Japan Itinerary Recommendations

fivespice on 22/08/2018 - 16:27

Hi all,

Heading to Japan in late December early January with my girlfriend and would appreciate broad suggestions in respect of an itinerary.

I went to Japan in late 2016 and this was my route:
Sapporo - Hakodate - Sendai - Yamanouchi (where the snow monkeys are) - Kanazawa - Tokyo - Kyoto - Osaka.

We are flying into Osaka and out of Tokyo and spending about 22 nights in Japan. About 4 or 5 of those will be in Toyko because I love it there and 2- nights in Osaka.

Have considered Hiroshima, Hakone and maybe Shirakawa as we also love the rural parts of Japan.

Thanks all!

Travel

Comments

  • pantsparty on 22/08/2018 - 16:34
    +2

    This question has been asked many times before:

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/search/node/japan%20itinerary

    Google, TripAdvisor, Japan Guide - all your friends.

    Read all this info and let us know if you have any more specific questions which Google and previous posts cannot answer - otherwise you just come across as lazy.

    • CyberMurning on 22/08/2018 - 16:47

      cant agree more…

    • fivespice on 22/08/2018 - 17:00

      Appreciate that, but I've travelled to Japan before and managed to put together a month long itinerary using your noted resources.

      I've given some context around previous places I've been and just asked for some broad anecdotal ozbargainer recommendations given said context.

      Happy for a mod to delete the thread if not appropriate.

  • CyberMurning on 22/08/2018 - 16:46

    avoid kabukicho..

    • KSMLJ on 22/08/2018 - 16:55
      +1

      Don't bring the girlfriend and you can avoid avoiding Kabukicho..

      • Blackfyre on 22/08/2018 - 17:38

        Even with the girlfriend it was pretty good fun at Kabukicho I had

    • SydStrand on 22/08/2018 - 17:29

      It's the most sanitised and safest red light district I've ever seen, other than occasional touts. It's an interesting place to walk around.

    • [Deactivated] on 22/08/2018 - 18:17

      Not to be confused with Kabuki Za. Go there.

    • fivespice on 23/08/2018 - 10:55

      I have been, it's good for a quick walk around.

  • rambutann on 22/08/2018 - 17:25

    Kagaya Izakaya

    • fivespice on 24/08/2018 - 09:01

      Haha I've heard of this place, have you been? Is it worth a visit?

      • rambutann on 24/08/2018 - 09:22

        I booked in, I had to change days, he couldn't change my reservation to the day before.. So no I havent :( But I will definitely go next time.

        I have only heard that the food is average but the experience is next level haha

  • John on 22/08/2018 - 17:30
    +1

    I went around the same time on my previous trip. We went past Takayama & Shirakawago, they were beautiful there during winter. But not too nice in the rain. One particular city that holds a fond memory to us was actually Yokohama. You see lots of local tourists there which is nice, makes it feel more 'in Japan' compared to Tokyo where its crowded by overseas tourists. I've also been to Kawaguchi on a day trip during autumn, I really wish I had stayed over there. Such a scenic spot.

    If I had another opportunity like you I would probably explore the northern island (Sapporo, Hokkaido, etc). Winter there should be really good. So I probably suggest you try that spot. Otherwise go south like Fukuoka since you're coming in from Osaka.

    • fivespice on 23/08/2018 - 10:57

      This is great, thank you very much. Not sure I'll go too far north as we have been to Sapporo last time but I'll do some research.

      I've not heard of Kawaguchi before so I will do some research there too.

  • [Deactivated] on 22/08/2018 - 21:10

    My son said going to a Robot Resturaunt in Shinjuko is a must. He also really enjoy his Owl Cafe experience.

    • fivespice on 23/08/2018 - 10:58

      Thank you! I regard Robot Restaurant very highly and I might even go again. Owl cafe I've not been to so will probably fit that in while in Tokyo.

      • Cheaplikethebird on 23/08/2018 - 14:54

        Robot Restaurant I found to be a little tacky but it's an experience that's for sure, just not authentically Japanese in anyway - it's entirely made for westerners.

        I went to the owl cafe and didn't enjoy it. It's a small room with 3, metre long perches with about 5 owls all on leashes that are around 5 cm long. None of the owls looked like they enjoyed it, they were all trying to pull away as people patted them. Owls are nocturnal predatory animals, they're not for us to pet in fluoro lit rooms.

        • [Deactivated] on 23/08/2018 - 16:27

          My son took video of the cafe he went to, fortunately it was nothing like the one you describe, it sounds awful!

        • Cheaplikethebird on 23/08/2018 - 16:29

          @stormii: It's been a while since I went, the one I went to was in Asakusa.

