jey221

Hi all,
Looking for some advice on creating an itinerary for a 2-week trip to Japan in the last week of June/first week of July. As some background: this is our first trip to Japan. My wife and I are going for our anniversary. We love walking through cities/neighborhoods, trying new foods, and want to have fun experiences (eg tea ceremony, onsen, etc). We’re good with some hiking as long as it’s not too strenuous.

We will arrive in Tokyo and spend 5 nights there (hotel is booked for this already). I’m planning on 3 full days in Tokyo and 2 day trips from Tokyo. In terms of day trips, it looks like the popular options are Hanoke, Kamakura, and Nikko. Can anyone offer any insights on which 2 of these 3 to do?

I am also planning on 3 days in Kyoto, and 1 day each for Osaka and Nara. That gets us to 10 days. I’d like to reserve one day for flexibility/ travel back to Tokyo, so that leaves me with 3 full days to fill in.

For these 3 days I am deciding between 1) Japan Alps or 2) Hiroshima. Right now we are leaning towards the Alps region, because it feels like a break from urban Tokyo, and maybe the weather will be better/less stifling than in Hiroshima? I also want to minimize the train travel time back to Tokyo, and Hiroshima seems like the longest distance to travel back.

But I would love some more insight on how to plan 2-3 days in the Alps region. It seems like the best thing to do would be to limit our time to Takayama and Kanazawa and make our way to Kyoto from there…

Does this make sense? Is 2-3 days feasible for a trip to those places? And would you recommend it over Hiroshima given our preferences?

Any advice on these questions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much in advance!

tripplanner001

On day trips from Tokyo: If it is a clear day and you want to see Mt. Fuji, then Hakone is a good option as is Lake Kawaguchi. Nikko offers both heritage with its massive shrines as well as outdoor sites with Kevin Falls and Lake Kawaguchi. Kamakura offers temples, which you will also see in Kyoto.

If you have 3 nights to play with, Takayama is a good option. You can take a day trip to Kamikochi where you can view the Japanese Alps. There are direct trains from Tokyo to Takayama. From Takayama to Kyoto, there is one direct train a day; otherwise, it’s easy to transfer at Nagoya. You won’t have time for both Takayama and Kanazawa, but Kanazawa is not a bad option either if you want a third city base.

Hope this helps.

jey221

This is extremely helpful, thank you so much! It sounds like maybe Nikko and Hanoke might be a good bet, given that we'll be seeing many temples in Kyoto.

I think I am leaning toward Takayama/Kamikochi rather than going to Hiroshima. Thanks again for this!

mrwunrfl

You could just fly back from Hiroshima
Tokyo to Takayama does require a transfer, nbd
Hakone can give you nature but better to overnight in an onsen ryokan
Having visited Nikko recently I would suggest Kamakura

mrwunrfl

For Hakone take Odakyu Romance Car from Odakyu Shinjuku Station
Other way is from Odawara which is o Tokaidp Shinkansen and could be on the way back from Kyoto
see about Hakone Free Pass and a Nikko WH Pass info at Japan-guide.com