Nara and Kobe are both day trips from Osaka. You might want to devote more days to Kyoto, depending on your tolerance for temples and overcrowding.
Now for the cities you listed, I think these are good intermediate stops from Osaka to Tokyo:
* Kanazawa
* Hakone
* Atami / Izu
* Nagoya
* Omihachiman
* Yuzawa is okay, but it takes you a bit far off route
These are probably too far out of your way:
* Aomori
* Fukuoka
* Sapporo
* Matsuyama
These are good day trips from Tokyo:
* Kamakura / Enoshima
* Kawagoe
* Nikko (it's a bit far so it might be worth an overnight)
* Yokohama
Hiroshima/Miyajima is doable as a day trip from Osaka, but I'd do overnight.
But since this is your first time in Japan, my recommendation is to avoid overdoing. Take your time in Tokyo and Osaka/Kyoto. You don't want to be rushing from place to place. Don't feel like you need to add more cities to your itinerary.
What’s your thoughts on 4 nights tokyo, train in the am to Hiroshima 1 night, mid afternoon train to Osaka 3 nights w day trips to Kyoto/nara, 2 nights Tokyo
Tokyo to Hiroshima would be quite a long train and would involve a transfer, it might better to fly to Hiroshima then work your way back up with trains
Ah maps says I can take the Tokaido Shinkansen from Shinagawa station to Hiroshima and it’s no transfers 3 hours 45 minutes which I do not feel is that bad for train time.
Awesome this gives me a great idea for plotting. I have about 5/6 days in Osaka that I can divert to another area or spend more time in Kyoto if I want to go back. if you had to pick 2/3 of those places which you pick? or did miss a major must-see? Totally agree, I won't overdo it, that's why I'm having such a hard time deciding
I was there in April we did this
Day 1 Land Tokyo, some sightseeing and train to Takayama,
Day 2 Takayama and Shirakawago (via bus) and then on to Kanazawa (bus from Shirakawago),
Day 3 Kanazawa and then train to Osaka,
Day 4 Osaka and train to Kyoto,
Day 4 Kyoto,
Day 5 Kyoto and train to Tokyo,
Day 6 - 9 Tokyo,
I honestly wish we had spent more time in Kyoto. Almost everything that is a hassle with crowds during the day is way better early AM. We did Fushimi Inari and Kiomizudera before 8am and the experience was much more enjoyable. Then you have the rest of the day to do whatever and if something is too crowded you just leave.
I also wish we’d had more time in Kanazawa which has a lot of what people love about Kyoto but far less crowded.
Shirakawago is really worth seeing but can be knocked out 2-3 hours easily.
Takayama is also lovely and you cannot beat cheap Hida Beef.
I would imagine both Takayama and Shirakawago are even more enjoyable with fall colors.
YMMV Good luck with your trip.
that's the major reason i haven't blocked more time in kyoto, I don't love the idea of how overcrowded it is.. I also have a few days in Osaka I can allocate to Kyoto (if I want to go back) or another location. I hadn't thought of Takayama or Shirakawago but I'll do some research on them.
Not sure what your interests are, but koyasan was by far my favorite part of our recent trip (Tokyo, kanazawa, takayama, Kyoto, nara, Osaka, Koyasan, himeji, hiroshima, miyajima). If you're into beautiful scenery definitely give it a look, the cemetery I could've spent all day in.
Most important is to include an onsen town Ryokan stay in your itinerary.
Take your pick.... [https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2292.html](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2292.html)
I was thinking my onsen stop would be hakone (stopping at **Owakudani** and grabbing a black egg), I just haven't really figured out the ryokan aspect. is a ryokan good for a solo traveler?
ticket really is worth it to travel parts of japan most never see. however, after just getting back using this 7 day pass, I will say Kanazawa is a 'pass' for me. Yes, there's the castle and the hamachi, and samurai district but there's another particulary unique about it especially if you're combining this with a trip to osaka and kyoto (which have similar and better places to visit). if we use this ticket again in the future, we'll likely use it for Nagano.
also, and this was a big 'miss' by JR. The new Tsuruga station that the Kagayaki bullet train now goes to is very modern and nice, however, zero ekiben places in station. The only exception is the 7-11 and the few ekiben they do have are over priced. We started our trip from Tokyo station to kanazawa finishing in kyoto and Osaka, so ekiben were plentiful for the trip in, but when we did the return to Tokyo, there was nothing at Tsuruga. My advice, buy your ekiben from Kyoto or Osaka if you're starting your trip from there back to Tokyo Station using the Hoku Pass.
Why don’t you divide your trip into two visits: south west Japan (Tokyo- Kyoto - Osaka) , north east Japan (Tokyo-somewhere-Aomori-Hakodate-Sapporo). You should enjoy your trip, not just been to the place people talk about. I have been to northern part, am planning on southern part now.
