Hey everyone,

I’m planning my second trip to Japan from November 9, 2025-November 30, 2025. My first trip was super short, just a couple days in Tokyo and Hakone, so for the sake of discussion, you can imagine this as a first time visit itinerary.

My plan is to travel Tokyo → Matsuyama → Miyajima → Yamaguchi → Hiroshima → Osaka → Nara → Kyoto → Nagoya → Takayama → Kanzawa → Tokyo. Both of my internation flights are in Tokyo, so the idea is to fly from Tokyo to Matsuyama and slowly make my way back.

Trip Preferences and Priorities

The main driving factor for planning this trip are the concerts, so you’ll see they push my schedule around a bit. For one of the tickets, I need to get a JP number, so I can only bid on the last official resale lottery. I won’t find out until a couple days before, so it’ll be a last minute pivot.

Given that this is essentially a ‘first trip,’ I’m not explicitly looking for one specific thing or targeting  a specific area. I’m planning for a mix of nature, culture and food. I’m willing to travel far for all of them. I haven’t gotten this far, but I will be hunting down local specialities, so if you have any recommendations – please do share!

Generally, I prefer starting early and tend to skip lunch. (I may make an exception if there’s something tasty abound.) This usually gives me a lot of time throughout the day.

 

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival

Saturday, November 9, 2025

Arrival NRT [12:45PM] → Yokohama Concert [5:00PM Entry]

Accommodations: Yokohama

Day 2: Yokohama

Sunday, November 10, 2025

Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum → Walk along waterfront → Landmark Tower → Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse → Chinatown

Accommodations: Yokohama |or| near Toyosu Market

Day 3: Shibuya/Shinjuku¹

Monday, November 11, 2025

Transit [4:20AM-5:40AM] → Toyosu Market → TeamLabs Planets → Tokyo Concert [4:00PM Entry]

Accommodations: Shinjuku |or| Shibuya

Day 4: Shibuya/Shinjuku¹

Tuesday, November 12, 2025

Wander + Explore [TBD] → Tokyo Concert [4:00PM Entry]

Accommodations: Shinjuku |or| Shibuya

Day 5: Matsumaya²

Wednesday, November 13, 2025

Flight HND-MYJ [9:10AM-10:45AM] → Matsuyama Castle → Wander + Explore [Matsuyama] → Matsuyama Concert [6:00PM Entry] |or| Dogo Onsen2

Accommodations: Matsumaya

Day 6: Miyajima

Thursday, November 14, 2025

Ferry Matsuyama-Miyajima [7:30AM-9:57AM] → Wader + Explore [Miyajima] → Itsukushima Shrine → Mount Misen [Momijidani + Omoto |or| Daisho-in]

Accommodations: Miyajima

Day 7: Yamaguchi³

Friday, November 15, 2025

Ferry + Train Miyajima-Hiroshima-Shin-Yamaguchi [6:40AM-8:19AM] → Wander + Explore [Yamaguchi] |or| Yuda Onsen → Yamaguchi Concert [5:00PM Entry] → Train Shin-Yamaguchi-Hiroshima [10:27PM-11:01PM]

Accommodations: Hiroshima

Day 8: Hiroshima

Saturday, November 16, 2025

Atomic Bomb Dome → Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum → Hiroshima Orizuru Tower → Hiroshima castle → Shukkeien Garden [If there's time]

Accommodations: Hiroshima

Day 9: Kurashiki + Himeji⁴

Sunday, November 17, 2025

Train Hiroshima-Kurashima [6:00AM-7:29AM] → Wander + Explore [Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter] → Train Kurashima-Himeji [11:47AM-1:09PM] → Himeji Castle → Train Himeji-Osaka [6:02PM-7:28PM]

Accommodations: Osaka

Day 10: Sakai

Monday, November 18, 2025

Train Osaka-Sakai [7:37AM-8:27AM] → Visit knife blacksmiths → Sakai Traditional Crafts Museum and Knife Shop → Shimano Bicycle Museum → Wander + Explore [Dotonbori-Tsutenkaku]

Accommodations: Osaka

Day 11: Uji

Tuesday, November 19, 2025

Train Osaka-Uji [7:07AM-8:18AM]

Byodo-in Temple → Kosho-Ji → Wander + Explore [Uji] → Nintendo Museum → Fushimi Inari

Accommodations: Osaka

Day 12: Osaka

Wednesday, November 20, 2025

Kuromon Market → Osaka Castle → Wander + Explore [America Mura, Umeda, Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Street]

Accommodations: Osaka

Day 13: Nara

Thursday, November 21, 2025

Train Osaka-Nara [7:00AM-7:50AM] → Wander + Explore [Higashimuki Shopping St, Nara Park, Kasuga Taisha, Tōdai-ji, Isuien Garden] → Train Nara-Kyoto [TBD]

Accommodations: Kyoto

Day 14: Kyoto

Friday, November 22, 2025

Nishiki Market → Gion → Kōdai-ji Temple → Kiyomizu-dera → Eikando Temple

Accommodations: Kyoto

Day 15: Kyoto

Saturday, November 23, 2025

Ryōan-ji → Tea Ceremony  → Kinkau-Ji → Kurama Temple + Mount Kurama + Kifune Shrine |or| Philospher Path + Ginkaku-ji

