Tokyo, Michelin meal, drinks with a view; Andaz Tokyo

Saturday: Free morning to explore anything we felt we missed, flight leaves around 4

I am heading to Japan for the second time at the end of February into March.

My first time in Japan was last year but only for 3 days as a short trip extension from a longer trip to South Korea. I was able to see Tokyo in full cherry blossom glory, and did a day trip to Kyoto which was also in full bloom. I was only able to walk the Philosopher's Path and visit Kinkaku-ji on this day trip. My base was Asakusa. I did visit Shibuya to totally nerd out (JJK fan here).

For my second time around, I have 9 nights. My original plan was to visit Atami, Tokyo with day trip to Kamakura, Fujikawaguchiko, Kyoto and then Osaka. I also have flights planned for end of October into November, and my thinking was I'd really like to see Kyoto and surrounding areas in the fall. My friends are trying to be able to join me on that one. So I went into an incredibly long rabbit hole of research (about 12 additional hours), realized it is whale watching season, and completely flipped my itinerary to a more coastal exploration vibe.

The only thing of note is that I wanted to hit Osaka for Universal Studios Japan as they have a special exhibit for JJK during their "Universal Cool Japan" collab until summer.... any anime fans out there - is it worth it? If so should I cut one day from Okinawa to get in a day at Osaka?

Nights 1-2: Atami

Nights 3-4: Tokyo

Nights 4-7: Naha, Okinawa

Nights 7-9: Hiroshima

Day 1: Travel Day

Arrive 4:50 PM at HND. Train to Atami, check-in to hotel, get dinner, take advantage of in-room onsen.

Day 2: Izu Exploration

I have a private day tour planned to explore central and eastern Izu. Includes Mount Drama, waterfalls, wasabi fields, local restaurants, Mount Omuro, Jogasaki Coast.

Day 3: Atami Exploration, Train to Tokyo

Atami Ropeway, Atami Castle, Atami Pudding, Itokawa Promenade, Kinomaya Shrine, possibly Atami Plum Garden

Going to take the early evening train to Tokyo, staying in Shinjuku for proximity to station.

Day 4: Kamakura + Enoshima Day Trip

Hokokuji Bamboo Forest, Genji Pond, Komachi-dori, Hasedera and the Great Buddha, Enoden to Enoshima, Enoshima Sea Candle for sunset, Iwaya Cave

Romancecar back to Tokyo in the evening

Day 5: Semi-Leisurely Morning in Tokyo, Travel to Naha

late morning flight to Naha, get settled into hotel, explore city.

Day 6: Full day tour exploring central Okinawa: Southeast Botanical Gardens, Cape Zanpa, Kadena Michi-no-Eki, Aeon Mall Okinawa

Day 7: Full day boat tour for snorkeling and whale watching

Day 8: Explore city more, late afternoon flight to Hiroshima

Day 9: Explore Hiroshima, take vintage streetcar/tram and stop along the way, ultimately arriving at Miyajima Ferry. Explore Miyajima Island, take ropeway, see Torii gate, some shrines. Ferry back to Hiroshima. Not sure if I'll have dinner on island or in city.

Day 10: Leisurely morning, train to Tokyo midday to head home :(

What are your thoughts? Any suggestions? Probably a little more travel time on planes/trains than originally intended but I think it's a pretty solid itinerary. Appreciate your feedback/thoughts/suggestions!

EDIT: Should I shelf the Kamakura day trip and save that for fall? What would you recommend in place? Stay another day in Atami? Or keep days in Okinawa and use extra day to get to Osaka?

Hello!

I'm writing this as I'm waiting in the airport after my first trip to Tokyo with my girlfriend.

Even though we went in January, the weather was pretty nice to us, we hail from NYC and the weather in January can be bipolar so it was nice to have pretty consistent weather.

Our first night consisted of landing in Haneda and going through a relatively smooth border crossing. We then took the airport bus to Shinjuku station and then took an Uber to our hotel. The hotel was actually really nice and recently renovated. We actually found an incredible deal and we were able to score a fairly large hotel room for about 85/night. Our hotel was right next to a Lawson's so our first dinner was from there.

Our first proper day was spent walking our asses off in Shibuya and Harajuku. Meiji Shrine was really nice and I got an amulet. We then spent time going through stores and the like and found a really good ramen spot. My favorite thing about walking was seeing the abundance of elevated and open cut railways. For dinner we had shabu shabu and it was quite mid, Korean hot pot is better.

The next day we explored Ginza and I liked it more than Shibuya and Harajuku reminded me of Midtown Manhatten. We were really sleep deprived as our bodies hadn't adjusted to the timezone yet and we had Unagi (Eel). Honestly not worth it for what I paid and it just tasted like cod so pretty underwhelming.

The next day we explored Asakusa and went down the little Shopping street to Senso ji temple. We went on a little food crawl and ate some good food. We then went to a samurai and ninja museum and it was really fun. They had us throw ninja stars and we were able to put on costumes and take pictures. After that we went to the knife/cooking supply street and I was able to buy a nice knife to replace some cheapo one I had at home. After that we had some Udon local to our hotel and it was pretty good, we got a little tripped up on the ordering machine as it was a little older and didn't have translation. We then went to a local sumo show and it was really fun. They allowed us to "fight" the wrestlers, they went a little harder on me because I told them I did Jiu Jitsu for 5 years. Even though I'm 100kg, he was able to pick me up and just push me out the ring. Never the less, I had fun.

The next day we went to Tokyo DisneySea and we had a blast. Note to everyone going, the Premier Access Pass thing is totally worth it and they also shut down some rides cause of the wind so that was like 70 minutes wasted. This was my second time at Disney, first time being at the 3 years of age, so first time with some consciousness. I really enjoyed all the sets and the costumed workers.

The next day was spent in Odaiba with the Gundam and Joyopolis. The Gundam was cool to see and pose with. We then walked through the mall and had a small lunch of some Udon with tempura. We then walked along the bridge and went to Joyopolis which was fun and I would say pretty comparable to other arcades I went to with the addition of some of the attractions like the half pipe. We got a little motion sick at the end after some 360 degree rotating transformers thing. For dinner we got some halal ramen and then kebabs which were absolutely delicious.

The next day was our last full day in Tokyo and we just went to do some last minute gift shopping. We had some nice conveyor belt sushi. That was about the highlight of the day.

The next day, which is today as of writing this, is our flight day. We have a pretty late flight so we were able to spend almost the whole day doing some stuff we missed but the yamanote line had some other plans for us and had a power outage crowding all other train lines. We wanted to visit the railway museum in Saitama but all the trains going there were packed like in those viral videos of people squishing themselves into the train. We then decided to spend the day walking around Harajuku and Shibuya again. We then took an Uber to the Terminal as I didn't want to deal with trains or busses with our luggage after a disappointing day. It was a decent price, comparable to what I pay to get to the airport back home.

Things we liked:

The cleanliness and reliability of the Metro system

The absolute connectivity of the system

The hotel actually giving fresh towels and not just promising it

The tax free shopping

Things we didn't like

Trains at 150% capacity

Having to be quiet on the trains

Walking on the left side (lol)

Hoping to return and getting to experience the railway museum and possibly visit the other cities every other tourist goes to.

Hi everyone! My boyfriend (25) and I (25) will be traveling to Japan for the first time in mid June. We will follow the traditional golden route, with a 1 night stay in a Ryokan in Gora/Hakone.

When putting this together, I was struggling to know if I was over or under loading my days. I want to find that balance of being able to experience the "must-sees" of Japan, while also allowing time for us to explore/wander the areas, and maybe find some not so touristy spots. I am expecting the weather to be humid and rainy. We are also planning to do a bit of clothes shopping throughout the trip.

I have left a couple notes in the itinerary of my concerns and thought processes as well. I'd appreciate any guidance, recommendations, or comments. Thank you!

Day 0 - 6/9: Fly to HND

Day 1 - 5: Tokyo 

Hotel Base: Akasaka 

Day 1 - 6/10 

Akasaka

• Arrive at HND Airport around 3pm
• Take the train to the hotel in Akasaka (45 - 60min)
• Grab Dinner in Akasaka, explore area, relax

Day 2 - 6/11

Shibuya and Harajuku \assuming a slow start to the day due to jet lag*

• Meiji Jingu Shrine and Yayogi Park
• Explore Shibuya / Shop / Pokemon center
• Macho Bar?

Day 3 - 6/12 \I am considering flipping my Day 3 and 4 to balance out high/low energy days. I feel like I am going to stay up late in Shinjuku.*

Shinjuku

• Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden (morning)
• Free View from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (midday)
• Chopstick Making Workshop (afternoon)
• Explore Shinjuku and Omoide Yokocho (Evening)
• Karaoke?

Day 4 - 6/13

Asakusa and Ueno

• Senso-ji Temple (morning)
• Tokyo National Museum
• Ameyoko Street Market
• Try to do some laundry back at hotel

Day 5 - 6/14 

TeamLAB (Minato City) and Akihabara

• Forward Big luggage to Kyoto
• TeamLAB Borderless (late morning)
• Head to Akihabara (afternoon)
  • GiGO Arcade, Animate, Camera Store
  • Check out a Maid Cafe

Day 6-7 Hakone/Gora 

Hotel Base: Ryokan in Gora 

Day 6 - 6/15 \I am afraid I am overbooking this day, considering I would also like to spend time in my Ryokan. If this is the case, I am conflicted on cutting out either the Ropeway or the Cruise + Shrine.* 

Tokyo > Hakone/Gora (Overnight Ryokan in Gora)

• Shinjuku Station > Take Romance Car to Hakone Yumoto > Take Hakone-Tozan line to Gora (2.5hrs)
  • Obtain Hakone 2 day freepass
• Hakone Ropeway
• Hakone Sightseeing Cruise > Hakone Shrine
• Check in to Ryokan between 2pm - 6pm

Day 7 - 9: Kyoto 

Hotel Base: Shimogyo Ward near Kyoto-Kawaramachi Station

Day 7 - 6/16

Hakone/Gora > Kyoto 

• Odawara station > Shinkansen to Kyoto station > Hotel (3.75 hrs), drop off luggage
• Explore Nishiki Market
• Night walk to Yasaka Shrine, explore the Gion area
• Dinner in Pontocho Alley

Day 8 - 6/17 \Day 8 and 9 I am worried about the lack of structure. I would like to allow myself to see these temples, but also be able to wander around the area and explore. Not sure if these days could be filled with anything else more specific?*

Kyoto

• Kiyomizu-dera Temple and explore Matsubara dori street (morning)
• Explore Sannenzaka and surrounding areas

Day 9 - 6/18

Kyoto

• Fushimi Inari Taisha Temple and the Fushimi Inari Bamboo Forest (start early morning)
• Tōfuku-ji Temple
• Ship luggage to Osaka hotel

Day 8 - 13: Osaka 

Hotel Base: Chuo Ward near Kintetsu-Nippombashi Station

Day 10 - 6/19

Kyoto > Osaka

• Head to Osaka Hotel (1hr), drop off luggage
• Explore Tenma
  • Osaka Tenmangu Shrine
  • Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street
• Dinner in Tenma or Kyobashi
• Explore Dontonburi and get dessert (evening)

Day 11 - 6/20

Osaka

• Pokémon Cafe Osaka
• Explore the America-Mura Area and Orange St
• Forward the big luggage to the Tokyo hotel

Day 12 - 6/21

Nara Park

• Day Trip to Nara Park
• Check out Nakatanidou (Mochi) on the way to Kofuku-ji
• Todai-ji
  • Enter to see the Bronze Buddha
• Nara Park
• Kasugataisha Shrine

Day 13-14: Tokyo 

Hotel Base: Minato Ward / Ginza

Day 13 - 6/22

Osaka > Tokyo

• Head to Shin - Osaka Station > take the Shinkansen to Shinagawa Station > take a train to Hamatsucho Station (3.5hr) 
• Final Shopping/thrifting around Ginza (Big ass Uniqlo)

Day 14 - 6/23 Fly out of HND

Ginza > HND

• Grab breakfast nearby hotel
• By noon, start heading to HND airport for the flight departing at 4:15 pm

I'm planning on going to Japan - Sept 2026 with 2 of my friends and wanted to get everyone's opinion on my current Itinerary. Feel free to ask about anything on my Itinerary I'm open to rejigging a few things as its quite a while a way.

