Japan Sample Itinerary thread

[VD]

why not concentrate on either Kansai or Chubu, leave the other one for the next trip? You will enjoy more time instead of touch and go, to fully experience Kyoto, a single day definitely not sufficient, minimum should be at least 3 days.

 

[vtecXx]

We also did consider doing a separate trip for kansai area. But we are not really into the old rustic feel kind. So we decided a day trip to explore instead.

Alternatively we can leave kyoto out and explore another time but our idea is to visit osaka.

 

[sKeLeToN]

I don't think it really makes much difference either way. FWIW when I did my similar trip I did Osaka (day trips to Kobe, Nara) --> Kyoto --> Tokyo. But it wouldn't be really any different if you did Tokyo --> Kyoto --> Osaka instead.

I guess one consideration is if you are flying open jaw, is SG-Osaka and Tokyo-SG return less or more convenient (timing-wise, price-wise) than SG-Tokyo, Osaka-SG?

Also, historical average for first bloom / full bloom, Tokyo area is a few days earlier than Osaka.

https://www.jnto.go.jp/sakura/eng/index.php

Thanks for the advice bro...!

I'll be going for airbnb for my stays there, probably 7 days for Osaka-Kyoto, and another 7 days in Tokyo...

In respect of Osaka-Kyoto part, does it make sense for me to juz settle for one fixed place in Osaka, then just travel to Kyoto by train? Based on what i gathered, the travelling time can be as fast as 20mins by bullet train, or up to an hour by normal railway...

Can share what are your thoughts?

TIA!

 

[evilerniex]

Thanks for the advice bro...!

I'll be going for airbnb for my stays there, probably 7 days for Osaka-Kyoto, and another 7 days in Tokyo...

In respect of Osaka-Kyoto part, does it make sense for me to juz settle for one fixed place in Osaka, then just travel to Kyoto by train? Based on what i gathered, the travelling time can be as fast as 20mins by bullet train, or up to an hour by normal railway...

Can share what are your thoughts?

TIA!

it is only about 30min by normal train from osaka station to kyoto station. 1hr is if u are staying far from osaka station, such as in namba area or in shinimamiya area

personally i would prefer to stay in one fixed place to avoid the hassle of changing accom, and to have flexibility to change plan if necessary

 

[imt204]

Hi I'm planning on a 8 days trip to kansai.
I will be staying in hotel raizan south for all 7 nights.

My itenary will be as follow:

Day 1:
flight touchdown @2230 hr
Check in hotel

Day 2:
Osaka castle
Pokémon centre
Umeda sky building
Osaka aquarium
Dotombori at night
Go back hotel

Day 3:
Osaka Korean town
Shitenno temple
Kuromon ichiba shopping street
Tenjimbashi suji shopping street
Osaka museum of housing and living
Dotombori
Go back hotel

Day 4:
Kyoto
Back to hotel

Day 5:
Arashiyama
Nara
Back to hotel

Day 6:
Any suggestion?

Day 7:
Any suggestion?

Day 8:
Morning flight back to singapore

 

[evilerniex]

Hi I'm planning on a 8 days trip to kansai.
I will be staying in hotel raizan south for all 7 nights.

My itenary will be as follow:

Day 1:
flight touchdown @2230 hr
Check in hotel

Day 2:
Osaka castle
Pokémon centre
Umeda sky building
Osaka aquarium
Dotombori at night
Go back hotel
[how about leaving dotonbori out since u are already visiting it on day 3.
u can visit Osaka bay area since u are going aquarium. can take the tempozan ferris wheel there.
or u can shift umeda to the evening. umeda area got lots of shopping malls and eateries, u can spend an evening there. then leave dotonbori for another day.]

Day 3:
Osaka Korean town
Shitenno temple
Kuromon ichiba shopping street
Tenjimbashi suji shopping street
Osaka museum of housing and living
Dotombori
Go back hotel
[u may want to rearrange the places according to proximity.
Kuromon ichiba shopping street is near nipponbashi which is in the namba area. so u can put it together with dotonbori.
shitennoji and Korean town are in the tennoji area, which is in a few stations away from namba.
Tenjimbashi suji shopping street and Osaka museum of housing and living are in the north, nearer to umeda, so maybe can group them with the rest of umeda.
my suggestion:
day2 - Osaka castle + tenjinbashi, museum + umeda (sky building, pokemon center)
day3 - bay area(aquarium) + tennoji (shitennoji, Korean town) + namba (dotonbori, kuromon ichiba)]

Day 4:
Kyoto
Back to hotel

Day 5:
Arashiyama
Nara
Back to hotel

Day 6:
Any suggestion?
[u will probably need another day Kyoto coz there is quite a lot to see and 1 day is likely not enuf. or can put nara on day 6 and focus on arashiyama and other parts of kyoto]

Day 7:
Any suggestion?
[kobe? Himeji?]