  • [Deactivated] on 23/08/2018 - 11:50

    This was one of my favourite Tokyo day trips when I went a few months ago with a toddler in tow, not too hard to get to. Highly recommended if you have even a casual interest in bonsai

    http://www.kunio-kobayashi.com/en/

    There’s a sumo tournament starting in Tokyo on 13/1/19 that’s worth it for the atmosphere if you will be around then.

    Kawaguchiko is packed to the rafters with Chinese tourists and I saw plenty of rude customer service from the locals who were disillusioned with serving them. Maybe I was there in peak season but I wouldn’t go back, long queues for buses and attractions. Maybe as a day trip it’s ok, you need a bit of luck with the weather to see mt Fuji clearly.

    You haven’t done too much on the western side:
    Hiroshima is worth a visit - Iitsukushima shrine and its Torii gate are good, as are the numerous shops selling hot read bean cakes (momiji manju) Mazda has a nearby factory with a great free tour if you like cars these need to be pre booked. A bomb memorial is good but depressing depends on if you like war museums.

    YMMV but there’s not much to do in Osaka asides from eat and shop. Himeji castle is very much worth seeing as a day trip, the Kaiyukan aquarium in Osaka isn’t bad either.

    Nagoya is not bad - you can do a day trip out to the castle at inuyama if you’re into that sort of thing. There’s a big Legoland there if going with kids as well as a railway museum. The Toyota factory is supposed to be good again tours need to be pre booked. The Toyota automotive museum doesn’t need bookings not bad but you’d need quite an interest in the history of manufacturing (textiles, cars) to make it worthwhile - not much about the present compared to the past.

    Okayama is currently pitching for visitors but this is the worst tourism video I’ve ever seen. Ever.
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=HPQ2FpGCfs4

    • fivespice on 24/08/2018 - 09:03
      +1

      This is really helpful thanks so much. Agree about Osaka, it's where I fly in so I'll find some day trips to take rather than stay there extensively.

  • Baa on 23/08/2018 - 19:00

    One of my favourite legs of my last trip and an overall highlight of my time in Japan was Matsumoto > Alpine route > Kanazawa > Takayama > Shirakawa.

    Was lucky to get on the Alpine Route on the first day of snow for the year (mid Nov) and was the nicest and fluffiest snow I have seen. Not sure if the Alpine route will be open that time of year though, as I know you can go see the big snow banks later in winter.

    If you enjoy outdoor activities he Shimanami Kaido is a great couple of day activity, but one that may not be suitable in winter.

    Heading down to Hiroshima and Miyajima should make the list too if you have not been.

    The Japan travel thread on whirlpool is a great resource and a better place to get ideas, I find I rarely need to post though as there is so much information already around if you just search.

    • fivespice on 24/08/2018 - 09:04

      Thanks for this, didn't really do any of this on my last trip so will certainly do some research. I will also check out the whirlpool thread too.

      • Baa on 24/08/2018 - 11:55

        Enjoy, I just booked my flights last night for November - only a week, but a week is better than nothing!

        • fivespice on 24/08/2018 - 13:03

          Exactly, where are you headed for the week?

        • Baa on 24/08/2018 - 15:45

          @fivespice: Haven't got anything solid place yet, flying into Tokyo and out of Osaka.

          Due to timing I am likely going to try and minimise too many large trips and am flying into Tokyo and out from Osaka - as I will also be travelling for some of it with my sister who will be there for her first time.

          If I was solo or with the wife I would like head to Tohoku and see places like Kakunodate, Yamadera, Sendai/Matsushima, etc as it is where I have spent the least amount of time.

          Instead I will probably settle for some day hikes to areas that are more accessible to get my out of the city fix.

        • fivespice on 25/08/2018 - 09:32

          @Baa: Well hope you enjoy it anyhow! I have been to Sendai and Yamadera. Yamadera is amazing, Sendai is OK as a city but a good hub for day trips to Yamadera or Zao.

  • petestrash on 31/08/2018 - 04:35

    Not sure if you are aware, but the first week in January can be madness as a lot of Japanese travel during this week. Hiroshima and Hakone as you mention are certainly worth a day. You haven't really been too specific about your request. Is it city and city activities that your after or rural. Will you rent a car or have a JR pass etc.

    • fivespice on 31/08/2018 - 11:34

      Sorry about that, I am after both. I know I will be in Tokyo for around 4-5 nights and Osaka for 2 nights so that crosses off most of the city activities.

      I plan to get a JR pass just as I did on my last trip and I am keen to visit smaller towns and rural communities and enjoy the onsens. The extent of our more rural experience in Japan is visiting Yamanouchi and a day-trip to Yamadera.

