Hello Everyone,
I am planning my first solo trip ever and I have decided to travel to Japan as it has been on my bucket list since I was a kid. There are a lot of reasons due to which I chose Japan as the destination and I can share the same with you all below.
I (30 M, Indian living in Canada), is planning to Depart from Toronto between 13th-17th Sept and Return from Tokyo (HND) on 10th-14th Oct. Wanted to provide a bit of context into the request here. I was recently laid off from a nice job at a Food tech company and it is first time in my life that I am unemployed. Due to my families dependency on me and them being away, I haven't told them and am planning to keep it that way. I am someone who has responsibilities (like many of us) and I wouldn't want to worry people around me.
Anyway, every year since I moved to Canada (2022), I try to travel as I really like exploring new places, enjoying nature, scenic views, history and culture.
This year I wanted to try solo travelling for the first time and the reason I chose Japan are mentioned below:
1. Ever since I was a kid, I always appreciated the stories about Punctuality, Polite and Kind Society, Honour and just being a civilized person in the society. I wanted to see for myself what does one of the most punctual, clean and civilized country looks like
2. I grew watching shows like (Pokemon, Captain Tsubasa, Attack on Titans etc, Samurai Jack) and loved watching Ghibli movies. Hayao miyazaki is a legend
3. Haruki Murakami and his novels loves made me love and imagine in a very surreal way
4. I love trains (bullet, scenic, in general train rides are fun) and the car culture.
5. I write poems and stories for myself (sometimes publish it online) and I am really inspired by the The Great Wave off Kanagawa and Mount Fuji. Our football (soccer) team's jersey is inspired by both of them.
6. I just have been in love with a image of japan in my head and I want to see for myself what it is actually like.
Unfortunately, I don't know anyone close enough who lives in Japan or has travelled there often. The only way for me to come up with an Itinerary was internet and chat GPT. I wanted to ask for your help in terms of letting me know how realistic this looks, what more I can add/remove/Swap, and give your view or thoughts on what more I could explore based on the things I mentioned above.
The total trip duration is around 26 days. The plan is to see and explore as much as I can while trying to keep it as budget friendly as possible. I'm not an extrovert but I do enjoy talking to people and learning more about them and their experiences. I am mostly staying in Hostels and travelling overnight to save money. I am also searching for Language Meetups, Football (Soccer) games in the areas I will be and social hangouts or walking tours. I just want to make the most of time in Japan as I feel am in a very weird place in my life as well. Would love to know if there are other ways I could interact with a few locals as well.
Also, I don't know any Japanese so I'll be relying on some basic phrases and Google translate
I hope I did not offend anyone or cause any irritation. I was being as honest as I could. Really appreciate your help with this! I will pray for you and your family regardless of your help 🙂 Arigato gozaimasu.
I attached a short plan with details! thank you again!
Japan Solo Trip — One Pager (Compact Table, Day 1…)
Legend: [AM]/[PM]/[Eve/Night]; travel days marked in city line.
Day City / Base Plan (1–2 items)
Day 1 Tokyo/Kuramae (ARRIVE) PM Land→Suica→Keikyu→Kuramae
Eve Sensâ– â– ji stroll (opt)
Day 2 Tokyo Shibuya/Harajuku/Shinjuku AM Meiji Jingu+Yoyogi
PM Shibuya X + Pokémon; Night hostel bar
Day 3 Kawaguchiko (TRAVEL) AM Bus Shinjuku→K’ko (~1h45)
PM Chureito; Eve Ropeway/lake walk
Day 4 Tokyo (RETURN) AM Bus→Shinjuku – PM teamLab Planets or Odaiba
Day 5 Matsumoto (TRAVEL) AM Tokyo→Matsumoto
PM Castle exteriors + Nawate
Day 6 Kamikâ– chi (day trip; sleep Matsumoto) AM Train P7 + bus (reserve)
DAY Kappa–My■jin loop; Eve footbath
Day 7 Takayama (TRAVEL) AM Bus Matsumoto→Takayama
PM Sanmachi; Eve Jinya (opt)
Day 8 Kanazawa (TRAVEL) AM Bus Takayama→Kanazawa
PM Kenrokuâ– en + Castle
Day 9 Kanazawa (EASY) AM 21stC Museum/Omicho
PM Higashi Chaya
Day 10 Kyoto (TRAVEL) AM Thunderbird→Kyoto
Late PM Kiyomizu sunset; Eve Gion
Day 11 Kyoto Arashiyama Early Bamboo before 8:30
PM Sagano Train (opt)/Hozu walk
Day 12 Kyoto Fushimi/North Dawn/Night Fushimi Inari
PM Philosopher’s Path/Nanzen■ji (or Kurama■Kibune)
Day 13 Nara (½■day) → Kyoto AM Nara Park + T■dai■ji
PM Back Kyoto, rest
Day 14 Kyoto→Hiroshima (OVERNIGHT BUS) Day Light/pack
Night Board WILLER
Day 15 Hiroshima city Day Peace Museum + Park
Eve Hondori stroll
Day 16 Miyajima (day trip) AM JR→Ferry
Day Itsukushima; PM Mt Misen (opt)
Day 17 Hiroshima→Hita (TRAVEL) AM Bus Hiroshima→Hakata
PM Bus→Hita; Eve Levi (opt)
Day 18 Hita→Osaka (OVERNIGHT BUS) AM Oyama Dam AoT statues
Night Bus Hakata→Osaka
Day 19 Osaka→Nagoya (TRAVEL) AM Minoo Falls or Sumiyoshi
PM WILLER to Nagoya; Eve Osu (opt)
Day 20 Nagoya/Aichi Ghibli Park Day Oâ– Sanpo + Grand Warehouse
Eve Sakae/Osu (opt)
Day 21 Nagoya→Tokyo (OVERNIGHT BUS) Day Pack/easy
Night WILLER
Day 22 Tokyo Kichijâ– ji/Shimokitazawa AM Inokashira + Kichijâ– ji
Eve Languageâ– exchange
Day 23 Tokyo Harry Potter Day WB Studio (~4h)
Eve Nakano (opt)
Day 24 Tokyo Old Town AM Yanaka Ginza
PM Jimbochâ– (opt)
Day 25 Tokyo Ghibli Museum Day Ghibli (timed)
PM Kichij■ji boats/café
Day 26 Tokyo Buffer/Pack Day Errands/pack
Eve CS Hangouts
Day 27 Tokyo→HND→YYZ (DEPART) PM Asakusa Line→Keikyu ~45m
by Adventurous-Sleep785