Day 8:
Morning flight back to singapore

comments above

 

[imt204]

comments above

Thx for the suggestion.
Will I benefit from any travel pass or should I just get the icoca?

 

[evilerniex]

Thx for the suggestion.
Will I benefit from any travel pass or should I just get the icoca?

if u are heading to Himeji, a 1-day JR west kansai area pass will be worth it.
u can also get a 1-day bus pass for travel within kyoto

 

[RoLanTo]

Hello everyone, this is my first holiday trip in Japan with my wife and 1year old kid. so need advice on planning the activities/where to visit and also suggestions of accommodation.

I see alot of places of interest in the past itineraries shared in this thread but i would like your input of places more family friendly and suitable for kid. My wife is more scenic person therefore intensive shopping locations may not be suitable for us. i will also need to consider taking the Airbnb option because i need kitchen to cook baby food. few days of ryokan stay is ok as we wish to experience it and also onsen

below are my allocation of days, do let me know if they need any adjustment. By the way, we will be taking public transport, no self-drive, so staying near train station is also part of the consideration

i will slowly populate the places to visit when i receive input from you Pros
but as priority, i need input of where to stay first, so i can make booking asap. i am thinking of Osaka-Airbnb, Kyoto-Ryokan/Hotel/Airbnb, hakone-Ryokan/Hotel, Tokyo-Airbnb.. do let me know if it is ok

10/3 - Osaka - Touch down Osaka 0845
11/3 - Osaka
12/3 - Osaka
13/3 - Osaka

14/3 - Kyoto
15/3 - Kyoto
16/3 - Kyoto

17/3 - Hakone
18/3 - Hakone

19/3 - Tokyo
20/3 - Tokyo
21/3 - Tokyo - depart 1640 from Haneda to SG

 

[evilerniex]

Hello everyone, this is my first holiday trip in Japan with my wife and 1year old kid. so need advice on planning the activities/where to visit and also suggestions of accommodation.

I see alot of places of interest in the past itineraries shared in this thread but i would like your input of places more family friendly and suitable for kid. My wife is more scenic person therefore intensive shopping locations may not be suitable for us. i will also need to consider taking the Airbnb option because i need kitchen to cook baby food. few days of ryokan stay is ok as we wish to experience it and also onsen

below are my allocation of days, do let me know if they need any adjustment. By the way, we will be taking public transport, no self-drive, so staying near train station is also part of the consideration

i will slowly populate the places to visit when i receive input from you Pros
but as priority, i need input of where to stay first, so i can make booking asap. i am thinking of Osaka-Airbnb, Kyoto-Ryokan/Hotel/Airbnb, hakone-Ryokan/Hotel, Tokyo-Airbnb.. do let me know if it is ok

10/3 - Osaka - Touch down Osaka 0845
11/3 - Osaka
12/3 - Osaka
13/3 - Osaka

14/3 - Kyoto
15/3 - Kyoto
16/3 - Kyoto

17/3 - Hakone
18/3 - Hakone

19/3 - Tokyo
20/3 - Tokyo
21/3 - Tokyo - depart 1640 from Haneda to SG

but 1 year old kid probably will not be able to appreciate or remember the places u bring them to. so u can just focus on places that interest u and ur wife.

since u are not into shopping, I dun think u need so many days in Osaka. I guess u wun be visiting universal studio also? since it is going to be hard to take rides with a baby to jaga. 1-2 days shld be enuf to cover places like Osaka castle, aquarium, umeda and namba. u can have more days for Tokyo.

for accommodation, it will be good to stay near umeda/Osaka station for easy transport connectivity.
for Tokyo, stay near shinagawa station coz it is directly accessible by shinkansen, and u also have direct train to haneda airport.
any station along yamanote line is good also, such as ueno and Shinjuku, because it is easy to get ard to places in tokyo