      I also really enjoy 1-night stopovers in smaller towns such as Hakodate or Kanazawa. I know again it's not very specific but I hope that helps articulate my thoughts a little.

      • petestrash on 02/09/2018 - 22:39

        A couple of suggestions.

        If you're in Japan on the 15th of January, You could visit the fire festival in Nozawa-Onsen. It's a small ski Village with traditional onsens, and each january 15 they have a fire festival. We visited a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it, as long as you don't have any issues with drunk people playing with fire. Google it and also there are plenty of clips on youtube to see what it's all about.

        For scenery using the JR pass I'd suggest dumping the shinkansen for part of your trip and take a Ltd. Exp. (Wide View) Hida train which runs from Nagoya to Toyama (& VV) on the JR Takayama line. The portion from Gero to Toyama runs through some beautiful mountain and river scenery and it's usually all white in January. You could do this as part of your trip to Shirakawa-go.

        • fivespice on 04/09/2018 - 17:48

          This is great, thanks so much for your suggestion!!

  • Vyviel on 01/09/2018 - 02:05
    +1

    Go visit Nagasaki and Fukuoka the southern tonkotsu ramen shits all over the stuff up north =)

    • fivespice on 04/09/2018 - 17:49

      Will consider this for sure, I love tonkotsu!

  • PTS on 03/09/2018 - 00:37
    +1

    If you're looking for something different out of Osaka, is a place called Koya-San, This is definitely one of the most underrated experiences ever. This is apparently the birthplace of Buddhism in japan.
    My wife is Japanese, and have traveled extensively through japan, this place is next level, Very few OS tourist, mainly local.
    The journey in itself is amazing, all on JR rail but the trip up the mountain in the funicular is awe inspiring.

    Say at one of the "hotemples" food will be vegetarian, but amazing.

    Travel through some truly ancient cemetarys.
    Have recommended this to 2 people, both have gone and both said it was the highlight of their trip.

    Please google it, see if it lines up with your plans.

    • Baa on 03/09/2018 - 23:59

      On my list of things to do has been to walk the Kumano Kodo, but haven't been able to set aside the time to do any of the longer walks, and as such haven't gone to Koya-San as have kept adding it to the next trip list.

      Would you have a recommendation of a place to stay at Koya-san?

      • attl on 05/03/2019 - 12:56

        I loved Koya-san! :) Very different experience.
        They have a cemetery tour as well, which I found quite interesting but might not be for everyone.
        Stayed at Shukubo Koya-san Eko-in Temple - conveniently located and the meal was pretty good.
        I think most of the temple stays are half-board.
        Note that it is vegetarian meals though, in case you HAVE to eat meat.

    • fivespice on 04/09/2018 - 17:48

      This sounds fantastic and will strongly consider this. I can certainly make it line-up with my plans considering the plans are whatever I want them to be haha

  • mrgreycells on 17/09/2018 - 13:24

    Hows your planning going @fivespice ? Planning around the same time and thinking of Kyoto, Tokyo and Osaka.

    • fivespice on 20/09/2018 - 11:42

      It's going ok, just refining a few things.

      Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka are always good options. Have been to all three and loved each of them.

      I personally would allocate more time to Kyoto and Tokyo for the following reasons:

      -Osaka is not as culturally/historically rich as Kyoto
      -I find Tokyo to be a much more interesting and diverse metropolis-type city than Osaka.

      Osaka is still great and worth a visit but those are my thoughts.

      • virhlpool on 03/03/2019 - 14:32
        -1

        I am traveling to Japan for the first time (for 10-11 days) in April and I plan to go to Tokyo, Kyoto and probably Osaka, with a couple of day-trips to places like Haneko, Nara, Nikko etc within that duration. I am confused if I should try to fit Kanazawa/ Takamaya and Ainokura/ Ogimachi in the itinerary though it will mean that I will have fewer days in Tokyo. And will we need a hired car if we want to drive to those places? What do you recommend to the first timer? We do have a 5-yr old kid with us.

        Current plan is to spend 6-8 days in Tokyo, 4-5 days in/ around Kyoto and probably a day in Osaka. With kid, our travel is often slow paced, hence taking more time in all places.

        • attl on 05/03/2019 - 12:58

          First time + kid + 11 days, I probably wouldn't recommend fitting the other places in.
          Plenty to do in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto itself.
          If you feel like you want to fit more stuff, Nara is also a good day trip from Kyoto.

  • attl on 05/03/2019 - 12:59

    Miyajima for sure, if you are going Hiroshima =)
    It's a beautiful place - recommend to stay over at least 1 night, so you can see the Torii Gate in low and high tide.

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