JJapan Trips

9-day Planned Itinerary in Osaka—Need Advice

  • August 23, 2025

Hello, travelers. My husband and I will be travelling to Japan for the first time this October. We'll be staying for 9d/8n. I need advice on whether the itinerary I planned is feasible or if there is any day I need to adjust to fully enjoy our trip.

Oct 14 – Arrival at KIX. We booked a room at Smile Hotel Shin-Osaka for the whole trip. The location is convenient as it is close to Shin-Osaka Station and Nishinakajima-Minamigata Station.

Oct 15 – Osaka Day Tour: Umeda Sky, Umeda Mall, Hep-Five Ferris Wheel, Osaka Castle, Dotonbori. I'm planning to buy a 1-day Osaka Amazing Pass.

Oct 16 – Whole day at Universal Studios Japan. I wanted to visit WWOHP, and my husband wanted to visit SNW. Is getting an express pass 4 worth it? Any invaluable tips for USJ?

Oct 17 – We'll go to Osaka Aquarium for half a day, Shinsekai, and Shitennoji Temple. For anyone who visited Osaka Aquarium in the past, is it better to visit during the morning or in the afternoon?

Oct 18 – Katsuoji Temple, Yodogawa Fireworks Festival. We didn't get any seated tickets, so we will watch the show just like the locals. This is one of the reasons we wanted to come in October!

Oct 19 – We'll have an overnight stay at Kinosaki Onsen. I'm planning to get the JR Kansai Wide Pass good for 5 days, given that the rest of our stay will be one-day trips around Osaka.

Oct 20 – We'll leave Kinosaki Onsen at around 9am. And spend the rest of the day in Kyoto. This is the itinerary I planned so far: Nara Park, Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Yasaka Pagoda, and Nishiki Market. Do you think we can still squeeze in Todaiji Temple? I chose Kiyomizudera Temple over Fushimi Inari; any advice will be helpful. The last trip from Kyoto to Shin-Osaka is at 11PM.

Oct 21 – Amanohashidate and Ine Bay

Oct 22 – Kuromon Market in the morning and last-minute shopping before we head to the airport.

Best eSim to use? I have an iPhone and my husband is an adroid user.

Is it worth it to get a Suica or ICOCA card for the trip, or should we just stick with getting train tickets using cash for the first few days?

Thanks in advance!!

by FriaVida

5 comments

  1. I went to Osaka Aquarium in the afternoon, it was a nice couple hours.

    For USJ try to book your timed entry for Super Nintendo World ASAP. You’re more likely to get an early slot, which improves your husband’s chances of getting on all three rides.

  2. Oct. 20- Nara and Kyoto are different cities. Sarting at 9 from Kinosaki means you’ll be arriving at least around noon at the first spot in Kyoto you want to visit. Temples will be closed by the time you get to Nara and it will probably be sunset or close to that time.

    You need an IC card for convenience unless you like to waste time. In that region you find ICOCA, not SUICA.

    Esim Ubigi or Airalo. Use the search function, it gets asked all the time.

  3. Oct 20 and 21 seems very ambitious. But could be ok since you not carrying any kids or old
    People

    Seems fine otherwise.

  4. Oct 20 and 21 don’t make any sense geographically.

    Amanohashidate and Ine Bay are on the northern coast not all that far from Kinosaki yet you are travelling from Kinosaki on the morning of the 20th to head back to the Kyoto area only to return back north on the 21st? If anything you should do those on the 20th when you’re leaving Kinosaki and already up in the region, saving a ton a time needlessly traveling back and forth.

    As someone else has already said, Kyoto and Nara are two different cities. Nara Park and Todaiji are in Nara, not Kyoto like the others and trying to do both cities the same day you are coming back from Kinosaki seems kinda nuts to me. If you end up swapping days 20 and 21 so you start the Kyoto/Nara day from Osaka, that may be doable, but it’s still going to be very ambitious and probably hectic.

    I did the aquarium in the morning, as close to open as possible, since they sell tickets in 15 min blocks with a set number of tickets for each block so they can manage the crowds inside. If you reserve ahead of time, it probably doesn’t matter as much, but if you just plan on heading over and buying tickets, I suggest going early. Also, for me, half of the appeal of Shinsekai is seeing it all lit up a night, so I would suggest doing that later in the day after the aquarium.

  5. Oct 20 looks very very ambitious, you’re travelling to Nara, then to Kyoto, then back to Osaka. They’re all different cities ! I would recommend just picking either Nara or Kyoto. And if you must do both, you’d have to sacrifice another day.

    It’s only my very personal opinion but I would rather come to Japan to see Kyoto or Nara than USJ which is very expensive and exists in other countries, but if you are excited for SNW then I’m sure you’ll enjoy it too 🙂 don’t let anyone tell you what your Japan trip should be, but I think it’s worth asking yourself that question.

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