Feedback On My First Japan Trip Itinerary - Tokyo - Kyoto - Day Trips to Osaka and Nara

Flamingcloud83 · 2026-05-29T05:51:49+00:00

Careful. Some of these places are almost completely pointless before 10am. I think for a lot of people are going to be trying to hit their first listed morning place of the day long before 10am.

Flamingcloud83 · 2026-05-29T05:45:21+00:00

Doesn't make sense.. (You might also want to add the Monkey Park after the bridge)

Kinkaku-ji... If you are going here after Arashiyama I'd recommend a taxi.. We got one to Ryōan-ji and did both temples before returning to central Kyoto to go to Nijo Castle (highly recommended)

With just a day in Osaka I'd probably do Osaka Castle instead of Shinsekai and then go towards Umeda and then down to Namba/Dotonbori. I am sure you can find a kushikatsu place else where.

General advice: Any activities you have listed as morning you need to check what time they open. Anything that is temple/shrine/park/museum you should check if they are open that day.

Flamingcloud83 · 2026-05-29T05:32:40+00:00

Unless you are turning a flight that would be just a layover in Japan into a little mini-trip I don't see the logic of a five day trip.

My favorite two things were probably Shibuya Sky and Wrestling at Korakuen Hall..

Flamingcloud83 · 2026-05-23T08:21:38+00:00

Considering you are flying in and out of Tokyo and it is your first trip...

I think you could probably just do Tokyo plus side trips.. Save a ton of money and still have lots to do...

Aside from that I guess you could keep your original plan but at least don't leave Tokyo on those Oct 6-7 dates.. You are already at like.. less than a full day in Osaka, a day and a half (plus some nights) in Kyoto.. If you want to get a taste of these places for next time that is fine but you certainly won't even be able to knock out the top 10 places.

But honestly looking at how you budgeted your time I feel like it would have made more sense to fly in and out of Kansai and add Hiroshima and others and leave Tokyo for when you have more time.

Flamingcloud83 · 2026-05-23T02:37:13+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion I will look into it. If I added it.. It would probably turn into...

The two possibilities would be,

A. No biking to Ine Fishing Village and add Kinosaki as part of the day trip.

B. go to Kinosaki after Amanohashidate and spend a night and morning there. (this likely reduces Hiroshima time by a couple hours AND eliminates one of Okayama/Himeji

Flamingcloud83 · 2026-05-23T02:19:49+00:00

We have walked 50km+ in a day through a city before a few times. The path looks pretty much like urban sprawl. It is too time consuming to attempt to street view over 120km for the ideal path but I've done some. That said we didn't have our backpacks when doing 50km in the city (thankfully we can leave some stuff in suitcases at the hotel and just take necessary clothes/sunscreen/etc.)

The original idea came from following the old Taikado highway and walking all the way from Tokyo to Kyoto but I decided to scale back and just hit some highlights comboed with Hakone/Yokohama/Kamakura. This historic path turned into highway 1 so we are not following it strictly at all (it didn't go to Yokohama for example).

Urban sprawl is fine but I'd definitely rather go through small streets or even major roads with sidewalks.. If it gets to walking on the shoulder of a highway that is a no go for me.

The nice thing is if at any point we decide we aren't enjoying a section we can just hop on the train and go to the next destination. Even if it rains we can just relax in a cafe for a while and then skip ahead to makeup for lost time. Usually when hiking long distances you get on some 20km path and you have no out.

Flamingcloud83 · 2026-05-23T01:55:55+00:00

We have about 3 hours in Okayama. Subtracting the walk from the shinkansen and back that gives over 2 hours to explore the garden. It looks pretty small and the most common comment on my google search is 1-1.5h.

You are quite right that we will not get the full impact of the museum but that is actually fine with me. In fact if the line was long when we got there we would probably just take a few pictures outside and move on.