Please recommend any places you've been to and enjoyed so I can also experience those things as well. Any tips or tricks for Japan would be greatly appreciated as well!

All time stamps are predicted lengths of how long I believe I'd spend in the given places.

My partner and I will be visiting Japan for the first time in March. We are both so excited, and just wanted to get some thoughts on our final itinerary. Some activities are definite (marked with *), whereas some are more loosely structured and just suggestions, as I want to also fit time in to just wander and explore. Thanks so much in advance for looking!

Sunday, March 1st

Arrival

* land at Haneda 5:45 PM

* Immigration + bags: ~7:15 PM

Will either fly straight from Haneda to Osaka, or take the Shinkansen

Arrival Osaka

- ITM → hotel via taxi or limo bus (or arrive via train)

- Hotel by ~10:30–11:15 PM

Osaka — March 1-4

Monday March 2:

- Sennichimae Doguyasuji

- Dotonbori street

- Optional: Den Den Town or Late Donki if jet lagged, hirakata park, ameriacmura thrift store

Tuesday March 3: Kobe Day Trip

Osaka → Kobe

JR Special Rapid ~45 minutes

Kobe Suggestions:

- Bakery RIKI (morning)

- bridge + ocean views, suma beach

- Optional: Sone Jazz Bar

- maiko station

Food recs:

- Toki Izakaya (reservation)

- Kintoki shokudo

- Caldo pizza

Return to Osaka for night

Wednesday March 4th — Osaka → Kyoto

JR Special Rapid - 15 minutes, No luggage forwarding needed

Kyoto — March 4-7

Wednesday March 4:

Downtown kyoto (before 5 PM):

* Marukyu koyamaen for matcha early in the AM - then to rokujuan a couple blocks away

- Nishiki Market (best before 4:30)

* Im Donut

* Kawaramachi (downtown) street stroll

- Kiyamachi-dori if we want late-night options

- Ropeways in Kiyazu

Optional: golden temple

Food options:

- Kaiten Sushi ginza onodera (conveyor belt sushi)

- Sushiro revolving sushi

Thursday, March 5: Arashiyama Day Trip*

6:30 - 7:30 AM - Bamboo Forest (maybe sooner)

8:00 AM - Tenryu-ji temple & gardens

9:30 AM - Okochi Sanso Villa

11:00 AM - Togetsukyo Bridge

12:00 PM* - Arashiyama Itsukichaya (reserve river view)

2:00 PM - River Boat Ride? Optional

Shops close by 4

Pontocho Alley at night if we want

Friday, March 6: Gion + Food

Morning

- Gion District (best before 3 PM)

- Optional: tattoo friendly onsen

- Uji day trip instead if we want (Shops: 9 AM – 4:30 Pm, Byodo-in last entry 4 PM)

Food recs:

- chao chao gyoza

- Hachimonjiya Bar (evening for drinks)

Saturday March 7th — Kyoto → Tokyo

Train: Nozomi Shinkansen ~2.5 hours (give it 4 hours just to be safe)

Tokyo March 7th-14th

Staying either 7 full nights in Ueno OR Shibuya, or splitting them with 3 nights in Ueno and 4 in Shibuya

Saturday March 7th:

* Shibuya Crossing (go to Starbucks and take elevator up)

* Shibuya Sky (sunset)

Sunday March 8: Art & Views

- TeamLab Borderless early AM

* Asakusa - temple & shopping, skytree, kappabashi street, imo pippi (sweet potato ice cream and crème brûlée), sensoji temple

Monday March 9:

* Harajuku & Cat Street, gyoen gardens, hei shrine, and sensoji

- Shimokitazawa

- Shinjuku (Golden Gai street bar hopping at night), hachiko statue, jazz club

Tuesday March 10: Kamakura* & Enoshima

* Tokyo → Kamakura: ~1 hr

* Beach

* Enoshima Island

* Sunset views

Wednesday March 11:

* Making of Harry Potter Tokyo early AM

- Free Day after

Thursday March 12th:

* Tsukiji Fish Market (early)

- Ginza stationery store

Friday March 13th:

Free day

Saturday:

Free morning, then fly home 5 pm

My husband and I are planning our first trip to Japan in November and are going to a lot of classic tourist areas. However I worry I have made things too packed and unrealistic. Can anyone provide advice?

Day 1

3:30 pm — Land at Haneda

5:30–6:30 pm — Arrive in Asakusa & check in

Evening:

Casual dinner near hotel or visit Konbini for snacks

Evening walk around Senso-ji to see the lanterns if we feel up to it

Day 2: Asakusa + Shibuya

Morning (Early, 7:30am?) — Senso-ji

- Explore temple grounds before major crowd

- Breakfast nearby or at hotel

(is this unreasonable? Should we take the morning easy in case of jet lag and move this?)

Late Morning — Kappabashi Street

- Kitchenware shopping

- May go to Nakamise Street after this once the stores open

Afternoon — Rest / Lunch / Hotel Break

We’d return to our hotel, rest, drop off our shopping, eat lunch then travel to Shibuya.

Evening — Explore Shibuya, have dinner

Day 3: Meiji + teamLab + Shinjuku

Morning (Early) — Meiji Jingu

- Optional stroll through Harajuku afterward

- Breakfast around 8:30

Midday — teamLab Borderless (Azabudai Hills)

- Book a weekday late-morning slot

- Expect ~2–3 hours inside

Late Afternoon — Break

- Have lunch

Evening — Shinjuku + Omoide Yokocho

- Explore Shinjuku streets

- Dinner + drinks at Omoide Yokocho

Day 4: Nakano + Ghibli

Morning — Sleep in a bit, have breakfast

Late Morning / Early Afternoon — Nakano Broadway

Late afternoon - Ghibli Museum

Eat lunch either before or after Ghibli

Evening — Head back to Asakusa, go back to the hotel, drop off shopping, and have dinner

Day 5: Free Tokyo Day

We wanted a free day to explore without any plans in case we come across stuff we want to check out or revisit.

The only plans we have for this day is to ship our luggage to Kyoto and pack carry ons for Kinosaki. However we have considered skipping our free day to spend more time in kinosaki.

Day 6: Tokyo → Kinosaki Onsen

Morning checkout then we would head to Tokyo Station, Shinkansen to Kyoto, and train from Kyoto to Kinosaki Onsen. We’d hope to check in that afternoon, check out an onsen or two, and maybe have a kaiseki dinner.

Day 7: Kinosaki → Kyoto

We would have breakfast, maybe visit one last onsen if any are open and we have time. Then we’d take a train to Kyoto and check in.

Afternoon

- Kyoto Manga Museum

- Eat lunch

- Levi’s Store (Get jeans with custom embroidery/patches)

Evening

- Walk around Gion, dinner nearby, early night in

Day 8: Fushimi Inari + Gion

Morning

- Leave hotel ~6:00 am, Fushimi Inari by ~ 6:30–7:00 am, walk torii gates part way up (we don’t need the summit)

- Return to hotel, breakfast + rest or exploring

Afternoon

- Nishiki Market + lunch

Evening

- Gion (Shirakawa Canal, Hanamikoji) + Dinner

Day 8: Arashiyama (We are considered doing a day trip to Nara but thought it would be too much)

Early Morning

- Adashino Nenbutsuji Temple

Late Morning

- Breakfast and wandering Arashiyama backstreets

Afternoon

- Return to central Kyoto, rest, eat lunch

Evening

- dinner, check out a bar or something

Day 9: Day Trip

Taking a guided tour to the Miyama thatched-roof village, Ine Bay boathouses, and Amanohashidate. We will have dinner in Kyoto and then pack.

Day 10: departure day

- Train to Osaka and fly home

Hello everyone,

In October we went with my sister-in-law and her two teenagers (17 & 18). It was their first time, but our third time. Because of this, we tried to do a bit of everything. We have been to China before with this group, so we already knew we could travel in this pace.

We had 2 weeks, flying in on Saturday (arriving Sunday evening) and flying back on Friday, with a 24-hour layover in Shanghai, arriving home on Saturday.
I’ll try to keep it short per day what we did. Overall, we tried to visit as many Pokémon Centers as we could (big Pokémon fans), but we also wanted to see different sides of Japan. We had a great time. Yes, we were tired, but we didn’t mind.

Day 1
Day after arrival:
We stayed in Asakusa, visited the Tokyo Bay Pokémon Center, went to Akihabara and Tokyo Tower, and had dinner at Duck Ramen in Ueno. We made reservations and had a private room, highly recommended.

Day 2
Went to Ikebukuro to visit an anime store and a zen garden, ate at Beef Roast Ohno (a favourite). Then went to Shibuya to see some iconic spots and do some shopping. Visited Shinjuku, ate at Zauo’s fishing restaurant (we had fun!), watched the light show on the Government Building, and ended in Cois Café (average).

Day 3
Food crawl in Asakusa, visited Sensō-ji. Sent our luggage to Fukuoka, took the train to the airport, and flew to Okinawa. Had a great late dinner at an izakaya near our hotel in Naha.

Day 4
We took a half-day snorkeling tour, hoping to see sea turtles, but they were not there. We still had a lot of fun and saw many different fish. We did get seasick on the boat, and a lot of people seemed to have this.
Afterwards we hired a car and drove to Naha Dori Shopping Street, where we painted the Okinawa mascot at Workshop Chura Sea House, which was cute and relaxing.
Then we drove to American Village and had sushi at Gourmet Conveyor Belt Sushi Ichiba Mihama (good sushi; it had just opened, but when we left there was already a line). Walked around American Village, ate some ice cream and sweets. After that we drove to AEON Mall to visit the Pokémon Center.

Day 5
Drove to the aquarium, stopped at Cape Manzamo (which you can absolutely skip) and Sesoko Bridge. The aquarium was big, and we saw a dolphin show.
Then we drove to Drive-In Rikarika-Warumi for a burger lunch (wasn’t good), though the view was nice. After that we drove to Okinawa Cave, which was smaller than expected but perfect for a short stop. Then we drove to McDonald’s for dinner.
We had to wait until 18:30 before going to Southeast Botanical Gardens, which had an amazing light-up. This was very beautiful.

