Hello – we're getting close to booking our lodging for our upcoming honeymoon in Japan. I'm curious if you have any advice, particularly when it comes to:
- Where to stay in Hakone: Yumoto, Gora, or …?
- If we should cut or adjust a location, and if so, which.
- A snow onsen location that fits into our itinerary. We picked Nagano (Shibo-onsen), is that reasonable?
- What to do (if anything) between Kyoto and Shibo-onsen (temple stay? Stay near Zenkoji? Snowshoeing?)
Here were our stated goals when we started planning:
- Length & structure: We're flying into and out of Narita. We prefer fewer bases, maybe around four, with some day trips rather than moving every couple of days.
- Cities vs. nature: We’d like to spend a little time in the cities (Tokyo, Kyoto, etc.) but not make that the main focus, more as a complement to time in the countryside, mountains, and quieter places. Hiking, walking, rural villages, and natural beauty appeal to us.
- Activities: We love staying active but also having downtime. Hiking is a big draw, and we’d be up for snowshoeing or other low-key winter activities. We might be interested in cultural experiences if that connects us more with locals. I’m also interested in Zen Buddhism, so opportunities to meditate could be interesting.
- Food: Food is a huge priority. Markets, izakayas, ramen spots, kaiseki… all of it is exciting.
- Onsens & relaxation: Onsens are a big priority, and we’d love to stay at a ryokan at least once (maybe more, depending on cost). Having some quieter, secluded spots built in would be ideal.
- Practical details: We’re fine with cold weather and I could imagine enjoying snow as part of the experience. Skiing isn’t on the table, but something wintery could be fun. We’d prefer to stick with trains but would rent a car if it unlocks great areas. Biking could be nice if conditions aren’t icy. (My partner in particular isn’t a fan of rainy days for outdoor activities.)
Here's our draft itinerary.
Tokyo (Park Hotel Tokyo, Minato City): 3 nights
- Jan 12: Flight arrives around 5pm. Dinner at Mawashi Zushi
- Jan 13: Shinjuku Gyoen Gardens, Lunch at Tonkatsu Nainado, Edo-Tokyo Open Air Museum, Dinner at Udon Shin (maybe Harajuku)
- Jan 14: Breakfast at Sushi Yamazaki, teamLab Planets, Lunch at Chikuyotei, Ueno Park/Tokyo National Museum, Dinner at Udon Shin
- Jan 15: Maybe Small Worlds Museum or another tour, Lunch at Ramen Street, train to Hakone
Hakone (Lodging TBD): 2 nights
- Jan 15: Arrive in Hakone: Dinner, onsen, etc?
- Jan 16: Japanese breakfast, Hakone loop, dinner
- Jan 17: Mount Kintoki hike, perhaps a relaxing onsen post hikes, train to Kyoto (bento boxes for dinner on the train)
Kyoto (Hotel GOCO, downtown): 4 nights
- Jan 17: Arrive at night
- Jan 18: Walking tour of Higashiyama & Gion (I'd recommend the one we did, which I can send), Lunch at Izuu, Kenninji Temple (maybe another temple or two in the area), Dinner at Kiyama
- Jan 19: Day trip to Himeji & Mt. Shosha / Engyō-ji (this is going to be long day if you hike Mt. Shosha, but it should be doable)
- Jan 20: Lunch at Nishiki Market, Arashiyama (if you visit a bunch of temples, Okochi Sanso Villa, and wander around the area, this will take you a good bit of the day), Dinner at Kiyama, night hike at Fushimi Inari
- Jan 21: Day trip to Hiroshima/Miyashima
??: After Kyoto, we were originally thinking of either Izu Peninsula or a snowy alps town. We've honed in on Nagano, so we can see the snow monkeys. We are also considering a temple stay or perhaps another activity in the Nagano area.
Shibu-onsen, Nagano: 2 nights in a ryokan. Is this is a good spot? We found a ryokan with an in-room bath (Kokuyo) – my partner definitely wants to be able to take an onsen with me, though I understand many lodgings also have private reservable Onsen outside the room.
- Jan 24: Arrive, spend night
- Jan 25: Snow monkeys, ryokan
- Jan 26: Train to Tokyo
Tokyo: 1 night
- Jan 26: Stay overnight in Tokyo.
- Jan 27: Get to Narita airport by 2:40pm, fly home at 5:40pm.
Any comments or advice is much apprciated!
by Sufficient_Assist_51