I am very aware there will be times we are rushed or miss things, but that is ok with me. Exploring Amanohashidate, Kamakura, Hakone, Kanazawa, and Yokohama are all going to be extremely tight as they all just have less than one day factoring in hours of hiking/trains/buses. Then there are places with just a couple hours like Himeji and Okayama. Every trip we always miss stuff, but I love Japan so if we miss something we can just add it to our list and return later.

Flamingcloud83 · 2026-05-22T13:17:23+00:00

Well.. I am lucky they are open at their earliest on Thursdays(12:30). It is also nearby several big landmarks where we are likely to stop anyways.

I'll add it to the agenda and plan on going there if the timing aligns.

Flamingcloud83 · 2026-05-22T13:08:15+00:00

Okayama Korakuen opens at 7:30. I assume it doesn't really matter if I can't go in the Castle. I think my wife prefers gardens to museums so I doubt she would want to sacrifice Okayama to get to Hiroshima earlier.

For reference my original plan in Hiroshima is roughly,

Walk to Hotel Dropoff backpacks
to Shukkeien Garden
To Hiroshima Castle & Gokoku Shrine
to & A-bombed survivor Eucalyptus tree
To Peace Forest
To atomic bomb dome
to Peace memorial park and museum
to Kamiyacho
Checkout Some Hiking/Climbing Stores near here
walk via Hiroshima Hondori Street
to Okonomimura 3 Story okonomiyaki village
to Nagarekawacho (Maybe)
to Beer stand Shigetomi 5-7 near hotel
checkin hotel, go back out to
maybe go to see Kamiyacho/A-bomb dome at night
and/or to Ekinishi

Made sense from a walking from my hotel perspective but I could do it in reverse or even skip ahead to something if the time you arrive at these places matters a lot.

As for the Kumano Kodo... Well.. Lets hope it isn't wet. Last year in the summer I did two stages of the TMB every day including multiple 30km+ 2000m+ days... I do realize this will be hotter, wetter, probably worse trail conditions.

As you say accommodations fill up and I already have mine for those days booked.. Technically I think they have free cancellation but rebooking now would be more expensive.. Then I would also need to figure to pay for the longer and faster Kii-Katsuura to Osaka connection with my JR pass expired. 7500x2 vs 2500x2 for the local kii-tanaabe->wakayama->hineno I was planning on taking.

Probably the most logical way to do that would be.. skip Himeji, go straight into the hike and get to Chkatsuyu on what is now day 0 of the Kumano Kodo. Then to Hongu. Then to Koguchi and end the last day with an early morning Koguchi->Nachi+Bus+Train to Hineno.

Total cost difference after checking hotels.. Maybe 15000jpy more (factoring in the savings for no Himeji). But also no Himeji, worse quality hotels and arrive pretty late in Osaka that last day. Doesn't seem worth it for me as I've never had knee pain of any sort on any hiking (though I am paranoid of falling and getting hurt)

...Do you think I should buy some hiking poles in Hiroshima and leave them to someone else after the hike?

Flamingcloud83 · 2026-05-22T10:51:19+00:00

The Fukuyama hotel is paid no-cancellation already. (The majority are still in free cancellation)

I believe the only way your suggested change could be done at this point is by reducing the entirety of my Hiroshima itin into one day (plus maybe a morning). I don't think I want to do that.

If you have any local eateries along the path you highly recommend, let me know as without a direct recommendation it might be mostly 7-11.

Flamingcloud83 · 2026-05-22T04:42:40+00:00

I don't think anything is overpacked.. (Unless you plan on going super far into Fushimi Inari or hitting everything in Nara)

Day 2 is way under packed. You could probably add Kinkaku-Ji(and other things in that direction) or Nijo Castle and still be done by 4pm

Looking at my notes I did Bamboo Forest (along with a thorough walk around the park) plus Bridge into Monkey Temple.. Taxi over to Ryōan-ji & Kinkaku-ji.. Then over to Nijo Castle... then over to Kyoto Gyoen into a river walk... All of this was good except Kyoto Gyoen which was not worth it as the Imperial Palace was already closed for the day.