 

[RoLanTo]

update the osaka and kyoto part.. does it look very pack or OK with a kid in mind?
do let me know if i need to adjust some of the places on some days to better manage the transportation and time needed.

i have questions for 13/3... as i checked out from osaka accom and travel with a big luggage, abit hard for me to navigate to Nara or to ninja village... any suggestion where can i keep my luggage? does kintetsunara station have big lockers for big suitcase? Also, from nara park to ninja village, is it near?

for kyoto.. not sure if i should spread out the places on 14/3 or it is easy to cover all of them in 1 day. 15/3 got nothing much though... intend to experience ryokan in kyoto.. any suggestions?


10/3 - Osaka - Touch down Osaka 0845. Afternoon till evening: Aquarium, tempozan ferris wheel, tempozan marketplace
11/3 - Osaka - morning: Osaka Castle, shintennoji temple, shinsaibashi shopping arcade. evening: dotonburi
12/3 - Osaka - morning: Umeda-osaka station city, tokyu hands, umeda sky building. afternoon till evening: shinsekai, spa world, tstenkaku tower

13/3 - Osaka/Nara/Kyoto - Namba station to KINTETSUNARA station - Nara park, ninja village?? KINTETSUNARA station to Kyoto station
14/3 - Kyoto - Kiyomizudera, Higashiyama, Kodaiji, fushimi inari, Gion
15/3 - Kyoto - Arashiyama

16/3 - Hakone
17/3 - Hakone

18/3 - Tokyo
19/3 - Tokyo
20/3 - Tokyo
21/3 - Tokyo - depart 1640 from Haneda to SG

but 1 year old kid probably will not be able to appreciate or remember the places u bring them to. so u can just focus on places that interest u and ur wife.

since u are not into shopping, I dun think u need so many days in Osaka. I guess u wun be visiting universal studio also? since it is going to be hard to take rides with a baby to jaga. 1-2 days shld be enuf to cover places like Osaka castle, aquarium, umeda and namba. u can have more days for Tokyo.

for accommodation, it will be good to stay near umeda/Osaka station for easy transport connectivity.
for Tokyo, stay near shinagawa station coz it is directly accessible by shinkansen, and u also have direct train to haneda airport.
any station along yamanote line is good also, such as ueno and Shinjuku, because it is easy to get ard to places in tokyo

 

[Spintronics]

update the osaka and kyoto part.. does it look very pack or OK with a kid in mind?
do let me know if i need to adjust some of the places on some days to better manage the transportation and time needed.

i have questions for 13/3... as i checked out from osaka accom and travel with a big luggage, abit hard for me to navigate to Nara or to ninja village... any suggestion where can i keep my luggage? does kintetsunara station have big lockers for big suitcase? Also, from nara park to ninja village, is it near?

for kyoto.. not sure if i should spread out the places on 14/3 or it is easy to cover all of them in 1 day. 15/3 got nothing much though... intend to experience ryokan in kyoto.. any suggestions?


10/3 - Osaka - Touch down Osaka 0845. Afternoon till evening: Aquarium, tempozan ferris wheel, tempozan marketplace
11/3 - Osaka - morning: Osaka Castle, shintennoji temple, shinsaibashi shopping arcade. evening: dotonburi
12/3 - Osaka - morning: Umeda-osaka station city, tokyu hands, umeda sky building. afternoon till evening: shinsekai, spa world, tstenkaku tower

13/3 - Osaka/Nara/Kyoto - Namba station to KINTETSUNARA station - Nara park, ninja village?? KINTETSUNARA station to Kyoto station
14/3 - Kyoto - Kiyomizudera, Higashiyama, Kodaiji, fushimi inari, Gion
15/3 - Kyoto - Arashiyama

16/3 - Hakone
17/3 - Hakone

18/3 - Tokyo
19/3 - Tokyo
20/3 - Tokyo
21/3 - Tokyo - depart 1640 from Haneda to SG

I am not sure how big is your suitcase but they do have limited lockers at kintetsunara station. My suggestion is to visit Nara for a few hours on 12/3 instead and focus the next day on Kyoto only. By this way you can still keep your luggage at the hotel just in case the locker at the station is full. It won't be fun to drag it around Nara as the streets are littered by deer poop and urine. Plenty of things to see in Kyoto compared to Osaka imo.

