Japan Trip Logistics
 

Hello!

Hubby and I are traveling to Japan in July 2025.
We start our trip with 3 full days and 3 nights in Tokyo.
Day 4 we are in Yokohama in the morning and we set sail that afternoon (cruise).

The cruise ports are: Aomori, Hakodate, Otaru, Jeju (Seogwipo), Kagoshima, and we sail back to Yokohama.

After the cruise, we would like to visit Yokohama, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Hiroshima, and have time ( a day or so) at Mt. Fuji. If it works, we are interested in visiting Fuji Five Lakes, Nara, and Kusatsu Onsen. If we should consider adding more time in Tokyo post cruise, we are open to that as well. If any of these make sense as a shore excursion, please let me know.

So, my questions are:
Which order makes logistical sense? We can do a base locations and do day trips where that makes sense.
We prefer three night stays, but we will do a two night-but not back to back two-night stays. If a private guide or small group is an option for parts of this, please let us know which tour company(s) you suggest.
I am not a big walker, my husband is, and I'm fine not deleting experiences that entail walking. Hiking is not our thing.
We like museums, temples, shrines, gardens, festivals, and cultural experiences.

I appreciate any thoughts you may have!

>> any of these make sense as a shore excursion
None of those places are anywhere close to your ports of call

Your interests are in three areas of Japan:
1) Kanto - Tokyo, Yokohama, Fujigoko, Kusatsu Onsen
The last two can be daytrips from Tokyo (but not from Yokohama). Better would be overnight or multi-night stays.

Fujigoko is the easier daytrip from Tokyo but is a bit complicated - and popular. Best departure point would be Shinjuku.

What is your interest in Kusatsu Onsen? (I loved visiting there and highly recommend it). It takes about 2.5 hours to get there from Tokyo, it would cost you about 6 hours roundtrip. Like Fujigoko it is not on the way to anywhere else you have expressed interest in.

An easier alternative to both Fujigoko and Kusatsu, especially from Yokohama, would be Hakone (i.e. Fuji-Hakone National Park) where you would find hot springs, views of Fujisan and other natural beauty all in one daytrip (better for an overnight stay).

2) Kansai - Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Nara
These are all easy day or half-day trips from each other, basing in Kyoto and/or Osaka. The Kobe and Osaka visits are optional.

3) Chugoku - Hiroshima
It is possible to visit Hiroshima (and Miyajima) as a daytrip from Kyoto, a bit easier from Osaka. But it is well worth a 2- or 3-night stay.

Also, you need to learn about the baggage delivery system in Japan. It is brilliant. Unlike a cruise, you will need to travel lightly in Japan. Takuhaibin (Takkyubin) - Delivery Services


The yubatale is a marvel to see in Kusatsu
Tokyo to Kusatsu Onsen: How to get to and around Kusatsu Onsen - Access, Transport and Orientation

Aomori, consider visiting Towada Travel Guide - What to do around Towada

Otaru - sushi! and a ropeway
Hakodate - ropeway
Kagoshima - Sakurajima and there are a few scenic train rides in this region (pretty sure). Not far from Kagoshima is Kirishima Onsen - Kirishima Travel and I can recommend a nice rotenburo there if you were an onsen fan (but weather will be hot and maybe hot springs not so good then)

Thank you, mrwunrful!

Your thoughts and suggestions are much appreciated.
I will take a look at the resource for Kusatsu that you provided.
I imagine we will need to store our cruise luggage, so I will check out that link for luggage as well.

Do you suggest train? Bus? Private driver for this journey?

Japan is pretty easy to DIY. Spend some time at japan-gude.com and you can find info about using buses and trains.japan-guide.com - Japan Travel and Living Guide

You can get help from a travel agent, high-end if you want some handholding. You can get a driver in Kyoto, but expensive. There are some free guides.

You didn't answer my question "What is your interest in Kusatsu Onsen?" and take that to mean that you don't have a good answer, which is fine.I will point you again to the alternative I gave where you can find Fujisan and onsen: Hakone Travel Guide - What to do in Hakone

Thank you, mrwunrfl!

On the Kusatsu Onsen query, I was taking some time to research your question. Laughs....
I too needed to learn why it was on my list. Hakone, however, is!

Thank you for your help!

I suggest you start from Tokyo, then go to Yokohama, then to Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Hiroshima, and Mount Fuji. This route arrangement will be smoother and more efficient.

