23 nights in Japan need HELP with Itinerary
 

ello I need help with my plan please. Open to all suggestions places I am missing or shouldn't go or to little or to much time. Looking at 21 day rail pass and want to hit all the major spots during cherry blossoms at peak.


March 31st - Tokyo : Land 1700 eat and Spend night
April 1st - Day 1 Tokyo (night): Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku
April 2nd - Day 2 Tokyo (night) : Ginza, Samida, Akihabara
April 3rd - Day 3 Leave Tokyo(early)- Hiroshima (night) : peace park , Shukkein garden, castle
April 4th - Day 4 - Hiroshima (night) : Miyajima
April 5th Day 5- Hiroshima (night) - Onomichi
April 6th - Day 6 Hiroshima- Okunoshima (bunny island) – Osaka (night)
April 7th Day 7 - Osaka (spend night)
April 8th - Day 8 - Osaka(leave early)- Kyoto (spend night)
April 9th Day 9 - Kyoto (spend night) : day trip to himeji
April 10th - Kyoto
April 11th - Kyoto: Day trip Nara
April 12th Kyoto : day trip Arashiyama (bamboo forest)
April 13 - Kyoto – Hakone
April 14th Hakone – Kawaguchi lake ( mt fuji, suicide forest)
April 15th Hike chureito pagoda – Shibu onsen (Nagano)
April 16th Shibu onsen (Nagano) – Jigokudani – matsumoto
April 17th Nagano- Takayama
April 18th Takayama
April 19th Takayama(early)- Kanazawa
April 20th Kanazawa
April 21st Kanazawa (early)- Kamakura Day trip – Tokyo
April 22nd Tokyo : Nikko Day trip
April 23rd Tokyo – Asakusa, Ueno then fly out at 1825

three spots I kinda wanted to check out but had trouble finding room not sure if there worth it. DOn't want to be super busy but like medium>

Mount Koya?
Izu Peninsula ?
Okayama?

I haven't taken too close a look at your itinerary, but want to emphasize that chasing cherry blossoms can be a tricky thing. I would encourage you to make sure that your plan also reflects time to visit other treasures of the places you will visit.

If you haven't already done so, I would also encourage you to spend lots of time -- LOTS -- with japan-guide.com

Japan can be an extraordinarily delightful place to visit -- if you give it a chance to shine, rather than insisting that it meets your expectations. Enjoy!

You haven't identified particular cherry blossom spots though that is one of your interests. That's ok for now. put. But you c/should put Shinjuku Gyoen on your Tokyo itinerary for cherry blossoms.

I think you have Hakone out of order. A better route would be Kyoto - Matsumoto- Nagano- Takayama (via Toyama).

Hakone and./or Fujigoko would be better around your Tokyo time at the beginning or end.

What is your plan for Osaka? Do you have a particular interest there?

You could spend the night after bunny island in Okayama or Himeji. Maybe two in Okayama. Spend a day to visit Okayama and Kurashiki (and maybe Kojima). After the second night stop in Himeji and take your time and then head to Kyoto (or maybe Osaka) for the night.

Forgot to mention that I think your itin is pretty busy.

Or another route: Kyoto- Kanazawa- Takayama- Nagano- Matsumoto- Tokyo region.

Will work on it
 

If I might ask, if you don't know what you want to do in Osaka, why is it part of your plan? Even with 23 days, you won't be able to see everything that some consider highlights of their time in Japan.

Do you have any suggestions?

Yes. As already noted, study japan-guide.com

>>what you mean about particular places for cherry blossom

I mean specific places. Tokyo is an en enormous city. I suggested Shinjuku Gyoen because I am pretty sure that you will see cherry blossoms during your Tokyo time. I know this because I learned that park has multiple varieties of cherry trees and they bloom at different times. The blooming takes a week and then another week and the blossoms are falling. With multiple varieties I think that you can see cherry trees in different stages of bloom in SG for something like 4 weeks.

Besides tree varieties the blooming season depends on altitude and latitude. Predictions are made based on winter weather. Scientists/people keep track of the trees and when the buds appear and their stage of development up to when they open and as the bloom emerges up to peak and then as blossoms fade and fall.

japan-guide has a ranked list of the best cherry blossom vieiwing sites in Japan. They descriptions include the numbers of trees and different expected peak viewing period. There are also some reports from locals including photos and I am sure you can find reports of what it was like this past season.

Some people build their itinerary to Japan based on when and where the peak blossoms will be. I think your timing is right for Takayama. Maybe for Himeji.

I had to ask about if you had a particular interest in Osaka because it is not on the most people's Japan itineraries. Not first-time, anyway. Kyoto and Himeji are obvious. Same with Okayama - you mentioned it because you learned about specific reasons to visit (the park & castle, at least, and nearby Kurashiki). One reason some people stay in Osaka during that season is because lodging is expensive in Kyoto then and they have points to stay at an Osaka hotel for free - and they commute to Kyoto.

So, given your lack of knowledge of Osaka and your actual knowledge of your interests in Okayama and Himeji, then yes, you sh/could consider canceling or shortening your stay in Osaka.

I will come back to the Okayama and/or Himeji stays later. I did give a two-night Okayama stay plan above.

>>Does that sound better?

Yes, it is better, and it is right if you plan to take the bus from Takayama to Matsumoto. Is that your plan? If that is not your plan then you can forget that I mentioned it;. A better rou te by train would be Takayama to Nagano via Toyama and then Matsumoto and Tokyo. Moving Matsumoto after Nagano would prevent some backtracking.

ok

>> Doing Okayama and himji on way back towards Osaka.

I think that means that you are thinking that you would wake up in Hiroshima, visit those two places on the same day, and spend the night in Osaka.

You could do that but I think it is not a good idea. I recommend that you pick one. Himeji is much more significant.

If you choose Okayama then you can visit Himeji on another day from Osaka (or Kyoto). After Okayama you might have time that day to visit a spot in Osaka, like Osaka-jo Koen. I enjoyed visiting there twice, once for the castle and the second time for the cherry blossoms. I enjoyed going inside the castle, but it is more of a museum visit. You can skip going inside (I would never say that about Himejijo). The second visit was a nice few hours in a park with other happy people doing the same.

If you choose Himeji then that means you would drop Okayama from your itinerary. It was optional for you, so give up on it. The park there is nice but I don't think they have many cherry trees, if any. The castle is nice but you are going to Himeji.

Himeji is going to take time, more than you might be thinking. It is also going to take patience. It is popular, especially at cherry blossom time, and for good reason.

IMO, you are giving Takayama and Kanazawa very little time, particularly during the festival. Are you sure you will have time to see and experience the things that make you want to visit these places?

Personally, I think your entire itinerary is too rushed! I think the combination of Kanazawa and Takayama is best with at least 5 nights, or at least 6 if you plan to visit the Takayama festival. I think a first visit to Kyoto best with at least 6 full days for Kyoto and Nara. But it's not my trip, and only you can decide what you most want to see and at what pace.