Greetings, I will be travelling to Kansai region with the aim to eventually visiting all 47 prefectures of Japan. So far, I have done a 7-day trip to Tokyo (one of them is a day trip to Hakone in Kanagawa) and a 2-day trip in Fukuoka.
This time, I want to visit all the Kansai prefectures (except Mie) which are Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Wakayama, Shiga and Hyogo. This is a 11-day trip in the middle of May. I will also be travelling with only one backpack (no check-in luggage) this time. Days 6 to 10 are interchangeable depending on the weather, but this order assumes that the weather is ideal, with crowd volume on the weekends (Day 7-8) taken into consideration. Any feedback or opinions are welcome!
Day 1: Osaka
-Touchdown at KIX
-Shinsekai + Tsutenkaku Tower
-Dotonbori
-Check-in hotel at Shinsaibashi
Day 2: Kyoto
-Toei Kyoto Studio Park (for the EVA, I'm a huge fan)
-Honnoji (Nobunaga's mausoleum)
-Hokukubyo (Hideyoshi's mausoleum)
-Tenru-ji
-Togetsukyo Bridge (have to go through it for hotel)
-Check in hotel at Arashiyama
-Denden-gu Shrine
-Kimono Forest
Day 3: Kyoto – Arashiyama
-Arashiyama Bamboo Forest (6 am)
-Kinkajuji
-Gioji
-Arashiyama Monkey Park
-Check-in machiya at Higashiyama
-Gion
Day 4: Kyoto -Higashiyama – Nara
-Kiyomizudera (6am)
-Byodo-in (Uji)
-Todaiji + Nara Park
-Return to Kyoto and check-in hostel at Inari
Day 5: Kyoto – Inari
-Fushimi Inari (5am)
-Nanzen-ji
-To-ji Temple
-Return to Osaka and check-in hotel at Honmachi
Day 6: Wakayama
-Koyasan (day trip)
-Return to Osaka
Day 7: Shiga
-Otsu Station, rent an e-bike
-Cycle to Mangetsu-ji Ukimido
-Cycle to Shirahige Shrine
-Return to Otsu Station
-Return to Osaka
Day 8: Osaka
-Osaka Castle (won't go inside)
-Umeda Sky Building
-Ebisu Tower Ferris Wheel
-Namba Yasaka Jinka
-Denden Town
-Nobeha No Yu Tsuruhashi (Day use private onsen)
Day 9: Hyogo
-Himeji Castle
-Kobe Chinatown (for cheap Kobe beef)
-Kobe Nunobiki Herb Garden + Ropeway
-Nunobikihime Falls
-Return to Osaka
Day 10: Hyogo – Awajishima
-Akashi Port (take a boat ride to Iwaya Port and rent an e-bike)
-Nijigen no Mori (Only for the Godzilla zipline)
-Hanasajiki
-Honpuku Temple
-Yumebutai
-Kiseki no Hoshi Botanical Museum
-Return bike at Iwaya Port, take boat ride to Akashi Port
-Return to Osaka
Day 11: Snap back to reality.
by The-Damnation99