5 weeks in Japan
 

Hi everyone!

I am currently planning my 1st trip to Japan. MARCH 2016 I welcome and appreciate any suggestions/help with my itinerary.

Namba/Osaka/Nara 4 days
Kyoto/ Uji/Arashiyama 10 days
Nagoya 3 days
Hiroshima/ Miyajima 2days
Himeji
Okayama

Kanazawa
Nikko
Yokohama
Tokyo 7days
then home to NYC

Is this a logical order for a 5 weeks span? the labeled days are places that I have booked accommodations for. I plan to get the 21 days JR pass, I would have to wait 2 weeks until I can activate it, which is okay since i'll be in kyoto for 10 days.

Thanks in advance for your help!

You've made some great plans already -- kudos!

Some preliminary comments:

Re: Nara - I spent 2 full days there and could have spent more. But I'm not sure you need to adjust your plans: your time in Nara could also be included in your time in Kyoto +

Re: Kyoto + -- as already noted, you might count your time in Nara here -- just be sure to count it somewhere! :-) I found an afternoon sufficient for Uji; YMMV. Arashiyama is, of course, part of Kyoto, even if many people list it separately.

Are you considering an overnight on Koya-san? I HIGHLY recommend it (and again, you could "count" that night in your time allocated for Osaka/Nara -- which, I think, proves that I really don't understand how you are breaking things out!)

So I'm about to do something that I NEVER thought I would do, which is to say that you might trim a bit of time from your allocation for Kyoto. !!! Whether you do so will, of course, depends on what you plan to do elsewhere -- but 10 days + time in Nara and Osaka is truly generous. I'm jealous! And I think that whether it makes sense depends on what you want to do elsewhere.

Jumping ahead (but in keeping with thoughts about your time in Kyoto), you can probably visit Himeji from Kyoto, or on your way to Hiroshima and other places in that direction.

I would not make Okayama a priority and was actually disappointed with it, even though I visited when the iris were in full bloom (which had been my goal). Maybe I just missed what made it special.... If it is a priority, consider visiting it on your way to / from Hiroshima. Check a few maps to see what routing options might make most sense.

I loved Kanazawa! Consider combining it with Takayama for a total of 5 days (plus or minus, depending on your specific interests).

Many people visit Nikko as a day trip from Tokyo. I was glad I spent an night there, which let me see not only the highlights of Nikko itself, but also Kegon-no-Taki and a bit of Lake Chuzenji.

I trust you've been looking at japan-guide.com? Including it's information about travel in March?
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2273.html

Hope these comments help!

When working out my itinerary I find it helpful to map all the destinations on MyMaps (google) and to plug in the various journeys in to Hyperdia to look at travel times.

In most cases, the order of travel reflects a line or loop or figure 8 but you may find trains / travel suggest something different.

As Kja has said, it's difficult to work out your nights and what you'll be visiting / seeing from each base.

With 5 weeks, you have the luxury of lots of time in Kyoto. I would say keep 7 nights in Kyoto for Kyoto itself (including Arashiyama), and the other 3 days could be allocated to day trips such as Uji, Yamazaki (if you like whisky), etc.

If you want to overnight in Nara (one or two nights) that's great (and let me know if you want me to recommend our ryokan which we loved).

Osaka, unlike many travellers, we didn't warm to, though we visited on both trips (on the second one I wanted to see if I'd just been unfair on the first). We did enjoy the food market there (different in feel to Nishiki in Kyoto) and certainly it's worth a day trip out of Kyoto, but for me, I can't say I thought the night vibe was worth it. Then again we aren't into bars or nightclubs so perhaps that colours it.

Koya-san, oh yes, a night here is a special experience. We visited in 2012 and like Kja, stayed at Shojosin-in, a temple right by the famous Okunoin graveyard and temple.

On the first trip we spent 2 nights in Takayama and loved it. With the luxury of time, I'd definitely do 3 nights there, there is much to see and enjoy.

We haven't yet been to Kanazawa and are spending 4 nights there on our next (third) trip in spring 2016.

We haven't been to Shirakawa-go. I don't think we'll do it on the next trip either, but I've found a potential alternative just north of Kyoto that I'm exploring.