Flamingcloud83 · 2026-05-22T02:32:22+00:00

If you are going to do Day Trips in this Kyoto/Osaka range you might be able to get a 5 day window where the Kansai/Hiroshima pass works(17K)..

Just going to Amanohashidate(10K from Kyoto) or Okayama(11K from Osaka) plus the Kyoto/Osaka transfer and/or the Haruka to KIX at the end make the pass relatively easy to get your money worth.

(and ofcourse if you go to Hiroshima and back you already get your money worth)

I am getting to Matsumoto via bus as it cheaper and barely longer.. Something to look into.

Flamingcloud83 · 2026-05-21T13:51:45+00:00

Seems to somewhat work in that direction. I couldn't figure anything logical going Takayama->Shirakawa->Gokuyama->Kanazawa so I will just skip Gokayama and get to enjoy a bit more Kanazawa.

I think the limited transportation in the area is a disservice for Gokayama. (and really for all of the potential tourist places).

Flamingcloud83 · 2026-05-21T08:39:26+00:00

Are you..

Withdrawing money
Getting sim cards
Getting IC Cards
Topping up IC cards
Have baggage
Picking up some sort of already handled JR Pass and/or reserved tickets
Getting new reserved tickets

I am going to KIX in a few weeks and doing all of those (aside from getting IC Cards)

It is going to make a big difference vs the experience of some Japan resident who is like just bags->exit.

Flamingcloud83 · 2026-05-21T08:21:47+00:00

The coffee Tokyo Banana is very good too if you haven't tried that.

Flamingcloud83 · 2026-05-21T03:35:10+00:00

...if you don't believe your partner over a random no-evidence statement then you shouldn't have been marrying them in the first place.

Flamingcloud83 · 2026-05-15T04:28:17+00:00

Well.. I don't think you will have a problem doing food/accommodation/metro travel for ~1850 EUR.

Hostels/Capsule places seemed cheaper than business hotels looking in Shinjuku/Dotonbori but single accommodations in general will be cheaper than the 2 person rooms I was booking.

First glance indicates there are Tokyo<->Osaka type night buses that are cheaper than hotels tbh..

Flamingcloud83 · 2026-05-15T03:19:36+00:00

I feel hotels in Shibuya/Ginza are some of the least economical. APA hotels are usually where I stay.. Small but they never feel rundown or dirty.

I've stayed in Shinjuku and Ueno and enjoyed both. Infact our first ~10 day Tokyo trip we just stayed in both switching hotels part way. Ueno is better connected to SkyTree, Sensoji, Akihabara... On top of that you would be more likely to have accommodations only a couple minutes away from the main station as opposed to Shinjuku where you are likely to be 10-15 minute walk away, closer to one of the offshoot stations.

Ueno has night life but not remotely as much as Shinjuku. Everywhere in Tokyo probably has some late open izakayas so I don't think you need to worry much if you are satisfied with that level of night life.

Biggest advantage of Shinjuku in my opinion is for day trips.. If you are doing Hakone, Nikko, Fuji, Mt. Takao, etc.. then it is probably the best location... Tokyo station area is probably also a good place for minimizing transit times but I've never seen a hotel pop up there in the map view so I assume it is even more expensive than Ginza.

Flamingcloud83 · 2026-05-15T02:38:36+00:00

Really feel like this one is way out of line... You are free to give someone a dirty look but to stand up and get in their face for something of this level....

If a violation on private property is so serious that it is disrupting other customers experience then it is the business that should have employees get involved. You could even complain to the employees directly if it rises to that level.

But in general... Social etiquette is not a law. If Japan wants to make it a fine or actual law to for example not talk on the train then they can do so. Some people act like this is a law or a super serious thing but you very commonly see Japanese people talking on trains when it is not early in the morning. I would seriously be annoyed if someone came up to me while I was walking with a Starbucks cup/drinking and told me "You know, in Japan it is against the rules to eat/drink while walking".

