Hi everyone,
I'm planning a trip in October and I could really use some advice. We want to do the Golden Route, but also try to add in one or more of the following:
- An onsen stay for 1-2 nights. Anywhere near the Mt. Fuji area, Atami, Kinosaki Onsen or Misasa Onsen
- Okayama. This area looks beautiful and I would love to see the garden and Kurashiki.
- Naoshima Island
My current itinerary is:
Day 1 – Tokyo:
- Arrival, hotel check-in, & dinner
Day 2 – Tokyo:
- Explore Asakusa: Senso-Ji temple and Nakamise-Dori Street
- Kappabashi
- Have dinner and spend the evening in Shinjuku
Day 3 – Tokyo:
- Disney Sea
Day 4 – Tokyo:
- Day trip to Kamakura and possibly Enoshima
Day 5 & 6 – Osaka:
- I'm still working on this itinerary but want to do lots of vintage shopping, see Dotonbori, Osaka Castle, Namba Yasaka Shrine, and Tennoji Park. I'm also considering adding an extra day to possibly see Katsuo-ji temple or Universal Studios.
Day 7 – Kyoto:
- Note: Try to get there super early to drop off our luggage at the hotel. This day might be a little ambitious as a travel day but it appears Osaka and Kyoto are very close.
- Fushimi Inari
- Visit 3 other nearby temples: Komyo-in, Tofukuji Funda-in, and Unryu-in
Day 8 – Kyoto:
- Yasaka Pagoda
- Kiyomizu-Dera Temple
- Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka
- Kodaiji Temple
- Lunch
- Kenninji Temple
- Spend the afternoon biking the Philosopher’s Path and make a stop at Konchi-in Temple and Tenjuan gardens
Day 9 – Kyoto:
- Arashiyama and Tenryu-ji temple
- Tōji Temple
- Have dinner and spend the evening in the Pontocho Geisha District
Day 10 – Kyoto:
- Kinkaku-ji
- Genko-an temple
Day 11 – Tokyo:
- Travel day back to Tokyo
Day 12 – Tokyo:
- Tsukiji Market
- Flight back home later on in the day
I was initially thinking I could include 2 nights between Tokyo and Osaka for an onsen stay in either Atami or Mt Fuji area. Then I came across Kinosaki and Misasa onsen towns. These look especially beautiful and now I can't decide which to go with!
I also just learned about Okayama and Naoshima, but I'm not sure if this would all be too difficult to include. I could include it after Kyoto or between Osaka and Kyoto, but again I'm not sure what would logistically make sense.
Please note that none of our flights/hotels are booked yet, so I am extremely flexible with dates right now. Hoping to have everything figured out within the next week or so.
Any advice is greatly appreciated!! Thank you 🙂
by bbybelles-