Comment on My Japan Trip [May 2017]

Caped Baldy on 06/04/2017 - 13:55

Hi all,

I'm planning my first trip to Japan with a friend and want thoughts on my itinerary. Any advice and suggestions would be much appreciated.
Looking at getting the 14 day economy JR pass and activating it on the 17th. Already have international driving permit and am looking at getting a docomo sim card.

14/5/17 Fly off at 6am
Wake up, fly to Japan

15/5/17 Tokyo
Meji Shrine, Takeshita Dori, Omotesando, Shibuya, Tokyo Metro Gov Office, Shinjuku

16/5/17 Tokyo
Tsukiji fish market, gokarts, chill, Kabukicho/Golden Gai

17/5/17 Hakone
Explore, travel to Hakone, explore

18/5/17 Hakone
fun2drive

19/5/17 Hakone
Travel to Kyoto

20/5/17 Kyoto
Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Maruyama-koen Park, Chion-in Temple, Kyoto Shiyakushomae, Lunch, Nishiki Market, Daimaru Department Store, Fushimi-Inari Taisha Shrine, Shimbashi in Gion

21/5/17 Kyoto
Arashiyama, Tenryu-ji Temple, Bamboo forest, Okochi-Sanso Villa, lunch, Golden Pavilion, Kinkaku-ji Temple, Daitoku-ji Temple,Shijo, dinner downtown/pontocho alley

22/5/17 Nara
Nara Park, Todaiji Temple, Explore, Osaka, Explore, Kyoto Tower

23/5/17 Osaka
Explore/chill

24/5/17 Kyoto to Miyajima via Himeji
Bullet train to himeji, Himeji Castle, Miyajima Island, Itsukushima, Mt Misen, 5-Story Pagoda

25/5/17 Miyajima to Kanazawa via Hiroshima
Peace Memorial Museum, Peace Park, Chill, Kanazawa via bullet train

26/5/17 Kanazawa
Explore/chill

27/5/17 Kanazawa to Shirakawago
Explore/chill

28/5/17 Shirakawago to Takayama
Explore/chill

29/5/17 Takayama to Tokyo

30/5/17 Fuji Q

31/5/17 Tokyo
Ghibli museum

1/6/17 Tokyo
Explore/chill

2/6/17 Tokyo
Chill and fly home

3/6/17 Land

Travel

Comments

  • Cheap Charlie on 06/04/2017 - 14:06
    +5

    My Comment is, Take Me With You

    Any other OZB out there interested in doing a drift heaven week @ Ebisu?
    Stay a week or stay a little longer and explore Tokyo and surrounds
    http://www.powervehicles.com/drift-heaven-weeks/

  • kywst on 06/04/2017 - 14:08

    Just don't drive in Tokyo … cluster firetruck.

    Example 1
    Example 2

    • Cheap Charlie on 06/04/2017 - 14:15

      Finding and paying for parking in Tokyo will take the fun out of it

      • kywst on 06/04/2017 - 14:19

        Straight up … Cool to see those parking garages like out of Fast & Furious though. I remember being there and thinking to myself, "I'm at ground level … There are two tunnels under me and 3 levels above of which 2 go through the guts of buildings. WTFBBQ.".

    • Caped Baldy on 06/04/2017 - 14:20

      Didn't plan to, the IDP was for gokarting and driving in the mountains.

      • kywst on 06/04/2017 - 14:23
        +1

        Sounds like fun. Hope you enjoy yourself!

    • altomic on 06/04/2017 - 15:04
      +1

      i used to work in Hibiya (I had a view of the imperial palace from my office). driving is actual ok. parking isn't that bad as most people get Public Transport. I experience worse traffic in Brisbane any day of the week than I ever did in Tokyo.

  • Savas on 06/04/2017 - 14:12
    -2

    comment

  • lupiter on 06/04/2017 - 14:16
    +1

    That's a pretty packed itinerary, but if you like it that way, rock on.
    For example:

    21/5/17 Kyoto
    Arashiyama, Tenryu-ji Temple, Bamboo forest, Okochi-Sanso Villa, lunch, Golden Pavilion, Kinkaku-ji Temple, Daitoku-ji Temple,Shijo, dinner downtown/pontocho alley

    -> This is what I did in 3-4 days, not one day!

    • Caped Baldy on 06/04/2017 - 14:23

      Hmm thanks for the tip. I'm basically following an itinerary from a Kyoto tourism website so we'll how it goes. Was there anywhere that you'd recommend on spending more time at?

      We're also planning on going Osaka and Nara so we can loop back and do anything we miss.

      • lupiter on 06/04/2017 - 16:16
        +1

        I wasn't that impressed with Tenryu-ji Temple, although it is quite well located. I think Gio-ji in Arashiyama is probably one of the nicest temples I saw in Japan. I didn't get to see Okochi-Sanso Villa, we went to Rakushisha Poet’s Hut instead.

        Kinkaku-ji will be absolutely packed with people, and while it's nice it's not worth a lot of time. I'd move Kinkaku-ji to early in the day, just to try and avoid some of the crowds. Spend more time at Daitoku-ji Temple (which has a lovely building) and the Bamboo Forrest.

        Also don't forget to allow time to get between places. You've got quite a big triangle between Arashiyama, Kinkaku-ji, and Shijo.

