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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/markcheng on 2025-09-15 04:23:51+00:00.

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For this trip I traveled with my family so in total it was 6 travelers, traveling in mid-July, my third time traveling, and my parents first time back after 25 years. I wanted to give my family a well-rounded tour around Kyoto and Tokyo. I didn’t initially want to travel in the summer but it was the only time we were all available.

1.   DAY 1 OSAKA TO KYOTO

                i.         Landed at KIX Airport, somewhat of a hectic arrival, staff were very rushed and required documentation that they ended up not needing. I saw instructions that allowed a group entry with the QR code but that was too complicated for them so I had to separate the QR codes in line.

              ii.         Once I finally exited customs, I was ready to use my Haruka One Way ticket to Kyoto which I purchased through Klook. This further complicated my arrival since instructions at the gate did not align with instructions on the Klook app. At first it seemed like I needed to pay for the entry fare using a PASMO card, then I needed cash to load the PASMO card, ultimately all I had to do was just scan the QR code on the ticket at the ticket gate to get to my train.

             iii.         The train dropped us off at Kyoto Station and from there we took the bus to our hotel, Hotel Resol Kyoto Kawaramachi Sanjo. This is my second time staying at the hotel, I highly recommend it since its fairly close to some of the more touristy spots in Kyoto and they have small but nice rooms with amenities. At this point the weather was humid and hot but I didn’t mind it too much, I saw some reports say here that it was unbearable but it was not the worst…yet.

             iv.         Once we settled in, I took my parents around to the river and to check out the shops nearby. Things close pretty early so we headed over to the konbini to get drinks and ice cream to cool down.

2.   Day 2 KYOTO

                i.         We were very lucky to arrive during the Gion Matsuri, the summer festival that takes place in Kyoto. The main streets were temporarily closed off to give space for the floats. This was really beautiful to watch and it looked like everyone was having a good time participating in it. There was some rainfall which didn’t really help with the heat but it was nice to be in.

              ii.         Took the family to Teramachi to check out some shops and good food, again I know this is a touristy spot but I figured it was a good place to show the family since it was their first time in Kyoto. We ate at Ichiran Ramen, solid as always and I try to go to it at least once during my trips since it never disappoints.

             iii.         At night we visited Fushimi Inari Shrine, I mostly like to go at night since tourists usually visit earlier in the day. Thankfully this was the case for us but the weather made it very difficult for us to keep going up. We made it up to the second entrance before we figured the walk would kill us in the weather. After that we called it a day, unfortunately this is where I noticed the summer heat was going to slow down the trip for me.

3.   DAY 3 UJI/KYOTO

                i.          This was our last full day in Kyoto, we took a train to Uji where we explored Uji Bridge and Byodoin Temple. This was my first time in Uji so I was able to slow down and take in the sights. Lots of shops that sold all kinds of matcha desserts and foods. The temple was really nice and had a small but fascinating museum with some national treasure such as the Temple Bell and statues of the Praying Bodhisattva. After the shop we ate some matcha ramen that was nearby, very delicious but I do think we over paid a bit.

              ii.         After this we went back to the hotel to cool down, the weather was just getting more and more difficult at this point. My parents are in their 50s and unfortunately I could tell they wanted to keep pushing but it was too difficult.

             iii.         We shopped around the local malls and went to the Nintendo Shop which was overrun with people. Its definitely true that tourism has gone up to levels not seen before. In my last few trips there was a lot of people but this summer was the most id ever seen.

4.   Day 4 KYOTO to SHIBUYA

                i.         We took the bus back to Kyoto Station to take the Shinkansen up to Shibuya. I figured all of us with luggage would be an issue in the bus but thankfully it wasn’t too bad. I bought the shinkansen tickets at the ticket machine and we made our way through. I did pay a little extra for reserved seats to ensure we were all together for the trip.

              ii.         We exited near the Shibuya Scramble and was shocked with the amount of people around. Again just like in Kyoto, way more tourism than what I’d seen before and unfortunately it was a bit overstimulating for my family since we had to deal with the heat and the large amount of people to get through. ===========================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/nicaraguandeathsquad on 2025-09-14 21:28:33+00:00.

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I'm of two minds about visiting the Oki Islands. It's an enormous pain to get to -- really off the beaten path, cost a couple of pretty boring travel days. But I also had one of my favorite travel days of all time. Favorite picture from that day here: https://i.imgur.com/25Jhcpu.jpeg

To get your bearings, there are four islands -- Dogojima (the biggest, which I didn't visit), and the three others that are relatively close together -- Nishinoshima, Nakanoshima, and Chiburijima. Because I didn't visit Dogo, I have no tips/clues about there.

Hotel. I decided to spend three nights on the Oki Islands. First, you have to find a hotel. There aren't a ton, not all of them are on Booking (or anything else comparable), and not all of them speak English. Your best friend, if you need help booking the hotel, contact the Ama Town Tourism Association for Nakanoshima (oki-ama.org) and the Nishinoshima tourist association for Nishinoshima (nkk-oki.com). There are people that speak English to help you out -- they can contact hotels on your behalf if you can't figure out a way to communicate. I ended up staying in Ento on Nakanoshima -- was a bit pricey, but had beautiful views, Nordic vibes. Excellent service, very communicative via email.

I sent my big piece of luggage ahead of me to the hotel using Yamato (or whatever service my hotel in Fukuoka used). Note that the deadlines are different for delivery to the Oki Islands -- basically add a day, and try to get it to the front desk in the morning. But worked like a charm. Also used delivery service to send my large bag on to Osaka.

Restaurants. At least on Nakanoshima, you must get dinner reservations every night. It's crazy. But there just aren't that many restaurants, there's not a ton of tourist traffic, and if they don't know how many people they're going to have, they don't know how much food to get. That said, I was pretty happy with all of my meals there. Favorite was probably grilled meat at Okigyu, but also enjoyed Kikuragechakapon Motekoiyo, and had a great lunch at the port (Sentoraru-tei). Ento also had dinner -- was good, but a little too precious for my taste (not a ton of food, excellently presented, but nothing blew my mind taste-wise). It probably doesn't hurt to get some snacks from in town during the day -- nothing's open after 7p.

Getting there. From Fukuoka, I had a four hour train to Matsue, where I did some light touristing and spent the night. The next morning, I took the 750a bus (which apparently fills up sometimes, so you want to get there early) to Shichirui Port, where I took the 930a ferry to Hishiura (the main port for Nakanoshima), arriving at 1240p. Ento was within walking distance, so that was great, and they even picked up my hand luggage from the port (via the tourist association). Ferry was unremarkable.

