Japan/Korea/HK
 

Im starting to plan my trip for this easter and have put together the following itinerary:

2-7th- Tokyo-main attractions such as the crossing, shinjuku, akhibara, asakusa, meiji shrine, yoyogi park, ghibli museum, harajuku, ginza & disney sea
7-10th-Osaka- universal studios, dotonburi & osaka castle
10-13th-Seoul- jsa tour, myeongdong, gyeongbukgung palace
13-18th-Hong Kong- tsim sha tsui, ladies market, day trip to macau, ocean park

It may look like a rushed itinerary but i am unlikely to visit this side of the world again so chose my must see places

Iv not put kyoto as it is the more modern side of tokyo im interested with however i am considering doin a day trip to kyoto from osaka for bamboo forest etc.

Can you advise if there is a particular place where u would allocate more/less time?

Thanks

So, those are April days. You will be in Japan during cherry blossom season. You could read a bit about the Japanese tradition of hanami, if you aren't familiar with it, so that you know it when you see it.

Shinjuku Gyoen in Tokyo is a beautiful park which has a variety cherry trees with different blooming times, so I think you would see some blossoms there and then.

Osaka Castle (Osakajo) has an important place in Japanese history and I recommend reading some of Japanese history of the events leading up to its destruction and the aftermath. It is in a nice park, Osakajo Koen, which may offer some cherry blossoms if your timing is right.

>> a day trip to kyoto from osaka for bamboo forest etc.

That bamboo grove is in Arashiyama, outside of Kyoto, and could take/deserve some time. It is very popular and the scenic train might be sold out in one direction or, I suppose, both. If you go then the 9th, a Monday, would likely be less busy than than on the weekend. You want to plan out your Arashiyama visit, not just show up.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3912.html

There will be horse racing on the night of the 18th at Happy Valley race track on HK island. If interested, and you aren't departing HK that day, then take your passport and go to the HK Jockey Club member's entrance for admission. The general public entrance costs less but would still be fun.

I didn't think Ocean Park was very interesting, but maybe it is for you. I think I was there on a weekday, so maybe it is more lively on the weekend.

Please note that your timing is off: You aren’t counting transportation, so you don’t actually have the 7th in both Tokyo and Osaka (or the 10th in both Osaka and Seoul, or the 13th in both Seoul and Hong Kong) – you have at most a few hours in one or the other. Each time you propose to change locations, you need to count time for your transportation and you also need to add some time on either side (for getting to/from your lodging, checking in/out, packing/unpacking, getting lost/oriented, exchanging currency, etc.).

My reaction to the realization that I might never return to an area seems quite different than yours: Rather than trying to cram it all in (my take on your itinerary), that realization makes me want to maximize the time I have to actually see and experience the places that I choose to see, while minimizing the time spent traveling between places. YMMV.

Good luck!

Thanks kja i didnt actually take that into account.

>>Thanks kja i didnt actually take that into account.

Your travel on the 7th can be done in a morning. You would have plenty of time to visit Osakajokoen that afternoon.

You will take the bullet train, the shinkansen, to get between the cities. Do it during the day and it counts as entertainment as well as efficient and comfortable transport. For some people it is a must-do in Japan.

Your travel on the 10th and 13th can't be described as entertainment, even by me and I like flying, because it has a burden that the shinkansen does not.

Figure it takes about an hour to get to the airport. You've got to go through security, passport control, and get to your gate, so you would want 3 hours for that, assuming you check luggage. Then you will have about an hour on the plane, total for both ends, not moving. That is for boarding, departure check, maybe wait for a gate, deplaning. Then another hour or more for immmigration & customs and baggage claim. Another hour to get from the airport to the city.

Notice that those 7 hours do not include the flight time! It also doesn't mention cities and doesn't include time zone changes. It doesn't include time for hotel check-out/in or getting to the transit to/from the airport It is all overhead cost in time for any international flight, more or less.

Osaka to Seoul is about 2 hours flight time. No time zone change. It really would be 9 hours so the 10th is pretty well shot. It is not a day in Seoul, not even a half-day. It is just a travel day.

The 2 full days that you would have in Seoul costs you one day, the 10th.

The 13th, that travel day, is the time cost of visiting Hong Kong. You would have 4 full days in HK for that cost. It is a good amount of time for that, though another day or two would be better. Your 7 days in Japan is at a minimum, imo.

I will pre-disagree with the other fodorites who will suggest that you just pick one of the three. Your trip is long enough for two of the three and I think you might get more out of each of them by immediately being able to compare and contrast them.

That was my experience on my first trip to Asia when I visited Japan and then spent a few days in Beijing. I could have spent all the time in Japan, but I think that I greatly benefited by visiting Beijing on the same trip even at the cost of the travel day and the shorter time in Japan.

I would agree with MrWunrfl and say that two of your three destinations is sensible, and I'd drop either Seoul or HK, whichever one is of less interest to you.

Those 3 days you'd get back could be split between your existing plans, though you might also consider Kyoto, very near to Osaka.

I would also add that if you end up going to HK, I would focus on HK itself and save Macau for another trip. There are interesting neighborhoods to visit and some beautiful bus rides that you can take within the city to occupy your few days there. TST and the Ladies Market are essentially in the same area. You can combine that with going to some of the other markets, if that's what interests you. You can also sign up for one of the free walking tours, either of the TST area or Hong Kong Island. Just google Hong Kong Free Walking Tours.

Bamboo parks can be kinda boring, especially if they are not mountainous and just have fairly flat well-maintained trails. Sounds exciting, but is monotonous, though I haven't been to this one.