I’m thinking of spending the last 3 weeks of October 2019 in Japan. This would be my first time there and I’ve attempted to draw up a high-level itinerary on which I’d like some feedback. I’ll give a little background info to be taken in consideration when reviewing the itinerary…


1. I’m a reasonably fit 38/M who’s interested in a mix of cities, culture, hiking and nature. I’m not big on nightlife, museums or spas.
2. I’ll have a budget of €3,500 after international flights. I’d like to sleep in private rooms with western beds as much as possible. Shared bathrooms are ok.
3. I’m assuming that I won’t be able to rent a car on my budget but I’ve read that one can still see Hokkaido rather well using public transport. Alternative destinations would be appreciated if my understanding is not correct.
4. My flights aren’t yet booked but I’ll probably be flying into and out of Tokyo. I can fly back home from Osaka rather than Tokyo however this would cost me an extra €150 so I don’t know if its worth it.


Itinerary

Day 1-3 Tokyo (incl day trip to Hakone)
Day 4-9 Hokkaido
Day 10-11 Tokyo
Day 12 Nikko
Day 13-14 Kanazawa (incl day trip to Shirakawa-go)
Day 15-19 Kyoto (incl day trips to Nara and Arashiyama/Sagano)
Day 20 Miyajima
Day 21 Tokyo (departure day)


I’d appreciate your views on my plan in terms of i) adequacy of budget, ii) sequence, iii) choice of destinations, iv) most suitable transport options.

Thanks!

Budget - I spent five weeks in Japan in 2016, and aside from international flights I spent a bit over $170/night. I mostly stayed in business type hotels, which are ideal for solo travelers. They all had AC, en suite baths and not a lot of room. Look at Toyoko Inns and Dormy Inns to start. I traveled by train. A full JR pass was not cost effective for my trip, although I did use a JR West pass for part of it. You need to check Hyperdia for prices of individual tickets. There are also budget flights available, e.g. Peach. For info on transportation in Japan go here: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e627.html

Itinerary - I haven't been to Hokkaido, so I can't comment on that. However, I find your itinerary too "chopped up". I would fly immediately to Hokkaido and put all the Tokyo time at the end. Why Hokkaido? There is so much you are not seeing on Honshu I am not sure it is worth the trek for a first visit.

I can't comment on the budget aspect, but agree with thursdays that 3 different stays in Tokyo is neither ideal nor necessary.

And I can't comment on Hokkaido, as I haven't been there, but I think you might be giving yourself just a bit too little time in Kanazawa (particularly if you are trying to visit Shirakowago while there) -- I found 2.5 days inadequate for Kanazawa alone -- and just a bit too little for Kyoto / Nara -- IME, most people want about 6 days for that combination on a first visit.

Many people visit Nikko as a day trip from Tokyo, but I'm glad I spent a night there and if hiking is a goal, spending a night might make sense for you, too.

Miyajima has some lovely hiking trails, but can be a bit of a budget-buster, particularly for solo travelers, so take that -- and the fact that the Itsukushima Shrine toriii is under wraps -- into consideration.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3401.html
If you go to Miyajima, do consider stopping for a few hours in Hiroshima.

And if you haven't already done so, spend lots of tie with japan-guide.com -- its a great resource!

Hope that helps!

As anywhere, your main expenses are accommodations, food, and transport. If you want some budget places to stay, even Tokyo has some for about ¥3000 per night for your own room. I stayed in one last year just for the experience and it was better than I expected - clean, conveniently located, spartan but comfortable enough. There are many such places on the eastern side of Tokyo in Taito-ku, south of Minami-Senju Station. Look up some places on Google Maps - Hotel Maruchu, Hotel Hikari, Hotel Palace Japan, Kangaroo Hotel, Hotel Accela, New Koyo, and so on. Met lots of international travelers from Europe while there. If you want an en suite room, you can do that as well - I stayed at a business hotel near Sugamo Station - conveniently 30 seconds from the JR Yamanote Line and subway lines, and it cost about US $50 a night. Easy to get to Shinjuku as well as Ueno. Across Japan some business hotel chains include Toyoko Inn, Smile Hotel, Comfort Inn, Superhotel, Route Inn, and others.
You can find many decent places to eat for 1000 or less per meal. Most hotel rooms have a fridge now, and you can easily go to a supermarket or convenience store near your hotel and get some juice, coffee, bread, etc for breakfast if you like.

