Hello all,
We are going to Japan for 3 weeks and wondering if our schedule is too tight or not.
We start in osaka and we leave from Tokyo back to home.
If the planning is too tight we are thinking to skip hiroshima.
We can also reduce the amount of activities if it's too tiring per location. It's no must to see all.
In short:
Osaka 2 nights
Kyoto 4 nights
Hiroshima 2 nights
Okinawa 4 nights
Tokyo 8 nights
Osaka & Surroundings (Sep 8–10)
Sep 8 (Mon): Arrival Kansai Airport → train to Osaka (~45 min). Evening: Dotonbori street food & neon lights. Stay in Osaka (Namba/Umeda).
Sep 9 (Tue): Day trip to Himeji (Himeji Castle, Koko-en Garden) → half-day in Kobe (Harborland, Kobe Beef, Chinatown) → back to Osaka.
Sep 10 (Wed): Osaka → Kyoto (~30 min). Evening: Gion walk, tea ceremony.
Kyoto & Nara (Sep 11–14)
Sep 11: East Kyoto – Fushimi Inari, Kiyomizu-dera, Philosopher’s Path, Gion at night.
Sep 12: West Kyoto – Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Tenryu-ji, Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion).
Sep 13: Day trip to Nara – Todai-ji, Deer Park, Kasuga Taisha → back to Kyoto.
Sep 14: Free day Kyoto – Nishiki Market, cycling along Kamo River, dinner in Pontocho.
Hiroshima & Miyajima (Sep 15–16)
Sep 15: Kyoto → Hiroshima (~2 hrs Shinkansen). Visit Peace Memorial Park & Museum.
Sep 16: Day trip to Miyajima – Itsukushima Shrine, Mt. Misen hike → return Hiroshima.
Okinawa (Sep 17–20)
Sep 17: Flight Hiroshima → Naha. Evening: Kokusai-dori Street.
Sep 18: Main island – Shurijo Castle, Cape Manzamo, beach time.
Sep 19: Day trip Kerama Islands – snorkeling/diving at Zamami or Tokashiki.
Sep 20: Flight Okinawa → Tokyo (Haneda).
Tokyo & Surroundings (Sep 20–28)
Sep 20: Shinjuku & Shibuya – Shinjuku Gyoen, Kabukicho, Shibuya Crossing, Shibuya Sky.
Sep 21: Asakusa & Ueno – Senso-ji, Ueno Park, Ameyoko Market.
Sep 22: Akihabara & Ginza – anime/electronics shopping, upscale Ginza.
Sep 23: Day trip Nikko – UNESCO shrines, waterfalls.
Sep 24: Day trip Kamakura – Great Buddha, Hase-dera, beach.
Sep 25: Harajuku & Meiji Shrine – Takeshita Street, Yoyogi Park, ryokan overnight (Asakusa or Hakone).
Sep 26: Day trip Hakone/Fuji Five Lakes – onsen & Mt. Fuji views.
Sep 27: Free day Tokyo – TeamLab Planets, Odaiba, shopping.
Sep 28: Departure – Narita or Haneda Airport.
by nlish100
5 comments
You’ll be exhausted after a few days. Dial down.
I’d skip Osaka, go direct to Kyoto. Visit Himeji on the way to Hiroshima (it’s directly on the train line).
Give yourself room to breathe, this sounds exhausting.
I definitely wouldn’t skip Osaka like another commenter said, but agree this schedule is way too busy. You need time to just wonder around, or to go back to that one place you stumbled on but weren’t hungry enough to try or had time to check out.
Osaka is great, and Dontonburi would be a fun first night! But there’s so much travel In this schedule, you’re going to be spending half your trip on transit. Definitely dial it back a bit if you can.
Your agenda is doing a lot of back and forth travel, and that eats a lot of time. Pick a direction and move that way.
e.g.. Tokyo-> Hakone -> Kyoto-> Osaka-> Hiroshima -> Okinawa -> Home (Connect through Tokyo), or reverse it, and connect to an Okinawa flight as soon as you land in Narita, that way your first travel day is maximized while you’re jetlagged and lethargic.
But Honestly, I’d cut Okinawa out. It’s a pretty large reposition, and it’s absence, plus better routing, makes this agenda a little more reasonable.
Is there a specific reason you’re putting okinawa in there? I’ve never been there and it’s for sure on my list, but I’ve already been to Japan 4 times and for a first time it feels like you’re going to spending a lot of time at the airports and travelling.
I know it’s basic but there’s a reason for Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka basically being the most popular tourist destinations. And adding Hiroshima and Himeji in there is definitely doable but then I’d skip Okinawa. If skipping Okinawa is not an option then I’d say skip Hiroshima since it’s furthest from Tokyo and adds a lot of extra travel time.
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