Japan simple itinerary 14 days
Jan 20th, 2015, 06:45 AM
#1
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Japan simple itinerary 14 days
I have to come up with an itinerary for 14 days japan- for now we need to get hotels booked as in April and very busy.
We have a 5 year old, and don't want to do Disney.
Would like to see and stay in Tokyo, Kyoto, Takayama, enjoy the culture, people, outdoors and cherry blossom then we can fit side trips in around these.
How many nights would be ideal in each place and in which order? Is there a logical route / circuit to take? The other forums have stacks of useful info about things to do from these places, but overwhelmed (1st time japan) and feeling rushed to book hotels/accommodation!
Any advice greatly appreciated
We have a 5 year old, and don't want to do Disney.
Would like to see and stay in Tokyo, Kyoto, Takayama, enjoy the culture, people, outdoors and cherry blossom then we can fit side trips in around these.
How many nights would be ideal in each place and in which order? Is there a logical route / circuit to take? The other forums have stacks of useful info about things to do from these places, but overwhelmed (1st time japan) and feeling rushed to book hotels/accommodation!
Any advice greatly appreciated
Jan 20th, 2015, 07:04 PM
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Hi Bobo,
If you have not already seen it, most on this site will suggest you take a look at http://www.japan-guide.com/ for its wealth of information. In particular, I like the "suggested itinerary" section, which you can find at http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2400.html. When using that tool, I suggest putting in more days than the need for each area, and then you can choose what interests you the most from the suggested itineraries.
If possible, you should try flying into Tokyo and out of Osaka or Hiroshima, or the reverse, so as to avoid backtracking. For my first trip of two weeks we did the following:
Tokyo 4 nights (with day trip to Nikko)
Hakone 1 night
Takayama 2 nights
Nara 1 night
Koyasan 1 night
Kyoto 4 nights
For more detail you can see my trip report at
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...e-to-japan.cfm
Your final itinerary will also be impacted by your tolerance for moving around. If you prefer more time in a couple places and less changing of hotels you might try something like the following:
Tokyo 5 - nights - with day trips to Nikko, Kamakura or Hakone
Takayama - 2 nights
Kyoto - 6 nights - with day trips to Nara and Himeji
Koyasan - 1 night (and fly back from Osaka KIX), or
Miyajima - 1 night (and fly back from Hiroshima)
You can always shift the number of days in places that interest you more or less. Most people prefer Kyoto to Toyko, so would allocate more time there, but with the day trips I mentioned you could break up the big city with some of the countryside. And there is a case to be made in overnighting in Nikko, Hakone or Nara, especially to experience a traditional ryokan, but all are easy day trips (however, my overnight in a temple in Koyasan was the highlight of my trip). Some may also suggest adding in Kanazawa after Takayama, since you are already in the area, but I opted to save it for my next trip.
Anyway, this should provide a template to start with. Read lots of trip reports for more ideas, and have fun!
If you have not already seen it, most on this site will suggest you take a look at http://www.japan-guide.com/ for its wealth of information. In particular, I like the "suggested itinerary" section, which you can find at http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2400.html. When using that tool, I suggest putting in more days than the need for each area, and then you can choose what interests you the most from the suggested itineraries.
If possible, you should try flying into Tokyo and out of Osaka or Hiroshima, or the reverse, so as to avoid backtracking. For my first trip of two weeks we did the following:
Tokyo 4 nights (with day trip to Nikko)
Hakone 1 night
Takayama 2 nights
Nara 1 night
Koyasan 1 night
Kyoto 4 nights
For more detail you can see my trip report at
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...e-to-japan.cfm
Your final itinerary will also be impacted by your tolerance for moving around. If you prefer more time in a couple places and less changing of hotels you might try something like the following:
Tokyo 5 - nights - with day trips to Nikko, Kamakura or Hakone
Takayama - 2 nights
Kyoto - 6 nights - with day trips to Nara and Himeji
Koyasan - 1 night (and fly back from Osaka KIX), or
Miyajima - 1 night (and fly back from Hiroshima)
You can always shift the number of days in places that interest you more or less. Most people prefer Kyoto to Toyko, so would allocate more time there, but with the day trips I mentioned you could break up the big city with some of the countryside. And there is a case to be made in overnighting in Nikko, Hakone or Nara, especially to experience a traditional ryokan, but all are easy day trips (however, my overnight in a temple in Koyasan was the highlight of my trip). Some may also suggest adding in Kanazawa after Takayama, since you are already in the area, but I opted to save it for my next trip.
Anyway, this should provide a template to start with. Read lots of trip reports for more ideas, and have fun!
Jan 20th, 2015, 07:20 PM
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I just selected "17 days" and "Nationwide from Tokyo" on the Japan-Guide Itinerary tool that I mentioned above and it gave a very similar itinerary to the one I outlined. Here is a link that will take you right to it:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2400_tokyo_15.html
Personally, what it shows has too many places with too little time spent in each, but it's good starting point, and with some editing would result in an enjoyable trip.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2400_tokyo_15.html
Personally, what it shows has too many places with too little time spent in each, but it's good starting point, and with some editing would result in an enjoyable trip.
