JJapan Trips

3-Week Japan Travel Itinerary/Report

3-Week Japan Travel Itinerary/Report (May 18 – June 6, 2025)

This May/June, my girlfriend and I traveled through Japan for three weeks together with another couple. I’d love to share our itinerary and travel experiences with you. It’s a fairly factual overview, mainly intended to give a general idea of what there is to do and what is feasible in a day. I don’t review everything in detail, but we honestly enjoyed almost everything—unless I specifically mention otherwise. Feel free to ask about any specific experiences or practical tips, tho!

Day 1 (Sunday, May 18)

  • Arrival in Tokyo. Arrival around 2 PM at Narita airport.
  • By train and Yamanote line to our apartment in Shinjuku.
  • To Senso-ji and the Sanja Matsuri festival in Asakusa. We were lucky to be there exactly on the final day of this annual festival in Tokyo. (Every third weekend of May).
  • Ended the evening in Kabukicho/Golden Gai (walking distance from our apartment).

Day 2 (Monday, May 19)

  • Meiji shrine + inner garden
  • Yoyogi park (We had planned to go there on Saturday or Sunday, as it’s said to be very lively on weekends. Due to a problem with our flight, we only arrived in Tokyo on Sunday afternoon, so that didn’t work out. On Monday the park was very quiet).
  • Harajuku (including Takeshita street)
  • Shibuya crossing
  • Akihabara

Day 3 (Tuesday, May 20)

  • Kappabashi dori
  • Ueno park
  • Ueno Toshogu shrine
  • Tokyo national museum
  • Shinobazuno pond benten
  • Ameyokocho market
  • Walk through Nezu and Yanaka (nicely quiet after a day in the crowds).
  • Nezu Shrine
  • Dinner in Omoide Yokocho

Day 4 (Wednesday, May 21)

  • Shinjuku Gyoen
  • Yokohama (Minato Mirai and China Town)
  • Football match Yokohama F. Marinos – Vissel Kobe

Day 5 (Thursday, May 22)

  • Imperial palace / Kokyo gaien
  • Tsukiji fish market
  • Grand Sumo tournament in the Ryogoku Kokugikan. One of the highlights of the trip. Totally into sumo ever since. See my earlier comment about the experience.
  • Tokyo Skytree. One of the few less enjoyable experiences that generally felt a bit like a tourist trap. The view was quite nice, but we were a bit late so it was already getting dark. Also, it was very crowded and we had to wait a long time to get up and especially to get back down.

Day 6 (Friday, May 23)

  • Start of a 4-day road trip through the Japanese Alps.
  • Arakurayama Sengen Park / Chureito Pagoda. We hoped to see Fuji, but unfortunately it was hidden in the mist so not visible.
  • Drove on to Matsumoto. Visit to Matsumoto Castle.
  • Stay in a Ryokan hotel with onsen, traditional Kaiseki meal.

Day 7 (Saturday, May 24)

  • Hiking in the beautiful Kamikochi (Chubu Sangaku National Park)
  • Dinner in Takayama
  • Overnight stay in Shirakawa-go

Day 8 (Sunday, May 25)

  • Enjoying the beautiful famous houses in Shirakawa-go and the slightly further located Gokayama.
  • Continuation of the road trip to Kanazawa, overnight stay in Kanazawa

Day 9 (Monday, May 26)

  • Traditional tea ceremony
  • Kenroku-garden
  • Kanazawa castle
  • Final part of road trip from Kanazawa to Kyoto

Day 10 (Tuesday, May 27)

  • Arashiyama Bamboo grove. Quite beautiful but small and very crowded. The bamboo forest on Mt. Inari was much more impressive.
  • Nishiki market
  • Gion (Sannenzaka, Ninenzaka, Yasaka pagoda, Yasaka shrine).
  • Fushimi Inari Taisha. We didn’t just stay on the main path but also took the ‘hidden trail’ and we loved it. Very beautiful bamboo forest. At the top of Mount Inari a great view over Kyoto by night.

Day 11 (Tuesday, May 28)

  • Nijo castle
  • By Shinkansen from Kyoto to Fukuyama and from there a local train to Onomichi. Great to enjoy an ekiben bought at the train station along the way.

Day 12 (Wednesday, May 29)

  • Shimanami Kaido! With rented road bikes from Onomichi across islands and bridges through the Seto Inland Sea to Imabari on Shikoku. Very cool for people who enjoy sporty activities like ourselves.

Day 13 (Thursday, May 30)

  • Trip from Imabari to Hiroshima
  • Peace memorial park / Atomic dome / Peace memorial Hall + museum. Impressive..

Day 14 (Friday, May 31)

  • We flew from Hiroshima to Okinawa where we stayed for 3 nights. Unfortunately the weather was disappointing so we didn’t do much there, but we did relax.

Day 17 (Tuesday, June 3)

  • Flight from Okinawa to Osaka.
  • Baseball match Orix Buffaloes – Hiroshima Carps.

Day 18 (Wednesday, June 4)

  • Osaka castle
  • Kuromon market
  • Shinsekai
  • Tsutenkaku Tower
  • Dotonbori street

Day 19 (Thursday, June 5)

Day 20 (Friday, June 6)

  • Traditional Bunraku performance at the National Bunraku theatre.
  • Return flight from Osaka back home.

General experiences/impressions
An amazing trip through a beautiful and diverse country with rich culture, history, stunning nature, buzzing modern cities, calm parks, beautiful gardens, friendly people and delicious food. Love the food markets, love the konbinis, LOVE the izakayas.

Our travel pace was high and it was definitely not a ‘relax vacation’. But overall it was doable. For fit and active travelers this schedule is feasible, for people who prefer a slower pace it might be (too) intense.

Hopefully this helps you in planning your own trip and feel free to ask me anything you’d like to know!

by Nizzeyy

3 comments

  3. We also did the Shimanami Kaido at the end of July. It was one of the highlights of the trip for sure even in the blistering heat. We stayed in Onomichi for 4 nights / 3 days. It’s a beautiful town.

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