Japan Sample Itinerary thread

[Panerex]

Day 6 kinkaku-ji isn't near Fushimi inari and Gion. Think you should replace with kiyomizu-dera.

Day 3 just be aware nishiki operating hours.

Thanks for advice. Somehow, I prefer kinkaku-Ji notwithstanding the distance.

 

[flowerpalms]

Dept this sat.. solo, 7d in outskirts of Tokyo .. my it rather complex but staying in cabsule hotel

Which capsule?

 

[Panerex]

Amended my itinerary, in hope to make it less hectic. Welcome all comments and suggestions. TIA

Day 1 : Arrive in KIX at 9pm, Check in Kyoto hotel.

Day 2 : Nara & Todai-ji Temple

Day 3: Hiroshima & Miyajima

Day 4: Himeiji Castle, Kobe

Day 5: Arashiyama Bamboo Park, Togetsukyo Bridge, Sagano Romantic Train (down the Hozu River), Tenryu-ji Temple

Day 6: Fushimi Inari, Kinkaku-ji, Gion Corner

Day 7:
Check out Kyoto hotel.
Explore Nishiki Food Market.
Return to Kyoto hotel to retrieve luggage and head to Osaka.
Check in Shinsaibashi hotel. Explore Shinsaibashi.

Day 8: Osaka Castle, Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street, Dotonbori

Day 9: USJ

Day 10:
Check out Shinsaibashi hotel.
Explore Shinsekai, Kuromon Market
Return to Shinsaibashi hotel to retrieve luggage.
Depart to KIX for 11.20pm flight

 

[MajiMax]

Amended my itinerary, in hope to make it less hectic. Welcome all comments and suggestions. TIA

Have you booked your accommodation already?

Why not shift Day 3 & Day 4 after you have checked in Osaka? As it is shorter train rides from Osaka to go those places compared to going from Kyoto.

 

[endori]

Amended my itinerary, in hope to make it less hectic. Welcome all comments and suggestions. TIA

Day 1 : Arrive in KIX at 9pm, Check in Kyoto hotel.

Day 2 : Nara & Todai-ji Temple

Day 3: Hiroshima & Miyajima

Day 4: Himeiji Castle, Kobe

Day 5: Arashiyama Bamboo Park, Togetsukyo Bridge, Sagano Romantic Train (down the Hozu River), Tenryu-ji Temple

Day 6: Fushimi Inari, Kinkaku-ji, Gion Corner

Day 7:
Check out Kyoto hotel.
Explore Nishiki Food Market.
Return to Kyoto hotel to retrieve luggage and head to Osaka.
Check in Shinsaibashi hotel. Explore Shinsaibashi.

Day 8: Osaka Castle, Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street, Dotonbori

Day 9: USJ

Day 10:
Check out Shinsaibashi hotel.
Explore Shinsekai, Kuromon Market
Return to Shinsaibashi hotel to retrieve luggage.
Depart to KIX for 11.20pm flight

This is similar to my Dec trip last year except that I started from Osaka before going to Kyoto. I agree with one of the poster that you should do Kobe/Himeji and Hiroshima when you are in Osaka instead, if you have not booked your accommodation. You do not need to activate your hiroshima pass when you are travelling between Nara, Kyoto n Osaka, so you can activate it later.

 

[Panerex]

Have you booked your accommodation already?

Why not shift Day 3 & Day 4 after you have checked in Osaka? As it is shorter train rides from Osaka to go those places compared to going from Kyoto.

Yes unfortunately, already booked accommodation

 

[Panerex]

This is similar to my Dec trip last year except that I started from Osaka before going to Kyoto. I agree with one of the poster that you should do Kobe/Himeji and Hiroshima when you are in Osaka instead, if you have not booked your accommodation. You do not need to activate your hiroshima pass when you are travelling between Nara, Kyoto n Osaka, so you can activate it later.

I was thinking of immediate activating the JR Kansai Hiroshima pass upon touching down to cover the JR Haruka train from KIX to Kyoto.

so it seems like I am stuck and cannot reshuffle Day 3 and Day 4.

 

[alex666]

Yes unfortunately, already booked accommodation

Add another 30 min to travel via shin-osaka. Bear in mind some Kyoto - Shinosaka trains are all reserved seating, make sure you get seat tickets before boarding.