14/3 looks quite packed. Perhaps can split a few to the next day after Arashiyama.

 

[RoLanTo]

I am not sure how big is your suitcase but they do have limited lockers at kintetsunara station. My suggestion is to visit Nara for a few hours on 12/3 instead and focus the next day on Kyoto only. By this way you can still keep your luggage at the hotel just in case the locker at the station is full. It won't be fun to drag it around Nara as the streets are littered by deer poop and urine. Plenty of things to see in Kyoto compared to Osaka imo.

14/3 looks quite packed. Perhaps can split a few to the next day after Arashiyama.

then will 12/3 be very pack? if it will be, does below be better alternative? i just anyhow park the places in respective days, if there are better suggestions on which day to cover what places due to location distance, do let me know. Thanks

13/3 - Osaka/Kyoto - Namba station to kyoto station - Kiyomizudera
14/3 - Kyoto/Nara - day trip + ninja village. Higashiyama, Gion
15/3 - Kyoto - Arashiyama, Kodaiji, fushimi inari

 

[evilerniex]

update the osaka and kyoto part.. does it look very pack or OK with a kid in mind?
do let me know if i need to adjust some of the places on some days to better manage the transportation and time needed.

i have questions for 13/3... as i checked out from osaka accom and travel with a big luggage, abit hard for me to navigate to Nara or to ninja village... any suggestion where can i keep my luggage? does kintetsunara station have big lockers for big suitcase? Also, from nara park to ninja village, is it near?

for kyoto.. not sure if i should spread out the places on 14/3 or it is easy to cover all of them in 1 day. 15/3 got nothing much though... intend to experience ryokan in kyoto.. any suggestions?


10/3 - Osaka - Touch down Osaka 0845. Afternoon till evening: Aquarium, tempozan ferris wheel, tempozan marketplace
11/3 - Osaka - morning: Osaka Castle, shintennoji temple, shinsaibashi shopping arcade. evening: dotonburi
12/3 - Osaka - morning: Umeda-osaka station city, tokyu hands, umeda sky building. afternoon till evening: shinsekai, spa world, tstenkaku tower

13/3 - Osaka/Nara/Kyoto - Namba station to KINTETSUNARA station - Nara park, ninja village?? KINTETSUNARA station to Kyoto station
14/3 - Kyoto - Kiyomizudera, Higashiyama, Kodaiji, fushimi inari, Gion
15/3 - Kyoto - Arashiyama

16/3 - Hakone
17/3 - Hakone

18/3 - Tokyo
19/3 - Tokyo
20/3 - Tokyo
21/3 - Tokyo - depart 1640 from Haneda to SG

since u are going shitennoji temple, u can consider going up abeno harukas building observatory at tennoji station. it is the tallest building in japan. must pay 1500yen to go top floor, but there is also a free sky
garden at level 16 if dun want to pay.

dunno where is ninja village. the only one I found is the one in koka: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7028.html
looks like not easy to get to.

not sure abt lockers. maybe make nara day trip from Osaka or Kyoto on another instead? then dun have the hassle of bring luggage along and worry abt finding lockers

for 14/3, u may want to put fushimi inari at the start of the day or another day, coz the rest of the places are actually near each other. can go to maruyama park along the way and see if can catch sakura blooming.

 

[evilerniex]

then will 12/3 be very pack? if it will be, does below be better alternative? i just anyhow park the places in respective days, if there are better suggestions on which day to cover what places due to location distance, do let me know. Thanks

13/3 - Osaka/Kyoto - Namba station to kyoto station - Kiyomizudera
14/3 - Kyoto/Nara - day trip + ninja village. Higashiyama, Gion
15/3 - Kyoto - Arashiyama, Kodaiji, fushimi inari

maybe this:
13/3: Namba station to kyoto station (morning) - Arashiyama
arashiyama is one big area, will be better to have 3/4 or a full day for it
14/3:fushimi inari (morning); Kiyomizudera, Higashiyama, Kodaiji (afternoon); Gion (evening)
15/3: Nara + ninja village

 

[RoLanTo]

maybe this:
13/3: Namba station to kyoto station (morning) - Arashiyama
arashiyama is one big area, will be better to have 3/4 or a full day for it
14/3:fushimi inari (morning); Kiyomizudera, Higashiyama, Kodaiji (afternoon); Gion (evening)
15/3: Nara + ninja village

Thanks. i will update as below first.
Next question i have is for 16/3 - Hakone..
is it advisable for me to travel directly from Kyoto to Hakone via the odawara then purchase the hakone pass for next 2 days before going over to Tokyo.. OR

i should go straight to Tokyo play 1-2 days first then proceed to Hakone.. reason i ask is because of the hakone free pass.. it says free round trip unless it is purchase in the freezone which odawara is where i am going to purchase.. i interpret as i will not have an included free trip to Tokyo shinjuku from hakone if i take the 1st option.


