I’ll be in Japan for about 2 weeks in April 2024 following a Sydney-Tokyo cruise and after studying the very helpful recent trip reports from progol and tripplanner001 in addition to other reports, Japan Guide and other sites, I’ve come up with the itinerary below and would appreciate your thoughts. Note that the nights listed for each place is just an estimate since I haven’t figured out train timing yet. Since most of you are more experienced Japan travelers than me, this is what I’d like your thoughts on: (1) looking at these from a perspective of history, temples & gardens and off-the-beaten-path (!), have I missed any great spots or experiences? Conversely, anyplace you think can be skipped? (2) Any suggestions on how to order the itinerary to avoid being in Takayama & Nikko during their spring festivals (see dates below) without doing too much crazy back-tracking on trains? Your advice will be much appreciated!

Background: I’m an experienced solo traveler in my mid-60’s who’s fairly fit. My interests are history, nature and some art. I visited Japan for the first time in late April/May 2019 and spent a week each in Kyoto and Tokyo so I want to explore a new area this time. My focus is temples, gardens & some time in nature via walks (not hikes or treks!) I will arrive in Tokyo on March 29, 2024 and will spend about 3 days there; I haven’t made my flight reservations since I’m still figuring out when I’ll leave Japan. At this point, I’m thinking around two weeks in Japan in total which would be approx. March 29 – April 15, 2024 but the end date is flexible. I’m a slow traveler who likes to read every sign, booklet, etc. Will use trains or local buses.

Itinerary: These are the two spring festivals: Nikko, April 13-17 and Takayama, April 14-15; since I don’t like crowds I don’t want to be in either of those places during their festivals. This complicates the planning and I’m not savvy enough with the train websites to figure out a logical way to do this (actually, the train sites boggled my mind...). The “Train” ideas below for getting between each location came from the Japan Guide site so don’t know if they’re accurate but I had to start somewhere. Maybe it’s as simple as switching Takayama with Matsumoto - so it would be Tokyo, Nikko, Nagano, Takayama & Matsumoto and back to one of the Tokyo airports, assuming I can get from Nagano to Takayama fairly easily?
Tokyo: 3 nights
Train: From Asakusa Station, take Tobu Railway’s Limited Express or Spacia X direct to Nikko Station

Nikko: 3 or 4 nights: Tobu World Square, Toshogu & Futarasan Shrines, Kanaya Hotel History House, Tamozawa Imperial Villa, Kanmangafuchi Abyss, Tamozawa Imperial Villa, Rinnoji, Lake Chuzenji (maybe – for walks and Italian Embassy). Want to stay in central area, preferably not near train
Train from Nikko to Nagano: 2 hrs 40 minutes; two changes: Nikko – Utsunomiya – Omiya – Nagano (think it’s a combination of JR Nikko and Shinkansen)

Nagano: 3 or 4 nights: Zenkoji, Nagano Prefectural Art Museum, Togakushi Shrine (snow? Bears?), Nakamise Dori’, Joyama Park, Togakushi
Train from Nagano to Matsumoto: 42 mins via Japan Railways Limited Express, no changeMatsumoto: 4, 5 or 6 nights? Castle, Nakamachi-dori, Daio Wasabi Farm (to see some countryside), Azumino City (they have quite an interesting website! combine w wasabi farm & Rising Dragon Sakura Trail), Yohashira, Kaichi Gakko Primary School, Kametaya Sake Brewery, City Museum of Art, Craft Museum, and City Museum, Baba Family Residence (bus through countryside) and Walk a portion of the Nakasendo trail
Bus from Matsumoto to Takayma: approx. 2 hr. 30 mins via highway bus, no changes

Takayama: 4 nights? Festival Museum and Floats Exhibition Hall, Karakuri Museum, Takayama Jinya, Higashiyama Walking Course, Old Town, Fujii Folk Craft Museum, Museum of History & Art, Kusakabe Folk Museum, Yoshijima Heritage House, Hida Folk Village & Crafts Center

Tokyo for return flight to JFK (could stay overnight at airport hotel)
How do I get to Tokyo for flight home? (could fly from Narita or Haneda, will depend on cost, haven’t booked yet)

Very eager to hear your comments, suggestions, etc. – thank you!

\>> Nagano to Takayama fairly easily?
Yes: shinkansen Nagano to Toyama and change to the limited express (Wide View Hida) that goes south to Takayama.

You definitely got a handle on the trains/bus to use, and the stops are in a good order.

March 29 – April 15,

Here is a sort of itinerary based on your vaeriable stay lengths, assuming you arrive on the 29th.
March 29- April 1, Tokyo 3 nts
April 1 to 4th or 5th, Nikko 3 or 4 nights
April 4 or 5 to April 8-10th, Nagano 3 or 4 nights
April 8-10th to April 13th-17th, Matsumoto 4, 5, or 6 nights
April 13-17 to 18-22nd, Takayama 4 nights

That would be 17 to 21 nights. If you swap the last two destinations then you would avoid the Takayama matsuri.

You will get to Tokyo by train or you could use a bus. Then rail/subway/bus to airport. Not a problem. If you use TYO for your airport search then you get both HND and NRT.

You could also fly from Toyama (TOY) or Nagoya (NGO) Those would be convenient. Other options: Komatsu (KMQ) or either of the Osaka airports (OSA)

So, it is a good draft but really will depned on where/when your international flights are. When you know those dates then you can work out the domestic Japan travel better.

Your itinerary makes sense to me. Just a few things that jump out to me:

Depending on the season, your visit may coincide with cherry blossom season. If sakura is at its peak, I would expect heavy crowds in Nikko, especially at Toshogu Shrine. Given that you are staying overnight, you may want to take advantage of the early and later parts of the day when the day trippers are gone.