I'm wondering if you have done the math to see if you actually need the 21 day JR Pass. Also not sure what you mean about waiting two weeks to activate it - you can activate it for a date a month in advance....

There are a number of regional passes which may suit your itinerary better than the national one.

japan-guide.com has a great deal of info about passes:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2357.html

@Kja Thank you for your detailed feedback! I will definitely look in to spending a night in Koya-san from Osaka.

@Kavey Thank you for your input! I would love to get the name of the ryokan that you stayed at in Nara.

@Mara Thank you for Links and the heads up on the JR pass. I will use hyperdia to help calculate my travel cost before I decide which JR pass to get.

I'm a total newbie to planning a solo trip so I have much to learn!

I'll report back once I make my corrections and I truly value everyone's time/help! :)

"I will definitely look in to spending a night in Koya-san"

My understanding is that one's choice of a temple can greatly affect one's experience of Koya-san. I stayed at Shojoshin-in, which continues to get great reviews:
https://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/...n=Shojoshin-in
It is right across the street from one of Koya-san's great treasures, Okuno-in. Consider trying to walk it a dusk or dawn -- or both!
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4901.html

Maggs
We stayed in Ryokan Kankaso, it's a historical ryokan (formerly part of a temple complex I believe) right by the dear park and yet very tranquil inside, food was excellent, our room was stunning and I'd go again in a heartbeat.
We booked through Japanese Guest Houses (who were the ones to suggest this particular property to us).
Here's my report/ photos: http://www.kaveyeats.com/2013/01/kai...o-in-nara.html
Note that not all the rooms are so large, with a private bathroom with wooden tub and the extensive windows out to the gardens, so do ask Japanese Guest Houses to book you this same room as they booked for us.
Kavey

@Kja I just made a request for an overnight booking, hopefully it can fit in to my budget, is it also possible for me to go as a day trip from Namba Osaka? I checked it's about 1.5 hours by train and 5 minutes by cable car.

@Kavey Thank very much for the link, beautiful photos!

I have a question regarding SIM cards for Japan, would I be able to pick one up from their 7-eleven stores or should I order one to the states?

"I just made a request for an overnight booking, hopefully it can fit in to my budget, is it also possible for me to go as a day trip from Namba Osaka? I checked it's about 1.5 hours by train and 5 minutes by cable car. "

Assuming you are talking about Koya-san, well, yes and no! I think that what many of us found so special about Koya-san was staying in a temple, dining on the extraordinary temple food (vegetarian only, with incredible diversity), and seeing Okunoin at dusk or dawn. It is not inexpensive to stay at one of the better temples -- for me, it was quite a splurge, and one that was, for me, well worth it.

Technically, it might be possible to visit Koya-san as a day trip from Osaka -- I didn't actually check the routes. The scenery on the way there is impressive. Depending on how much time you have at the top, you could perhaps see part of Okuno-in and / or Kongobuji, with its extraordinary sliding screen doors.

Your call!

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/201.../#.VlIf8r-fiHI

Evidently you can get a sim card at the airport....don't know from personal experience. I used to rent a phone but now t-mobile gives me free text and data...

I agree with kja - you should try to stay overnight in Koyasan....many different temples there...

I used rentafone to rent a wifi dongle for both our trips, and they also rent phones, I think probably SIM cards too.

@Kavey- The website says "they're currently taking a break and not accepting orders for the moment". Bummer... but thanks for the information, I will keep checking back.

@Kja- I received an email from Japanese Guest House saying Ryokans are reluctant to accept single guests.. they wanted me to give them my phone number and flight information before calling them to check for availability, did this happen to you?

@Mara- I really hope that Kansai Airport will have a sim card vending machines by March, I am nervous that since my flight lands at 8:20pm that I will have trouble getting a SIM card at that time so I can contact my host to my accommodation in Osaka should I get lost.

Just did a quick search and found these:
http://battera.co/fortourist/buy-a-p...ional-airport/

https://www.techinasia.com/ntt-com-j...nding-machine/

Hope that helps! You should make sure to let your credit card co. know you are traveling and of course your phone has to be unlocked....

