levA

am a 11 year old boy that is going to Japan in 2 years from July 17 to August 7. I have created this itinerary which I will show to my family. Can you please help me see if my itinerary is good, or if I need to add or take out stuff. We didn't book flights yet so you guys can tell me what to add (if necessary and I could stay an extra 3 days). We would buy the National Japan Rail Pass just to let you guys know. Here it is:

Japan Itinerary

Day 1: Flight lands at 7PM go to Family’s house near Tokyo

Day 2: Stay with Family

Day 3: Stay with Family

Day 4 Stay with family and leave at night to go to Tokyo hotel (Hotel Sunroute in Shinjuku)

Day 5: Tsukiji Fish Market, then Alice in Wonderland Cafe for lunch, then Meiji Shrine, and then Imperial Palace/Edo Castle

Day 6: Zojo-Ji Temple, then Tokyo Tower/Foot Town, then Ueno Park for lunch and walking around, then Rikugien Gardens, then Yasukini Shrine, then Hanazono Jinja Shrine

Day 7: Mt. Fuji Day Trip (with a tour company)

Day 8: Day trip to Nikko visting the Nikko Shrine then coming back to Tokyo

Day 9: Day trip to Jigokudani Onsen and to see the Monkeys

Day 10: Senso-Ji Shrine, then Kaminarimon, then Asakusa Shrine, then Walking arund and exploring Asakusa,

Day 11: Take Hakari Shinkansen to Kyoto and check into hotel (Hotel Ibis Styles Kyoto Station), then go to Kyoto Imperial Palace, then Ippudo for lunch, then go to Higashiyama Jisho-Ji, then go to Honen-in, then go to Heian Shrine, then go to Kodai-Ji

Day 12: Go to Fushima Inari Taisha, then go to Nijo Castle, then go to Kinkaku-Ji, then go to Yasaka Shrine, then go to Kiyomizo-dera, then go to Kyoto Tower

Day 13: Day trip to Nara, go to Todai-Ji Temple, then go to Nara Park and walk/explore the temples and shrines inside

Day 14: Go to Arashiyama, then go to Awata Palace, then go to Chion-In Temple, then go to Kyoto Ryozen Gokoku Shrine, then take train to Himeji Station, then check into hotel in Himeji (Nikko Hotel), then go to Himeji castle

Day 15: Take Shinkansen to Hiroshima Station from Himeji Station and check into hotel (Hotel Granvia) , then take a train to Miyajimaguchi station and go to Miyajima Island, then go to Itsukushima Shinto Shrine, then go on a hike on Mt. Misen (the Dashion Route), then take a tour on top of Mt. Misen, then leave Miyajima Island and go to Hiroshima Castle, then go back to hotel

Day 16: Take Shinkansen to Hakata Station and check into hotel (Hotel Centraza), then go to Fukouka Castle,then go to Kushida Shrine, then go to Kanzeon-Ji Temple,then go to Komyozen-Ji Temple, then go to Kyushu National History Museum, then go to Hakata Port Tower, then go to Canal City to Shop, explore, and eat dinner, then go to Hakata Port Tower for a night view of Fukouka

Day 17: Day trip to Kumamoto, Take Shinkansen to Kumamoto Station, then go to Kumamoto Castle, then go to Honmmyo-Ji Temple, then go to Kokutei for lunch, then go to Kumamon square, then go to Shimotori Shopping Arcade, then take Shinkansen to Fukuyama Station and check into hotel (Fukuyama Castle Hotel), then go to Fukuyama Castle if there is time

Day 18: Take Shinkansen to Marugame Station and check into hotel, then go to Takamatsu Castle, then go to Marugame Castle, then go to Shohonzan Zentsu-Ji Temple, then go to Homotsu-Kan, then go to O-Mon, then go to Konpira-San, then go to Ema-Do, then go to Asahi-No-Yahiro