        • Caped Baldy on 06/04/2017 - 22:25

          thanks for the tips

  • rover on 06/04/2017 - 14:39
    +1

    "20/5/17 Kyoto
    Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Maruyama-koen Park, Chion-in Temple, Kyoto Shiyakushomae, Lunch, Nishiki Market, Daimaru Department Store, Fushimi-Inari Taisha Shrine, Shimbashi in Gion

    21/5/17 Kyoto
    Arashiyama, Tenryu-ji Temple, Bamboo forest, Okochi-Sanso Villa, lunch, Golden Pavilion, Kinkaku-ji Temple, Daitoku-ji Temple,Shijo, dinner downtown/pontocho alley"

    Crikey! That is a packed couple of days. Maybe cut out a temple or two.

    Make sure you get your Ghibli ticket from JT asap. You can fit something else in on your Ghibli day. It's a wonderous place but fits nicely in a morning or an afternoon.

    • Caped Baldy on 06/04/2017 - 14:44

      What's JT?

      I'm planning to buy a ticket from Lawson's online website. Tickets are released for the following month on the 10th at 10am. As I'm there over two months I've got two chances to get tickets. Fingers crossed.

      • rover on 06/04/2017 - 16:49

        Sorry, I meant JTB Travel (Japan Tourist Bureau?)… but the new Lawson online system is much cheaper (1000Y vs $30). Also JTB is already sold out (except for 1 day) until August! JTB is good if you were booking 3 months ahead, they sell out quick as I think they only get 200 tickets a month.

  • keishton on 06/04/2017 - 15:04
    +1

    HAKONE IS GOOD! you stayin at a ryokan?

    • Caped Baldy on 06/04/2017 - 15:10

      Planning on using airbnb. Found a place that looks like a ryokan.

  • AaronRain on 06/04/2017 - 17:22
    +1

    Visit the Kenrokuen Garden (http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4200.html) and the 21st Century Museum (http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4209.html) while you are in Kanazawa, the place is beautiful.

    Go biking in the Arashiyama nearby area while in Kyoto.

    Stay away from the deer on Miyajima Island.

    Never bring rubbish with you, you will never find a bin.

    Prepare for lots of walking and to get amazingly lost, super fun.

  • donga100 on 06/04/2017 - 18:02
    +1

    If you'll have the JR rail pass maybe consider staying in Osaka instead of Kyoto. It's only 15 minutes from Osaka to Kyoto on the shinkansen. Osaka has a much more lively nightlife/dining/shopping/etc. scene than Kyoto.

  • lainey13 on 06/04/2017 - 19:31
    +3

    Osaka - Aquarium! Sky garden! Eat….
    If you take your itinerary from a tour group it may be hard to fit in everything. They have it timed down to a T, there's very little time for wandering around and fully exploring a site. It may be a quick in and out and onto the next thing. So it depends on your own travel style and interests and whether you are someone who likes to just go in and have a quick look around and you're super fast, or if you like to take your time and enjoy.

  • MeesusEff on 07/04/2017 - 01:06

    When I was planning my trip to Japan, I preplanned 4,5 activities in a day, with all the distance and travel time calculated. When I got there however, found that we only managed to see less than half :P still was a great trip though. Just make sure for each day you prioritise which place you really want to go and which you are willing to sacrifice.

  • mingofmongo on 07/04/2017 - 07:52

    I think your itinerary is a bit ambitious - but the structure looks alright.

    For Fuji Q - why bit stay for a day or two in kawaguchiko? Lovely spot, great views of Fuji. I highly recommend staying at "the weekend shuffle" b&b.

    • Caped Baldy on 07/04/2017 - 08:39

      Hadn't really thought about it to be honest. We're already staying in Hakone for a couple of nights and will be driving to Mt Fuji and the surrounding areas (fingers crossed for good weather)

  • [Deactivated] on 07/04/2017 - 09:59
    +1

    Fuji Q highland! Loved that place

  • KEPPERS on 07/04/2017 - 12:30
    +1

    Love Japan, lived there last year. I would say your itinerary is a little packed in places especially around Kyoto so maybe prioritise what you want to see. All the major temples in Kyoto are also very popular these days so expect to get surrounded by tourists.
    A lot of the fun in Japan is just wandering and finding what you can see so it's better not to pack too much in. We would often wander and just find random neighbourhood festivals which can be very interesting to watch. Also visiting temples and shrines at night is also very magical, and many of the local neighbourhood ones can be accessed all night.
    Make sure you visit an onsen at least once. Hakone is a big onsen town and has a very famous one with wine and green tea baths.
    Takayama is a beautiful town and one of my favourite things to do there is grab a beer and head to one of the foot baths and just chill out.
    Have a great trip.

    • Caped Baldy on 07/04/2017 - 12:53

      Thank you for your input.
      I'm looking at just doing a quick visit to Nara now to spend more time in Kyoto and Osaka. Might only pass through Shirakawago as well.

      • KEPPERS on 10/04/2017 - 18:28

        Shirakawago can easily be seen in just a few hours as it's a beautiful village but not that big. Staying in the accommodation there would be a unique experience though as you can stay in one of the traditional buildings. You can also see Takayama fairly quickly too as most stuff is centred in one area. I spent a couple of weeks volunteering in Takayama and it was more chillaxing then anything. Try the Hida Beef, you can get it on a wafer biscuit in the old ten for pretty cheap and it's prob better than Kobe beef.

  • eric402 on 09/04/2017 - 13:59

    Pocket wifi is very handy. Some Airbnb places offer it for free

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