* The Limited Express KUROSHIO, KOUNOTORI, KINOSAKI, HASHIDATE, and MAIZURU trains are all reserved seating-only. Non-reserved seating is not available. Be sure to reserve seats in advance before boarding the train. Boarding the train without reserving seats in advance will result in a separate Limited Express reserved seat fee.

 

[Panerex]

Add another 30 min to travel via shin-osaka. Bear in mind some Kyoto - Shinosaka trains are all reserved seating, make sure you get seat tickets before boarding.

* The Limited Express KUROSHIO, KOUNOTORI, KINOSAKI, HASHIDATE, and MAIZURU trains are all reserved seating-only. Non-reserved seating is not available. Be sure to reserve seats in advance before boarding the train. Boarding the train without reserving seats in advance will result in a separate Limited Express reserved seat fee.

As I am on JR Kansai Hiroshima Pass, I researched from Japan Travel Navitime that there's actually Nozomi trains direct from Kyoto to Hiroshima without having to transfer at Shin-Osaka.

Could my research be wrong?

For example this:
https://japantravel.navitime.com/en...00002397&start_name=Kyoto&goal_name=Hiroshima

 

[endori]

As I am on JR Kansai Hiroshima Pass, I researched from Japan Travel Navitime that there's actually Nozomi trains direct from Kyoto to Hiroshima without having to transfer at Shin-Osaka.

Could my research be wrong?

For example this:
https://japantravel.navitime.com/en...00002397&start_name=Kyoto&goal_name=Hiroshima

I believed the Kansai Hiroshima Pass does not cover shinkansen from Kyoto to Shin Osaka since that is the Tokaido Shinkansen and not Sanyo Shinkansen. However, you can use the pass to take the rapid train from Kyoto to Shin Osaka. And then take the nozomi bullet train from Shin Osaka to Hiroshima.

 

[alex666]

As I am on JR Kansai Hiroshima Pass, I researched from Japan Travel Navitime that there's actually Nozomi trains direct from Kyoto to Hiroshima without having to transfer at Shin-Osaka.

Could my research be wrong?

For example this:
https://japantravel.navitime.com/en...00002397&start_name=Kyoto&goal_name=Hiroshima

your pass cannot get through Kyoto Shinkansen gate

 

[bambooshoots]

Amended my itinerary, in hope to make it less hectic. Welcome all comments and suggestions. TIA

Day 1 : Arrive in KIX at 9pm, Check in Kyoto hotel.

Day 2 : Nara & Todai-ji Temple

Day 3: Hiroshima & Miyajima

Day 4: Himeiji Castle, Kobe

Day 5: Arashiyama Bamboo Park, Togetsukyo Bridge, Sagano Romantic Train (down the Hozu River), Tenryu-ji Temple

Day 6: Fushimi Inari, Kinkaku-ji, Gion Corner

Day 7:
Check out Kyoto hotel.
Explore Nishiki Food Market.
Return to Kyoto hotel to retrieve luggage and head to Osaka.
Check in Shinsaibashi hotel. Explore Shinsaibashi.

Day 8: Osaka Castle, Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street, Dotonbori

Day 9: USJ

Day 10:
Check out Shinsaibashi hotel.
Explore Shinsekai, Kuromon Market
Return to Shinsaibashi hotel to retrieve luggage.
Depart to KIX for 11.20pm flight

Just be mindful that the last Haruka train is 10:16pm. Register on Visit Japan Web for faster immigration clearance. connect to the airport wifi or activate data roaming to access the page on arrival. JR station is very near the airport - just a few mins walk, signs are clear. Print out your Hiroshima pass eVoucher or take screenshots of the QR codes to do the exchange at the machines. Can do without reserving seats and use the unreserved section if in a rush. But you should have time. I was on a 8:50am arrival flight and boarded 9:42am haruka with reserved seats. I exchanged the kansai pass at the machine but didn’t know how to reserve seats so went to the JR office next door. cannot recall if the flight arrived early (high chance that it arrived earlier than scheduled), I was on biz class and amongst the first to disembark, the immigration took some time as there were many travellers with white cards, didn’t have to wait at the luggage belt, face scan before exiting the airport - failed for my mum so she had to go through manual clearance for this part (didn’t take too much time actually).

 

[Hisashiburi]

Northern Kyushu itinerary (no driving), please critique!