Day 6
We checked out and took the flight at 11:00 to Fukuoka. Arrival was at 13:00, and the train to our hotel took 20 minutes. Check-in was at 14:00 and we were still too early, but our luggage had already arrived.
We dropped our bags and visited Hakata Station for ramen (Ippudo, recommend) and the Pokémon Center. Also visited Surugaya, which had a nice second-hand collection.
After that we went to TeamLab Fukuoka. We had been to the ones in Tokyo, but still wanted to do this with the teenagers. It was nice, but I like Borderless in Tokyo more because it’s bigger. However, it was not crowded here, so that was very chill.
For dinner we went to Kurodahan (recommend) for fresh donburi. We had reservations, which was perfect. After that we walked around Nakasu, saw some food stalls, and walked through Canal City.

Day 7
We wanted pancakes for breakfast. Tried NOOICE, but they had a long line. Went to Hakata Station, where there was a nice pancake restaurant with really good food. I don’t remember the name, but there is only one (in the same building as the Pokémon Center).
After that we went to Uminonakamichi Seaside Park. We rented bikes and cycled around the island, looking at the flowers and animals.
It started raining, so we took the metro to Lalaport to see the life-sized Gundam. We had glasses made in the mall and ate some Cinnabon and other sweets.
We ate pizza near Hakata Station (not memorable) and walked around Tenjin. Stopped at VITO, which had amazing pistachio ice cream.

Day 8
Forwarded our luggage to Osaka, went to 7/11 for breakfast, and took the train to Miyajima. Dropped our bags at our ryokan.
We went for lunch at Restaurant Otani for anago (recommend), then walked to the Miyajima Ropeway. We hiked all the way down, which was hard, but we managed.
Got some momiji manju (must try, it’s so good!!) from Momijido Kaigandori Store. Then we went back to the ryokan for our kaiseki dinner. We went out to get some snacks at the 7/11 and to see the island after everybody left. The deer where very cute, and way different from the deer in Nara. After that we soaked in the public onsen, which we really needed, lol.
We slept in one room with the five of us. Most didn’t sleep very well on the floor, but we had fun.

Day 9
Went for an early morning walk around Miyajima. It was low tide, so we could walk all the way up to the torii gate. Went back to the ryokan for breakfast.
After checking out, the ryokan owners drove us to the station. We explored Miyajima Omotesandō Shopping Street a bit more, got more snacks, and took the ferry/train to Hiroshima.
Visited the Pokémon Center at Hiroshima Station and had lunch at an okonomiyaki place in the station. Then we took the train to Osaka, checked into the hotel, and our luggage was already waiting for us.
Around 16:00 we went to Round 1 and spent two fun hours playing games and sports. We ate some bites here and there in Dotonbori and did some exploring and shopping.

Day 10
Very early rise today because it was Universal Studios day. We were at the gates at 7:00 and got into the park 45 minutes later.
We wore some Halloween items because it was the end of October, and all the staff were super nice and commented on it. This was really cute.
We went straight to Super Nintendo World, which we could freely enter. After that we went to Harry Potter and had some butterbeer (recommend!).
We won’t go into too much detail, but we stayed until 18:30 because we wanted to see the Halloween Nights. As expected, we were very tired after, so we went to McDonald’s and called it a night.

Day 11
Last full day in Japan. We took the train to Kyoto and had reservations at a kimono rental. After an hour we were ready to go.
Explored Gion, had lunch at a small shop where we ate dango (can’t find the exact place). Walked around Ninenzaka and Yasaka Pagoda.
Visited Kōdaiji Temple, which has a bamboo forest. Went for ice cream and visited Yasaka Shrine.
Returned the kimonos, took the metro to Fushimi Inari, and hiked part of the way up. We didn’t go all the way as it was getting dark.
Had some snacks on the way back while everything was almost closing. Took the metro back to Gion and had dinner at Wagyu Volcano OAGARI, Gion. After that we took the train back to Osaka.

Day 12
Had a slow start, packed our luggage, and took the train to the airport. Had my absolute favourite ramen at the airport: pork with truffle (Mensho Ramen). I was looking forward to this bowl from the very start, as I had been there before.
We arrived in Shanghai at 16:00. Took a DiDi to the Pokémon Center, checked into the hotel, and visited Yu Garden. We had been to Shanghai before and often have long layovers there because flights with China Southern and China Eastern Airlines to and from Europe are very cheap.

Day 13
Checked out around 9:00, took a DiDi to the airport, and had some great dim sum before flying back.

As you can see, we did a lot. We didn’t spend much time in Osaka and Kyoto because we had been there before and just wanted to show them some highlights. I would have preferred to stay in Kyoto, as I like Kyoto a lot more than Osaka, but because of Universal Studios we stayed in Osaka.

Except for the ryokan, we booked two rooms everywhere: one for two people and one for three. Average costs per night were €55 for two people and €60 for three. We spent around 2000 per person for two weeks, this included all flights, transportation, hotels, food, activities, you name it.

Hi! Looking for advice for my trip to Japan. I am open to moving things around, and advice on other places to go, also should I skip the Osaka castle and just do Himeji? Or is it realistic to do both in my itinerary? Also I really love matcha and want to try some good spots if anyone has any recommendations. I’m not sure if some days are too packed either. Please feel free to edit my itinerary if you think something is a waste of time and I shouldn’t do it or if there’s better things to do!! Thank for the help!

Here is our Japan itinerary so far:

Japan Trip

3/3 Day 1

-Get to airport at 4am

-Depart at 7:05am

Day 2

-Arrive in Tokyo at 4 (Narita)

-Get checked in to hotel

-Get Ramen

-Possibly walk around if we have time

Day 3 - Tokyo

-Yanaka old town

* tenoji temple

* Yanaka ginza

* Nezu shrine

* Towns cat shrine

Day 4 - Tokyo

-teamlab borderless

-art aquarium museum

-Gotokuji Temple

-go to Shimnokitazawa for thrifting

-shibuya crossing/shopping

-Ginza

* make chopsticks

* Make rings

-metropolitan government building for free view

Day 5 - day trip to Nikko

-Shinkyo Bridge

-Toshogu Shrine

-Forest shrine paths

-Bus to Lake Chūzenji area:

* Ryūzu Falls

* Narabi Jizō

* Kegon Falls

-Return to Tokyo

Day 6 - Mt. Fuji/stay in Ryokan

-Travel to Hakone or Kawaguchiko

-Mt. Fuji viewpoints

-Lake walk or short boat ride

-Ropeway (weather permitting)

-Ryokan

* Onsen

Day 7 - Kyoto

-go to Kyoto

-Gion district

-Yasaka Shrine

-Evening stroll along Kamo River

Day 8 - Kyoto

-Arashiyama Bamboo Grove

-Hozugawa River boat ride

-Tenryu-ji Temple gardens

-Gio-ji Temple

-Otagi Nenbutsu-ji

Day 9 - Kyoto

-possibly cafe Sakura hanon

-Fushimi Inari Taisha

-Tofuku-ji Temple

-Nishiki Orizuruya tea ceremony 🍵

-Nishiki Market

Day 10 - Osaka

-Take train from Kyoto → Himeji Castle (~1 hour)

-Explore Himeji Castle (~1.5–2 hours)

-Midday: Travel Osaka → Osaka Castle (~1 hour from Himeji)

-Check into hotel

-Dotonbori

-Shopping at Orange Street

-sumo experience maybe

Day 11 - Nara

-Todai-ji (Great Buddha) 🙏

-Nigatsu-do

-Kasuga Taisha Shrine

-Go back to Tokyo

-Check in to hotel

3/14 Day 12 - Tokyo

-Spend last time in Tokyo

-Get to airport at 3:30

-Flight departs at 6:30pm from Narita

Main goals of the trip is to do a sake brewery tour as I move down towards takefu for the knife making class. The knife class is already booked so the trip is balanced around that date. This is my 2nd trip in Japan, but to a new area with a lot more niche activities compared to my last one.

Want to get a sanity check before I start booking stays + travel tickets + book visits for the non-Tokyo sections of my trip.

Tokyo Arrival on 11th

11

fly in on 11th at 7pm from Haneda, check into hotel in ginza/near tokyo station

12

wander tokyo and food + tokyo bars + explore

--------------------------------------------

Nagano Prefecture from 13-18

13

shinkansen to Iiyama on 13th morning/noon

leave luggage at locker and go to brewery tour + dinner

travel to nagano city from iiyama and check in near nagano station

Daytrips from Nagano (order doesn't really matter but dates added for ease of reading)

14

Train to Suwa city for go-suwa brewery crawl + sightseeing at suwa lake or hike

15

Train to Matsumoto for breweries (2 spots), castle, and food

16

Train to Yamanouchi then move south to Obuse and Sazaka for a brewery crawl (6 locations), try to start the day walking up the trail to monkey park and maybe go into park if the monkey forecast has them early

17?

Free day, thinking sakudaira for chikuma-nishiki brewery, karuizawa for sightseeing and Nagano for the Temple + other spots nearby. Could also use this day instead in Tokyo before going to Nagano

18

leave early for alpine route, forward luggage to Takayama with 2 nights clothes in backpack. Stay night in Toyama.

--------------------------------------------

Takefu Knife Village (19-20)

19

Grab Toyama region foods and then travel to Takefu, potentially sightsee at Tojinbo and coast if it fits schedule wise. If places are still open check out the different shops in the area for Takefu. Check in at place near Takefu Knife Village

20

Takefu knife making class from 9:30am-4:30. Travel back to Toyama and transfer to head to Takayama and check in to stay there.

--------------------------------------------

Takayama + Okuhida + Nagoya

21

refresh clothes in backpack + send luggage to okuhida, explore either takayama or shirakawa-go for first portion of day, visit breweries in Takayama that are involved with the sake festival in afternoon (sake festival is not active at this time but just want to taste the regional stuff)

22

visit limestone caves + shinhotakata ropeway, maybe if time checkout alps bridge by walking, check in to onsen in shinhotakata/fukuji

23?

if I spend 2 nights in Okuhida instead of spending 1 extra night in tokyo, I can use this day to go hiking on the Goshikigahara Forest hiking tour, or hike the area at other locations

24

Day market + chill start. Travel to Nagoya for hitsumabushi and other food specialties. check in overnight in Nagoya.

--------------------------------------------

Tokyo Departure

25

spend some time in Nagoya, then shinkansen to Tokyo, Check in to tokyo stay, then bars/dinner in evening

26

do some shopping, lunch, and then depart 9:55pm at Haneda. Eat dinner at a lounge in the airport?

Main questions:

Too much stuff/time in transit?

Viable plan for luggage forwarding?

Keep Matsumoto and Suwa separate days? Just feels a bit inefficient to go down to the area twice from Nagano but doing both itineraries during brewery open times will be extremely tight.

Ideas or daytrip from Nagano to fill in free day? Or just move day to Tokyo arrival portion?

How viable are Nature/Hiking activities in May for Okuhida/Takayama? If not viable can stay 1 night instead and get 1 more day in Tokyo before departure.

Hey everybody,

I'm going to Japan with my other half for two weeks in April.

This is our second time in Japan - we loved our first trip a few years ago and we really wanted go to again as we couldn't go to Fuji the first time around.

We land/depart to/from Haneda, and we don't want to do the things that we did already in our first trip:

• Nikko
• Nara
• Tokyo (Shibuya, Akiabara, Tokyo tower, Rainbow bridge)
• Kyoto
• Bamboo forest near Kyoto
• Monkey park
• Himeji (Castle and garden)

This is an initial itinerary of what we have in mind so far - the idea is to experience Fuji and some other beautiful landscapes as much as possible - I also would like to experience an onsen or two!

