Hi all, looking for feedback on my itinerary (order, destinations, nights per stop) as well as suggestions for sights and hotels. We are a family of 5 (2A, 3K - 19/16/13). Aiming for balance of cities, culture and nature. We have some wiggle room with nights/destination. I haven't booked tix yet. Thinking 21-22 days...

• Tokyo, 5n – DTs Nikko, Hakone (or Mt. Fuji instead of Hakone? or both?)
• Takayama, 3n – DT Kamikochi
• Kanazawa, 3n (stay in ryokan onsen)
• Kyoto, 5n – DTs Osaka, Nara
• Okayama, 2n (should this be before Kyoto?)
• Tokyo, 2n (so we have 1 full day for shopping)

Your feedback is much appreciated!

To avoid backtracking to Tokyo, consider flying into Tokyo and out of Kansai or Itami (or vice versa).

If you haven't consulted it, japan-guide.com is truly excellent.

That order is fine and the time at each nstop is ok. You could move Okayama before Kyoto or not. It might be marginally better. Or skip Okayama unless you have a definite interest - it is a good stop, but you could use that time elsewhere.

June is a rainy time. By Mtn Fuji, I assume you mean the Fujigoko, Kawaguchiko. I think Hakone would be easier, more reliable for transport, maybe (IDK how busy it is these days). You will need to go on a good weather day, so a bit tricky to plan for a specific day. You have four full days and if weather doesn't cooperate (for viewing Fuji-san) then you could go to Nikko. There is a lot in Tokyo, so one day trip could be enough (def. not three).

Two full days is good for Takayama. You could add a night (from Okayama) here if you really want the daytrip to Kamikochi. Another daytrip option is Shirakawago.

Another night could be added to Kanazawa. Do you have a specific onsen ryokan in mind? I don't think you will find one in the city and three nights in one would be maybe two too many. That is, you want a night in a ryokan with breakfast and a kaiseki dinner included but keep your dining options open for the other nights. Some families might be uncomfortable with an onsen. It is a thing, though, for Japanese to reserve private onsen time and the whole family goes together. There are onsen near Kanazawa but am not aware of any in Kanazawa (ok, there is a nice bath with rotenburo on top of one of the APA hotels, so maybe).

You listed 20 nights and I would count that as 19 days.

thank you - kja returning via Tokyo to shop. kids really want to shop and my husband and I don't want to lug it around so I think this idea works for us

thank you mrwunrfl additional follow up questions:

1. what would be best place to stay in ryokan onsen? i've been seeing alot about Takaragawa Onsen Osenkaku. is it worth a side trip for 1n? we do want to have the experience of both common bath and private
2. what about staying 2n in Nikko and eliminating Okayama from itinerary? or Miyajima or Wakayama instead of Okayama. we can also add up to 2n to itinerary.
3. what about DT from Tokyo to Kamakura? clearly i'm getting overwhelmed again and want to see and do everything. hahah
4. biggest question - yes June is raining, but our other option is July. I was thinking June would be better than July. we live in Miami, FL and are use to heat, humidity and rain but also don't want to experience 20 days of torrential downpour. obvi no one can guarantee the weather - but curious on your best rec

I would not do that

• Takayama, 3n – DT Kamikochi
• Kanazawa, 3n (stay in ryokan onsen)
• Okayama, 2n (should this be before Kyoto?)

Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Hiroshima ... for a first time

If you want to end in Tokyo, you could fly into Kansai or Itami,

Personally, I'd stay in either Nikko or Miyajima instead of Okayama, but it depends on what you want to see. You will find ryokon and onsen in either.

Kamakura is an easy day trip from Tokyo.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3115.html

For excellent climate statistics to help you choose between June and July, see weatherspark.com

hah! of course - so maybe something like this?

• Kyoto, 6n, DT Osaka, Nara, maybe Himeji
• Kanazawa, 3n
• Takayama, 3-4n, DT Kamikochi (do we need 4n w/ DT, or will 3n w/ DT suffice?)
• Nikko, 2n, stay in ryokan onsen (any recs? should we stay for 2n in ryokan onsen or 1n in rykan onsen, 1n in hotel?)
• Tokyo, 5-6n, DT Hakone, Kamakura

thanks for the climate website rec kja

That plan should work!