Thank you. How would you add Nara, Kanazawa, and Hakone?
We have time, so I currently have Nara as a two night stay, and have Kanazawa and Hakone as day trips.
Would you have Kanazawa as a two-night stay? Is Hakone a en-route-to destination, or an overnight stay?

You need to spend some quality time with a map of Japan. Find the 3 regions I mentioned along with Kanazawa. If you had looked at a map before your last post, then you would not be considering Kanazawa as day trip.

Also, find your cruise ports on the map and see if any of them make sense as a shore excursion

Route Search - Japan Transit Planner | Norikae Annai

Early to Mid July is rainy season in Japan and then it gets hot and humid. I would temper your plans to less places and a slower schedule.

Thank you for your kind expertise, opinions, and suggestions!

Take a look and give me your thoughts:

Day 1-2:
Arrival in Yokohama, stay in Yokohama.

Day 3-5:
Travel to Fujikawaguchiko, stay in Fujikawaguchiko.

Day 6-7:
Travel to Kanazawa, stay in Kanazawa.

Day 8-10:
Travel to Kyoto, stay in Kyoto.

Day 11-12:
Stay in Kyoto, day trip to Nara.

Day 13-15:
Travel to Osaka, stay in Osaka.

Day 16-17:
Travel to Kobe, stay in Kobe.

Day 18-19:
Travel to Hiroshima, stay in Hiroshima.

Day 20-22:
Travel to Tokyo, stay in Tokyo.

Day 23 :
Depart Tokyo.

I await your thoughts.

When figuring out your plan, replace the word “Day” with “Night” as this will give you a more accurate idea of how much time you have to spend in a place.

So your plan to go from Fujikawaguchiko to Kanazawa and only staying 2 nights doesn’t make much sense to me. Have you worked out the travel between the 2 locations? It’s a very long trip and to just have essentially one day seems to be an exhausting trip for the experience.

I haven’t been to all of the places you’ve got in your itinerary but you are moving a lot, especially at the end. Why not consolidate the last few places and do day trips to Osaka and/or Kobe? Or stop for the day in Kobe and then move on to Hiroshima? As mrwunrfl suggests, you can forward luggage so you don’t have to be dragging it with you so a 1/2 day stop in Kobe might be a good way to work the itinerary.

Sorta looks like a cruise ship itinerary. It looks like the itinerary is at what I call the "pins-in-the-map" stage where the person chooses stops that sound interesting but not yet having knowledge of what is at each stop and in this case not having a map.

Scratch this: Travel to Osaka, stay in Osaka.
Scratch this: Travel to Kobe, stay in Kobe.
Just stay in Kyoto.

Here is what I suggest:
Tokyo- cruise- Yokohama- Hakone- Kyoto- Hiroshima- Kanazawa- Tokyo
You could switch the order of Kyoto- Hiroshima. It would be a longish trip to go from Hakone to Hiroshima. If your ship arrives early then you could skip Yokohama and go directly to Hakone (or any of the other stops, really).

I tossed out Kawaguchiko because the travel to/from there is a bit tricky and time consuming. Hakone is neither tricky nor time-consuming (when starting/ending in Yokohama/Tokyo).

Thank you for your feedback and thoughts!

yw, but what is next? I was a bit critical of your plan because it does not seem to reflect an understanding of the stops you have chosen or the logistics.

I would be happy to help you with the logistics for Fujikawaguchko if you really want to go there, but I would like an explanation of why.

It is about 2.5 hours from Yokohama to Kawaguchiko Station (the gateway for the area) but it could be over 3 hours if you don't choose the route carefully. I did see that there is a highway express bus that only takes 2 hours. Travel time between Kanazawa and Kawaguchiko would be about 5 hours with maybe 3 transfers. These options are all doable if you really want to.

It is about 50 minutes from Yokohama to Odawara which is the gateway to Fuji-Hakone National Park and is also a shinkansen station. Another 25 minutes gets you to Hakone-Yumoto or 40 minutes to Gora, including transfer time at Odawara.

Please finish this sentence: "I really want to go to Fujigoko becaiuse .,.."

If you can't finish that now, then please read thiese:
Hakone Travel Guide - What to do in Hakone
Fuji Five Lakes Travel Guide - What to do around the Fujigoko

Good Sunday morning, mrwunrfl!

I appreciate your help and focus. I mean that.
Right now, I am taking a beat to absorb, think, and do additional research on this amazing journey.