I tried Japanguesthouses a few years ago and was told there was no single accommodation ryokan in Yufuin...duh....that's the last time I tried them...got a ryokan on my own. Have you tried booking.com - they have a few or also this site:
http://eng.shukubo.net/temple-lodging.html
You can contact a temple directly....

I think you'll find these are data-only SIMs. AFAIK foreigners are not allowed to buy voice SIMs in Japan, though they can rent them.

You can get free wifi everywhere from Softbank, but you need a phone that can connect to their voice network to receive the password: http://www.softbank.jp/en/mobile/special/freewifi/en/

Sorry, I did not realize that a SIM would be data only - I guess US phones are different....

If you really need to make a call can't you just use your cell phone for a quick call....that's what I did before a few times....

Coming in at that time may be an issue but some of the places are open:

http://www.kansai-airport.or.jp/en/s...index.html#_02

"I received an email from Japanese Guest House saying Ryokans are reluctant to accept single guests.. they wanted me to give them my phone number and flight information before calling them to check for availability, did this happen to you?"

I had forgotten about that! Now that you've reminded me, IIRC I knew that some ryokans do not accept single guests and so did some research to identify those that would accept them. I believe there is a way to search japanguesthouses for those that allow single guests (maybe you need to check ryokan by ryokan?), and Shojoshin-in -- the ryokan I recommended above, and the one I specifically requested -- is one of them . I don't recall being asked for phone number or flight info before they checked availability, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. It is my understanding that japaneseguesthouses is a reputable service, so if they did ask, I would provide the info. JMO.

I received no hassle either when booking or when staying as a single guest at ryokan in Hakone, outside Matsumoto and on Miyajima. A single supplement, yes. But I felt very welcomed at all 3 of them.

Oh yes, I felt very graciously welcomed at each of the two ryokan at which I stayed!

Aah, sorry to hear about rentafone, there are definitely other providers people use regularly, will suggest a forum trawl or seeing which ones others have recommended.

Thank you everyone for the helpful links and suggestions!

I will try to unlock my older Iphone 5 so that I can use the prepaid SIM cards in Japan, or choose between ATT passport silver plan (not great,but it's my carrier..) or sign up for Tmobile international plan for two months. (no contract)

I've been taking notes and making corrections to my itinerary, what do you guys think about this so far? it's not perfect, but it's making my heart happy. :)

Osaka 4 Nights (one night at Koyasan)
Kyoto 10 Nights (Kyoto itself,Kibune&Kurama, Arashiyama, Uji, Nara, Amanohashidate).
Nagoya 3 Night
Hiroshima 2 nights (Miyajima)
*or cancel accomadations for Nagoya and spend 3 nights in Miyajima then goto Hiroshima.
Okayama

Okayama 2 nights (Himeji)
Kanazawa 3 nights (Shirakawago, Takayyama (3 nights)
Tokyo (straight to Nikko for 2 nights)
back to Tokyo for 7 nights (Hakone,Kamakura,Yokohama)

I hope this looks more concise than my original plan and I continue to welcome any recommendations/ suggestions anytime.

I wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow!!
:)

Your trip is shaping up nicely! :-)

I trust you are aware of options for renting a phone once in Japan?
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2223_top.html
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2223.html

"spend 3 nights in Miyajima"

Much as I loved my time on Miyajima, that would be a bit much for me. But if you want a place to just relax, hike a bit, etc., I suppose you could stretch your stay out that long.

"Kyoto 10 Nights (...Nara)"
Two of my favorite temples in the area are just outside Nara in Ikaruga -- Horyuji:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4104.html
and Chuguji, which is actually inside Horyuji and covered in that same link.
If you have the time and interest, they are well worth considering IMO.

BTW, now that I see the list of everything you hope to see in an around Kyoto, I'm inclined to think you might want to add a day or two there! :-)

Yes, I agree with kja - shaping up well. My comments - I also think three nights in Miyajima is too much....and what do you plan to do with three nights in Nagoya? Are all the 10 nights in Kyoto in one accommodation? You do already have reservations - I think you said so in your original post...

