Hello all, My wife and I will be travelling to Japan for the first time the end of September 2025. After reading lots of websites, posts, guidebooks etc I have a rough idea of an itinerary that i would love some input on. While we don't have unlimited vacation days, I can add to this if needed - work would not be happy so trying to be considerate while still enjoying my time there. We live just outside NYC so we are very used to large cities and while we are excited to see and experience Tokyo, I don't imagine us needing more time there. We can only shop so much and temples, shrines etc intrigue us much more. We will be adding in a baseball game somewhere (Tokyo or Osaka). What I have not figured out is how to add an onsen and ryokan in and my wife would love to see the giant Buddha in Kamakura if i can somehow work that in too. Is the below too aggressive? We have travelled quite a bit and are used to being on the move, but Japan is outside my wheel house and daunting to say the least. Any opinions would be much appreciated TYIA

Day 1 leave NY
Day 2 arrive Tokyo
Day 3 -6 Tokyo with daytrips to Nikko and Akakurayama Park or Lake Kawaguchi (these days are flexible as we watch weather for the best Mt. Fuji view)
Day 7-10 Kyoto 6 with day trips to Nara, Osaka, Kobe and Himeji (these 4 cities would be 1/2 days in any combination so maybe Nara & Osaka one day and Kobe/Himeji another)
Day 11 leave Kansai

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

Whether you can manage all those day trips depends on what you want to see and experience. I would have found them too rushed.

Maybe you will only want a day or so in Tokyo, but IME, Tokyo is not like NYC or any other big city.

If temples and shrines intrigue you, I would say you are giving too little time to Kyoto. JMO.

Sorry, but I'm not sure why you are having difficulty planning for an onsen or ryokan.

Do you go to Kyoto on Day 6 or 7?

>> day trips to
Nara, Osaka, Kobe and Himeji

I had to look up Akakurayama Sengen Park and saw that it is on the Fujikyu Railwats line between Otsuki and Kawaguchiko. So, it could be Akakurayama Park "and" Lake Kawaguchi

Hi Kja thanks - my difficulty in planning the onsen and ryokan lie in timing. I am not sure what day I would have time for the onsen based on all that travel and the ryokan is not just a hotel to crash in for a night - it also is something to experience and not rush. I don't think that is possible with the days I have planned. I have seen that Kamakura is an easy day trip, but it looks like a full day correct? So i would need to add even more time, Would you know if its feasible to go there and then the five lakes area for a Mt Fuji viewing on the same day or is that too much travel?

Hi mrwunrfl sorry that was a typo on my end. I would go to Kyoto on day 7. I see you have taken Kobe out - any reason why?

You are correct that a ryokan should not be rushed. I suppose a visit to an onsen could be done in a short time, but it sounds to me like you have to make some difficult choices about what to see and experience. You are planning an exceedingly rushed trip, IMO.

I don't think Kamakura would take a full day; it depends on what you decide to see there.

I can't imagine doing that. I could be wrong.

You only have three full days 8-10th for Kyoto. That is barely enough without those four side trips. Ranking the four: Nara, Himeji, Osaka, Kobe.

Actually, I should ask why you have Kobe on the list. Same for Osaka. Why?

If you had to choose between Nara and Himeji which would you choose? Nara is obvious (especially for magnificent Todaiji and the Daibutsu it houses). Himeji also obvious: the World Heritage castle.

Kamakura to Fujigoko is not feasible, not realistic. Kamakura can be a full day, but you only expressed interest in visiting the Daibutsu there.

You could go from Tokyo to Kamakura to see the big Buddha and then in the afternoon go to Fuji-Hakone National Park (aka Hakone). Stay in an onsen ryokan that night and travel the Hakone Loop the next day.\

Or, take the Odakyu train (Romance Car) from Odakyu Shinjuku Station to Hakone Yumoto. Leave your stuff at a nice ryokan and then do the loop. Next day go to Kamakura (for 2 hours maybe). If you didn't see Fuji-san on the first day then you could give it another chance and do the loop again before going to see the Daibutsu.