Activate JR Sanyo Sanin Northern Kyushu Pass (7days)

Day1: Osaka (will be there for a few days) - Kumamoto (stay kumamoto); hang around the area [3+h train]
Day2: Kumamoto (stay kumamoto); try to book a 1day guided tour to Mt Aso and/or Takachiho Gorge (for ease of transport)
Day3: Yufuin or Beppu (stay at either location, not decided yet) [2+h train]
Day4: Fukuoka (stay fukuoka; unplanned) [2-3h train]
Day5: Fukuoka (stay fukuoka; unplanned)
Day6: Nagasaki (stay nagasaki; bomb museum, Mt Inasa night view) [3.5h train]
Day7: Gunkanjima (go back Fukuoka to stay) [3+h train]
Day8: Fukuoka (stay fukuoka; unplanned)

Planned it this way so that i can send luggage from kumamoto hotel to fukuoka hotel, then store luggage at hotel while i'm at nagasaki and return to same hotel. Travel out with mostly just a small backpack. After fukuoka i'll travel elsewhere but for now looking for opinions on Kyushu part to see if it makes sense!

Can do daytrip to Beppu onsen town

 

[Panerex]

Add another 30 min to travel via shin-osaka. Bear in mind some Kyoto - Shinosaka trains are all reserved seating, make sure you get seat tickets before boarding.

* The Limited Express KUROSHIO, KOUNOTORI, KINOSAKI, HASHIDATE, and MAIZURU trains are all reserved seating-only. Non-reserved seating is not available. Be sure to reserve seats in advance before boarding the train. Boarding the train without reserving seats in advance will result in a separate Limited Express reserved seat fee.

for Kansai-Hiroshima Pass, do you know if it is possible to reserve seats online instead of doing at the JR offices?

 

[Panerex]

Have you booked your accommodation already?

Why not shift Day 3 & Day 4 after you have checked in Osaka? As it is shorter train rides from Osaka to go those places compared to going from Kyoto.

Another round of amendment considering to time the USJ visit to be on a Tue-to-Thurs (which typically should have lesser crowd). Time savings from shorter USJ queues should offset the incremental travelling time (approx 30 mins each way) of Kyoto-USJ vs Osaka-USJ.

However, as accommodation (6N Kyoto; 3N Osaka) already confirmed, I still would have to travel out to Hiroshima, Himeji, Kobe from Kyoto instead of Osaka

Lessons learnt: Not to confirm accommodations before getting valuable advice from this forum.

Day 1 (Sun) : Arrive in KIX at 9pm, Check in Kyoto hotel.

Day 2 (Mon) : Himeiji Castle, Kobe

Day 3 (Tue): Hiroshima & Miyajima

Day 4 (Wed): Arashiyama Bamboo Park, Togetsukyo Bridge, Sagano Romantic Train (down the Hozu River), Tenryu-ji Temple

Day 5 (Thu): USJ

Day 6 (Fri): Fushimi Inari, Kinkaku-ji, Gion Corner

Day 7 (Sat):
Check out Kyoto hotel.
Explore Nishiki Food Market.
Return to Kyoto hotel to retrieve luggage and head to Osaka.
Check in Shinsaibashi hotel. Explore Shinsaibashi.

Day 8 (Sun): Nara & Todai-ji Temple

Day 9 (Mon): Osaka Castle, Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street, Dotonbori

Day 10 (Tue):
Check out Shinsaibashi hotel.
Explore Shinsekai, Kuromon Market
Return to Shinsaibashi hotel to retrieve luggage.
Depart to KIX for 11.20pm flight

 

[alex666]

for Kansai-Hiroshima Pass, do you know if it is possible to reserve seats online instead of doing at the JR offices?

I think you can only reserve online if you buy the pass directly from JR Japan.
I reserve seats at counter or machine.
You will be in a rush on day 1, do the reservation for all the trips on day 2 morning.

 

[hkchew03]

Another round of amendment considering to time the USJ visit to be on a Tue-to-Thurs (which typically should have lesser crowd). Time savings from shorter USJ queues should offset the incremental travelling time (approx 30 mins each way) of Kyoto-USJ vs Osaka-USJ.

However, as accommodation (6N Kyoto; 3N Osaka) already confirmed, I still would have to travel out to Hiroshima, Himeji, Kobe from Kyoto instead of Osaka

Lessons learnt: Not to confirm accommodations before getting valuable advice from this forum.

Day 1 (Sun) : Arrive in KIX at 9pm, Check in Kyoto hotel.