Sorry, I don't have any recommendations for your ryokan / onsen, but booking.com allows you to search for ryokan and decent guidebooks will list options. You could also stay in Lake Chuzenji, which is a gorgeous onsen town near Nikko.
https://www.japan-guide.com/hotels/nikko.html
Even if you stay in Nikko, you might want to find time to go to Lake Chuzenji for part of a day -- the waterfalls of Kegon no Taki are quite spectacular IMO.

Whether to stay one night or two in a ryokan is entirely up to your preference. Perhaps you know that you are normally expected to take dinner at a ryokan and that dinner is typically a multi-course, hours long event. Some people don't want to do that two nights in a row, or don't want to have to be back at the ryokan early enough to do so. Or don't want to pay that much. Your call.

ah, ok. that makes sense. hate that its more expensive for the open jaw ticket, but i guess time is money... finally starting to feel like this is coming together! of course so much to still plan but this is the first step!

since airport is in Osaka, we'd spend the night and some of the next day there before heading to Kyoto

• Osaka, 1n
• Kyoto, 5n - DT Nara, maybe Himeji
• Takayama, 4n - DT Kamikochi (is 4n too much, would 3n work to see main sights?)
• Kanazawa, 3n
• Nikko/Lake Chuzenji, 1 or 2n - stay in ryokan onsen 1n
• Tokyo, 5n - DT Hakone, Kamakura

Itami is about an hour from Kyoto; Kansai is about 1.5 hours. If you want to spend a night in Osaka, go for it, but it isn't necessary.

Likewise, if you don't want to save the time or money (the train isn't free!) to avoid backtracking for a round trip flight into and out of Tokyo, go for the round trip. It's YOUR trip. I'm just trying to offer suggestions.

IMO, you have a very packed itinerary -- with all those day trips, you will barely see the places where you are staying. And only you can decide what is a priority, so only you can decide what is too much or too little time. I'm sorry if that seems harsh, but you're asking us to answer the unanswerable.

Good luck!

1. Hakone (is the kind of obvious answer). Okuhida would also work well.
2. I suggested above what to do instead of Okayama.
3. Sure. You could also visit on the way to Hakone, depending on what you want to do in Kamakura.
4. IDK, I have not traveled during those times. Seems like it is a pick your poison: rain or humid heat.

Takaragawa is too far off the route to Takayama or Kanazawa. Might work if you combine it with Nikko.

• Nikko, 2n, stay in ryokan onsen (any recs? should we stay for 2n in ryokan onsen or 1n in rykan onsen, 1n in hotel?)

Too long to travel to Nikko from
Takayama. It is 4 or 5 hours from Kanazawa which is almost too long.If you do that then with just two nights you just stay in Nikko. If you wanted to go to Chzenjiko then you would want another night there. You might be underestimating the travel times in that region.

time out to pick a nit:
ryokan = Japanese inn, onsen = hot springs
You don't actually stay at a ryokan onsen. The "ryokan onsen" would be a reference to the hotsprings bath at a ryokan. You stay at the Japanese inn, the ryokan, and if it has hotsprings then the inn can be called an onsen ryokan.

Ok, you mixed things up a bit. Back to your original itin and doing something different with the 2n Okayama. Yes on moving that to Miyajima but add 2n to your trip and stay in Hiroshima. Fly from Hiroshima back to Tokyo. That fare would be under US$100.

I generally assume that OPs do at least a modicum of research to determine whether they are willing to undertake the plans they propose. I'm often mistaken.

You are kind, mrwunrfl, to address logistical lapses.

I would not do more than one daytrip - if any - from Kyoto. You have 5 nights planned there and two possible day trips. 3 days in Kyoto gives you just enough time to do the most popular (and most crowded) spots. The most famous spots are well worth seeing, but the joy and magic in Kyoto is finding your own favorite lesser-known sites and experiences.