Nakanoshima. At the port/tourist association, you can rent an e-bike to explore the island. (Honestly, you're going to need this or a rental car -- I don't know how else you would see everything.) I took a bike path recommended by the tourist association. The highlight (and endpoint) was the Akiya Coast -- a rugged coastline that was quite stunning. Sunset at Rainbow beach (near the hotel) was beautiful as well. Even though it was all pretty great, I didn't see anything on Nakanoshima that really merited the trip all the way out here. (Note -- I spent another whole day on Nakanoshima in my room because it rained all day and it was impossible to do anything. Chalk this up as a possibility if you visit.)

Nishinoshima. This was the day that justified the trip. There are regular ferries between Ama/Hishiura (Nakanoshima) and Beppu Port (Nishinoshima). It's not super clear how to buy your ticket from the machine at the station, so you might need to ask someone. If you bring a bike from Ama (like I did), you need a bike ticket for the ferry. (Note that you can rent bikes from the tourist association at Beppu Port, and I recommend that you do that.)

The goal of your bike trip is the top of the Matengai Cliff. Although I took the main road home, to get there, I took an amazing ride there that started around Sotohama Beach, heading West. If you don't have an e-bike, don't even try it -- it's crazy hilly/steep/mountainy. But with the e-bike is a fantastic ride.

When you get to the Matengai cliff, you leave your bike and hike down to the Kuniga coast. This is simply breathtaking. You have clear views of the cliffs and coves and there are wild horses all over the place. Seriously just a magical, magical hike. (Obviously, it's a lot easier to hike down than to hike back up, which is fairly steep, but such is life). (The imgur link at the beginning of the post is from near the top of this hike.) Even taking my time and taking hundreds of photos, I think this took around 2-2.5 hours.

At this point, I was a bit nervous -- because I had brought my bike from Ama, I was running low on bike battery, which made the ride home rather stressful. Although I love biking, the bike was a bit heavy, the island is very hilly, and it would have been miserable. So just rent from Beppu Port.

On the way home, I stopped in town at Sailing Coffee (for coffee) and キッチンまう for lunch (copied from Google Maps, no clue what it means.) Both were fantastic.

I did not get to explore any more of Nishinoshima because (i) I had to get back to Ama with the dying bike, and (ii) my last day on the islands were completely rained out. My best advice -- stay on Nishinonshima and focus your explorations there, I wish I would have done more on that island.

Chibu. After I dropped my bike off in Ama, I took another ferry to Chibu for the afternoon. Seriously, skip it. There is no tourist infrastructure, and I can't tell how you're supposed to do anything there. I went on a hike to a temple near the Kawai Guardian Deity Water Spring, which was alright, but maybe not worth the trip.

Leaving Oki Islands. I decided to take the "fast ferry" back to the mainland, because the timing fit my schedule better. You have to reserve this well ahead of time. oki-kisen.com/jp I left Hishiura at 814a, arrived in Shichirui port at 1043a, where I was able to take a 1107a shinkansen to Shin-Kobe that arrived at 230p. It's a pain!

Conclusion. I had one amazing, amazing morning-to-early afternoon (Nishinoshima), one OK day (exploring Nakanoshima), one disappointing afternoon (Chibu), and one completely wasted day (rain). Happy I did it, but couldn't imagine how disappointed I'd be if I spent all that time travelling there and it rained the entire time. I guess you have to make your peace with that.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/bettering_me_ on 2025-09-12 07:17:27+00:00.

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I know this sub gets a lot of itinerary posts, and I had initially thought of not posting one myself… but the need for validation is nudging me anyway. Please help me out 😊 Thanks in advance!

My wife and I (both in our early 30s) are visiting Japan for the first time this fall, for a two-week trip. Here’s what we’ve mapped out so far:

1. Sep 27: Tokyo Arrive at Narita Airport by evening → complete immigration → take Keisei Skyliner → proceed to our stay → rest.
2. Sep 28: Tokyo

Visit Akasaka Station for the Harry Potter theme (my wife is a Potterhead).

Head to Ikebukuro Sunshine City for the Pokémon Store (again for my wife 😊) and the adjacent Ghibli store.

Check out some gashapon machines.

Return to stay.

1. Sep 29: Tokyo

Visit Harajuku for the Harry Potter shop and Meiji Shrine.

Head to Shinjuku → lunch at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant.

See the famous 3D Cat and Godzilla.

Go up the Metropolitan Government Building observation deck for views.

Maybe Kabukicho Tower if time allows, otherwise stick around for the light show.

1. Sep 30: Tokyo

TeamLabs Borderless in the morning (prebooked).

Also check out Tokyo Tower nearby.

After lunch, head to Asakusa for Senso-ji and Nakamise Dori.

1. Oct 1: Travel Day

Shinkansen from Tokyo → Toyama → Hida Limited Express to Takayama.

Check into stay.

Evening: explore old town + Nakabashi Bridge.

1. Oct 2: Takayama

Explore Miyagawa Morning Market.

After breakfast, bus to Hida No Sato.

Easy day enjoying the town and nature.

1. Oct 3: Travel Day (Takayama → Kanazawa via Shirakawa-go)

Prebooked bus, with 2-hour stopover at Shirakawa-go.

Arrive in Kanazawa by afternoon → check into stay.

Evening: Higashi Chaya District.

1. Oct 4: Kanazawa

Omicho Seafood Market in the morning.

Kenroku-en Garden + Kanazawa Castle if time allows.

Return to stay.

1. Oct 5: Travel Day (Kanazawa → Kyoto)

Shinkansen Kanazawa → Tsuruga → Thunderbird Express to Kyoto.

Check into stay.

Evening: Gion District.

1. Oct 6: Kyoto

Early morning at Fushimi Inari (really want to get a red torii gate souvenir).

Afternoon: undecided, kept flexible (Nishiki Market as backup).

1. Oct 7: Kyoto

Day trip to Hozanji Temple (should take at least half a day).

1. Oct 8: Kyoto

Morning: Kiyomizu-dera Temple (UNESCO site — will look for alternatives if crowds are overwhelming).

Afternoon: Kennin-ji Temple.

1. Oct 9: Travel Day (Kyoto → Osaka)

Check into stay near Dotonbori.

Explore the area’s “wild charm.”

Try Rikuro cheesecake.

1. Oct 10: Osaka

Big shopping run at Don Quijote for souvenirs/gifts.

Fit in any last experiences before heading home.

1. Oct 11: Departure

Morning flight from Osaka back home.

