Will this itinerary be too much? 2 weeks in JAPANj
Jan 26th, 2019, 08:20 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Will this itinerary be too much? 2 weeks in JAPANj
Late March- early April
First time in Japan. Solo Traveller.
DAY 1- Tokyo
Afternoon
Sakuragaoka Cho street
Gyoen Park
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
Shibuya Crossing
Memory Lane
Golden Gai
Day 2- Tokyo
Tsukiji Market
Hibiya Park
Imperial Palace Gardens
Yoyogi Park
Meiji Shrine
Ghibli Museum
Takeshita street
Omotsendo Plaza
Roppongi Hills
Mori Garden
Ginza
Day 3- Tokyo
Sumo Training
Sensoji
Nakamise Street
Tokyo National Museum
Ueno Park
Zoo
Bentendo Temple
Odaiba
Akhihabara
Day 4- Tokyo
Disney Sea
Day 5-
Daytrip to Nikko
Day 6- Travel to Kyoto
Nishiki Market
Manga Museum
Fushimi Inari Shrine
Gion
Maruyama -koen park
Day 7- Kyoto
Arashiyama
Kinkaku-ji
Daitoku-ji
Southern Higashiyama
Day-8 Kyoto
Northern Higashiyama
Kyoto Gyoen
Travel to Nara
Day 10-
Nara
Travel to Koyasan
Day 11-
Koyasan
Travel to Osaka
Day 12- Osaka
Osaka castle
Himeji Castle
Day 13- Travel to Kanazawa
Kenroku-en
Shirakawa
Day 14- Travel to Takayama
Matsumoto
Day 15- Travel to Kawaguchiko- Hakone
Stay in Hakone Ryokan
Day 16- Travel to Tokyo and fly back home
First time in Japan. Solo Traveller.
DAY 1- Tokyo
Afternoon
Sakuragaoka Cho street
Gyoen Park
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
Shibuya Crossing
Memory Lane
Golden Gai
Day 2- Tokyo
Tsukiji Market
Hibiya Park
Imperial Palace Gardens
Yoyogi Park
Meiji Shrine
Ghibli Museum
Takeshita street
Omotsendo Plaza
Roppongi Hills
Mori Garden
Ginza
Day 3- Tokyo
Sumo Training
Sensoji
Nakamise Street
Tokyo National Museum
Ueno Park
Zoo
Bentendo Temple
Odaiba
Akhihabara
Day 4- Tokyo
Disney Sea
Day 5-
Daytrip to Nikko
Day 6- Travel to Kyoto
Nishiki Market
Manga Museum
Fushimi Inari Shrine
Gion
Maruyama -koen park
Day 7- Kyoto
Arashiyama
Kinkaku-ji
Daitoku-ji
Southern Higashiyama
Day-8 Kyoto
Northern Higashiyama
Kyoto Gyoen
Travel to Nara
Day 10-
Nara
Travel to Koyasan
Day 11-
Koyasan
Travel to Osaka
Day 12- Osaka
Osaka castle
Himeji Castle
Day 13- Travel to Kanazawa
Kenroku-en
Shirakawa
Day 14- Travel to Takayama
Matsumoto
Day 15- Travel to Kawaguchiko- Hakone
Stay in Hakone Ryokan
Day 16- Travel to Tokyo and fly back home
Jan 31st, 2019, 06:50 AM
#6
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 996
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have to agree with the other posters. This is a completely unrealistic itinerary. On quite a number of the days it will be physically impossible to fit in everything you want to do, much less have the time to enjoy any of them.
Jan 31st, 2019, 10:04 AM
#7
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 374
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Some days like Days 4-5 look fine, others like Day 2 are insane. Also you have some big redundancies you should fix. You may not be taking into account the time it will take to go to all these places, plus where they are located.