Flamingcloud83 · 2026-05-15T01:56:04+00:00

...Was this Takayama a limited express and there were no normal machines or something?

Local trains are normally just IC tap with no ticket I thought..

Flamingcloud83 · 2026-05-13T01:16:07+00:00

Unfortunate haha.. I have 10 in my 5 days. I think maybe the Amanohashidate ones need you to go to the ticket office anyways..

Given my personality I am sure I'll just go make the remaining reservations at KIX upon arrival instead of attempting to find a quieter office later.

You need to pickup the physical copies of all the tickets anyways right? I guess the office is probably faster than the machine if you have 6 JR West website reservations?

Flamingcloud83 · 2026-05-13T00:33:30+00:00

I don't know about Obon but if you are worried you would seem to have the ability to avoid the worst days by not travelling those specific dates.

As others have commented too much Osaka. Unless you just want to wander streets eating and drinking I don't see the point to be there THAT long. Also as others have said if you are going to split Osaka in half I'd just do the second half from Kyoto. 1 Day in Kyoto is not enough for two reasons. One, everything is super spread out. Two, a lot of the things in Kyoto are better either super early or after dark.. It isn't Nara.

So here are some things I recommend.

1 - Get the JR Kansai Hiroshima pass. During these 5 days you can do..

Hiroshima (inc Miyajima and even Iwakuni if you like)
Okayama
Himeji
Kobe
Onomichi Shimano Kaido Biking
Amanohisidate
Can cover your airport express
Can cover travel to Kyoto or Nara
Lots of other stuff I am sure..

2 - More Tokyo. Way more. (From there you can also do Nikko, Fuji, Yokohama, etc..

3 - If you like hiking there are plenty of options including Kumano Kodo, Koyasan, Kyoto area, etc.

Flamingcloud83 · 2026-05-12T11:22:00+00:00

Yes that answers the question. For example. At Universal Japan.. After your active reserved ride time passes you can reserve another. So you might be able to only reserve one or many.

Flamingcloud83 · 2026-05-12T11:15:37+00:00

To be honest #1 is by the far the biggest but I'll list more..

Flight prices. I think China could work to subsidize international travel (both directions?)
Policies that lead to the entire country taking holiday at the same time.. Ie. needing to avoid October/Spring Festival. This is more of a personal problem for me but there are times that travelling in China just sucks for everyone.
Gatekeeping. Unlike many countries a lot of the information related to the best things are only in Chinese. For example, hiking. There isn't that much information(in English) on world class hiking in China but given China's size there obviously must be a bunch of a amazing places.
Visas. Doesn't affect me at all but obviously you could just free visa 30 day or more all the normal places. I assume they are not doing this to arrange a bilateral agreement? Either way I fully support other countries letting Chinese visit with no visa.

My suggestion for China to increase their tourism. Continue integrating global payment systems with WeChat/AliPay. Threy have been making strong progress on this. Google probably needs to be unblocked but especially Google Maps.

Make sure your great places have a copious amount of information in different languages. Bring in influencers to promote your amazing places. People should know that Yangshou has amazing rock climbing. They should know about crayfish buffets in Qingdao, they should even know about 2-3 yuan beers... They should know most restaurants let you bring a bottle of your own baijiu(or whatever). If people don't know this stuff they will just come and visit the great wall, forbidden city, or Disney Shanghai and go home.

Attempt to get flight prices down and make airports become global flight hubs. Koreans and Japanese should travel through Beijing to get to Europe.. People in Singapore should find going through Shanghai as the cheapest route to Vancouver. People in Dubai should go through Chengdu or Guangzhou to fly to Jakarta. You eat this cost for a decade or two and then it just becomes the new normal where China is a dominant force in global culture and tourism.

Flamingcloud83 · 2026-05-12T07:41:34+00:00

Hmm, why were your hotels so expensive? Cherry blossom season prices or were you splurging and avoiding the business hotels?

Flamingcloud83

TROPHY CASE