Would love to hear what you think of this plan—any glaring issues or things you’d suggest adjusting?

Also, for those who’ve been around Japan during this time of year: how’s the weather generally end of September into early October? Should we be worried about typhoon risks affecting this route? Any advice would be super helpful.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/ThrowAway82773738292 on 2025-09-10 11:08:41+00:00.

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Currently travelling Kyushu and chose Beppu to go to for my 21st birthday. It’s been amazing so far I absolutely love onsens they completely de-stress me.

Besides that has anyone else visited the 7 hells of Beppu and thought the crocodile hell was a bit crazy. Like I’ve previously read that Japan is a bit terrible with animal rights and I’m not usually one to complain but it was absolutely wild. Half of the crocodiles had big open wounds, they were stuffed into tiny, empty cages with a tiny bit of water and no shade. Half of them genuinely looked dead, I thought one of the cages was just a mass grave or something.

Don’t think I’d recommend this spot for tourists maybe just grab the stamp and leave.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/No_Introduction_717 on 2025-09-08 14:34:26+00:00.

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Hi all,

My partner and I have just spent three weeks in Japan as first timers (August 9 to September 2) and it was everything I’d hoped it would be and more. Here is an overview -

We landed in Tokyo and immediately made our way to the Fujinomiya area as we had plans to climb Mount Fuji on the 11th August via the Subashiri trial. Sadly we had to alter our plans as a typhoon came in and it would have just been a dangerous (or at the very least, a very miserable) climb. We had to book a hotel on the hop back in Tokyo but we found one for a very reasonable £155 for two nights. We then did the Shinjuku/Shibuya area and a walking tour which I’d defo recommend: https://www.airbnb.co.uk/experiences/1162458?viralityEntryPoint=2&s=76

The host gave us some great restaurant recommendations too.

We hit Osaka from August 13 and spent two days at this hotel: https://www.candeohotels.com/en/osaka-tower/.

It was probably my favourite hotel on the whole trip. The rooftop onsen was beautiful and if you go late, chances are you’ll have it all to yourself. Osaka was definitely one of my favourite stops as I loved the Dotonburi area. Lunch at Tempozan market place was a good shout too, some lovely okonomiyaki!

We went to Nara for the day on August 15 and got to see the Festival of lights at Todaji temple in the evening which was very special.

Then we travelled to Kyoto where we stayed for three nights at this Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/l/dOgObyiq

The host was lovely and the place was super clean and accommodating. Nishiki market was a great place to explore and try some food. Wasn’t massively impressed with Pontocho alley but maybe that’s because it was raining at the time! We hiked the Fushimi Inari Shrine at sunset on one of the days which was amazing. The further up you go, the less people there are, so don’t worry about taking photos until you get further up in my opinion! We also did the Arashayama bamboo grove which to be honest I felt was a bit underwhelming as it’s just so full of people.

We then did a day trip to Himeji before heading to Hiroshima. I found Himeji a bit of a letdown if I’m being honest. The outside is far more impressive than the inside.

Hiroshima itself was a cool place. If you want a nice burger/nice bar, head to The Smith: https://www.instagram.com/the_smith_lab

The Peace Memorial Park was an impressive/sombre place. We spent two days in Miyajima as well. The view at the top of Mount Misen was amazing (if you have your hiking boots) and we also kayaked around the back with the Miyajima Kayak company. Would recommend them! https://miyajima-kayak.jp/en/

We then took a flight to Ishigaki – what a beautiful beautiful place. If you can go, I’d recommend staying at MEGURU - https://meguru-hotel.com/.

It was clean, welcoming and the staff were amazing. It had real wellness-retreat vibes! During our stay in Ishigaki we hired mopeds on one day which was fun and just explored all the different beaches. Also did a day-trip to Taketomi which was a lovely place (and got very sunburnt!).

After a week, we flew back to Tokyo where we did the Asakusa area on one day which was cool. If you’re looking for a capsule hotel recommendation, I couldn’t recommend these guys more: https://www.booking.com/hotel/jp/resol-poshteldong-jing-qian-cao.en-gb.html

We then managed to find some good weather to do Mount Fuji – hiking up the Subashiri trail and staying the night at the 8th station’s Tomoekan hut - https://tomoekan.com/plan/english/

Nice place, warm, and good food! We then watched the sunrise the next day at 5am before hiking to the top and then descending.

The next day, we were back on the plane home to the UK.

Some thoughts -

• The only bad meal I had the entire time I was in Japan was (ironically) the most expensive one! It was at Ginza Kojyu, a two Michelin starred restaurant in Tokyo. Actually have no idea how they have these stars as the food was so immemorable and the experience was just a bit bizarre.
• August is a killer weather-wise. It’s so hot and humid and you were literally sweating five mins after going outside. I couldn’t change this as that’s when my partner is able to go away for extended periods due to his job but if you have more flexibility than me, defo go in more manageable conditions!
• I’d be more flexible with planning the Mount Fuji climb if I were to do it again. Would perhaps have a couple days in mind and see how the weather is looking before travelling to Fujinomiya.
• I’d take less toiletries. Every hotel we stayed in had toothbrushes, shower gels, pyjamas, creams, razors, etc, so we could have packed lighter.
• A Suica card is essential!
• Tabelog is a great website to see what decent restaurants are in your immediate area.
• Aquarius and Pocari Sweat are godsend drinks on hot, humid days! There is always a vending machine to get one from.

Would be more than happy to answer any questions!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/RandomGalOnTheNet on 2025-09-07 19:58:16+00:00.

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I don't see a lot of posts calling Tokyo refreshing or relaxing, especially in late August (Aug 27-Sept 6 to be exact). But for us, that's exactly what it was.

It was myself (44f), bf (56m), and three boys (18, 20, 21). We stayed in an apartment in Taito City, equidistant from Akihabara station and Okachimachi station. It was ideal for us: quiet, no tourists, and easy to get anywhere. We made heavy use of trains/subways and 15k yen on suica card was just the right amount.

Most of the time, the boys went off on their own for the day while my bf and I did our own thing. We stayed together only for special trips. We had no itinerary so each morning we'd look at Google maps, see what was around, and head out. We did have two must-dos that we do in every country we can and that is to visit IKEA and Costco. So we went out to Shinmisato on one day and hit both of those. On Sunday, we all took a steam train to Chichibu and walked around there. So lovely!! The temple was amazing, and we had fun walking around so I could find as many Doko Ikubees as I could. We also took a day trip to Enoshima Island on another day which was wonderful.