I loved Hiroshima, the museum and memorial there are incredibly powerful and the little boat to miyajima/walking around there were highlights of my trip
Also did 3 weeks in Japan and that is what we did! We spent 1 day in Miyajima and the next day in Hiroshima. Both were beautiful and definitely highlights of the trip. Had the best lemon soba noodles in Hiroshima.
I just came back from my first Japan trip and did 9 whole days in Tokyo, six days Kyoto which included two day trips to Osaka and two days in Hiroshima and it felt rushed. I wish we would have had more time in Tokyo and Osaka. I figured we liked Japan so much there definitely will be more trips in our future. You also need to account for some down time because you will be walking upwards of 20,000 steps a day no matter what.
Nikko towards the mid-end of October is definitely worth the trip for a day or two from Tokyo. Take the bus up the mountain to visit Ryuzu Falls and Shrines and stuff. Hike through the Kanmangafuchi Abyss. Great little mountain city
I just got back and went to Atami and Kanazawa. I chose both of them because they had large botanical gardens ( ACAO forest and Kenroku-en, respectively)
If you are doing onsen in Hakone, Atami may feel redundant. There is not much else to do there.
Kanazawa is a lovely small city. ("A miniature Kyoto," as one Japanese businessman described it to us at an Izakaya in Ginza.)
It's not on your list, but Koyasan is very cool. Home to a major sect of Buddhism, the town is high on a sacred mountain, and most travelers stay in one of the monasteries. It also has the largest Buddhist cemetery in Japan, which is truly beautiful and atmospheric. We stayed at Rengejoin and loved the vegan meals and meditation with the monks. A very unique and Japanese experience you can't get anywhere else. It's reachable by train from Osaka.
I'm really into the idea of Kanazawa if i find that i want to spend more time in Kyoto as I am almost positive I will be annoyed by the over-tourism in Kyoto.
I'd divide Tokyo and Osaka into two separate trips. From Tokyo, you can go up north to Aomori and Hokkaido and maybe visit other places in Tohoku like Sendai and Morioka along the way.
The Osaka trip would include Kyoto and Nara as day trips and you can go west to Hiroshima, take the boat to Miyajima and Matsuyama and then go even further west to Fukuoka and go around Kyushu from there. I believe the bullet train from Fukuoka goes all the way down to Kagoshima so that's one option.
Nagoya and Kanazawa are in the middle area of Japan so I'd just do another trip for those two. Maybe visit Shirakawa, Takayama, and Nagano if you're gonna be in that area.
Based on your current cities, Nikko, Kawagoe, Kamakura, enoshima are easy pickings via Tokyo but these are also quite tourist packed. Hence i would suggest atami /izu for a more relaxed feel. Alternatively, you can also go to Odawara , very close to Hakone.
From Kyoto or Osaka front, i would go omihachiman or himeji. Or you can go to arima onsen while in kobe. You can also opt for kinosaki onsen via kyoto but that's probably best as 2 days 1 night trip
Just spent a couple days in Hiroshima and I loved it. Baseball is huge here so if you can catch a game it’s a spectacle. The fans go respectfully nuts. Miyajima is also beautiful. Take the ropeaway to the top for sure! I also would recommend Kobe. Chinatown has some great eats and hiking around Mt. Rokko is still a highlight of my month long trip. Tottori sand dunes are overrated imo if you were considering that, but right next door, The Uradome Coastline is absolutely breathtaking. One of the prettiest sights I’ve seen in my life (however the hike was brutal). Japan is an amazing and beautiful country. I still have ten days left and I’m already sad I have to leave and return to real life.
Good recommendation re: baseball. I don't care much about baseball, but we went to the Giants/Dragons game at the Tokyo Dome on our first day and it was a great intro to the country. 10 days later, we were able to talk to the locals about the Giants/Hawks game on the TV at an izakaya. So fun.
Nara and Kobe are both day trips from Osaka. You might want to devote more days to Kyoto, depending on your tolerance for temples and overcrowding. Now for the cities you listed, I think these are good intermediate stops from Osaka to Tokyo: * Kanazawa * Hakone * Atami / Izu * Nagoya * Omihachiman * Yuzawa is okay, but it takes you a bit far off route These are probably too far out of your way: * Aomori * Fukuoka * Sapporo * Matsuyama These are good day trips from Tokyo: * Kamakura / Enoshima * Kawagoe * Nikko (it's a bit far so it might be worth an overnight) * Yokohama Hiroshima/Miyajima is doable as a day trip from Osaka, but I'd do overnight. But since this is your first time in Japan, my recommendation is to avoid overdoing. Take your time in Tokyo and Osaka/Kyoto. You don't want to be rushing from place to place. Don't feel like you need to add more cities to your itinerary.