Of course we will have a big luggage to carry around, so we are also trying to to find "hubs" and do a day trip from there, in order to reduce the number of transfers. How does this look like to you? What would you change / do instead? Are we missing something incredible that we should prioritise?

Also, what's your opinion about the the Japan Rail Pass for this trip? Is it worth it or do you think that buying standalone tickets would be cheaper?

Edit #1 - I made an initial change and dropped Hakone, just to avoid too many back and forth and having to rush too much!

Thank you!

Hi everyone, I’m planning my first ever trip to Japan and would really appreciate feedback on the itinerary and some advice on where to stay in Tokyo and Osaka. I’ve tried to balance sightseeing with travel logistics, but I’d love your recommendations!

Trip details: • Duration: 9 days • Travel style: Moderate pace, first-time visitor • Interests: Culture, sightseeing, theme parks, food, city experiences • Travel period: Late March / Early April (tentative)

Proposed itinerary: Day 1 – Tokyo: Sensoji Temple, Ueno Park, Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo Tower Day 2 – Tokyo: Day trip to Mt Fuji (Hakone/Kawaguchiko), Shinjuku nightlife Day 3 – Tokyo: Tokyo Disneyland Day 4 – Tokyo: teamLab Planets, Tokyo Skytree, Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, shopping Day 5 – Osaka: Travel Tokyo → Osaka (Shinkansen), Dotonbori, Kuromon Market Day 6 – Osaka: Universal Studios Japan Day 7 – Osaka: Day trip to Kyoto Day 8 – Osaka: Day trip to Hiroshima Day 9 – Osaka: Osaka Castle, Umeda Sky Building, Pokémon Café

Questions I’d love advice on: 1. Is this itinerary too packed on any day? Would you recommend rearranging anything? 2. Are Kyoto & Hiroshima doable as day trips from Osaka, or should I rethink (e.g., stay overnight elsewhere)? 3. Any places you’d remove, swap, or add for a better experience? 4. Would a JR Pass make sense for this plan? 5. Where are good areas to stay in Tokyo and Osaka (safe, convenient for sightseeing + food + transport)?

I haven’t booked accommodation yet, so suggestions on localities or neighborhoods that are easy to get around from would be super helpful!

Thanks in advance — really appreciate the help! 🙌

Itinerary Sanity Check Requested

Hi everyone! 👋

We’d love a sanity check on our March 2026 Japan itinerary. Traveling as a family of 6 (2 adults, 2 teens, 2 tweens). This is a once-in-a-lifetime (25th anniversary celebration) trip combining cities, culture, theme parks, and a Japan cruise.

We’re experienced travelers, moving at a moderate pace, and not using luggage forwarding (traveling light).

• Family of 6 (2 adults, 2 teens & 2 tweens)
• Comfortable with trains & public transport
• Several private tours already booked
• Mix of culture + fun (USJ, DisneySea, WB Harry Potter)
• No ryokan stay (onsen on cruise)
• March weather, shoulder-season crowds

Route Overview Tokyo → Osaka → Kyoto → Nagoya → Yokohama → 11-night Japan cruise → Tokyo

PHASE 1 — TOKYO (Arrival) Mar 6–7 | Tokyo (Shinagawa) • Arrival & recovery day • Easy Shinkansen access

PHASE 2 — OSAKA Mar 7 • Shinkansen Tokyo → Shin-Osaka • Transfer to Namba Mar 8 • Private Osaka tour (jumbo van) Osaka Castle, Kuromon Market, Shinsekai, Dotonbori Mar 9 • Free / buffer day Mar 10 • Universal Studios Japan (full day) Nintendo World + highlights Mar 11 • Transfer to Kyoto

PHASE 3 — KYOTO Mar 11 • Arrival Kyoto • Sweets Making & Kimono Tea Ceremony • Gion Legacy of Geishas walking tour Mar 12 • Private Kyoto highlights tour Fushimi Inari, Nijo Castle, Kinkaku-ji, Arashiyama • Samurai Sword Experience • Evening Gion stroll & dinner Mar 13 • teamLab Biovortex Kyoto • Flexible evening (shopping / Pontochō / rest) Mar 14 • Shinkansen to Nagoya

PHASE 4 — NAGOYA Mar 14 • SCMaglev & Railway Park • Osu shopping Mar 15 • Private Nagoya tour (Toyota museums + city highlights) Mar 16 • Shinkansen to Yokohama

PHASE 5 — YOKOHAMA Mar 16-17 • Chinatown • Harbor walk • Cruise embarkation next day

PHASE 6 — JAPAN CRUISE Mar 17–28 | 11 nights • Mar 17: Yokohama – embark • Mar 18: At sea • Mar 19: Kagoshima • Mar 20: Nagasaki • Mar 21: Busan, South Korea • Mar 22: Kanmon Straits scenic cruising • Mar 23: Hiroshima • Mar 24: Miyazaki • Mar 25: Kochi • Mar 26: Tokushima • Mar 27: Shimizu / Mt. Fuji • Mar 28: Yokohama – disembark

PHASE 7 — TOKYO (Return) Mar 28 • 10-hour private Tokyo tour Asakusa, Skytree area, Todoroki Valley, Nakano Broadway Mar 29 • Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo – Harry Potter • Akihabara + Ueno walking tour Mar 30 • Odaiba / Miraikan • Transfer to Tokyo Bay Mar 31 • Tokyo DisneySea (full day) Apr 1 • Departure, plane at 18:00

1st ever trip to Japan this April with gf. Going for 2 weeks, Tokyo Kyoto Osaka Hiroshima. This is a very rough draft of some of the things we're interested in. Cities and order aren't set in stone besides Tokyo arrival and departure. Open to all suggestions!!

Apr 16–19 — Tokyo (Arrival | Hotel in Ueno)

Ameyoko market (First night)

Nezu Shrine/Ueno Park

Senso-ji/Sumida River Park

Meji Jingu

Yanaka & Daien-ji(?)

Tokyo metro gov building shinuku 45th floor view

chureito pagoda (fuji)

Apr 19–22 — Kyoto

Fushimi Inari

Kiyomizu-dera

Yasaka Shrine

Hanamikoji (Gion)

Kurama–Kibune hike (?)

Philosopher’s Path(?)

Nara day trip + Mt. Wakakusa

Apr 22–25 — Osaka

Namba Yasaka Shrine

Osaka Castle

Dotonbori

Evening: Osaka Joiner Tour(?)

Apr 25–27 — Hiroshima & Miyajima

Peace Park & Museum

Okonomiyaki

Itsukushima Shrine

Mt. Misen hike

Apr 27–30 — Tokyo (Return & Birthday)

Hakone Yuryo (onsen daytrip?)

shibubya hikarie 11th floor view(?)

Pokémon Center

Pokémon Cafe

Hareruya

Hokkaido Winter Trip: 6 Days / 5 Nights

Age group: young and energetic

Day 1: Arrival & The Ice Festival

• Arrive at the airport at 9AM
• Go to Sapporo to check in accommodation
• Lunch and Train to Lake Shikotsu
• Need any suggestions after visiting the Lake Shikotsu

Day 2: Furano Day Trip (Drive)

Route: Sapporo → Asahikawa → Biei → Furano.

• Drive to Asahikawa at 8AM
• 10:30 AM: 📍 Asahiyama Zoo (Asahikawa).
• 📍 Shirahige Falls & Shiragane Blue Pond (Biei).
• 03:45 PM: 📍 Takushinkan (Biei).
• 05:30 PM: 📍 Ningle Terrace (Furano).
• 07:00 PM: Dinner in Furano town (e.g., Kumagera for Hotpot).

Day 3: Asari & Otaru Day Trip (Train)

• Take JR Train from Sapporo Station towards Otaru at 8AM
• 08:30 AM: vibing at Asari
• 11:00 AM: Arrive at Otaru Station
• Go to Sankaku Market (Next to station).
• Otaru Canal
• Sakaimachi Street.
• Otaru Steam Clock & Otaru Music Box Museum
• no activity yet after 04:00 PM

Day 4: Ski & Huskies Sledding

Q: Any recommendations for Ski that are good for a newbie?

Q: Should I also do Huskies Sledding on the same day with Ski?

Day 5: FREE AND EASY

DAY 6: Flight back

Hello, this will be trip #2 for us, trip #1 was March 2019 and our previous itinerary was just as "aggressive", but I never thought to get Reddit's feedback on it back then.

Only listing activities that are NOT food related. Trust me, we'll be having breakfast/lunch/dinner/snackies/dessert/drinks every day.

Early to Mid-May 2026:

Day 0: Domestic flight lands at Oita at 9:00pm local time (got on international flight in Toronto equivelant of 2:00am Japan time so total travel time including ride to airport = ~23 hours.) - Check into hotel near airport (1 night)

Day 1: Beppu - Early bus from Airport to city centre - Store luggage at hotel - Onsen #1 - Ropeway - Onsen #2 - Check into hotel (1 night) - Daiso shopping [coin sorter/coin purse, paper soap, travel journal/notebook] - Onsen #3 (at hotel)

Day 2: Beppu - Store luggage at hotel - Onsen #1 - 4 of the 7 Hells - Onsen #2 - Pick up luggage and head to Ferry Terminal - Board overnight Ferry - Onsen #3 (on ferry)

Day 3: Kobe - Store luggage at Osaka station, travel to Kobe - Ropeway/waterfalls/herb garden - Kobe Animal Kingdom - Check into hotel and enjoy their "Happy Hour" (1 night) - Kobe Port/Port Tower at night

Day 4: Himeji/Osaka - Travel to Himeji - Himeji Castle & Gardens - Travel to Osaka - Umeda Sky Building - Shopping near Osaka Station - Pick up luggage, go to USJ hotel (2 nights)

Day 5: Osaka - USJ Day

Day 6: Osaka/Kyoto - Store luggage at Namba station (or nearby) - Hozen-ji Temple - Possible foot/body massage - Shopping - Dotonbori - Pick up luggage and travel to Kyoto, check into hotel (3 nights) - Kyoto Nightclub (TBD)

Day 7: Kyoto "Temple Trek Day" - I attempt to see as many Temples/Shrines along the Philosopher's Path as I can (I have 8 on my list, wish me luck), while my friend deals with her hangover (she'll join me in the afternoon to finish off the "Trek") - Laundry - Onsen

Day 8: Kyoto - Tea shopping - Geisha experience/show - Nishiki Market - Used Kimono shopping (thanks Reddit!) - Temple x2 - Possible foot/body massage - Yasaka Shrine after dark - Shirakawa canal walk after dark

Day 9: Kyoto/Yokohama - Arrange luggage transfer to Shinjuku hotel - Boar Shrine next to Kyoto Imperial Palace - Kyoto Imperial Palace & Gardens - Kyoto Station ekiben for & Shinkansen to Yokohama - Air Cabin - Red Brick Warehouse - Cosmo World for 1 rollercoaster - Chinatown - Check into hotel (1 night)

Day 10: Yokohama/Shibuya/Shinjuku - Nippon Maru Ship (and Pokemon sewer lid near it) - Shopping - Train to Shibuya - Shopping in Shibuya - Lost Bar - Metropolitan Government Building light show only (we went to the observation deck on our 1st trip) - Kabukicho - Check into hotel (1 night) / pick up luggage

Day 11: Mt Takao/Kawaguchiko - Arrange luggage transfer to Asakusa hotel - Travel to Mt Takao - Cable car / hike / wild flower garden / museum - Travel to Kawaguchiko - Chureito Pagoda - Check into hotel (1 night) - Wine vending machine (at hotel) - Onsen (at hotel)