Thank you both for being so kind.
@kja- I saw that there is free wifi in Kansai airport so I might be able to use Skype/Wechat. *fingers crossed*

I will still try to get a prepaid sim card for my phone.
I'm really glad I have a generous amount of time in Kyoto. :)

@Mara I booked my accommodation to Nagoya on impulse when I had three days open between Kyoto and Hiroshima. This was before I done more research, and before I came on the forum to ask for help. (lesson learned) I'll need to do more reading before I decide which place I should stick with.

I will be staying at the same guesthouse in Kyoto for 10 days, it's a shared room in a large house so it's more affordable and meeting other travelers can be fun.

Nagoya is an excellent place to visit--not so much for the town itself but as a convenient base for day trips. There's a splendid route from Kyoto to there via Lake Biwa (major temples around Otsu, original castle at Hikone).

In town, the Atsuta shrine is worth visiting (same architecture as Ise...maybe). And day trips to Gifu (cormorant fishing), Meiji-mura, Kiso valley, the Ise shrines (and Meoto-Iwa). And the natural route onward to Takayama and Kamikochi.

"Gifu (cormorant fishing)"

Isn't March too early for cormorant fishing (ukai)? I went to Gifu specifically to see it and specifically because in May (when I was there), the ONLY place I could locate where it had (just) begun for the season was Gifu.

Also Nagoya is near Inuyama Castle...one of the 12 originals...

I agree with someotherguy - just was wondering what attracted you....

I've got a single night in Nagoya in my March/April 2016 itinerary. We'll be taking the train from Hakone to Nagoya. We'll take a rental car from there for a day and go to Miho Museum, a few other places, probably also Lake Biwa / Otsu.

The current tentative plan is a night in a location North of Kyoto but I'm waiting to hear on that.

Then we're 7 nights in an apartment in Kyoto.

@someotherguy Is it possible to see Lake Biwa, Otsu, and Hikone in one day enroute to Nagoya from Kyoto? Although I will have my luggage with me... I did check to see that Hikone is only 50mins from Kyoto so maybe I can go there as a day trip.

I had to look up what cormorant fishing in Gifu entails. very interesting, but after a quick search it seems that the fishing season starts from May-October.

@Kavey looks like we both will be in Japan around the same time. :D I also found a company called PuPuRu that rents pocket wifi and cell phones. Might be the way to go!

Cormorant fishing is fun to see -- keep it in mind for a future trip!

I used PuPuRu when I was there and had no complaints.

You could do that trip in a day, but I think it'd be hard with luggage in tow: it's a tough slog up to Hikone Castle. I sent my luggage on to Nagoya by Takkubin (it's only $10 or so for a rollaboard) and took just a daypack and overnighted in Gifu. But then I also went to Inuyama and Meji Mura and the cormorant fishing.

It's also a bit of a walk to Ishiyamadera, the most interesting of the temples near Otsu: it's claimed to be where Murasaki Shikibu wrote the first chapters of Gengi Monogatari and there's a nice tableau of her at work in one of the rooms. It also has beautiful gardens.

There's another fine garden below Hikone castle. And Inuyama castle has a famous tea hut (Jo-an) nearby, though I think these are hard for nonspecialists (like me) to appreciate.

The trains around Nagoya are run by Meitetsu and a JR pass won't work on those (but they're local trains so not expensive). I don't know what sort of places you are staying at, but business hotels in Gifu (or anywhere really) are very inexpensive, and good for solo travelers--under $50 including breakfast. There are lots of chains and I've tried most of them. I prefer Toyoko Inns but some like Dormy Inns (they usually have a bath--ofuro--on the roof).

By all means, take advantage of Japan's fabulous luggage forwarding options whenever it suits your purposes! Luggage-forwarding is called takuhaibin; here's the info:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2278.html

I also visited Inuyama for its castle and Jo-an in Urakuen and Meiji Mura. I enjoyed them all, but the main appeal of Meiji Mura for me was the preserved section of Frank Lloyd Wright's Tokyo hotel. If that hadn't been a specific interest of mine, I think I would have found the day pleasant, but not particularly memorable. It might, however, give a nice contrast to punctuate a long visit to more traditional settings.

I took the opportunity to visit Urakuen with a "goodwill guide," and so had the value of her input about various special features of that garden and of Jo-an, and my visit was shortly after a visit to Katsura Rikyu, so I had a bit of an idea of the features to which I should attend.