A few things: Yes it was hot and the last day we had heavy rains from the typhoon but it wasn't terrible. The boys actually went to Disneyland that day despite the rain. If you've had experience with the southeast US or even Missouri, it'll feel normal. We currently live in Idaho (I prefer snow and cold) and it seriously wasn't as bad as reddit makes it seem. We didn't even feel like we needed neck fans or parasols.

We split up our flight to Tokyo and spent two days in Hawaii beforehand, which resulted in having zero jet lag when we got to Tokyo. Definitely worth it.

We averaged around 11k steps a day, which is actually what we normally do on a workday at home. That's just the way it worked out for us (not done on purpose) so if you are worried about the redditors saying you have to be ready to do 20+k steps a day, thats them. You do you. No special shoes or anything. We wore our regular vans.

If you have any experience with public transportation like in NYC or Paris (or even LA), Tokyo is just as easy or easier to figure out. It's bigger, but there are signs everywhere and its just lovely. We did notice that the "rule" about talking on trains was situational - morning commuter subways/trains were totally silent; mid-afternoon there was usually some talking. Just be aware of what the locals are doing and always use your library voice.

Some of the main places we ended up going in Tokyo:

Takashita street for one particular store

Tsukiji Hongan-ji Temple and stayed for a "service"

Tokyo station

Kappabashi kitchen street which was underwhelming - ended up a few blocks away

Round 1 Ikebukuro

Metropolitan government building

Shinjuku Gyoen

Holy Resurrection Cathedral

mAAch ecute Kanda Manseibashi

Yaesu shopping mall

Lots of book stores and stationary stores

All in all, we loved it so much and it felt so comfortable and homey we are going to make more regular trips and explore more of Japan.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Suspicious_Week_2451 on 2025-09-07 08:48:27+00:00.

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This is my third time going to Japan and I was traveling with extended family who had never been. I remember hating Osaka and Kyoto and finding them very overwhelming so I decided to do Tokyo then 2 days in Kanazawa and 2 days in Takayama.

Kanazawa and Takayama were amazing. I wish Id spent 3 days in each. Travel wise, because we were a group of 7 with luggage we actually rented a minibus and road tripped for our four days. We essentially got a day and a half in each city. I got very lucky that there was no rain and I even got blue skies for most of the trip. I would not come back at the start of September though. 31 degrees is not ideal for walking.

Having spent 5 days in Tokyo, Kanazawa was a relaxing breath of fresh air and Takayama felt like floating on a giant lily pad in a serene lake.

Kanazawa: Day 1 we did museums. Then museums here are all small and take between 30 to 45 minutes to complete.

Ninja Weapon Museum - Cute. Throwing Shiruken was fun.

Dolls Museum - Surprisingly fun.

Yoshiro Architecture Museum - The upper garden/tea room are gorgeous. And if you're into architectural history its probably a lot of fun. It was pleasant and nearby to the other museums so why not.

Nomura ke Samurai Residence - Such beautiful stunninf gardens. Amazing. Kanazawa samurai town was so beautiful to walk in. You never knew what random garden you would find.

Gelateria Ritorta was so good. I got melon flavour gelato and baci and it was delicious. They do many other intriguing flavours like fig, smoky nut, black sesame?

I wont comment on food because I have the palate of a 5 year old but Vechio Albero does a sexy sexy seeeeexy margarita.

The next morning we did Kenrokou En garden. There are no words to describe how truly stunning this park is. It just felt healing for the soul. This park was definitely worth visiting.

Takayama

A beautiful walkable samurai town.

Hida Folk Village was stunningly beautiful. Would absolutely recommend visiting. Just walking through the town itself is such a fun experience. We randomly discovered a ninja cafe where we did blowdarts and a ninja VR game.

The drive between Kanazawa and Takayama was 2 hours.

We made a pit stop to Kurobe Gorge Railway which as pretty as it was...I wouldn't go again. Its a train that rides for 45 minutes through a gorge past 3 stops, has a 20 minute break and then makes its way back. The views are in the first 15 minutes of the train ride. The remaining 30 minutes are mid. It was an experience but not one I would recommend trekking out for.

Wanted to share this for anyone who might benefit from it.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Unusual-Camel-5802 on 2025-09-04 12:06:57+00:00.

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Hi all! As a way of saying thanks to everyone on this sub I'm posting a "quick" report on our 18 day trip. Me and my gf, both mid thirties from Italy. Hope you find it useful, feel free to ask any questions!