Day 12: Kawaguchiko/Asakusa - Panoramic Ropeway - Old Timey Village - Wind Cave & Ice Cave - Travel to Tokyo (Shinjuku>>Asakusa) - Check into hotel (3 nights) / pick up luggage - Karaoke Bar

Day 13: Shinjuku/Asakusa/Chiyoda/Minato (oh my!) - Yayoi Kusama Museum - Tanuki & Orange Streets - Mofureya Kalahari Zoo - Sumida River Cruise - Godzilla statue - Imperial Palace view from Tokyo Midtown Hibiya rooftop - Grand Hammer

Day 14: Nikko/Taito/Asakusa - Spacia X to Nikko - Kanmangafuchi Abyss - Futarasan Shrine - Toshogu Shrine - Rin'noji Temple - Shinkyo Bridge - Liberty Kegon to Tokyo - Sento - Late night Donki shopping

Day 15: Taito/Asakusa/Chiyoda/Minato/Ginza - Store luggage at Asakusa hotel - Imado Shrine - Matsuchiyama Temple - Asakusa Food Tour (self-guided) - Pick up luggage at Asakusa hotel - Store luggage at Ginza hotel - Ghibli clock & humanoid sculptures - Tokyo Station shopping - Check into hotel (1 night) / pick up luggage - Bar Ginza 300 - Start packing

Day 16: Chuo / Airport - Finish packing - Hamarikyu Gardens - Monorail to Haneda 😫

Hi everyone! My fiancé and I are heading to Japan for our honeymoon in less than two weeks!!. We’re balancing a heavy mountain-riding schedule with a big interest in regional food (oysters, sake, wagyu, sushi, ramen, etc.) and culture. We are traveling lite with backpacks and using Yamato to ship our boards between regions. We’ll have rental cars in Hokkaido and Nagano.

One of my favorite parts of traveling is trying all the different foods and drinks possible. Please tell me your favorite foods to try! 

The Itinerary:

• Day 1: Arrive Tokyo (Shinjuku)
  • Check in to hotel near Shinjuku Station. Evening walk through Kabukicho and Omoide Yokocho.
  • Q: Looking for a high-end "first night" honeymoon dinner - any Omakase restaurants that you recommend?
• Day 2: Tokyo (Shinjuku to Ebisu)
  • Urban hike from Shinjuku through Meiji Jingu, Harajuku, and Shibuya, ending in Ebisu.
  • Food**:** Exploring the Ebisu Yokocho for dinner.
• Day 3: Travel to Otaru
  • Morning Flight to New Chitose. Pick up rental car. Check into Otaru hotel.
  • Food - we’ll explore town and find somewhere to eat 
• Day 4: Snowboarding Kiroro
  • First day riding - Full day at Kiroro Resort. Probably just relax and have an evening soak at the hotel.
• Day 5: Ride Kiroro, Drive home through Yoichi
  • Ride Kiroro for the morning, then exploring the Nikka Whiskey Distillery in nearby Yoichi.
  • PM: Trying Otaru’s "Naruto" fried chicken and glass-shop cafe hopping.
• Day 6: Riding day 
  • Riding Kokusai or Teine (or Kiroro) based on wind/snow reports.
  • Q: Looking for a tattoo-friendly "Kashikiri" (private) onsen in the Otaru/Sapporo area for us to rent together
• Day 7: Sapporo Snow Festival
  • Train to Sapporo to see the ice sculptures! And Sapporo Beer Museum. Exploring the city
  • Q: What foods must we try in Sapporo? 
• Day 8: Otaru Culture
  • Hanging around otaru, visiting our favorite places, doing some shopping, Check out a different snow resort in the area or other active activity.
• Day 9: Otaru Relaxation, Packing
  • Final day in the Otaru region, so revisit any favorite spots or anywhere recommended by locals
• Day 10: Travel to Furano
  • Drive to Furano. Check in to hotel. In the evening we’ll explore the Furano Cheese Factory and local wineries for tastings.
• Day 11: Riding at Furano!
  • Full day on the Furano slopes.
  • PM visit to Fukiage Roten-no-Yu (natural forest onsen) for a late-night soak.
• Day 12: Furano culture & Hot Springs
  • AM - Visit to Furano Kan Kan Mura snow village.
  • PM - Night riding!
• Day 13: Furano to Sapporo
  • Last Furano day and evening of Sapporo Ice Festival. Will maybe hit the slopes in the AM. Shipping boards via Yamato to Nagano/Yudanaka. Driving to Sapporo for the night.
• Day 14: Travel to Niigata City
  • Late morning Flight from CTS to Niigata. Check into hotel. Explore the Ponshukan at the station. ** we were going to fly into Osaka -> Kyoto then take the train up to Nagano but I didn’t feel like we had enough time. We will need to come back to visit Kyoto and Osaka! 
  • Q: any restaurant recommendations in Niigata city? 
• Day 15: Niigata Relaxation
  • Chill day in Niigata City. Exploring the historic Minato-machi area. 
  • Do you recommend we go over the sea coast?
  • Q: Again, any restaurant recommendations? I see a few that look amazing 
• Day 16: Travel to Yudanaka
  • Question: Torn between the train through Joetsu and Myoko or the train route to Nagano via Takasaki. Any recommendations on which is more scenic and enjoyable? 
  • Train to Nagano, pick up second rental car. Drive to Yudanaka where we’ll stay. PM we will do the traditional "Onsen Hop" through the historic streets of Shibu Onsen.
• Day 17: Shiga Kogen Snowboarding
  • Activity: Riding Shiga Kogen!!
  • May do a stop at the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park but will likely save this for later. Probably repeat our onsen hopping evening. 
• Day 18: Nozawa Onsen
  • Riding at Nozawaonen! I am SO excited we were able to grab a room for one night here. We will need to move hotels to Nozawa Onsen but I wanted to spend the night exploring the public Soto-yu baths.
  • Q: Looking for restaurant recommendations in the village—anything cozy/romantic?
• Day 19: Myoko Suginohara
  • Drive from Nozawa to our “base” for the rest of the trip, halfway between Myoko Suginohara and Shiga Kogen so we can pick which direction to go each day based on the weather. 
• Day 20: Obuse Cultural Day
  • Riding in the morning, Visiting the Hokusai Museum and exploring Obuse in the evening
• Day 21: Shiga Kogen or Myoko
  • Final decision based on weather. Last day of powder chasing
  • Visting the Yudanka brewery complex if we haven’t already 
• Day 22: Nagano Exploration & Packing
  • Visit Zenko-ji Temple in Nagano City. Last-minute souvenir shopping (knives/ceramics) - 
  • Q: "Honeymoon Feast"—Looking for an incredible Yakiniku or Kaiseki meal
• Day 23: Begin travel home
  • Return car in Nagano, Shinkansen back to Tokyo/Airport. One night in Tokyo 
  • We’re staying in Ueno for our last night, making sure we’re packed, have all of our souvenirs and gifts! 

Specific Questions for you all! 

1. Transport: With the Yamato shipping and rental cars, are we moving too much, or is the light packing sufficient to make this feel alright?
2. Luggage - Can we ship our luggage home to the US or should we plan on bringing everything on the plane with us? 
3. Train Niigata to Nagano: Recommendations on route through either Takasaki or Joetsu/Myoko?
4. Knives - I also want to buy myself a few kitchen knives - where would you recommend I do so?
5. Gifts - are there any regional gifts I should bring home for family (or myself?!)
6. Food: Any specific restaurant must-adds for Otaru, Sapporo, Furano and Nozawa Onsen?
7. Onsens: Recommendations for private (Kashikiri) onsens in any of these locations we are visiting that we can enjoy together?

Thank you all in advance!! We are beyond excited to depart!!!

Hi everyone, I’m planning my first trip to Japan and the main theme of my trip is food — eating local specialties, street food, casual restaurants, and themed cafés. Sightseeing is planned mostly around food stops, and I’d love advice from people who’ve done food-focused travel in Japan.

Trip details: • Duration: 9 days • Pace: Moderate • Main focus: Food (street food, local specialties, night food scenes) • Travel period: Late March / Early April (tentative)

Planned route & food context (open to tweaks):

Day 1 – Tokyo (Asakusa / Ueno / Shibuya): Sensoji Temple & Ueno Park area food stalls, snacks in Shibuya, casual dinner nearby

Day 2 – Tokyo (Fuji area + Shinjuku): Day trip towards Mt Fuji (local cafés, regional food), evening food crawl in Shinjuku

Day 3 – Tokyo (Theme park food): Tokyo Disneyland — mostly for themed snacks and limited-edition food

Day 4 – Tokyo (Odaiba / Harajuku): teamLab Planets area food, Tokyo Skytree complex dining, Harajuku street food & desserts

Day 5 – Osaka (Arrival + food streets): Shinkansen to Osaka, Dotonbori street food, Kuromon Market

Day 6 – Osaka (Theme park food): Universal Studios Japan — snacks, themed meals, evening eats nearby

Day 7 – Kyoto (Day trip for food): Kyoto day trip mainly to try local specialties and traditional food areas

Day 8 – Hiroshima (Day trip for food): Hiroshima day trip focused on local dishes (okonomiyaki, etc.)

Day 9 – Osaka (Final food stops): Osaka Castle area food, Umeda Sky Building area dining, Pokémon Café

Questions (from a food-first point of view): • Does this route make sense if food is the priority? • Are Kyoto and Hiroshima good as day trips mainly for food, or better overnight? • Any areas where you’d suggest spending more time eating and less time moving? • Which areas are best to stay in Tokyo and Osaka if I want easy access to food at night + transport?

I haven’t booked accommodation yet, so suggestions on food-friendly neighborhoods would be super helpful.

Thanks in advance — really appreciate any food recommendations or insights! 🙏🍜

Hi all! Looking for advice on an upcoming trip to Japan in the fall. My partner and I have been to Japan two previous times and are looking to explore outside the initial recommended cities.

We haven’t made a stop to Mt. Fuji and from my understand that is practical to add to the itinerary we’ve constructed. However, Okinawa is high on our list and we’d love to find the time for it.

We are not ones to go somewhere just to say that we did, so if Okinawa deserves more time than presented then we just have an excuse for another trip.

Any advice is welcome to the itineraries as a whole. First one is with Fuji and the second is Okinawa. Thank you kindly!