If you like hiking and nature, then I would recommend time in the Alps itself. You can take a day trip to Kamikochi or Shin Hotaka Onsen from Takayama.

If you like arts, you may want to consider Kanazawa for its arts and crafts. There are also many museums to choose from.

Re: Matsumoto - while I really liked the town, I’d say 3-4 nights is the most I’d recommend staying. The city sights are really doable in one full day with day trips to Narai and along the Nakasendo trail as one day and the Wasabi farm (and other sites) on another for another day. The castle is fabulous to see but the interior is relatively small so doesn’t take a long time to see. We were here for 3 nights and it felt enough.

We were in Takayama for 3 nights and I would’ve been happy with another night. It is, however, a very popular tourist destination, so even if you arrive after the festival, there is a good chance there would be crowds in the popular tourist spots. It’s a relatively small and compact city and most of the sights of interest are walkable.

I agree with tripplanner that Kanazawa is very worth considering. It’s a larger city but the main sites are relatively close to one another and there is a lot to see there. I would definitely consider it. If you end there, the trip to Tokyo is easily done by train.

Great input - I'm taking into account all your comments and am reworking my draft itinerary to figure out what date I'll fly home. Once that's done, I can do more fine tuning. I think I'll add a night in Takayama and reduce the Matsumoto nights.... Although I like nature, I'm not as fit as I like to think I am, so each location includes a half-day of nature which is OK for me! I was in Kanazawa in 2019 and enjoyed the garden and castle; at some point, I can envision a return trip to favorite spots but now I'm excited to experience areas that are new to me!

I know I'll need more input once I finalize my dates especially about trains; hotels; restaurants; etc. but I want to study trip reports before I ask all you kind folks more questions!

BUT one question that is bothering me pertains to luggage: because I will have been traveling for 4 weeks in quite warm areas, I will have a large suitcase. (That's my approach and while I recognize that many people travel for multiple weeks with a carry-on, I cannot. I'm able to wheel and lift this suitcase when needed, but since this portion of my travels involves more trains & buses than usual, I want to store my large suitcase upon arrival in Tokyo and use a small duffle for this portion.). I used luggage forwarding on my prior trip but that was just for one leg - Tokyo to Kyoto; with so many stops and more local hotels, I don't want to forward my luggage this time.

Have you ever stored luggage for 14 days in Tokyo? and then retrieved it and go to the airport? I know if I stay in the same Tokyo hotel at both ends of my trip I can ask them to hold my luggage, but I could easily skip Tokyo all together if I can figure out a solution for my luggage. I've been researching and going around and around in my mind, so it's time to ask Fodorites. If I eliminate a Tokyo stay, that will change all my dates, so I can't book a flight home until i resolve this. Thank you again!

Once you figure out your last stop, my first suggestion would be to contact your place of stay there and check if you could forward it to that place for holding. I know the place we stayed in Osaka, the Swissotel, allowed this, as there was a family that we chatted with at breakfast that did this.

I was curious about your question and did a Google search - some interesting solutions. You’re not the first person to look into the possibility of finding long term luggage storage. By the way, if you haven’t used Japan Guide before, it’s an excellent resource for locations of interest.

https://www.japan-guide.com/forum/qu....html?0+177515

Those are both great suggestions! I never thought of sending my luggage to the hotel in my last stop; since that will be Matsumoto, I'll be there for 4 nights so that should be enough nights for a hotel to be willing to store my luggage. I'll email the potential hotels to confirm that they will do that. If not, one of the suggestions from the Japan Guide forum would be perfect for me - the JAL ABC luggage storage service at Narita and Haneda, specially since the new Tokyo International Cruise Terminal is less than 20 minutes from Haneda (via Tokyo Teleport Station and monorail). The Haneda Terminal 3 JAL ABC counter (departures) is open daily from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm and the daily cost for a suitcase is 600 yen. I don't mind going to/from Haneda if it means leaving my suitcase in a guaranteed location; then I'll plan to fly home from Haneda and pick it up from them.

I've used Japan Guide extensively in planning my trip but didn't realize they had a forum - and we all know how much great information is provided in forums!

Thank you progol and tripplanner001 - it's a real relief to have this information. Now I can move forward with booking a flight home and then revising my Southern Alps itinerary accordingly.

Oh, a cruiser, so you must be arriving at Yokohama. Ship the big bag from the port (am fairly sure you can do that) to Nikko. Take your small bag to Tokyo and go on to Nikko. Swap used clothing from your small bag with fresh clothing from the large bag. Send the large bag to Takayama. Travel with the small bag. Swap clothing between bags in Takayama. Send the large bag to the airport or to Tokyo. Travel to Matsumoto with the small bag and then go on to Tokyo or the airport. Leap frog the luggage. Tou might want to pack a bag just for Japan.

You could add a few days in Tokyo at the end. You do want to visit Shinjuku Gyoen. Consder visitng here: Showa Memorial Park (Showa Kinen Koen) - Tokyo Travel (japan-guide.com)

Am I missing something here? You will arriving smack dab in the middle of cherry blossoms season Kyoto thru Tokyo and some places in between. So if you dislike crowds this is not the time for you to travel to Japan, Trains and hotels will be packed.

Just another opinion.

Aloha!

hawaiiantraveler Ah, yes, you missed that my comment about crowds was specific to the spring festivals in Nikko and Takayama in which tens of thousands of people converge on a relatively small area. I actually love cherry blossom season in Japan - I was there in late April 2019 and enjoyed visiting the parks and watching everyone enjoy nature's spectacle.