To get more specific, firstly you may not be aware that the Tsukiji Fish Market has moved to Toyosu. You can still visit the outer ring of restaurants that remain at Tsukiji if you wish, but that is likely not your reason for going. Some things you list may only take a little time, or a lot, depending on what you want. Sakuragaoka is a quieter hipster side to Shibuya with some cafes and shops - you could walk through and be done with it if you just want to see it, or have a drink there if you want to enjoy it. For "Gyoen Park" I presume you mean Shinjuku Gyoen - it is OK...the Japanese garden is by far the best, but there are many better gardens in Tokyo you could see instead - Koishikawa Korakuen, Rikugien, Kiyosumi, to same a few. The TMG is getting flooded by foreign tourists who probably read the same things you did. It has a good free view once you elbow your way through to a window, but there are other unknown good free places too. For the drinking holes, you could see Memory Lane (aka Omoide Yokocho or Piss Alley) or Golden Gai, but no real need to see both unless you really want to get into the grotty locals drinking scene.
Day 2, as said, way overloaded. It's hard to grasp what seeing Ginza means to you exactly. But you may not get half of that list done. For Meiji Shrine, don't miss the Meiji Jingu Gyoen garden in there as well - most do and it is an oasis from all the crowds stampeding through the shrine. For the Ghibli Museum you'll need to get tickets beforehand - sometimes a daunting task. Day 3 doesn't look too bad if you don't linger and push some things til the evening. For Sensoji you are in luck - your timing lets you see the "secret" garden there, Denboin, if you like - it's only open a couple months a year. Most are unaware of it so unlike the temple it is not crammed with tourists. If you are short of time, you can skip the zoo. It's nice, but a zoo is a zoo.
On Day 7, Arashiyama could easily fill up a full day. Plus Higashiyama is on the other side of the city, so not a good plan. You should make Higashiyama a day by itself. Seeing the Kyoto Imperial Palace is rather underwhelming- there are far more beautiful gardens - Shoseien, Murin-an, Heian Shrine Garden, Nijo Castle, Jonangu, and others, plus there is the beautiful Shugakuin and Katsura Imperial Villas (the last 2 are imperial household sights, can only be seen with a reserved tour, and Katsura now costs ¥1000).
Nara is definitely worth it, though your plans pretty much confine you to Nara Park, which you can see in half a day. It'll take you about 3 hours to get from Nara into Koyasan. Skip everything else if you have to, but don't miss the Okunoin Cemetery. And if you want to leisurely experience it at night as well (a surreal experience), be sure to stay at a place with no 9 PM curfew. For Day 12, if you are seeing Himeji Castle (the country's best, plus the Kokoen Garden nearby is killer), you can skip Osaka "Castle" entirely - it's a museum with a castle facade. You could make Himeji a full day with Mt Shosha as well, or you could spend half a day in Kobe, which has a number of good places too. For Kanazawa, the crown jewel is unquestionably Kenrokuen, but the restored castle is worth looking at also. Shirakawago takes just a few hours (though the bus is a bit over 2 hours round trip) and is wildly overrun with Chinese tourists now. Don't miss the overlook over the village. Actually you didn't state if you are going to Matsumoto from Kanazawa or via Takayama.
For Day 15, seeing both the Fuji 5 Lakes as well as Hakone in one day is simply impossible. Matsumoto to Lake Kawaguchi alone will take you 3 hours by train.
BTW, your schedule looks like the typical time to see the cherry blossoms, and while a few places you mention will have some, you don't specifically mention this at all. It would be a shame if you missed them.
To get more specific, firstly you may not be aware that the Tsukiji Fish Market has moved to Toyosu. You can still visit the outer ring of restaurants that remain at Tsukiji if you wish, but that is likely not your reason for going. Some things you list may only take a little time, or a lot, depending on what you want. Sakuragaoka is a quieter hipster side to Shibuya with some cafes and shops - you could walk through and be done with it if you just want to see it, or have a drink there if you want to enjoy it. For "Gyoen Park" I presume you mean Shinjuku Gyoen - it is OK...the Japanese garden is by far the best, but there are many better gardens in Tokyo you could see instead - Koishikawa Korakuen, Rikugien, Kiyosumi, to same a few. The TMG is getting flooded by foreign tourists who probably read the same things you did. It has a good free view once you elbow your way through to a window, but there are other unknown good free places too. For the drinking holes, you could see Memory Lane (aka Omoide Yokocho or Piss Alley) or Golden Gai, but no real need to see both unless you really want to get into the grotty locals drinking scene.