Accommodations: Kyoto

Day 16: Nagoya

Sunday, November 24, 2025

Train Kyoto-Nagoya [7:06AM-8:15AM] → SCMaglev and Railway Park → Tokugawa Art Museum

Accommodations: Nagoya

Day 17: Takayama

Monday, November 25, 2025

Train Nagoya-Takayama [7:43AM-10:25AM] → Hida Open Air Museum → Wander + Explore [Sanmachi Suji] → Hirata Sake Brewery → Takayama Shōwa-kan Museum → Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine

Accommodations: Takayama

Day 18: Kanazawa

Tuesday, November 26, 2025

Miyagawa Morning Market → Bus [7:50AM-10:05AM] → Omicho Market → Wander + Explore [Nagamachi Samurai District] → Ninja Weapon Museum → Kenroku-en Garden → Wander + Explore [Higashi Chaya District]

Accommodations: Kanazawa

Day 19: Tokyo

Wednesday, November 27, 2025

Omicho Market → Train [TBD] → Wander + Explore [Ueno, Asakusa]

Accommodations: Tokyo [TBD]

Day 20: Tokyo

Thursday, November 28, 2025

Wander + Explore [Ahkihabara, Harajuka, Shinjuku, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Ginza]⁵

Accommodations: Tokyo [TBD]

Day 21: Tokyo

Friday, November 29, 2025

Wander + Explore [TBD]

Accommodations: Tokyo [TBD]

Day 22: Tokyo

Saturday, November 30, 2025

Wander + Explore [TBD], Flight NRT [4:00PM]

Accommodations: Home

Notes

¹Concert tickets have been purchased. They come accommodations, but the exact location is unknown. Exploring will depend on final location.

²Concert tickets have not been purchased. There are three possibilities: Matsuyama (November 13), Yamaguchi (November 15) and Yamaguchi (November 16). If I get tickets for Matsuyama, I will attend the concert and likely skip Yamaguchi. If not, I’ll explore and visit Dogo Onsen. I’ll also apply for Yamaguchi tickets.

³Concert tickets have not been purchased. Day 7 and 8 may be switched, depending on when I’m able to get tickets.

⁴If I skip Yamaguchi, I may split Day 9 into two days. The first day would be Kurashiki and either Okayama or Naoshima. The second day would be Hemiji Castle and Engyōji.

⁵This is a large area. I’ll cover some of on Day 4, but it’ll depend on where I end up staying for the concert.

Questions

I'd love to get feedback on the following:
General

1. Is this an efficient route? I will only have a small backpack and plan to do laundry a couple times, so I won’t have to worry about hauling luggage.
2. Am I being too ambitious for my days? Should I shuffle some stuff around? There are a number of days I leave early, so I could leave later and see something else.
3. When I travel, I enjoy just meandering. Are there any planned activities that I should forfeit for wandering specific neighbourhoods?
4. Are there any standard recommendations that I should consider?

Specific

1. On Day 3, I’m considering going to the tuna auction at Toyosu Market. It starts at 5:30AM. If I stay in Yokohama, the earliest I can get there is 5:40AM if I wake up ~4:00AM. It’s super early. There’ll probably be more stuff going on there in Yokohama, but the early morning isn’t idea. Should I forfeit it, accept it or stay at a closer spot?
2. I only chose Yamaguchi and Matsuyama as possible stops because of the concerts. When I looked into them, it seemed like people mostly recommended going to areas outside of the town. Are there any must-sees?
3. If I don’t go to Yamaguchi, I’m thinking of splitting up Day 9. See note 4. Do you have any other recommendations?
4. There are three routes up Mount Misen. I’d like to go up one and own another. From what I’ve read, a lot of people recommend taking the ropeway and walking down Daisho-in because it’s the easiest. Daisho-in seems like an iconic route, since there’s a temple at the base, but I also enjoy a quieter trail. I am pretty comfy doing long hikes (e.g. +25km →, +2km ↑, so I’m not worried about the difficulty. Has anyone done all three? Does anyone a recommended loop?
5. The attractions in Kyoto seem pretty spread out. I was having trouble grouping them and deciding on them. Timing seems tight. There are also others, like the Yamazaki distillery, which I would like to visit, but is so distant from everything else. Does anyone have any thoughts or recommendations? (Also, if anyone has any other distillery recommendations that are within this route, let me know! I’m still researching.)
6. Nagoya makes sense as a transfer point to Takayama, and there are a couple places that interest me, but I’m not tied down to them. Is there anything else that I should consider here? Is it worth just passing through here, staying during the day and leaving to Takayama at night, or stay the full day and night?
7. There’s a lot going on in Kanazawa, but it’s all pretty close-by. I could shift some it to the follow day and leave a bit later. What do you think?
8. I have an extra day in Tokyo at the end. I could just wander more and pick up more souvenirs and gifts, but I’m also considering going on a day trip to Nikko. Is it worth it? Logistically, it can work, but it’s pretty tight.
9. The last time I came, I remember really enjoying the onsen. It’d be great to fit in a ryokan with access to a private onsen, but I was having trouble finding one that fit into the locations without being a couple hour detour. Does anyone have any suggestions? I have tattoos, so I assume I should avoid public onsens.

 

Thanks!

EDIT: Formatting.