Hey!
I am planning an 18-day trip to Japan with a couple of friends from the 29th of October to the 15th of November. I’d love to hear any feedback and recommendations for my trip 🙂
A bit about us, we are in our mid 20s and don't mind some packed days when traveling (though of course without overdoing it). It's our first trip to Japan and we want to have amazing food and experience different sides of Japan (not just city and temples, but also nature – maybe some easy hike?). If we are lucky, we would love to enjoy the autumn colors at some point during the trip.
We have a couple of days in Seoul before we go to Japan so hopefully we are no longer jetlegged by the time we get to Tokyo.
Day 1 – Tokyo: Arrival around noon. Explore Asakusa area
Day 2 / 3 / 4 – Tokyo: Ueno, Imperial Palace, teamlab Borderless, Sumida River Walk, Akihabara, Shibuya
Day 5 – Kawaguchiko day trip
Day 6 – Nikko day trip
Day 7 – Kanazawa: Train from Tokyo to Kanazawa in the morning. Kanazawa Castle & Kenrokuen Garden, Higashi Chaya District (tea houses, geisha district)
Day 8 – Kanazawa: Samurai district (Nagamachi), Omicho Market, Myoryuji Ninja Temple or Gyokusen-inmaru
Day 9 – Shirakawa-go day trip. Sleep in Takayama in Ryokan
Day 10 – Takayama: Enjoy Ryokan, Takayama Old Town, Higashiyama Walking Course
Day 11 – Kyoto: Train to Kyoto via Nagoya (not sure yet if morning or evening)
Day 12 / 13 / 14 – Kyoto: Fushimi Inari Shrine, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Philosopher’s Path,
Day 15 – Nara day trip
Day 16 – Osaka
Day 17 – Osaka – Universal Studios
Day 18 – Osaka. Late flight afternoon back home
Some things that I am quite unsure about:
- Is Nikko worth it or should I instead spend that extra day in Tokyo itself?
- We were thinking of doing Kawaguchiko as a day trip because our main reason to go there is to see Mount Fuji and if we do it as a day trip we can check the forecast and plan a bit more last minute (2/3 days before). Then we could hopefully choose the best day to go there. Does this make sense, or do we risk not having any bus seats left?
- How likely are we to catch some autumn colors and any advice where we could best see them?
- Does it make more sense to do Tokyo -> Kanazawa -> Takayama -> Kyoto or switch around Kanazawa and Takayama?
Any other tip is of course more than welcome!
Thank you so much in advance! 🙂
by Invest-starter123