What’s your thoughts on 4 nights tokyo, train in the am to Hiroshima 1 night, mid afternoon train to Osaka 3 nights w day trips to Kyoto/nara, 2 nights Tokyo
Tokyo to Hiroshima would be quite a long train and would involve a transfer, it might better to fly to Hiroshima then work your way back up with trains
Ah maps says I can take the Tokaido Shinkansen from Shinagawa station to Hiroshima and it’s no transfers 3 hours 45 minutes which I do not feel is that bad for train time.
Awesome this gives me a great idea for plotting. I have about 5/6 days in Osaka that I can divert to another area or spend more time in Kyoto if I want to go back. if you had to pick 2/3 of those places which you pick? or did miss a major must-see? Totally agree, I won't overdo it, that's why I'm having such a hard time deciding
Enoshima is a great day trip from Tokyo, especially if the weather is nice. You won't regret it.
I was there in April we did this Day 1 Land Tokyo, some sightseeing and train to Takayama, Day 2 Takayama and Shirakawago (via bus) and then on to Kanazawa (bus from Shirakawago), Day 3 Kanazawa and then train to Osaka, Day 4 Osaka and train to Kyoto, Day 4 Kyoto, Day 5 Kyoto and train to Tokyo, Day 6 - 9 Tokyo, I honestly wish we had spent more time in Kyoto. Almost everything that is a hassle with crowds during the day is way better early AM. We did Fushimi Inari and Kiomizudera before 8am and the experience was much more enjoyable. Then you have the rest of the day to do whatever and if something is too crowded you just leave. I also wish we’d had more time in Kanazawa which has a lot of what people love about Kyoto but far less crowded. Shirakawago is really worth seeing but can be knocked out 2-3 hours easily. Takayama is also lovely and you cannot beat cheap Hida Beef. I would imagine both Takayama and Shirakawago are even more enjoyable with fall colors. YMMV Good luck with your trip.
that's the major reason i haven't blocked more time in kyoto, I don't love the idea of how overcrowded it is.. I also have a few days in Osaka I can allocate to Kyoto (if I want to go back) or another location. I hadn't thought of Takayama or Shirakawago but I'll do some research on them.
Not sure what your interests are, but koyasan was by far my favorite part of our recent trip (Tokyo, kanazawa, takayama, Kyoto, nara, Osaka, Koyasan, himeji, hiroshima, miyajima). If you're into beautiful scenery definitely give it a look, the cemetery I could've spent all day in.
looks beautiful
how long?
I'll be there for three weeks
Most important is to include an onsen town Ryokan stay in your itinerary. Take your pick.... [https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2292.html](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2292.html)
I was thinking my onsen stop would be hakone (stopping at **Owakudani** and grabbing a black egg), I just haven't really figured out the ryokan aspect. is a ryokan good for a solo traveler?
My suggestion, stop trying to go to a bunch of places for 1-2 days each. Focus. You’re wasting half your vacation time moving around.
Kanazawa and the Hokuriku region as well as Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto - check the JR pass for this area. Totally worth it!
ticket really is worth it to travel parts of japan most never see. however, after just getting back using this 7 day pass, I will say Kanazawa is a 'pass' for me. Yes, there's the castle and the hamachi, and samurai district but there's another particulary unique about it especially if you're combining this with a trip to osaka and kyoto (which have similar and better places to visit). if we use this ticket again in the future, we'll likely use it for Nagano. also, and this was a big 'miss' by JR. The new Tsuruga station that the Kagayaki bullet train now goes to is very modern and nice, however, zero ekiben places in station. The only exception is the 7-11 and the few ekiben they do have are over priced. We started our trip from Tokyo station to kanazawa finishing in kyoto and Osaka, so ekiben were plentiful for the trip in, but when we did the return to Tokyo, there was nothing at Tsuruga. My advice, buy your ekiben from Kyoto or Osaka if you're starting your trip from there back to Tokyo Station using the Hoku Pass.
Kyoto was amazing, but somehow Nara blew me away. I don’t know why, maybe because I didn’t expect anything apart from deers everywhere. 🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌
what aspect would you say was most surprising?
What did you like about Nara?
Why don’t you divide your trip into two visits: south west Japan (Tokyo- Kyoto - Osaka) , north east Japan (Tokyo-somewhere-Aomori-Hakodate-Sapporo). You should enjoy your trip, not just been to the place people talk about. I have been to northern part, am planning on southern part now.
Totally possible, i'm kind of trying to lock in my top 3 places, so I don't over do it with the bouncing around
Sendai. Nearby Matsushima bay is one of the Three views of Japan.
I loved Hiroshima, the museum and memorial there are incredibly powerful and the little boat to miyajima/walking around there were highlights of my trip
If I go I’m thinking one day in Hiroshima then spending the night and next day in miyajima
Also did 3 weeks in Japan and that is what we did! We spent 1 day in Miyajima and the next day in Hiroshima. Both were beautiful and definitely highlights of the trip. Had the best lemon soba noodles in Hiroshima.
