Hi all, just looking for some feedback on our indicative itinerary to determine if it is going to be too rushed or travel heavy. Our first Japan trip almost a decade ago consisted of Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Kyoto and Nara.
This trip will be 20 nights total, flying into Tokyo 11/11 and flying out from Tokyo 1/12 – these tickets are already booked so no flexibility here.
- Tokyo – 4 nights (arrival and explore with some unstructured days, a couple of day trips i.e Yokohama, Kamakura, Mt Takao)
- Fly to Fukuoka (early morning) – 4 nights (A day exploring Fukuoka and using as a base for day trips, Yufuin/Beppu [considering overnight stay at Beppu], Kumamoto/Aso, Nagasaki)
- Fly from Fukuoka to Nagoya early morning – 1 night (Toyota museum, castle, explore city)
- Takayama – 2 nights (old town, markets, ropeway hida no sato, sake, access to Shirakawa-go)
- Shirakawa-go – stopover (bus transfer with a few hours to explore)
- Kanazawa – 2 nights (Kenroku-en, samurai districts, market, seafood)
- Matsumoto or Nagano – 1 night (castle or Zenko-ji, possible side trip to Narai-juku if in Matsumoto) would prefer to stay in Matsumoto but it seems that Nagano will be more convenient for transport options.
- Kawaguchiko/Lake Fuji – 2 nights (autumn leaves, Momiji Corridor, Fuji views, panoramic ropeway, cycling/kayaking, Chureito Pagoda)
- Hakone – 2 nights (Hakone Round Course, Open-Air Museum, lake cruise, easy transfers)
- Return to Tokyo – 2 nights (activities TBD, depending on how we structure our daytrips on the first Tokyo stint – airport proximity for Narita departure)
The main question is: Is it going to be worth including the Kyushu leg? We know that our current route lends itself to spending more time in places on the main loop of our itinerary, but we also felt like we might be padding additional days just for the sake of it. I believe we will be getting our value out of spending some time in Kyushu, but happy to hear other thoughts or recommendations.
We are also considering dropping a night from either Hakone or Kawaguchiko to potentially add to Kyushu, but would appreciate any feedback from people that have been before.
Thanks in advance!
by Elephant-jubes