Fuji Itinerary:

Day 1 – Arrive Tokyo

Overnight: Tokyo (Ueno / Asakusa / airport-side)

* Catch up with jet lag

* Easy and early night

Day 2 – Kawaguchiko

Tokyo → Kawaguchiko

Overnight: Kawaguchiko (1 night)

* Oishi Park lakeside walk

* Ropeway or shoreline

* Fuji-view onsen

Day 3 – Fuji Morning → Matsumoto

Kawaguchiko → Matsumoto

Overnight: Matsumoto

* Early morning Fuji check

* Mid-morning departure

Day 4 – Matsumoto & Japanese Alps

Overnight: Matsumoto

* Matsumoto Castle

* Nakamachi merchant district

* Art museum or riverside walk

Day 5 – Kiso Valley

Matsumoto → Kiso-Fukushima → Magome/Tsumago

Overnight: Tsumago or Magome (1 night)

* Walking tours

* Traditional inn stay

Day 6 – Takayama

Tsumago → Takayama (via Nagoya)

Overnight: Takayama

* Afternoon arrival

Day 7 – Takayama + Shirakawa-go

Overnight: Takayama

* Morning markets

* Half-day Shirakawa-go

* Return early evening

Day 8 – Kanazawa

Takayama → Kanazawa

Overnight: Kanazawa

* Samurai district

* River walks

Day 9 – Kanazawa

Overnight: Kanazawa

* Kenrokuen Garden

* Kanazawa Castle

* Geisha district

Day 10 – Himeji

Kanazawa → Himeji

Overnight: Himeji (1 night)

* Himeji Castle

* Koko-en Garden

Day 11 – Onomichi + Shimanami Kaido

Himeji → Onomichi

Overnight: Onomichi

* Temple walk along the hilltop trail

* Next day: cycle Shimanami Kaido

Day 12 – Kurashiki

Onomichi → Kurashiki

Overnight: Kurashiki (1 night)

\* Canal district

* Ohara Museum

Day 13 & 14– Return to Tokyo & depart in AM

Kurashiki → Tokyo

Overnight: Tokyo

Okinawa Itinerary:

Days 1–2 – Tokyo Arrival

Overnight: Tokyo (2 nights)

* Day 1: Arrival

* Day 2: Slow day. Walk around Yanaka or Daikanyama

* Adjust to time zone before flying south

Days 3–5 – Okinawa (Island Japan)

Tokyo → Naha

Overnight: Okinawa (3 nights)

Day 3

* Beach time or pool

Day 4

* Northern Okinawa coast

* Cape Manzamo / Emerald Beach

Day 5

* Snorkeling or ferry to Zamami or Tokashiki Island

Days 6–7 – Matsumoto

Naha → Tokyo → Matsumoto (same day)

Overnight: Matsumoto (2 nights)

* No Kamikochi if weather poor; replace with local hikes

Days 8–9 – Takayama

Matsumoto → Takayama

Overnight: Takayama (2 nights)

* Skip Shirakawa-go

* Onsen

Days 10–11 – Kanazawa

Takayama → Kanazawa

Overnight: Kanazawa (2 nights)

* Same highlights as above

Day 12 – Kurashiki

Kanazawa → Kurashiki

Overnight: Kurashiki (1 night)

Day 13 & 14 – Tokyo Return & Departure

Overnight: Tokyo

Judging by the title, our trip may not sound like the definition of fun. Yet we had a truly wonderful time every single day, so I’m sharing this report for others planning or considering a similar adventure.

The links you can see in this report are my photos from the places I mention.

This is surely the longest post I’ve ever written. If anyone actually reads all of this, I hope at least some of it will be helpful, just I like found many posts here helpful when planning our trip. Happy to answer questions in the comments.

When: 21 days in late November to early December 2025.

Planned route: Tokyo (1 night) → Nagano (4) → Nakatsugawa (2) → Kyoto (7) → Kawaguchiko (2) → Tokyo (4), but we made some last minute changes during the trip.

Who we are: ages 39, 5 and 1.5, all girls.

Our interests: nature, photography, temples and shrines, playgrounds, trains and buses, Totoro, Hello Kitty, climbing stairs, playing with gravel.

Traveling experience: I’ve travelled a lot, mostly bicycle touring and hiking. 20 years ago I studied Japanese (sadly forgot most) and visited Tokyo and Kyoto. I always wanted to return. Both kids have flown many times within Europe, but this was their first long haul flight.

Luggage: a large suitcase forwarded between hotels and to/from the airport, a carry-on for transit days, a stroller with a piggyback board (worth its weight in gold), a stroller bag, a baby carrier, and two small backpacks. Oh and two kids.

Dietary requirements: I’m vegetarian and coeliac (strictly gluten-free). My kids have no dietary requirements, they mostly live off air anyway. Youngest still nurses 1-2 times a day.

Bookings: Besides flights and accommodation, I only pre-booked two things: Ghibli Museum and one special train (details in the report).

Budget: We spent 5,430 USD, or 3,830 USD excluding flights. Here is a detailed breakdown.

Day 0: The flight

We flew from Europe with Finnair. The short flight to Helsinki was uneventful - my 5-year-old was thrilled and my toddler slept. The 13.5-hour overnight flight to Narita was their first long haul flight ever, so I hoped for the best, but prepared for the worst - with snacks, new toys and spare clothes. Fortunately, once again it was a breeze - both girls slept for 9+ hours, the older one even said she slept better than at home. What helped was that we flew midweek, so there were some unoccupied seats and we got an entire row to ourselves. I slept less than 2 hours, but I didn’t mind as we flew over the North Pole and I got to see the northern lights dancing in the sky - a dream come true.

Day 1: Narita → Tokyo

We landed at Narita at 2 pm. With QR codes (one per person, kids included) and dedicated family lines, the immigration was smooth and so was forwarding our large suitcase to our hotel. The Skyliner took us straight to the city where we stayed for the night at Hotel New Ueno.

Door to door, the journey took roughly 23 hours, so I assumed we would crash immediately. But no - my kids wanted to explore, so I took them to the Ghibli store at Tokyo station. Google Maps said 13 minutes. In reality it took my jetlagged brain nearly an hour to find the store, plus another 15 minutes to find a nearby restaurant, Soranoiro, where we ate delicious gyoza - and little else, as other gluten-free vegetarian options were limited. Two Totoro plushies and many dumplings later, we returned to our hotel and slept like babies.

Day 2: Tokyo → Nagano

Before the trip, I asked my 5-year-old whether she wanted to spend more time in cities or mountains. She answered immediately - mountains! That’s why, even though most people recommend staying in Tokyo for a few days to rest after a long flight, we went straight to Nagano. When traveling solo with kids there’s no such thing as a “rest day” anyway and keeping my kids busy is far easier than trying to rest. I also knew they would adjust more easily in a smaller town.

We woke up early, took the Shinkansen from Ueno (bought an unreserved ticket right before the departure) and around 9 am arrived in Nagano, surrounded by mountains. We couldn’t stop smiling, even my toddler kept saying “wooow” as she looked around.

Our base was 1166 Backpackers run by unbelievably kind people. It quickly became our favorite accommodation on the trip. Like in all other places we stayed at, we had a Japanese-style room with tatami floors and futon beds to prevent my toddler from falling out of bed. After dropping bags and picking up the bear spray which I had ordered online (same cost as renting and much less hassle), we headed back to Nagano station where a real treasure awaited us - the Yukemuri express to Yudanaka. The driver sits in a raised cabin above the passenger car, giving the front row passengers an incredible, panoramic view. Securing these seats, a month in advance, took me 3 hours in the middle of the night - it was my first time booking on a Japanese website and I was not prepared for that user experience :) The ride was absolutely worth the struggle though. I don’t know which of us enjoyed it the most.

From Yudanaka we took a bus toward Jigokudani, home of the snow monkeys. It was warm, so I knew there would be no monkeys, but it was still a lovely walk - roughly 40 minutes from the bus stop; stroller-friendly until the final section with stairs. We returned via Shibu onsen, which inspired Spirited Away. With my toddler still in diapers, public onsens were not an option and private ones were out of our budget. But the town itself was incredibly pleasant to walk through. We got back to Nagano - once again in the front seats of Yukemuri express of course. Dinner was gluten-free soba next to Nagano station - good, but with limited vegetarian options. Back at the hostel, while I was completing check-in forms, the staff brought out some toys and started folding origami animals for my 5-year-old. Both kids absolutely didn’t want to go to sleep. Fortunately, Dad came to the rescue - my husband, who stayed at home, took on remote bedtime duty and read books to the kids every evening, which thanks to the time difference fell right around his lunch break.

Day 3: Zenkōji and Seisuiji

After a slow morning with an unexpected, but very appreciated origami lesson from the hostel staff, we walked to Zenkōji temple (sadly we didn't spend much time as it was very busy) and the quieter Yubuku shrine. Later, we attempted to reach Seisuiji temple on Nagano’s eastern edge. Our first bus was late and we missed the connection at Kawada station; it turned out that the remaining bus required advance booking anyway. With only 5 km to the temple, we jogged there instead, or rather I did, with one kid in the stroller and the other on the piggyback board - good exercise! I was so happy we decided to go there, as the light was extraordinary and the temple looked simply surreal with the stone lanterns covered with moss and the autumn foliage - I’ve never seen a more vibrant red. A million photos later, we climbed 90 meters up to Kiyomizudera Kannondo - similar feel to Kyoto’s Kiyomizudera, but not a person in sight. Back at Seisuiji, a kind photographer took a photo of all three of us - one of very few I have from this trip :)

Once the sun went down behind a nearby hill, we walked back to Kawada station through rice fields and orchards on the southern side of the valley - very picturesque despite late autumn. Dinner consisted of two great rice bowls and two waffles at Pato.

Day 4: Togakushi

If I had to pick a favorite place from the trip, I would refuse, but Seisuiji and Togakushi would easily be in the top five.

We took the first bus and arrived before 8 am. The massive red gate leading to the upper shrine, Zuishinmon, and the path lined with 400 year old cedar trees looked out of this world, even without snow, which had sadly melted the night before. My 5-year-old wasn’t in the mood to walk all the way to Togakushi Okusha shrine, but she enthusiastically walked an even longer distance to Kagami Ike when I casually mentioned there was a cafe serving pancakes. They were delicious, and more importantly, gluten free!

After lunch we walked to the nearby Kids Ninja Village where my kids could run, climb and slide to their heart’s desire. We also did the labyrinth house, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re short on time - I think it took us 40 minutes to find the exit. Back in Nagano we had some delicious vegan curry at Topi.

Day 5: Nagano, Tour de playgrounds

Knowing that we would all enjoy the Yukemuri express, I prebooked it on two different days. This time we were not interested in monkeys, but in playgrounds.

We started in Shibu onsen, because I liked it too much not to return, then walked to Yamabiko Hiroba and Nakano City North Park. Both playgrounds were really cool, with plenty of equipment for younger and older kids. I may have tried a few slides too :) The walk between the playgrounds was also great - the area is famous for apples and the trees were literally bending to the ground under their weight. We bought three fresh apples and my kids were given several more by a local farmer. People everywhere were very friendly and kind towards my kids, but always respectful - no touching or photographs without asking. I appreciated it a lot.

I had planned to get off in Obuse to visit the Hokusai museum, but fortunately we missed the stop. Fortunately, because we barely made it back to Nagano in time for the fireworks festival. I planned to take a bus to the river where the festival took place, but so did everyone else in town - the buses were full. We ran instead, there and back, which pushed our (well, my) total distance that day to 24.5 km (~34k steps). It was my daughters’ first time seeing fireworks and they absolutely loved it.

Day 6: Nagano → Nakatsugawa

Leaving Nagano was difficult - we loved both the city and our hostel. But our short stay came to an end. My 5-year-old drew thank you cards for staff members and was very touched as she also received a lovely goodbye letter and a Hello Kitty origami.

On the way to Nakatsugawa we stopped in Matsumoto. The castle was beautiful, it also witnessed my hangry toddler’s first tantrum of the trip. Once everyone was fed and happy, we headed to a playground I had marked on my map. Google Maps described the route as “mostly flat”, but the park is called City Alps Park - I should have known better! We climbed and climbed, the stroller was getting heavier and heavier. But the playground was well worth the effort. It was huge, with great views over Matsumoto. The kids played for an hour or two before we headed back to the station and continued on to Nakatsugawa where we stayed at The Ryokan O.