I don't find your itinerary impractical at all. Landing in Tokyo and staying there the first day or two makes sense to me, especially after flying around the world - you'll likely have to deal with some jet lag and it's good to have an easier first day or two to acclimate to your new country. That said, if you can move up your plans a bit and go to Sapporo before the end of Sept., you can see some of the annual autumn festival there. Plus given that the OP is likely to fly up to Hokkaido, returning to Tokyo makes sense as well since that's where you land - unless you want to fly to Kansai, which would complicate your plans to go to Shirakawago and Kanazawa. You could however fly from Sapporo to Komatsu or Hiroshima. You'd then need to rearrange everything else, but it is doable. I hope you are aware that there is no rail access to Shirakawago - you have to pay for the bus. For Hakone, you can use a Hakone Free Pass.
As it stands, you could use a 14 day rail pass and do quite well on it. Taking the trains to/from Hokkaido though is simply too time consuming. As for getting around Hokkaido, it depends on your plans of course, but a rental car is often an ideal way to get around. And they are not all expensive either - I just rented a car for a day for around ¥4500 plus whatever insurance you want (check what you get with your credit card). Hokkaido is a very big island though so you need to decide what you want to see - if you think you might go there again in the future, it'd be better to concentrate on one region of the island.
Four days for Kyoto is not bad. You could make it 4½ days if you like and just see Nara Park for half a day. I also suggest seeing some of Hiroshima City as well (it's much more than just the Peace Park) - you should get an early morning start though. Another option is taking a half day off of Kyoto and seeing Himeji. And after seeing Kyoto in the day, you could always see Osaka or Kobe in the evening if you have the energy.

The wild card is your last day - when is your flight? Are you thinking of going straight from Miyajima to the Tokyo airport (gulp)?

Thank you all for your replies. I've revised my itinerary to the one below. I've mainly cut out Hokkaido and Miyajima and included Wakayama Prefecture. I have yet to decide where exactly to visit in this prefecture but for the moment I just want a high-level itinerary drafted. As it stands, the itinerary covers 20 days so I can afford to add another day to it. One option would be to spend an extra day in Takayama and do the Alpine Route as described here: JP 2010 Oct Alpine route | Japan Travel Insights Would appreciate your views once again.

Revised Itinerary

Day 1-4 Tokyo (incl day trip to Hakone)
Day 5 Nikko
Day 6-8 Kanazawa (incl day trip to Shirakawa-go)
Day 9-10 Takayama
Day 11-14 Kyoto (incl day trips to Nara and Arashiyama/Sagano)
Day 15-19 Wakayama prefecture
Day 20 Tokyo/Osaka (departure city still to be established)

Better!

You can visit Shirakawa-go on the way from Kanazawa to Takayama, rather than visiting as a day trip from Kanazawa.

Are you sure you can see what you want in Kyoto and Nara with just 4 days? As already noted, most people can't IME.

Thanks for your feedback, some of which is reflected in the latest version of my itinerary (below). I have now booked flights so things are becoming a little more concrete. I have yet to prepare a detailed itinerary for the Kii peninsula but at this stage I want to ensure that my overall itinerary is sensible so that I can start booking accommodation for the first few nights. I would once again appreciate your input on this itinerary and also your thoughts on whether I should get a JR pass or not.

Date.................... Itinerary

Tue 8th October - Land @ Haneda Airport @ noon

Wed 9th October - Tokyo

Thu 10th October - Tokyo

Fri 11th October - Tokyo - day trip to Hakone

Sat 12th October - Tokyo

Sun 13th October - Tokyo > Kanazawa

Mon 14th October - Kanazawa

Tue 15th October - Kanazawa > Shirakawa-go > Takayama

Wed 16th October - Takayama

Thu 17th October - Takayama (day trip to Kamikochi)

Fri 18th October - Takayama > Kyoto

Sat 19th October - Kyoto

Sun 20th October - Kyoto

Mon 21st October - Kyoto

Tue 22nd October - Kyoto (day trip to Nara)

Wed 23rd October - Kyoto (day trip to Arashiyama / Sagono)

Thu 24th October - Kyoto > Kii Peninsula

Fri 25th October - Kii Peninsula (Wakayama + central Nara + eastern Mie prefectures)

Sat 26th October - Kii Peninsula (Wakayama + central Nara + eastern Mie prefectures)

Sun 27th October - Kii Peninsula (Wakayama + central Nara + eastern Mie prefectures)

Mon 28th October - Kii Peninsula (Wakayama + central Nara + eastern Mie prefectures)

Tue 29th October - Kii Peninsula (Wakayama + central Nara + eastern Mie prefectures)

Wed 30th October - Kii Peninsula > Osaka (KIX) airport. Flight @ 10AM

I think you'll be glad for the extra time in Kyoto.