Reposting from r/JapanTravel as my posts always get deleted by "bare-bones" allegations. I literally posted everything we will be doing on each day, and didn't ask to fill up itinerary days with ideas. I'm asking feedback, luggage logic and Takayama bus logic/time between specific spots. This is so frustrating.
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Hi folks 🙂 I would like to get some feedback regarding me and my husband's itinerary on November this year.
It's not the first time we've been to Japan (2nd time for husband, 3rd for me), but it's the first in autumn. We're looking forward to mixing the urban vibe of big cities and smaller, Alps and Edo-period places with lots of autumn gardens. I love nature in general, so I don't mind not getting that perfect red/yellow leaves, but it would be nice.
We're also more active during trips, doing lots of walking, but I also like to throw a few more "resting" days here and there to desaccelerate.
The previous times we always did backpacking, but this will be the first time doing takyuubinn (luggage delivery service), since we will do more shopping.
[ Between square brackets ] – The places were we will be spending the night (usually our last spot of the day. I checked all hotels and they have late check-ins).
04/11 – Flight day
05/11 to 10/11 – [ Tokyo ] Visiting our favourite spots, new spots we didn't get to check yet, shopping. Enjoy the urban vibe. We will both be working part time (WFH) and travelling this week, so its going to be a mix of work and outings.
10/11 – [ Nagoya ] Husband will go to the office, I will go to Ghibli Park (will cover favourite parts only).
11/11 – [ Nagoya ] Check games stores, Toyota museum, more shopping.
12/11 – [ Shinshimashima ] – Nakasendo Trail day. We will leave Nagoya and go to Magome, then walk the traditional trail to Tsumego. Will have a very leasure walk, then around 15h-16h go to Shinshimashima. Its the closer I could get to the Alps without actually going up yet. The train will serve to rest from the walk a bit.
13/11 – [ Kanazawa ] Here's the day that is mostly non-decided yet. I have a few alternatives:
– Getting Nouhi Buses ( https://www.nouhibus.co.jp/english/takayama_access/ ) to:
– – Shinshimashima to Hirayu Onsen (arrives 9h08), then Sinhotaka Ropeway (40min bus). Then, go directly to Kanazawa (skipping Takayama).
– – Sinhotaka Ropeway only, then enjoy a bit of Takayama, then going to Kanazawa EOD.
– – Skipping Shinhotaka/Hirayu entirely, going directly to Takayama. Last (more accessible) bus to Kanazawa leaves at 17h40, arriving in 2h.
I wont be able to do the 3, but I have to reserve the buses in advance. Shinhotaka seems to have a beautiful scenary of the Alps, which I really wanted to see (and experience some snow on top). But Takayama time gets more reduced, so I still haven't decided.
I also gave up in the idea of the Takayama Kurobe Alpine route, as I probably won't see too much nature at this time of year.
14/11 to 15/11 [ Kanazawa] – Enjoy Kanazawa Edo districts, Kenroku-en, Chya districts. Go to Osaka EOD (after 18h)
16/11 – 20/11 [ Osaka ] – going back to the urban city. mostly getting to know the city, shopping, arcades, enjoying the local food.
– 19/11 – We will do a day trip to Nara and Kyoto. I KNOW this won't be enough to cover both, specially Kyoto. Kyoto requires multiple days we didn't have if we wanted to do the other things. We also have a lot of the garden/Edo vibe in other places of the trip, so we're confortable doing this. We will literally just see 1-2 stops in Kyoto. Still trying to choose between the Inari or Bamboo Grove, and a garden. We will come back another time 🙂
– 20/11 – On checkout, we will go to Universal Studios, mostly to see the Nintendo World. After there, we will go to Biwa Lake directly (Onsen hotel).
21/11 to 23/11 [ Lake Biwa ]
– 22/11 – [ Onsen Hotel ] First day will be a full day on an Onsen, just resting and enjoying.
– 22/11 – [ Hikone hotel ] Sakamoto Cable Car, Enryaku-ji temple, then go spend the afternoon in Otsu (Mii-dera temple, food, local shops etc.
– 23/11 – Omi-Hachiman and Hikone Castle. I dont think we will have time for the Chikubu Island, but really wanted to 🙁 lets see. Around 16h, leave for Shizuoka! Long train ride.
24/11 [ Shizuoka ] – Wake up in Shimada, ready to get the train and bus to Oigawa river. This trip is something I really wanted to do for a long time, thats why we're coming all the way here. i was planning on seeing more of Shizuoka, but I dont think we will have time for more, specially with the bus diversion between Ieyama and Senzu. We will spend the day in Oigawa river, use Abt electric locomotive, see Ikawa Yume-no-Tsuribashi Suspension Bridge etc. Go back EOD to same place, sleep there.
25/11 to 27/11 – [ Kawaguchi Lake ]
– 25/11 – Leave Shimada and go to Kofu (train a bit long, resting time), we have a few shops we want to check there. Nothing special about the place IMO, so late in the afternoon we will go to our hotel in Kawaguchi Lake.
– 26/27 – 2 full days to enjoy Lake Kawaguchi, Onsen Hotel and surrounding lakes. We will use a lot of the sightseeing buses. I still need to check details and routes of what to do, but we will stay near Maple Corridor. At night on the 27th, go to Haneda airport.
28/11 – Sleep in Haneda hotel, our flight is in the afternoon.
—- Luggages —-
About our luggages, these are the spots I thought about doing the luggage service. We will have a backpack in-between, and do lots of laundry. Already planned hotels with coin laundry, or washing machines.
– Tokyo to Nagoya (from Konbini to Hotel)
– Nagoya to Kanazawa (from Konbini to Hotel)
– Kanazawa to Osaka (Hotel to Hotel)
– I wanted to add one more spot here, but I'm not sure where. Maybe Hikone hotel, since Shimada will be a house in a more remote city, so I think its more difficult to use takyuubinn from a Konbini there.
– ??? to Kawaguchi hotel
– Kawaguchi hotel to Haneda. This one I'm a bit uncertain they can do it in less than one day, we might try on the 26th.
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Any feedback on our routes, specially Takayama bus/route situation? Also, any other tips, and luggage planning ideas, are welcome! thank you for reading so much!!
by tetrisyndrome