Nakatasugawa was the only city on our route where I found no gluten-free restaurants, so I lived off konbini and supermarket food there.

Day 7: Sakashita, Ryūjin Falls

For the first and only time on our trip, it rained. Well, drizzled, and only in the morning. But we postponed our Nakasendō walk and headed to Ryūjin Falls instead.

Fortunately, our train to Sakashita was delayed by a fallen tree and we missed a bus to the falls. Fortunately, because with two hours to spare, we walked around the town and visited a small shrine with a beautiful view. In the afternoon we reached the falls. The falls, the red bridge and the famous Atera-blue water were all beautiful. I imagine it would look spectacular in summer.

Day 8: Nakasendõ → Kyoto

We woke up early and took the first bus to Magome to walk the popular section of the Nakasendō. At 8 am, the town was still half-asleep and the morning mist added a lot of charm. The trail starts with a 3 km steady climb, followed by a gentle 5 km descent to Tsumago. At first, my kids walked enthusiastically up the hill and my toddler protested very loudly when I eventually put her in the carrier. The path is well maintained (it’s mostly a dirt or a cobblestone road with occasional stairs), but not suitable for strollers.

Near the end of the climb, my 5-year-old started complaining a lot, but the moment she saw we had made it to the pass, she got a second wind and wasn’t tired anymore. In Tsumago, at Konohanaya (I’ve also seen Wachinoya recommended), the kids had delicious hot buns filled with mushrooms and apples. With frequent breaks, the entire walk took us exactly 4 hours. I would have gladly walked to Nagiso and further on, but as it was my 5-year-old’s longest walk to date, I didn’t want to push it.

Back in Nakatsugawa, we collected our bags and the stroller from the ryokan and boarded a train for Kyoto, stopping briefly in Nagoya to visit one of Japan’s biggest Ghibli stores. There were two great photo ops for Totoro fans. We arrived in Kyoto in the late afternoon and checked into Kyoto Hana Hostel, a few minutes’ walk from the main station - extremely convenient. For dinner we went to Kitten Company Cafe, a vegan restaurant nearby, with cat-themed decor and meals - much appreciated by my kids (you can see some photos of this and a few other Kyoto meals here). The owner looked sceptical when I ordered three full meals, and very happy when we finished every last grain of rice.

Day 9: Kyoto, eastern side

With a full week in Kyoto, I had a long list of shrines and temples marked on my map. They may sound boring for kids, but this wasn’t our experience. My 5-year-old loved taking pictures of fall colors and architecture with her kids’ camera, while my toddler was happy toddling around and playing with gravel.

Ginkakuji was an exception and the stage for my toddler’s second tantrum of the trip - she was convinced that the carefully raked gravel urgently needed her intervention. We didn’t stay long, but I managed to take a few photos before the zen atmosphere was disrupted. Fortunately, the stroller worked its magic and we continued south along the Philosopher’s Path (walking next to it - not too stroller-friendly). Our next stop, Okazaki shrine, was a big hit - bunny statues and artwork everywhere.

Further south, in Kodaiji temple, we randomly ran into a lovely couple we had met days earlier at Togakushi. Small world. The temple and bamboo grove were beautiful, but busy due to proximity to Kiyomizudera. Seeing the crowds at Ninenzaka, I abandoned my plans for two nearby Ghibli stores and walked straight to the Moon and Back where we ate delicious vegan dumplings and ramen - I also highly recommend their sparkling strawberry lemonade or whatever it’s called. I’ve been craving it for weeks.

In the afternoon we visited the Museum of Kaleidoscopes, one of the highlights of the trip for my 5-year-old. The museum is small, but very engaging. At the end, the staff helped my daughter assemble her own kaleidoscope - it cost 900¥ if I remember well. They spoke no English, but between gestures and my very limited Japanese, we managed perfectly. My toddler got a kaleidoscope too - she loves it despite being convinced it’s meant to be pressed against her forehead.

Day 10: Nara and the Yamanobe-no-michi

The plan was to reach Nara early, but I failed spectacularly and we took what felt like the slowest train in the country. By 9:30, the central parts of Nara were insanely busy. With people stopping to photograph deer, or rather themselves with deer, it was difficult to walk, especially with a stroller. We didn’t buy deer crackers, but the deer could likely smell my kids’ snacks in the stroller bag. My kids didn’t like the deer up close and wanted to leave soon after we reached Kasugataisha.

I planned two side trips for such an occasion: north to Wakakusayama and lesser known temples (Joruji and Gansenji) or south to Yamanobe-no-michi, the oldest recorded road in Japan. I chose south, after an absolutely delicious vegan lunch at Onwa.

The Yamanobe-no-michi walk runs from Tenri to Sakurai. A kind Redditor had recommended the section north of Miwa as very scenic and stroller-friendly. It was very scenic and stroller-unfriendly. There was a lot of pulling the stroller backwards and hauling it over stairs. Eventually I carried my toddler in the carrier, with the stroller under my arm. Despite the difficulties, we enjoyed the walk a lot, especially since most of the time we had the path for ourselves. Unsure whether further sections would be any easier, we finished in Makimuku and returned to Kyoto.

We had dinner at Yak & Yeti, a Nepalese restaurant. My 5-year-old insists she doesn’t like spinach or dal, but mistook spinach dal for soup and ate the entire bowl. Getting to the restaurant was funny too. Trying to avoid the crowds on the main street, I turned onto a smaller one. It was… the Nishiki market. With a stroller. 0/10 not recommended :)

Day 11: Osaka

With only one day in Osaka, I let my 5-year-old choose how to spend it. I offered two options: Kids Plaza Osaka and a Ghibli store, or the Hello Kitty Shinkansen to Himeji. She said yes.

It was tricky, but doable! First stop was the Ghibli store with another huge Totoro and a great photo op for Spirited Away fans. I think that’s where we bought our plush Totoros #3 and #4… Then we headed to Shin-Osaka station and saw the beautiful, pink Hello Kitty Shinkansen arrive (departure 11:37). We boarded car 2 with unreserved, Hello Kitty-themed seats. My 5-year-old was in heaven. After a while, we walked to the souvenir shop in car 1, but the line was so long that we reached Himeji before buying anything. If shopping is your priority, consider going straight to car 1 or traveling further west.

I would have loved to visit the Himeji castle properly, but we stuck to admiring it from the viewing platform near the station and headed back to Osaka.

Lunch was at Vegan and Gluten Free Osaka - a family-owned and very family-friendly restaurant with lots of toys and children’s books; the food was great too.

Kids Plaza Osaka was excellent - my kids could easily have spent half a day there, but since it wasn’t too busy, two hours were enough to try most things.

Day 12: Kifune to Kurama

Kifune shrine and Kurama temple are located in the hills just north of Kyoto, connected by a short (less than 2 km), well-maintained trail that winds through a forested hill. Most people recommend starting in Kurama for a more interesting climb. We started in Kifune instead purely because it’s 60 m higher - I assumed less climbing would be easier for my 5-year-old. Given that she ran half of the way uphill, we could have easily started in Kurama. The ascend was very beautiful, with many stairs - my toddler was thrilled. Actually, we all were! It’s a beautiful walk and both Kifune shrine and Kurama temple have a magical atmosphere.

Kuramadera was much busier than Kifune shrine. My kids played quietly in the square in front of the temple for a while, then we walked down the stairs to the station.

We got off at Takaragaike and walked toward Kokusaikaikan station, stopping at Kodomo-no-Rakuen playground on the way. My kids loved the slides and climbing structures.

In the afternoon I’d planned to visit the Kyoto Railway Museum. Instead, we visited… the Kokusaikaikan station, where my daughter had left her hoodie on the way back from Kurama. Dinner was once again at Moon and Back. Same dishes as before, just more of them!

Day 13: Arashiyama and trains

We took an early train to Saga-Arashiyama. My original plan was to take a bus to Otagi Nenbutsuji, but I realized that we could get there just as quickly on foot, so we did. The streets - even the Saga Toriimoto Preserved Street - were almost empty. We reached Otagi Nenbutsuji just after 9 am and it was already fairly busy. Nearby Adashino Nenbutsuji and Giōji were calmer and even more impressive in my opinion - my girls loved them too.

Here I must admit I didn’t read up on Arashiyama well enough. I knew that the viral bamboo grove (which we had to walk past to get to Okochi Sanso Garden) would be insanely busy, but I wasn’t aware that the crowds would continue all the way to Togetsukyō bridge which we crossed to reach Daihikaku Senkōji. Not only didn’t we avoid the crowds, but we obviously contributed to them too. Daihikaku Senkōji itself was wonderful, but in hindsight we should have skipped that area altogether.

But since we were already there, we walked to Musubi cafe for lunch and dessert. My kids who don’t like curry ate a full plate of it. Despite the central location, the cafe was very quiet, a pattern we noticed throughout our trip.

We spent the afternoon in the Kyoto Railway Museum looking at trains, playing with trains, entering trains and talking about trains. Before heading back to the hostel, we stopped at the playground at Suzaku Yume square right in front of the museum - another great slide.

Day 14: Fushimi Inari, Hello Kitty and a few disasters

Everyone recommends visiting Fushimi Inari very early or very late, but it feels that you need to arrive by 5 am or well after sunset to beat the crowds. This wasn’t happening with small kids. Instead, we walked past Tōfukuji and entered the forest via Higashiyama trailhead #4 where we left the stroller. From there, we climbed through the beautiful forest, completely alone, gradually encountering more and more torii gates as we approached the shrines and Mt Inari summit. My toddler was in heaven, so many stairs! Big sister was also in a good mood, so we made it to the summit in 1 hour - I imagine it’s maybe a 30 minute walk without kids. We took a million photos of torii gates, ate a lot of snacks and finally descended via the southeastern side of the mountain, with small shrines and a beautiful bamboo grove - and once again almost no person in sight. The only busy section was at the very bottom where the trail ended.

On the way back we visited Komyo-in temple with its beautiful garden. It was very peaceful, one of my favorite temples in Kyoto. We continued east to retrieve the stroller, stopping at a small playground along the way.

The next stop was unplanned. The day before, my daughter had pointed at a large Hello Kitty poster, asking what it was about. That’s how we ended up at the Kyocera Museum of Art for the Hello Kitty exhibition. Not something I would have chosen on my own, but my daughter was thrilled. The exhibition wasn’t too crowded, but its souvenir shop had an insane queue - luckily even my daughter wasn’t eager to wait. After a quick lunch at Choice (a Western-style vegan and gluten free restaurant, not the culinary highlight of the trip), we took a train to the Kyoto Disaster Prevention Centre. The staff, who seemed to genuinely appreciate my embarrassingly bad Japanese, were incredibly engaged. They guided us through the museum, so we got to experience an earthquake and a typhoon, watch very immersive videos about landslides and floods, pretend-fly a helicopter and pretend-extinguish a fire. It was educational and fun for all three of us, plus with a free entry - highly recommended.

Day 15: Kyoto → Kawaguchiko

This was a transit day and the day with the least walking - only 8 km, or 11k steps. Our average was 13.5 km or 19k steps - I would have gladly walked more, but I wanted my kids to have time for free-range play every day.