I had a wonderful volunteer guide when I visted Hikone castle as a day trip from Kyoto...and it was a perfect day for sakura as well... :)

I had a wonderful volunteer guide when I visited Hikone castle as a day trip from Kyoto...and it was a perfect day for sakura as well... :)

Well, it depends what you are interested in: Meiji-Mura also has one of Lafcadio Hearn's houses (the others are in Matsue and Kumamoto).

Takuhaibin is the generic name, but the one you are most likely to encounter is takkubin/takkyubin by Yamato (its actual name is Ta-Q-Bin) which is the one with the black cat logo. I'm constantly amazed that no matter how remote the place I'm in, I'll always encounter their vans (or handcarts in towns).

If your hotel clerk doesn't understand your pronunciation of one word, try the other, or just tell them you want to send you bag to wherever ("nimotsu o wherever ni okuritai n'desu"). Your hotel will have the necessary forms and an arrangement with one of the companies, so go with whoever they deal with. They'll fill the forms in for you if you explain you cannot write Japanese ("zannen desu ga....Nihongo o kakemasen") but you need to provide the destination address to them in Japanese (you can print this out or grab a screenshot from the website of wherever you are going).

I fear some of this makes it look difficult...it's not, and all the places mentioned are pleasant and interesting. Just go with what works for you.

someotherguy, you are a wonderful source of info - I will now be sure to include Meiji Mura when I go to Japan in the spring - I have been to the other Lafcadio Hearn homes...

I have filled out the Takuhaibin forms in English even when I had the address written out in Japanese to show the clerk in case he/she wanted to write it in Japanese....

No wonder people make numerous trips back to Japan, there are so much to see!

I will be able to add Hikone, Ostu as a day trip from Kyoto. I'm playing with the idea of taking out Nagoya in favor of 3 nights in Nara. (In the perfect world, I would prefer two nights in Nara and one night in Miyajima, but that will require more running around).
Although Meiji Mura did strike my interest! (decisions, decisions.)

Thank you for the tip and link regarding takkubin services, I will keep my eyes out for them!


I am wondering if there is a more straight forward way to visit Okayama, Kanazawa,shirakawago,Takayama,Tokyo?

I believe it take about 3.5 hours from Okayama to Kanawzwa and 2.5 hours getting to Takayama.

Do I need to go back to Kanazawa from Takayama to take the train to Tokyo? that seems to require the least amount of time by train. (but it still takes 2.5 hours none the less). If I'm not mistaken...

I was disappointed in Okayama. Maybe it was the time of the year.

If you visit Takayama, and spend some time at the outdoor park there -- Hida-no-Taki -- Shirakowago may seem redundant. I skipped S'go; other people find it a valuable stop.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5900.h...tion_whatToSee

No, you do not need to return to Kanazawa to go to Tokyo. What sources are you using to plan your travel routes?
(same site as above, but click on "getting there and around" near the top).

There's more than enough, IMO, to keep one happily busy in Nara for 3 nights, but I would urge you not to sacrifice Miyajima, which is a lovely place and would give you the chance to see Hiroshima.

Takuhaibin can be arranged from just about any lodging -- no need to find a special office.

Okayama is a major rail hub between the main Tokkaido/Shinkansen lines and the lines down to Shikoku and up to the San'in coast. A radical suggestion (and my recommendation) is to drop Kanazawa and instead go from Okayama up to Matsue. Matsue is far more interesting than Kanazawa: it has an original castle, samurai houses, Lafcadio Hearn's house, two beautiful lakes, a major garden at the Adachi museum (which I've not been to), a famous tea house, and the awesome Gesshoji temple. Just down the coast is the Izumo shrine, second after the Ise shrines, and a really interesting place to visit. A bit further is Hagi, center of the Meiji restoration, with an excellent shrine/museum to Shoin Yoshida and the guys who led Japan into the 20th century, and the magnificent Toko-ji temple.

On the way to Matsue, you can stop at Bitchutakahashi, which has an excellent Zen garden and the only mountaintop castle among the original 12.

Takayama and Shirakawago (actually, Gokayama is far more attractive) are conveniently visited from Nagoya. Then go on to Tokyo from there.

3 nights in Nara is good as several of the major sites are well out of town.