• Mon 11: arrival at Fukuoka late afternoon, quick stroll along the river and dinner at yatai, there were only a few even though it was a national holiday. Ok ramen, great grilled mentaiko!
• Tue 12: shinkansen to Hiroshima, train to Miyajima. Itsukushima shrine, then mt Misen then Daishoin. Train back to Hiroshima to see the atom dome, okonomiyaki dinner and train to Onomichi. Quick stroll to see Onomichi temples from outside at night.
• Wed 13: Shimanami Kaido to Imabari. We stopped at Kosanji and did a detour to Oyamazumi shrine, plus a quick swim. Get the electric bikes if you want to see more stuff, and use them on max! Yakiniku at Imabari near the station for dinner.
• Thu 14: Train to Matsuyama. Matsuyama castle via the Ninomaru (on foot) then took the ropeway down, then Dogo Onsen tour and private bath at the annex. Wanted to see the cave tunnel at Ishiteji but it closes at 16:00 so we missed it. Train to Marugame, izakaya dinner since it was late, great udon!
• Fri 15: we decided against getting up super early to go to Kotohira and instead went directly to Takamatsu. Visited Ritsurin without rushing, then train to Tokushima for Awa Odori. Amazing experience. We had tickets for the show at Sansan at 20.20, so much fun. Stayed at an AirBnB (only place available when we booked).
• Sat 16: early train to Takamatsu then Okayama. Stopped for Korakuen. Train to Himeji, managed to get a spot on the official english tour at 13. Then onwards to Osaka, after checking in we headed to Dotonbori.
• Sun 17: train towards Nara, stopping first at Horyuji and then Yakushiji and Toshodaiji. Check in at Nara just before seeing the sunset in the park in front of the museum. After dark we walked to the gate at Todaiji, seeing the kongorikishi lit up at night alone was great!
• Mon 18: Todaiji, Kasugataisha, Kofukuji for the museum (fantastic statues!) because obviously the pagoda is under renovation, then the free machiya at Naramachi Nigiwai-no-le. Around 8 pm we took the train to Kyoto, checked in, then went to see the last day of illumination at Kodaiji.
• Tue 19: early start at Kinkakuji, then Ryoanji. Then Arashiyami, bamboo grove and Senryuji. Then ukai cormorant fishing, awesome! Dinner at an izakaya in pontocho.
• Wed 20: first Toji since it was near our hotel, then Nijojo. Nishiki market afterwards. In the afternoon Kiyomizudera for the sunset, walk through Higashiyama and Gion, then kawayuka dinner.
• Thu 21: Toji once again since we learned of the huge flea market held on the 21st of each month. Then Nishi and Higashi Honganji. The huge gate at Higashi was open so we climbed it. Afterwards we took a train to Uji for Byodoin, then crossed the river for Ujikami shrine, and took the Keihan train to Fushimi for sake tasting. After that we got to Fushimi Inari a bit after sunset, and climbed to the top at night with way less crowds. Yakitori for dinner.
• Fri 22: last day in Kyoto, we were missing some of the main attractions (imperial palace gardens, Ginkakuji, Heian...) but we decided to escape the crowds and the heat and went north for the Kurama-Kibune hike. We even managed to get a spot at the nagashi somen kawadoko place! In the afternoon back to Higashiyama for Sanjusanjendo and the national museum, which closes at 20 on fridays. For our last meal in Kyoto we found a minuscule obanzai restaurant (literally just someone's kitchen).
• Sat 23: train back to Osaka to catch the Nankai express for Koyasan. Okunoin in the morning, fire ceremony, check in at Kongo Sanmain, and then in the afternoon we just had time for the museum before everything closed. Back to the shukubo for dinner (delicious shojin ryori!) then a night stroll at Okunoin again. We didn't do the guided tour, too expensive and with so many people it would have lost all the atmosphere.
• Sun 24: morning ceremony, breakfast, then Kongobuji, Tokugawa Mausoleum and the other sights. Took the train back to Osaka in the early afternoon since we had an helicopter ride booked to see the Daisenryo Kofun (mindblowing!). Then shinkansen to Tokyo. After check in, we managed to see Sensoji lit up.
• Mon 25: day trip to Nikko. Rinnoji, Toshogu, Futarasan, Taiyuin and Kanmangafuchi Abyss. Simply amazing. Quick outing at Shibuya to see the scramble when we got back to Tokyo.
• Tue 26: train to Yamanashi for wine tasting at Katsunuma Winery. Then back to Otsu to take the train for mt Fuji, and the Fujiyoshida fire festival. One of the most amazing experiences in the whole trip.
• Wed 27: from Fuji directly to Kamakura. Kotokuin, Hasedera, and Tsurugaoka. We could have done more temples but we decided to take it easy and managed to go to the beach for a bit. Back to Tokyo for the night.
• Thu 28: Sumo exhibition tour at Tachikawa. So much fun, 6 hours went by so fast! In the afternoon Meiji Jingu, a bit of shopping at Shibuya, then managed to see the fireworks at Ota City.
• Fri 29: last day in Japan, breakfast at Tsukiji market, then the national museum. Flight back home in the late afternoon.

All in all... fantastic trip! First time in Japan for both of us. Spent around 3500€-4000€ each including flights and everything.

Notes: the heat in august is no joke. Be sure to keep hydrated... pocari sweat FTW! Also, we used waaay more cash than we expected. Everywhere we read online said card was accepted 99% of the time... well not really. Luckily withdrawing in yen at the 7/11 ATM was easy and cheap (commissions-wise).

Thanks for reading!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/HarukaExpress on 2025-08-31 14:12:24+00:00.

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Just discovered this sub and decided to do a report on a short trip I took to Nagasaki last week. Going into it, I was mainly interested in Nagasaki for its history, from its founding as a Christian city by the Jesuits to its status as the primary gateway between the world and a closed-off Japan during the Edo period.

That part was great as expected, but what I didn't expect was how gorgeous the city and nearby countryside were. The city is surrounded by mountains covered in lush green forests, which as a Tokyo resident was kind of mind-blowing.

Kyushu has seen record flooding this year, and I think there was literally a typhoon passing by Kagoshima during my flight there, but miraculously we had beautiful (but very hot and humid) weather everywhere we went.

I stayed at Hotel H2 Nagasaki, which was perfectly fine but nothing special. Breakfast definitely not worth it. Good location close to Hamamachi and Chinatown, where all the restaurants are.

Day 1 (Atomic Bomb Stuff)

• Arrived at Nagasaki Airport in the morning (on an Exeggutor themed plane!) and took the ~40 min bus to Nagasaki Station. Fare is 1200 yen and IC cards (Suica, etc.) are accepted.
• Friend arrived on a later flight, so while waiting I visited the Twenty-Six Martyrs Museum and Monument, built to commemorate a 1597 public execution of Christians by Hideyoshi. The museum is small with informative exhibits on the history of the incident and the Portuguese/Spanish mission in Japan more broadly. There was lots in English and other languages as I believe the site has been officially recognized by the Catholic Church (Popes Francis and John Paul II visited).
• Met up with friend at her hotel and ate lunch at nearby Edo Bishi. Very homey place for Nagasaki Chinese food. We were literally served by two elementary school children who must have been on summer break. The signature dish of Nagasaki is champon, which is just a bunch of vegetables and seafood thrown on top of noodle soup, supposedly invented by a Chinese chef who wanted to provide poor Chinese students studying in Japan with something cheap and nutritious. I opted for its soupless variant (instead smothered in goopy sauce), called sara udon (literally "noodles on a plate"; it's not actually udon noodles), which was delicious.
• Took the cute tram to the Atomic Bomb Museum. There aren't really any words to describe the experience or why you should go. If you're in Nagasaki for the first time, just go. It was smaller than I was expecting, took about 2 hours. After you're done it's a short stroll up to the Peace Park, where there's a memorial at the hypocenter with remnants of the original Urakami Cathedral, and further along the famous statue of the man pointing up with one hand to warn of the dangers of the bomb and sideways with the other to signify peace.
• Walked a bit to the rebuilt Urakami Cathedral. Not much to see, but you can peek inside for free. On display is a haunting bust of the Virgin Mary that was exposed to the bomb. It looked so symbolic that at first I thought it was an art piece.
• Bought some locally grown grapes at Iwanaga Fruits just across the street before hopping on a bus to Sanno Shrine (you get off at Sakamotomachi), where there is a famous torii gate standing on one leg after the other half was blown away by the blast, as well as two camphor trees which appeared totally dead after exposure to the bomb only to grow again into the giants they are today. The beautiful song Kusunoki by Masaharu Fukuyama (super celebrity born in Nagasaki) is about these two trees and was featured at this year's remembrance ceremony.
• Back to the city center for dinner at El Dorado Mexican Restaurant & Bar (lol). It was very good but obviously most tourists aren't going to come to Japan and eat Mexican food. I live in Tokyo, where it's relatively hard to find, so that's why I wanted to go.