Day 19: Take Shinkansen to Osaka Station and check into hotel (Hotel Granvia),then go to Tenman-Gu Shrine then go to Osaka Castle,then go to Sanko Shrine, then go to Shiteno-Ji Temple,then go to Tsutsenkaku, then go to Tempozan Ferris Wheel, then go to Dotonbori to shop, explore, and eat dinner

Day 20: Take Shinkansen to Shinjuku Station and check into hotel ( Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku ), then go to a Kabuki Play, then go to a Sumo Wrestling Show

Day 21: Shop, then go to Airport and leave

kja

Wow -- should be a wonderful trip! Just a few comments:

- If you can, consider flying into one airport (e.g., Narita) and out of another (e.g., Kansai) or vice versa so you can avoid backtracking between cities.

- Remember that you will need advance reservations for anything Imperial.

- Re: your time in Tokyo -- You might consider making time for the wonderful Edo Tokyo Museum.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3070.html

- Re: your time in Kyoto -- You've chosen some wonderful destinations, but I think you would do well to consult a map because there several days in which you are moving all over the city, when you could concentrate on particular areas on different days.

Also note opening hours and sunset/sunrise times. For example Fusihimi Inari is open 24/7, so you might be able to see it before/after other things close.

I'm sure you realize that you can visit Himeji-jo from Kyoto or Hiroshima, or you can visit en route (you can either use the lockers at the train station to store your luggage or you can take advantage of Japan's excellent luggage-forwarding option so you only need to take an overnight bag with you, and so store just those overnight bags in the station lockers. Luggage-forwarding is called takuhaibin; here's the info:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2278.html

Instead of staying in Hiroshima and visiting Miyajima during the day, consider staying on Miyajima instead, visiting Hiroshima during the day. Miyajima is, IME, especially delightful after day-trippers leave, and it sounds like you have a plan for the island that could take much of the day. I'm not seeing time for the Peace Park or Peace Museum in Hiroshima -- maybe that's intentional?

I haven't been to any the destinations you list for day 16 or beyond (except Tokyo), so hope others provide comments about them.

BigRuss

There are no shinkansen at Shinjuku station. Not a one.

Here's what I'd tell my own son: you need to grab a map and cluster your sites. For some days it seems like you did this. For others, notsomuch.

Example:

<i>Day 5: Tsukiji Fish Market, then Alice in Wonderland Cafe for lunch, then Meiji Shrine, and then Imperial Palace/Edo Castle</i>

Tsukiji and the Meiji shrine are at opposite ends of the city and about a 30 minute metro ride (or more) between the two.

<i>Day 12: Go to Fushima Inari Taisha, then go to Nijo Castle, then go to Kinkaku-Ji, then go to Yasaka Shrine, then go to Kiyomizo-dera, then go to Kyoto Tower.</i>

This would have you traveling across 2/3 of Kyoto in one day. The Inari shrine is southeast of the city, Nijo-jo is northwest of that and on a different JR line, Kinkaku-ji is way off to the northeast of the city.

The Yasaka Shrine would be better on your day 14 with the two neighboring shrines at Awata Palace and Chion-in. Those are relatively close to Kiyomizudera.

<i>Go to Arashiyama, then go to Awata Palace, then go to Chion-In Temple, then go to Kyoto Ryozen Gokoku Shrine, then take train to Himeji Station, then check into hotel in Himeji (Nikko Hotel), then go to Himeji castle</i>

This is also scattered: Arashiyama is at the far northwest of Kyoto, the Awata Palace and Chion-In Temple and Ryozen Gokoku Shrine are all across town and east of the Kamo River. You also cannot walk around and view all these places and then hop a train to Himeji and still get to walk around Himeji castle that afternoon.

levA

Thanks for the advice kja. The Edo-Tokyo museum looks really cool so I have added it to my itenarray. Thanks again.

levA

Thanks for the advice Russ. I changed it by switching places and I knew before that Shinjuku doesn't have a Shinkansen. I would have taken the train to Tokyo central Station and then taken the Shinkansenm. Thanks again.