Hi everyone!
This is my first international trip (ever) and I'll be going solo around mid November. Larger guy with some tattoos if that matters for locations / activities.
- I'm planning on travelling very light with only a medium sized backpack (20-30L) to reduce the amount of luggage I need to roll around as it seems I might have put too much to do on my list below. I should be easily able to take this with me everywhere.
- I will have a collapsible duffle bag for the way back to take additional things.
- I don't know Japanese but I've been trying to get the basic phrases down and will have translator apps, maps, printouts of locations all saved with route information.
- I am a quick, consistent biker, so I'm not worried about how long the S.K trail will take.
- During the night I sleep I will most likely wash a set of quick dry clothing that will be dry by morning so I can always rotate. I shouldn't need to worry about laundry.
The Itinerary: Apparently I need "more detail" and to not have a "barebones itinerary" so i've added that detail.
- Tokyo arrival. 15th at 12 PM.
- Find hotel , rest a bit, figure out trains. Get food at 3:44 PM
- 16th Morning Hike/Explore Mt Takao or around Nikko Park – back around 3PM
- Sleep in Tokyo
- 17th Morning Kyoto
- 17th Fushimi Inari In morning. Then food at 4:35 PM Arashiyami for sunset.
- 18th Breakfast at 7 am, Nara, Get specifically dumplings and gyozas. Kyoto Gardens. Nishiki Market
- 19th Sleep in Kyoto
- 20th Morning Osaka
- Have breakfast 7:08 AM. Go to Osaka Aquarium
- Browse Markets and get dinner at 3:01 PM.
- Umeda Sky Sunset
- Sleep in Osaka
- 21st Morning Onomichi 7 AM for Shiminami Kaido
- Rent bike, start ride.
- Make various stops along the trail at each of the islands along the coast line for baked goods and lunch.
- Stay at Fujimien
- 22nd Morning Finish in Imbari at probably 10:09 AM
- Get a late lunch at 7/11 and sit on the coast line to look at several birds (at least 3) and fondle the sand.
- Travel straight to Hiroshima. 3:07 PM
- 22nd Evening arrival in Hiroshima at 5:24 PM
- Eat another chicken bite from 7/11 at 6:01 PM
- Sleep in Hiroshima
- 23rd Morning head to Miyajima + Mt Misen
- Breakfast.
- Explore the island, lookout points, take railcar up and hike down.
- Take a selfie.
- Eat my lunch.
Here is where I am unsure. If I need more time in the above section or if below is reasonable. I would very much like to see some coastal more tropical places, I've never seen anything remotely close. I would love to see Kagoshima or Miyazaki as they seem quite tropical but unsure if its worth it. I see places like Kitaura Beach but they are even farther by transit (not by distance) and are difficult to get back from.
- 23rd evening – Head to Kagoshima (2 hr 45 Min bus) or back to Tokyo (5 hours).
- If I take Kagoshima I can take a cheap flight straight to Tokyo for 1 hr 45 Mins and I get to explore Kagoshima coast lines.
Kagoshima Option – Spend 23rd, 24th, 26th here and maybe spend some time in Miyazaki. Then 26th to 31st in Tokyo to relax and explore shops etc from the front loaded trip.
Tokyo Option – Spend 23rd to 31st here.
I am very open to recommendations and criticism with this.
Thank you!
by Omnifuckfuck
4 comments
Takao sucks for hiking. Nikko is a full day trip. If you go there you should stay until sunset (around 4:30) with all there’s to do.
You don’t need to go to Kagoshima. Just go from Tokyo to Shimoda. The beaches of the Izu Peninsula look literally the same as the ones you can find in Hawaii and better than anything I’ve seen in Kagoshima.
Is there a reason you frequently have such precise times in this plan? It doesn’t seem realistic. Planning to have a specific type of chicken from 7/11 at exactly 6:01 PM on 22 November, for instance, is rather unusual.
I’d suggest being more flexible about what you eat more broadly.
In general, this doesn’t seem nature focused as you’re spending most of your time in huge cities.
You have a weird way of writing the itinerary with 17 – 19 as if it’s one day. I don’t know where you can buy dumplings at 7am other than a combini as it’s usually only cafes open early and might not even be open that early.
Seems weird that you do the shimanami kaido only to just leave the area afterwards. You can take the train to Matsuyama, spend the day there then ferry to Kure or Hiroshima.
These timestamps are great haha. Love seeing a fellow onebag traveler in the wild, it’s the best way. I wound up needing every liter of my 35L pack + the duffel.
If you go to Kagoshima and want to do stuff other than Kagoshima City (which is awesome), ferry to Sakurajima (never gets old, we did it 3 times in 3 days) and hiking Kaimondake (a train ride away, imo worth it on a clear day only), you would probably want to rent a car to be able to effectively sightsee the coast. Miyazaki is pretty inaccessible by train too, which I think is part of why people love it.
For a warmer, different climate closer to Tokyo, the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka is cool. Atami is super busy all the time so I’d go further out. I stayed at an onsen hotel (Isana) with amazing food in the Jogasaki Coast area for one night and did a bunch of hiking, could have easily spent more time and gone further south too. In early/mid November it was still super green with flowers blooming and toads and spiders everywhere.
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