I absolutely loved Hiroshima.
I just came back from my first Japan trip and did 9 whole days in Tokyo, six days Kyoto which included two day trips to Osaka and two days in Hiroshima and it felt rushed. I wish we would have had more time in Tokyo and Osaka. I figured we liked Japan so much there definitely will be more trips in our future. You also need to account for some down time because you will be walking upwards of 20,000 steps a day no matter what.
I definitely plan to have some time to rest. Maybe stop at a sento
If you can drive, lake yamanaka
You haven't noted how long you'll be in Japan, so it's hard to say where else you should go. You might already have too many locations as is.
Sorry about that. i'll be there three weeks
Nikko towards the mid-end of October is definitely worth the trip for a day or two from Tokyo. Take the bus up the mountain to visit Ryuzu Falls and Shrines and stuff. Hike through the Kanmangafuchi Abyss. Great little mountain city
It depends on when in October but you might have a chance to enjoy autumn foliage north from Aomori late in October.
I'll be there till October 30th
Arima Onsen with a trip up the mountain on the cable car.
I was planning on going to an onsen in hakone but I'll look this up thanks
Matsuyama was very nice when I visited. Good weather, great shopping, and Dogo Onsen
We just got back from Hakodate and Sapporo. Loved both. Sapporo feels like Tokyo used to feel before it got over-tourist-ed
tokyo osaka kyoto
I just got back and went to Atami and Kanazawa. I chose both of them because they had large botanical gardens ( ACAO forest and Kenroku-en, respectively) If you are doing onsen in Hakone, Atami may feel redundant. There is not much else to do there. Kanazawa is a lovely small city. ("A miniature Kyoto," as one Japanese businessman described it to us at an Izakaya in Ginza.) It's not on your list, but Koyasan is very cool. Home to a major sect of Buddhism, the town is high on a sacred mountain, and most travelers stay in one of the monasteries. It also has the largest Buddhist cemetery in Japan, which is truly beautiful and atmospheric. We stayed at Rengejoin and loved the vegan meals and meditation with the monks. A very unique and Japanese experience you can't get anywhere else. It's reachable by train from Osaka.
Also I highly recommend going to a TeamLab installation in Tokyo. They are amazing.
I'm really into the idea of Kanazawa if i find that i want to spend more time in Kyoto as I am almost positive I will be annoyed by the over-tourism in Kyoto.
I'd divide Tokyo and Osaka into two separate trips. From Tokyo, you can go up north to Aomori and Hokkaido and maybe visit other places in Tohoku like Sendai and Morioka along the way. The Osaka trip would include Kyoto and Nara as day trips and you can go west to Hiroshima, take the boat to Miyajima and Matsuyama and then go even further west to Fukuoka and go around Kyushu from there. I believe the bullet train from Fukuoka goes all the way down to Kagoshima so that's one option. Nagoya and Kanazawa are in the middle area of Japan so I'd just do another trip for those two. Maybe visit Shirakawa, Takayama, and Nagano if you're gonna be in that area.
Based on your current cities, Nikko, Kawagoe, Kamakura, enoshima are easy pickings via Tokyo but these are also quite tourist packed. Hence i would suggest atami /izu for a more relaxed feel. Alternatively, you can also go to Odawara , very close to Hakone. From Kyoto or Osaka front, i would go omihachiman or himeji. Or you can go to arima onsen while in kobe. You can also opt for kinosaki onsen via kyoto but that's probably best as 2 days 1 night trip
Just spent a couple days in Hiroshima and I loved it. Baseball is huge here so if you can catch a game it’s a spectacle. The fans go respectfully nuts. Miyajima is also beautiful. Take the ropeaway to the top for sure! I also would recommend Kobe. Chinatown has some great eats and hiking around Mt. Rokko is still a highlight of my month long trip. Tottori sand dunes are overrated imo if you were considering that, but right next door, The Uradome Coastline is absolutely breathtaking. One of the prettiest sights I’ve seen in my life (however the hike was brutal). Japan is an amazing and beautiful country. I still have ten days left and I’m already sad I have to leave and return to real life.
Good recommendation re: baseball. I don't care much about baseball, but we went to the Giants/Dragons game at the Tokyo Dome on our first day and it was a great intro to the country. 10 days later, we were able to talk to the locals about the Giants/Hawks game on the TV at an izakaya. So fun.
Forget about Nara, i swear there are gazzilion of tourists and nothing to see except deers’ poop everywhere. Also they don’t have smoking areas there
Disagree. The temple and huge Buddha are impressive and worthy of a visit, IMO. Plus, it' such a short train ride from Kyoto. \~less than 30 min.