Day 2, as said, way overloaded. It's hard to grasp what seeing Ginza means to you exactly. But you may not get half of that list done. For Meiji Shrine, don't miss the Meiji Jingu Gyoen garden in there as well - most do and it is an oasis from all the crowds stampeding through the shrine. For the Ghibli Museum you'll need to get tickets beforehand - sometimes a daunting task. Day 3 doesn't look too bad if you don't linger and push some things til the evening. For Sensoji you are in luck - your timing lets you see the "secret" garden there, Denboin, if you like - it's only open a couple months a year. Most are unaware of it so unlike the temple it is not crammed with tourists. If you are short of time, you can skip the zoo. It's nice, but a zoo is a zoo.
On Day 7, Arashiyama could easily fill up a full day. Plus Higashiyama is on the other side of the city, so not a good plan. You should make Higashiyama a day by itself. Seeing the Kyoto Imperial Palace is rather underwhelming- there are far more beautiful gardens - Shoseien, Murin-an, Heian Shrine Garden, Nijo Castle, Jonangu, and others, plus there is the beautiful Shugakuin and Katsura Imperial Villas (the last 2 are imperial household sights, can only be seen with a reserved tour, and Katsura now costs ¥1000).
Nara is definitely worth it, though your plans pretty much confine you to Nara Park, which you can see in half a day. It'll take you about 3 hours to get from Nara into Koyasan. Skip everything else if you have to, but don't miss the Okunoin Cemetery. And if you want to leisurely experience it at night as well (a surreal experience), be sure to stay at a place with no 9 PM curfew. For Day 12, if you are seeing Himeji Castle (the country's best, plus the Kokoen Garden nearby is killer), you can skip Osaka "Castle" entirely - it's a museum with a castle facade. You could make Himeji a full day with Mt Shosha as well, or you could spend half a day in Kobe, which has a number of good places too. For Kanazawa, the crown jewel is unquestionably Kenrokuen, but the restored castle is worth looking at also. Shirakawago takes just a few hours (though the bus is a bit over 2 hours round trip) and is wildly overrun with Chinese tourists now. Don't miss the overlook over the village. Actually you didn't state if you are going to Matsumoto from Kanazawa or via Takayama.
For Day 15, seeing both the Fuji 5 Lakes as well as Hakone in one day is simply impossible. Matsumoto to Lake Kawaguchi alone will take you 3 hours by train.
BTW, your schedule looks like the typical time to see the cherry blossoms, and while a few places you mention will have some, you don't specifically mention this at all. It would be a shame if you missed them.
Last edited by Adastra2200; Jan 31st, 2019 at 10:17 AM.
Jan 31st, 2019, 08:03 PM
#8
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 13,664
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yikes!!! Exhausting.
And as for Disney Sea, you don't need a day to do it. I was just there in July 2018 and I found that 3-4 hours, in the Disney area to be sufficient. I really liked Disney Sea. I'm a big Disney fan and have been going to the original Disneyland, in Anaheim, since two years after it opened in nineteen fifty-five, back when I was two. So, I could have stayed in Tokyo Disney area the entire day, but didn't as I had other things to do that day. But, I did eat in the outdoor shopping center area outside of the Disney grounds and the food at the Italian restaurant, Mare Cucina, was very good. There's even a Red Lobster nearby in that outdoor area.The food choices inside of Disney Sea are pretty awful.
As for Tsukiji Market, it has moved to its new location.
Happy Travels!
And as for Disney Sea, you don't need a day to do it. I was just there in July 2018 and I found that 3-4 hours, in the Disney area to be sufficient. I really liked Disney Sea. I'm a big Disney fan and have been going to the original Disneyland, in Anaheim, since two years after it opened in nineteen fifty-five, back when I was two. So, I could have stayed in Tokyo Disney area the entire day, but didn't as I had other things to do that day. But, I did eat in the outdoor shopping center area outside of the Disney grounds and the food at the Italian restaurant, Mare Cucina, was very good. There's even a Red Lobster nearby in that outdoor area.The food choices inside of Disney Sea are pretty awful.
As for Tsukiji Market, it has moved to its new location.
Happy Travels!
