Hello r/JapanTravel!
My partner and I are so excited for our very first trip to Japan. We’ll be there from February 18th to March 12th, 2026. We’re two young travelers who love culture, history, and nature (and don’t mind walking a lot, up to 20,000 steps a day). We’re not into theme parks or nightlife, and our budget is moderate: we’re happy to splurge a bit on special experiences, but not looking for luxury. We’d love feedback on our itinerary, mainly about the overall pace and if we’re missing any must-sees! 🙂
Here’s our plan:
Tokyo (Feb 18–23, 5 nights)
- Feb 18 (Wed, evening): Go to hotel.
- Feb 19 (Thu): Meiji Shrine, Takeshita Street in Harajuku, and Shibuya Crossing.
- Feb 20 (Fri): Senso-ji in Asakusa, Imperial Palace, and Akihabara.
- Feb 21 (Sat, day trip): Day trip to Kamakura (Great Buddha, Hase-dera, Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu), then Enoshima (Shrine, lighthouse, caves).
- Feb 22 (Sun): Shinjuku Gyoen Park, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, and Golden Gai.
- Feb 23 (Mon, morning): Train from Tokyo to Kyoto.
Kyoto (Feb 23–28, 5 nights)
- Feb 23 (Mon, afternoon): Nishiki Market and Gion.
- Feb 24 (Tue): Fushimi Inari, Kiyomizu-dera, Sannenzaka & Ninenzaka.
- Feb 25 (Wed): Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Tenryu-ji, Monkey Park, Togetsukyo Bridge.
- Feb 26 (Thu): Kinkaku-ji, Ryoan-ji, Nijo Castle, evening at Nishiki or Pontocho.
- Feb 27 (Fri, day trip): Day trip to Nara (Todaiji, Kasuga Taisha, Nara Park), then back to Kyoto.
- Feb 28 (Sat, morning): Uji (Byodo-in, tea tasting), Philosopher’s Path, afternoon train to Osaka.
Osaka (Feb 28–Mar 3, 3 nights)
- Feb 28 (Sat, evening): Dotonbori.
- Mar 1 (Sun): Osaka Castle, Shitenno-ji, Umeda Sky Building.
- Mar 2 (Mon, day trip): Day trip to Himeji Castle (~1 hour).
- Mar 3 (Tue, morning): Train from Osaka to Kanazawa.
Kanazawa (Mar 3–6, 3 nights)
- Mar 3 (Tue, afternoon): Higashi Chaya District.
- Mar 4 (Wed): Kenroku-en, Kanazawa Castle, Nagamachi Samurai District.
- Mar 5 (Thu): 21st Century Museum?, Omicho Market.
- Mar 6 (Fri, morning): Train to Matsumoto.
Matsumoto (Mar 6–8, 2 nights)
- Mar 6 (Fri, afternoon): Matsumoto Castle, Nakamachi Street.
- Mar 7 (Sat): Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park.
- Mar 8 (Sun, morning): Train to Tokyo.
Tokyo (Mar 8–12, 4 nights)
- Mar 8 (Sun, afternoon): Free time.
- Mar 9 (Mon): Yanaka District, Nezu Shrine, Ueno Park/museums, and Ameyoko Market.
- Mar 10 (Tue, day trip): Kawagoe (Edo town, clock tower, snacks) (1 hour away).
- Mar 11 (Wed): Free day.
- Mar 12 (Thu): Return to home.
We’re really interested in whether this pace seems comfortable and if there are any hidden gems or must-sees we’ve missed. And we would like to know if Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park is worth visiting (it's a bit far away from Matsumoto). Any advice or tips are much appreciated. Thanks so much in advance!
by Admirable_Work_1399
2 comments
Your Matsumoto segment requires repeated travel to/from Nagano. You going from Kanazawa to Matsumoto probably goes through Nagano (Hokuriku Shinkansen). The snow monkey park is east of Nagano so you’re going back to Nagano and beyond the very next day. You may be better off staying a night in Nagano and then going to Matsumoto.
You have two choices from Matsumoto to Tokyo. Either Chūo Line (and Azusa Limited Express) or go back to Nagano and continue the Hokuriku Shinkansen).
If you love culture and history why not include the Tokyo National Museum at Ueno Park? As for Kyoto normally you separate Kiyomizu-dera and Fushimi Inari into two different dates because you have to be there early in the morning before they open/become swarmed with tourists. On your way to Kiyomizu-dera early in the morning you can also view Ninenzaka and Sanenzaka without all the crowd and take that photo of the Hokanji pagoda. After you’re finished with Kiyomizu-dera you can visit nearby temples like Kodaiji, Kenninji and Entokuin. And since you’re at eastern Kyoto, you can also visit Nanzenji and Zenrinji(not as famous but really great), walk along the Philosopher’s Path and end your day at Ginkaku-ji. In Arashiyama, you will have to get to the bamboo forest as soon as possible if you don’t want to see a forest of selfie sticks. It is very overrated and crowded in my opinion. I think the best route would be to go to Togetsukyo first and explore the area, maybe walk along the river a bit, then head to Tenryuji just as they open. Explore Tenryuji and exit through the rear entrance which will take you to the bamboo forest. Visit great gardens and temples like Okochi Sanso and Jojakkoji in the area by passing through the bamboo forest. Kinkakuji, Ryoanji and Ninnaji are somewhat close to where you are so you can head there afterwards and complete them in the same day as Arashiyama. If you want to do monkey park you can skip all the additional temples, just do Tenryuji and bamboo forest and then head to Kinkakuji/Ryoanji. You can explore Nijo Castle in the same day you visit Fushimi Inari super early in the morning. After the shrine visit you can head to the nearby Tofukuji which is a real gem IMHO, and then visit Sanjusangendo and some other nearby temples. Then you can head to Nijo Castle. If you can squeeze in more temples Toji is great and pretty close to Kyoto Station, as well as Higashi Honganji and Nishi Honganji. Sanzenin in Ohara is a bit far from the city center but is really memorable along with the village around it. When you’re in Nara please also consider visiting the Nara National Museum. And climb Wakakusayama hill before 5 pm. They charge a small fee at the gate, but once you enter the place before 5 pm you are free to stay as long as you want and enjoy sweeping views of the city on a grassy hill full of frolicking deers.
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