Day 2 (Shimabara)

• Rented a car with Toyota and drove out to the Shimabara Peninsula, stopping at a small bakery Patisserie Boulangerie Pack along the way in Obama (!). Picked up a red-bean bun, nothing special but the grandma was nice. The whole drive was scenic. Stopped to get out at this viewing point overlooking terraced potato fields.
• Arrived at Kuchinotsu for dolphin watching with Minamishimabara Dolphin Watching, booked online about a week prior. You have to check in at reception 20 minutes before departure. The group was fairly large so we split into two boats. Besides us and a group of Chinese tourists, it seemed like mostly local families with kids. Most of the ~80 minutes was spent going farther out into the sea and then back again, but we were lucky enough to see a large pod of dolphins. There must have been at least 20 all swimming together very close to the boat. Unfortunately we didn't get to spend much time with them as we had to get back to port, but it was still an incredible experience. Summer is apparently the best time to spot dolphins, though, so I wonder what the average experience is like at other times of the year.
• Lunch at nearby Kiyoka. This felt like a hidden gem and was probably my favorite meal of the trip. Unassuming building but we strolled in without a reservation and were shown to a private tatami room. Felt very traditional, the waitresses even do the thing where they kneel before opening the sliding door, and the menu consisted of those set meals where there's like a sampling of twenty different things. I got the "Ladies' Set" (around 2000 yen and you don't have to be a lady lol) which had nigiri (tuna, shrimp, egg), sashimi (octopus, salmon, hamo, etc.), dengaku (my favorite), and more.
• Visit to the Arima Christian Heritage Museum, a modest local place exhibiting the history of Christianity in Japan in connection with the local warlord Arima Harunobu, one of the daimyo converts, and Hara Castle, the site of a bloody 1637 rebellion where many of the rebels were Christians. I don't remember there being any English. They were selling products from local businesses, and we got some neat biscuits supposedly made according to a traditional recipe from Santa Maria Island in the Azores that the Portuguese missionaries brought over.
• Drove over to the Hara Castle Ruins but it seemed like there wasn't much to see and it was sweltering, so decided to just head back to Nagasaki. Stopped in Obama again, this time for delicious sorbet at R cinq famille.
• Casual dinner at Asa made Udon. Nothing special but we got to try Gotо̄ udon (hailing from the nearby Gotо̄ Islands), which is much thinner than your typical Sanuki udon.

Day 3 (Random City Stuff)

• Ate breakfast at Cafe Hirai, an atmospheric little cafe serving hot sandwiches. I think I had the egg sandwich with a banana soy milk drink, both of which were good. One of the few non-fast food joints open early.
• Spent a couple hours in Dejima, the artificial island where all the Dutch traders were sequestered during the Edo period. It's now a sort of historical park with recreated buildings and plenty of informative exhibits. We did an hour-long guided tour (free). The guide was clearly pretty new and wasn't the best public speaker, but he was doing his best so I didn't mind. As a history nerd I could've easily spent more time there, but my friend had a work thing so before splitting up we grabbed Chinese for lunch at Red Lantern inside the Dejima Wharf building. They of course had champon but I opted for congee, which was not bad.
• On my own, I headed to О̄ura Cathedral, one of the first churches built as Japan was opening up to the West and the oldest one still standing. There's not much to do inside the actual building but admire the architecture and listen to the spiel playing on the speakers (in Japanese). Most of your time will be spent in the adjacent museum introducing the history of Christianity in Japan. Of the three Christianity-related museums I visited, this one had the most noticeable Christian bent, whereas the other two had more of a neutral historical perspective.
• Walked around the nearby Glover Garden, where you can tour the historic homes of prominent foreigners from the late 1800s. To be honest I thought this along with the О̄ura Cathedral were skippable unless you have a particular interest in either, though admittedly I didn't go through the garden too thoroughly as it was very hot.
• Cooled off in my hotel before heading towa...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/kei2025 on 2025-08-30 15:45:29+00:00.

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During my solo trip to Nagano, I had the chance to stay at a shukubo (temple lodging) right next to Zenkoji, one of Japan’s most historically significant Buddhist temples – and it turned out to be the highlight of my entire trip.

About Zenkoji

Zenkoji Temple was founded in the 7th century, making it over 1,400 years old. It’s considered one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Japan, as it enshrines the first Buddhist statue ever brought into the country.

Uniquely, Zenkoji is not affiliated with any specific Buddhist sect, making it open to everyone – regardless of religious background. Millions of visitors come each year to walk its sacred grounds, seek spiritual clarity, or simply experience its powerful presence.

One of its most famous features is the okaidan meguri, a pitch-dark underground passage under the main hall. You walk in complete darkness, searching for a hidden key that symbolizes enlightenment. It’s surprisingly intense and symbolic. 　 Staying at a Shukubo

Rather than booking a hotel, I opted to stay at one of the shukubo lodgings run by the temple community. It felt like stepping into a different era.

Here’s what the experience was like: •The setting: As I arrived just before sunset, the sound of temple bells echoed through the quiet streets. The air smelled faintly of incense. Everything felt calm, timeless. •The room: Tatami mats, sliding shoji doors, no television or distractions. Minimalist but deeply relaxing. •Dinner: I was served shojin ryori (traditional Buddhist vegan cuisine). No meat, no garlic or onions – but the flavors were delicate and profound. Honestly, it was one of the best meals I had in Japan. •Morning ceremony: At 5:30am, I joined the monks in their morning chanting ritual inside the main hall. The sound of sutras being chanted in unison while candlelight flickered in the background—it was one of the most moving experiences of my trip. •People: The staff (often monks or temple caretakers) were incredibly kind and welcoming. Despite my limited Japanese, they made everything easy and memorable.

Final Thoughts This wasn’t just a place to sleep – it was a deeply spiritual and peaceful experience.

In the middle of a fast-paced trip, this night felt like hitting pause. I walked away feeling lighter, clearer, and more grounded. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for something more meaningful than just sightseeing. 　 Would you ever stay in a temple like this? Or have you tried one in another part of Japan?

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/2ndFloosh on 2025-08-28 05:02:15+00:00.

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This is my late-40s bucket list trip. I'm traveling solo. Kinda want to check out the deer park but not sure what to squeeze out or if I can fit it in somewhere. All feedback is welcome.