10/3 - Osaka - Touch down Osaka 0845. Afternoon till evening: Aquarium, tempozan ferris wheel, tempozan marketplace
11/3 - Osaka - morning: Osaka Castle, shintennoji temple, shinsaibashi shopping arcade. evening: dotonburi
12/3 - Osaka - morning: Umeda-osaka station city, tokyu hands, umeda sky building. afternoon till evening: shinsekai, spa world, tstenkaku tower

13/3 - Osaka/Kyoto - Namba station to kyoto station (morning) - Arashiyama
14/3 - Kyoto - fushimi inari (morning); Kiyomizudera, Higashiyama, Kodaiji (afternoon); Gion (evening)
15/3 - Kyoto/Nara - Nara. Todaiji.. Relax

16/3 - Hakone
17/3 - Hakone

18/3 - Tokyo
19/3 - Tokyo
20/3 - Tokyo
21/3 - Tokyo - depart 1640 from Haneda to SG

 

[evilerniex]

Thanks. i will update as below first.
Next question i have is for 16/3 - Hakone..
is it advisable for me to travel directly from Kyoto to Hakone via the odawara then purchase the hakone pass for next 2 days before going over to Tokyo.. OR

i should go straight to Tokyo play 1-2 days first then proceed to Hakone.. reason i ask is because of the hakone free pass.. it says free round trip unless it is purchase in the freezone which odawara is where i am going to purchase.. i interpret as i will not have an included free trip to Tokyo shinjuku from hakone if i take the 1st option.

hakone free pass comes in 2 type. the one that include round trip from Shinjuku is 5140yen for 2-day, while the one that doesn't is 4000yen:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_008.html

it is actually cheaper and more convenient to travel from Kyoto to hakone instead of to Tokyo and then do round trip. it is also going to be faster coz u can take shinkansen from odawara to Tokyo instead of the slower odakyu line that the pass covers

 

[sKeLeToN]

Hey guys, noob question:-

I will want to visit Tokyo Disneyland and Osaka USS - is there a need to pre-book the tickets?

 

[xxSaDanxx]

Hi all!
It is my 1st trip with my girlfriend to Tokyo from 9 Feb to 19 Feb.
I did as much read up I could for now, and draft itinerary below.
I will need the experts' /gurus' advise and recommendation for improvement.

Draft itinerary will be as follow:

Day 1 (10 Feb):
6am: Arrival @ Hanada Airport.
Hanada > Hakone
Stay 1 night

Q: Any ryokan with mixed onsen to recommend? Outdoor if possible?
Should I buy 2-days or 3-days Hakone Free pass??

Day 2 (11 Feb):
Hakone (Round trip)
Gotemba Premium Outlets

Day 3 (12 Feb):
Check-out, proceed to Fuji 5 Lake
Stay 1 night
Q: Any nice hotel to recommand?

Day 4 (13 Feb):
Check-out, proceed to Shinjuku
Stay AirBNB
Q: Any nice AirBNB near train station to recommend?

Day 5 (14 Feb):
Harajuku

Day 6 (15 Feb):
Tsukiji Fish Market
Ginza

Day 7 (16 Feb):
Shibuya
Meiji Shrine
Government Building

Day 8 (17 Feb):
Odaiba (Oedo Onsen)

Day 9 (18 Feb)
Check-out
Free & Easy
Mid-night flight back to SG

Our main objective for this trip is to relax thus slow-pace.
Not into Disney.. or too much shrines.. haha
Thank you and looking forward for comments.

 

[evilerniex]

Hey guys, noob question:-

I will want to visit Tokyo Disneyland and Osaka USS - is there a need to pre-book the tickets?

u can always buy on the spot.
but if u are going on peak periods, such as during public holidays, then it will be better to book first