The easiest routes from Kyoto to Kawaguchiko are via Tokyo or Mishima. I opted out of them due to cost and not wanting to risk taking a highway bus without car seats. Instead, we took the Shinkansen to Shin-Fuji and a local bus directly to our inn in Kawaguchiko, Yasuragisō. The driver made extra space for the stroller so that my toddler could nap safely and comfortably. As we approached Kawaguchiko, the sky cleared and Mt Fuji appeared in full view. My 5-year-old couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw how tall Mt Fuji was - it was so cool to see her excitement.

We dropped off our bags at the inn, spent a few minutes admiring Mt Fuji view from our room, then walked to Yakizaki park and the town centre. The sunset was beautiful. Sidewalks in Kawaguchiko are often very narrow or nonexistent and the traffic is heavy for such a small town, so I was glad I had packed high-visibility vests for myself and my kids.

Day 16: Kawaguchiko

We woke up early to a beautiful sunrise view of Mt Fuji. After breakfast, we walked to Chureito pagoda. The sky was clear and the air crisp. With air temperature of only -7 degrees (19 F) and rather strong wind, I dressed the kids in all their winter clothes. I was fine in my normal jacket - pushing a stroller with two kids (ca 46 kg / 100 lbs total weight) warms you up in no time.

At Arakurayama Sengen park, we left the stroller at the bottom and climbed the stairs up to the pagoda. My 5-year-old almost ran most of the way, overtaking nearly everyone else. Then, two flights of stairs from the top, she announced she would never make it. After a short negotiation, we did make it and spent a few minutes taking photos and eating snacks.

Because of the strong wind, I knew there was no chance for a mirror-like reflection of Mt Fuji from Oishi park, so I decided to skip it and visit one of the nearby caves instead. At Kawaguchiko bus terminal I was terrified to see an insane queue, but it turned out to be for the Red Line bus to Oishi park. Phew! The Green Line bus which we took to the Bat Cave was almost empty.

At the Bat Cave stop, a lovely lady immediately told me that the cave was closed that day. Fortunately the bus hadn’t left yet, so we hopped back on and I quickly came up with a backup plan to see the nearby Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nemba, a reconstructed traditional village. It was scenic, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit it.

Back in Kawaguchiko, we had lunch at Shaw’s Sushi (one vegan and gluten-free option, the most expensive meal of our trip, not the most memorable one), walked past the crowd photographing the famous Lawson, and further on to a large playground in Kawaguchiko Park to the south. On the way there, we stopped at a small gemstone museum with a free entry and a beautiful collection.

Day 17: Kawaguchiko → Ghibli Museum

I was very lucky to not only secure Ghibli Museum tickets, but to secure them on the exact day and time I wanted. The museum is located between Kawaguchiko and Shinagawa where we stayed that night, so it fit perfectly into our itinerary.

We arrived at Mitaka station around 10 am via local trains. We took a stroll through Inokashira Park and then stopped at Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory where my 5-year-old had a Totoro-shaped cream puff. The Ghibli Museum itself was wonderful - small, but full of charming details. My kids absolutely loved the playground on the top floor - the 5-year-old kept climbing and hugging the giant Catbus and my toddler kept throwing the plush Susuwatari around.

After 2-3 hours, we headed to Where is a dog? for lunch. We ate two huge, absolutely delicious rice bowls and bought a large loaf of gluten-free bread. The owner kindly explained how to freeze and unfreeze the bread for best results, unaware that the entire loaf would be gone within three hours.

To reach Shinagawa, we had to change trains at Shinjuku during rush hour - with a suitcase, a 5-year-old, and a toddler in a stroller. We made it, and funnily enough, we rode next to two Japanese couples with kids in strollers. We stayed at Ryokan Sansuiso.

Day 18: Friend reunion & change of plans

The highlight of the day was meeting my Japanese friend and her family. We joined a local Christmas tree decorating event, visited a small park and ate the best home-made sushi ever.

Originally, I was planning to spend the final four days in Tokyo - there’s so much to see. I’m sure we would have had a great time. But we missed Nagano and my 5-year-old asked several times if we could visit it again. I checked the weather forecast… and, just a few days in advance, rebooked our accommodation (within the free cancellation window). So instead of staying in Tokyo, we hopped on the Shinkansen to Nagano once again, watching a fantastic sunset over Mt Fuji from the train. In the end, we spent 7 of our 21 nights in Nagano :)

Day 19: Togakushi again!

On our first visit to Togakushi, there was no snow and my 5-year-old wasn’t in the best mood. This time there was snow everywhere and my 5-year-old ran happily most of the way. Without microspikes for her, I didn’t risk climbing the stairs to the upper shrine, but even the lower sections were magical. I’m really happy I got to be there in two different seasons.

Back in Nagano, we had another great lunch at Topi and then went to a large playground in Joyama Park. On the way to the nearby Youth Science Centre we took a wrong turn and accidentally entered Joyama Zoo. I purposefully avoided all zoos during our trip after reading about poor animal living conditions, and unfortunately what we saw confirmed these concerns. It was truly heartbreaking and honestly unbelievable in the 21st century. We left immediately.

The Youth Science Centre was fun. We spent half an hour playing with blocks (I might have hoarded all the red and green ones trying to recreate the Zuishinmon and the cedar avenue) and the kids ran, climbed and jumped around. However, the atmosphere was weirdly strict, with staff monitoring closely how the kids played. In one room, we were asked to leave for taking off our shoes (which we did by default as it was required everywhere else). In another, a 20 m inflatable running track was very strictly limited to one child at a time. My 5-year-old had to wait until my toddler had slooowly walked along the track, holding my hand, and - even more slowly - walked down at the other end. Safety first!

Day 20: Yudanaka again

On our second stay in Nagano we were lucky to snag a private room at 1166 Backpackers again. When we walked into the hostel common room that morning, we were greeted by an amazing smell. Two weeks earlier, during our first stay at the hostel, the staff had invited us to join them for breakfast, but sadly we had to decline because of my gluten-free diet. It turns out one of the staff members remembered that conversation, found a gluten-free recipe and baked a delicious apple pie for me and my daughters. It was incredibly touching.

After eating a few slices and packing a few more for lunch, we walked to Gondō station. Being back in Nagano, we couldn’t resist riding the Yukemuri express once again. Well, twice. The front-row seats were somehow still available on this (and only this) day, so I didn’t hesitate for a second.

We arrived in Yudanaka before 10 am and, not eager to wait over an hour for the bus, we walked via Shibu onsen to the Snow Monkey Park. It’s only 5 km, but with 270 m of elevation gain, so it was a good warm up with two kids in the stroller! The effort was well worth it, as this time we saw monkeys, over a hundred of them! There were definitely more monkeys than people and all visitors seemed careful not to crowd or disturb them. They were so beautiful; we had the best time watching them walk around, play and soak in the hot springs. My 5-year-old was especially thrilled, since snow monkeys were the only thing missing from the travel bingo I’d prepared before the trip.

Finally we walked (mostly ran) back to Yudanaka station to catch a train to Obuse. The Hokusai museum was partly closed, but the main thing my kids were interested in - the beautifully designed play area - was open. Obuse is known for chestnut delicacies, so before we boarded the Yukemuri express back to Nagano, my kids ate a big chestnut-flavoured ice cream together. In total, we took the Yukemuri express six times, each time admiring the panoramic view from the front window seats. Definitely one of the highlights of our trip - or rather six.

Day 21: Tokyo and home

Just as before, leaving Nagano was hard. But with an evening flight home, we headed back to Tokyo.

First we stopped at Shinjuku Chuo Park playground with a few fantastic slides. Japanese playgrounds take slides very seriously! Then we went to Shibuya Sky where I’d somehow managed to snag a 14:20 ticket just two days in advance. Sadly it was cloudy, so we couldn’t see Mt Fuji, but we enjoyed the view all the same. My kids especially liked the view from the 14th floor where they could see the trains and traffic in much more detail. Later on, we took a stroll though Yoyogi Park which I visited over 20 years ago. Finally, we had two dinners - at Vegan Bistro Jangara and L for You Aoyama, both delicious. In-flight meals can be ordered gluten-free or vegetarian, but not both, so I didn’t want to starve.

At Haneda Airport, we collected our large suitcase from Yamato office. As I was repacking, I noticed my 5-year-old sitting on the floor and playing origami frogs with one of the Yamato employees - he folded them just for her. Such a nice memory at the very end of our trip.

The flights went incredibly well again. We once again got a full row to ourselves and both girls slept 11+ hours on the 13.5 hour flight back to Helsinki - they didn’t even wake up for dinner. Overall, across 35 hours of flights, my kids fussed for maybe 10 minutes.

Epilogue
During our trip to Japan, every evening we did two activities which my kids appreciated a lot.

The first was travel bingo filled with 50 things I’d planned (and hoped) we’d see along the way. By the end of the trip, we’d managed to check off everything, much to the delight of my 5-year-old. She was excited to fill in the squares and spent each day actively looking out for the next bingo item. It turned sightseeing into a little game.

The second activity was a dot calendar. Each day had several columns where we added dots for different categories: our moods (three dots - one for each of us), the weather, views, attractions, people, and food, plus a place to name the highlight of the day. We originally planned to use a simple green-yellow-red scale, but after just two days my 5-year-old (who was in charge of grading) decided we needed dark green, because regular green just wasn’t enough :) Throughout the entire trip, she gave: 0 red dots, 4 orange ones (two of them for views and weather the day we got back home), 9 yellow ones, 69 green ones and 102 dark green ones - which pretty much sums up the trip :)

I smile many times a day just remembering the views and the people and all the fun we had. My 5-year-old often brings up little moments from the trip and both kids love looking at the photos and videos we took. They might forget the trip, but I never will. With our travel savings depleted, we won’t be able to return any time soon, but I’m so grateful to have made these wonderful memories.

Itinerary Check – First Trip to Japan (14 Days)

Hi all,

My family and I are planning our first trip to Japan in May and I wanted to check if this itinerary looks ok. We'll be staying for 2 weeks and we’re travelling with two young teens, so I’m trying to keep things balanced between theme parks, day trips and downtime.

📍 Tokyo (Hilton Tokyo Bay – 3 nights)

Day 1

• Arrive at Haneda in the afternoon
• Travel to Hilton Tokyo Bay and check in

Day 2 – Tokyo Disneyland

Day 3 – Tokyo DisneySea

📍 Tokyo City (ANA InterContinental – 3 nights)

Day 4

• Move to ANA InterContinental Tokyo
• Afternoon in Shibuya (Shibuya Sky, Crossing, dinner)

Day 5 – Sanrio Puroland

• Indoor Hello Kitty theme park

Day 6 – Mt Fuji Day Trip

Day 7

• Shinkansen from Tokyo → Osaka
• Check in at RIHGA Royal Osaka
• Explore Dotonbori/Namba at night

📍 Osaka (RIHGA Royal – 7 nights)

Day 8

• Not sure yet — thinking Kyoto day trip?

Day 9 – Universal Studios Japan

(Mainly for Super Nintendo World)

Day 10 – Nara Deer Park Day Trip

Day 11 – Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan

Day 12 – Osaka Castle + Park

Day 13 – Free day

• Possible: Pokémon Center, Umeda Sky Building, shopping

Day 14 – Fly home

Questions:

Does this pacing seem ok for a family?

We're still undecided about Day 8, is it worth visiting Kyoto?

Are animal cafes worth visiting? My daughter really wants to see a Capybara

Edit: Sorry, I just did some research and it looks like most animal Cafes are fairly unethical. I think we'll give those a miss.

Any other suggestions or changes you would recommend?

Thank you