10/29: check-in Nihonbashi. Hit up 7-11.

10/30: ~~Mt. Fuji tour.~~ Check out Imperial Palace grounds early morning; Tsukiji market tour; TeamLabs Planets

10/31: Tokyo Ramen Festa; Shinjuku: Metro Gov't Building, Shinjuku Chuo Park, Bic/Yodobashi camera, Don Quijote, Godzilla Head

11/1: TeamLabs Borderless, Kagurazaka Machi Tobi Festa, Tsuchiura All Japan Fireworks Competition.

11/2: Nikko, Kegon Waterfall, & Chuzenji Lake tour

11/3: travel day to Osaka. Check-in, Dotonburi

11/4: shopping day: Hands, Den Den Town, Tenjinbashisuji shipping street

11/5: Namba Yasaka shrine, laundry, Kaiyukan Aquarium, chillax

11/6: Umeda sky building, Koji Kimutani Tenku Art Museum, America-mura

11/7: Nara park, Travel day to Kyoto, chillax

11/8: teamLab Biovortex, Arashiyama Bamboo Forest/Monkey Park

11/9: Amanohashidate & Ine Funaya tour

11/10: Kiyomizu-dera, travel day to Tokyo. Ginza: Seiko museum

11/11: Nakano Broadway watch shopping; Akihabara

11/12: Travel home

Edited 10/30 & 11/7.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/rcecap on 2025-08-26 17:13:38+00:00.

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We just returned from a 3.5 week trip from mid-July to mid-August that started in Kyoto and ended in Tokyo. Since we have been to Japan before, we decided to focus on off-the-beaten-path destinations in the central Honshu / Japanese Alps between Tokyo and Kyoto.

Each of these central Honshu destinations are historic towns with authentic experiences around culture, scenery, food and nature that were unique contrasts to those we’ve experienced previously in the Golden Route cities.

Our itinerary was as follows:

1. Fly into KIX (Osaka)
2. Kyoto, with day trips to Nara, Asuka and Uji (7 nights total)
3. Nakatsugawa as a base for Kiso Valley highlights: Nakansendo Trail and Atera Valley (3 nights)
4. Matsumoto (3 nights)
5. Hirayu Onsen, with Kamikochi day (1 night)
6. Takayama (3 nights)
7. Shirakawa-go (day trip going from Takayama to Kanazawa)
8. Kanazawa (3 nights)
9. Nagano (2 nights)
10. Tokyo (2 nights) , Fly out of NRT

• ⁠Kyoto: I have been twice before while it was first time for my family. We focused on key highlights by area:

• East side: Philosopher's Path to Kiyomizu-dera
• Northwest: Kinkakuji and Ryoanji
• Northeast: Kurama-dera hike to Kifune Shrine
• West: Arashiyama full day, with a stop at Koryuji, the oldest temple in Kyoto which displays National Treasure No. 1 Bodhisattva statue

Also had a great time exploring different neighborhoods, local restaurants and Kamo river by bike, which is one of the best ways to explore the city.

Kyoto’s famed Gion Festival was also in full swing towards last few weeks of July, so we saw giant traditional floats and locals in mini-parades going through main streets.

Overnight / Day Trips from Kyoto:

Nara (overnight trip): We were impressed with Horyuji, the oldest extant wooden building complex in the world and a UNESCO world heritage site. We also explored the Nara Deer Park area.

Asuka: was an amazing day exploring rural landscapes (“My Neighbor Totoro” style) which I wrote about in a separate post (please check my profile).

Uji: Enjoyed matcha tasting, bought some high quality Uji matcha, and explored Byodo-in, one of Japan’s most scenic temples that is on the 10 yen coin (and you can also see the replica temple in Oahu, Hawaii). We also caught a riverside demonstration of nighttime cormorant fishing using live fire.

Kiso Valley Highlights:

From Kyoto, we traveled to Nakatsugawa, a compact town that is a great base for day trips to two Kiso Valley highlights below:

• ⁠Nakasendo Trail between Magome and Tsumago (day trip): I did a separate post about this iconic section of the Edo-era route (check my profile). This route connects two of the most beautiful Edo-period post towns Magome-juku and Tsumago-juku and was used by feudal lords and their entourage, merchants, pilgrims and travelers during 1600s-1870s.

From Nakatsugawa, we took a 25 min. bus ride to Magome-juku, which we explored and where we ate local soba for lunch. We then had an amazing three hour hike, passing through majestic cedar forests, waterfalls and beautiful rice paddies. We explored Tsumago briefly, then took a short bus ride to Nagiso Station, then returned by train to our hotel in Nakatsugawa.

• ⁠Atera Valley (day trip): We had an awesome day exploring what the Japanese call “Atera Blue” -- stunning turquoise blue, emerald green swimming holes along a crystal clear river. We spent the full day exploring this river, stopping at various spots to swim, dive, and just soak in the spectacular scenery in cool, lush surroundings. You can see some of my pictures from this day in a separate post (check my profile).

From Nakatsugawa, we took the train north to Matsumoto where we stayed 3 nights:

• ⁠Matsumoto: This is a charming, compact town famous for a beautifully preserved castle with original interior (unique as many castles have refurbished modern interiors). We really loved this "human scale" town with its super chill, local vibe and great museums including art from Matsumoto-born Yayoi Kusama.

From Matsumoto, we took the reserved bus further into the Japanese Alps for Hirayu Onsen and Kamikochi:

• ⁠Hirayu Onsen: Located halfway between Matsumoto and Takayama, Hirayu Onsen is one of many onsen villages that comprise the Okuhida Onsen area, known for open air hot springs with mountain/river views. We stayed at a nice historic ryokan that had several open air hot springs baths, a multi-course kaiseki dinner featuring local Hida wagyu cooked over irori fire pits, and an amazing breakfast. This is a good spot to overnight before/after Kamikochi visit.

• ⁠Kamikochi (day trip): After checking out of our ryokan, we went to the Hirayu Onsen bus depot, where you can catch the buses to Kamikochi, considered one of Japan’s most beautiful nature spots. This is a stunning alpine valley in the Japanese Alps, and it was a perfect easy hike / walking day in a spectacular nature setting. You can also visit Kamikochi as a day trip from either Matsumoto or Takayama, (or on your way between these towns).