Day 2 (Mon) : Himeiji Castle, Kobe

Day 3 (Tue): Hiroshima & Miyajima

Day 4 (Wed): Arashiyama Bamboo Park, Togetsukyo Bridge, Sagano Romantic Train (down the Hozu River), Tenryu-ji Temple

Day 5 (Thu): USJ

Day 6 (Fri): Fushimi Inari, Kinkaku-ji, Gion Corner

Day 7 (Sat):
Check out Kyoto hotel.
Explore Nishiki Food Market.
Return to Kyoto hotel to retrieve luggage and head to Osaka.
Check in Shinsaibashi hotel. Explore Shinsaibashi.

Day 8 (Sun): Nara & Todai-ji Temple

Day 9 (Mon): Osaka Castle, Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street, Dotonbori

Day 10 (Tue):
Check out Shinsaibashi hotel.
Explore Shinsekai, Kuromon Market
Return to Shinsaibashi hotel to retrieve luggage.
Depart to KIX for 11.20pm flight

Which website you used to book hotels? Most hotels have refundable cancellation.
If you hotel is near Gion, don't really need to specifically plan to visit that area, its pretty much always your night activities at Kyoto, most attraction/shrines close before 6pm. Same applies to Shinsaibashi, can pretty much visit any night.

 

[xdivider]

Tentative plan for milking the JR pass 1 last time......

1 Singapore to Tokyo (shopping)
2 Tokyo to Karuizawa to Nagano (koyo at mt usui, local sights at nagano if got time)
3 Nagano to Kanazawa (visit the monkeys first)
4 Kanazawa (noto peninular day tour maybe)
5 Kanazawa to Awara Onsen (tojimbo) to Osaka
6 Osaka to Himeji to Tottori (the usual castle but not going hiroshima this time)
7 Tottori to Osaka (sand dunes first, painful butts later in the evening)
8 Osaka to Kyoto to Tokyo (kyoto is along the way anyway)
9 Tokyo (a day trip maybe)
10 Tokyo Singapore (boring)

 

[zeroX26]

Another round of amendment considering to time the USJ visit to be on a Tue-to-Thurs (which typically should have lesser crowd). Time savings from shorter USJ queues should offset the incremental travelling time (approx 30 mins each way) of Kyoto-USJ vs Osaka-USJ.

However, as accommodation (6N Kyoto; 3N Osaka) already confirmed, I still would have to travel out to Hiroshima, Himeji, Kobe from Kyoto instead of Osaka

Lessons learnt: Not to confirm accommodations before getting valuable advice from this forum.

Day 1 (Sun) : Arrive in KIX at 9pm, Check in Kyoto hotel.

Day 2 (Mon) : Himeiji Castle, Kobe

Day 3 (Tue): Hiroshima & Miyajima

Day 4 (Wed): Arashiyama Bamboo Park, Togetsukyo Bridge, Sagano Romantic Train (down the Hozu River), Tenryu-ji Temple

Day 5 (Thu): USJ

Day 6 (Fri): Fushimi Inari, Kinkaku-ji, Gion Corner

Day 7 (Sat):
Check out Kyoto hotel.
Explore Nishiki Food Market.
Return to Kyoto hotel to retrieve luggage and head to Osaka.
Check in Shinsaibashi hotel. Explore Shinsaibashi.

Day 8 (Sun): Nara & Todai-ji Temple

Day 9 (Mon): Osaka Castle, Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street, Dotonbori

Day 10 (Tue):
Check out Shinsaibashi hotel.
Explore Shinsekai, Kuromon Market
Return to Shinsaibashi hotel to retrieve luggage.
Depart to KIX for 11.20pm flight

Try not to stay out too late on Day 4 coz your Day 5 is gonna exhaust you big time siah. Kyoto cheong down to Osaka USJ then back to Kyoto again ???? Can share the rationale behind this? Most shops in Shinsaibashi close by 8-830pm, so do take note. Do check out the very good revolving sushi shop there that's just opposite the Book-off. Closes at 10pm.

 

[szeli]

Try not to stay out too late on Day 4 coz your Day 5 is gonna exhaust you big time siah. Kyoto cheong down to Osaka USJ then back to Kyoto again ???? Can share the rationale behind this? Most shops in Shinsaibashi close by 8-830pm, so do take note. Do check out the very good revolving sushi shop there that's just opposite the Book-off. Closes at 10pm.

young spring chicken maybe can. I read it I feel punchek already. fierce, fly here fly there