At the end of the Kamikochi day, we took the bus to Takayama, where we stayed 3 nights:

• ⁠Takayama: This is a picturesque Edo-era mountain town. When we arrived, there was a weekend night market, live music performances on the street, and fireworks, so it was quite nice to join the locals who were out and about enjoying themselves. We loved biking around the traditional wooden merchant houses, checking out morning markets, and visiting Hida folk village. The main river that runs through the town is filled with carp, a beautiful scene. We also ate Hida wagyu, the local beef that this region (Hida) is famous for.

• Hida Furukawa (half day trip): A pleasant half day to a small town north of Takayama which is known for carp-filled canals, sake breweries, and as the inspiration for the fictional town in the hit anime movie Your Name (君の名は, Kimi no Na wa).

From Takayama, we headed to Kanazawa via a day trip to Shirakawa-go:

• ⁠Shirakawa-go (day trip): This is a super scenic Hida mountain village (UNESCO world heritage) famed for iconic gassho-zukuri farmhouses found in the Hida region. This village is beautiful in all seasons, particularly in winter when it is decked out in snow. This village can be done as a day trip from either (or between) Kanazawa and Takayama, 1-1.5 hr bus ride each way.

After your day trip to Shirakawa-go, you can continue by bus to Kanazawa:

• ⁠Kanazawa is a special town that rivaled Kyoto and Edo (Tokyo) as a cultural hub during Edo period as the base of the Maeda clan, the second most powerful after the ruling Tokugawa clan.

We visited the stunning Kenrokuen, one of Japan’s “three most beautiful gardens”; explored the castle complex, samurai villas and geisha chaya district, and also checked out some great modern museums (21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art and DT Suzuki museum). You can also shop for traditional crafts among numerous shops in Kanazawa. We also had amazing seafood and Omicho market in a good spot to try them.

From Kanazawa, we took the Shinkansen clockwise to Nagano, taking a bit over an hour.

• ⁠Nagano: We visited the historic Zenkoji temple, around which the city of Nagao grew. There is a great shopping / dining street that leads up to the temple. We bought a variety of shichimi spices from the famous Yawataya Isogoro shop, which has been selling their shichimi here since 1736. We also had a great day trip to Togakushi Shrine, a mountain area with truly majestic cedar-lined pilgrimage road that links 3 key shrines associated with earliest Japanese mythologies. We had a great lunch at a local soba restaurant and spend our day leisurely hiking in the cool forest paths. There is a Ninja museum as well, although we did not have time to visit this.

From Nagano, we headed to Tokyo by 1.5 hr Shinkansen.

• ⁠Tokyo: We have visited Tokyo many times, so we only spent 2 nights before our flight out. We enjoyed sushi omakase, explored the neighborhoods around Nippori Station, teamlabs Borderless and Tokyo National Museum. We had an amazing Anago lunch set at a restaurant called Anago Tamai (Nihonbashi main branch) before our train to Narita airport.

*****Japan Tips & Recommendations*****

I will skip the usual stuff about adding Suica to your phone, etc. and add some nuance:

Tip #1: It’s essential to “go with the flow” of existing train/bus routes when planning itineraries. Avoid trying to do crazy connections that will require multiple transfers and eat up most of your valuable travel day, e.g. "I want to go from Takayama to Nakasendo Trail". These spots look relatively close on a map, but they are actually separated by towering Japanese Alps mountains which means you’d need to do a big V route along train lines that only radiate out from Nagoya.

Similarly, Matsumoto could be 3-6 hours from Tokyo by car or train/bus combo, but only 2 hrs and 20 min if you go via Nagano (due to Shinkansen from Tokyo). So it would only be natural to consider adding Nagano in your itinerary even if you were just interested in Matsumoto for Kamikochi at first.

Tip #1a: Use japan-guide.com and check "Get There" section -- this lists all the usual logistics options to access and get around any given location.

*Tip #1b...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/manicpoopycumgir on 2025-08-27 05:32:23+00:00.

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my boyfriend and I just spent two weeks (12 full days of exploration, considering the travel time) in tokyo and osaka. we also did a day trip to kyoto, which was lovely. after visiting, i wanted to post about my experiences in hopes of providing some insight for those of you looking to travel to japan in the future! at the end of the post, i’ll include a day-to-day itinerary of our adventures. we did minimal planning, just general cultural research in preparation.

we stayed at the hotel metropolitan edmont in iidabashi in tokyo. this hotel was downright lovely. it was affordable, but so nice. iidabashi is a super quiet neighborhood, so if you’re looking to be in the middle of the action, i don’t recommend, but it suited us well. lots of eateries and train stations close by. we were more central in osaka, at the luxcare hotel in tenmabashi. definitely a different vibe from our tokyo hotel, but still good. the location was super convenient overall.

we took the metro absolutely everywhere. for context, i lived in nyc and have used the metro in various american and european cities, so i felt very confident navigating. the tokyo metro was a breeze imo. super intuitive and easy to use. a suica card is a MUST! it will get you everywhere you need to go - don’t even consider paying for another pass, IC covers it all. the osaka metro was a bit more confusing for us. i think it came down to signage and odd station layouts, but we always figured it out in the end.

it was obviously super hot, as our visit was mid-late august. i do not recommend visiting this time of year, i’ll be honest. we made do - we’re from north carolina so the weather just felt like home, but we spent many afternoon hours in our hotel room and found ourselves ducking into stores to find a respite from the heat. an umbrella, fan, and lots of water are non-negotiables. if you do visit in the summer, rely on museums and other indoor activities to save yourself from the relentless sun, take afternoon siestas, and go out at night.

we did do a day trip in kyoto, and if i were to change one thing, it would be the amount of nights we stayed in osaka. don’t get me wrong, it was a super interesting and much more diverse city (from what i saw) than tokyo, but 7 nights weren’t necessary. i maybe would have opted for 5 and done a couple nights in kyoto. as you’ll see in the itinerary below, we did all the main tourist spots. this was our first visit and they felt obligatory. the next time we visit, we’ll hit smaller, more niche spots. to our credit, we ate at lots of holes in the wall. don’t shy away from eating at local spots!!! ofc keep an eye out for those rare hostile “tourists unwelcome” signs, but in my experience, people are friendly and most restaurants have qr code or tablet ordering.

there was definitely awkwardness and minor faux pas along the way, especially in restaurant settings - i feel like that’s to be expected. we occasionally leaned on google translate but overall we were able to communicate without issue, regardless of language barriers. an example of faux pas on our parts: we often like to grab a snack between meals and share something, especially when it’s a new food item we’ve never tried before. we didn’t realize until the end of our trip that it’s considered rude to order one plate for two people. we were corrected by staff and urged to order a second item, and did so without issue. we just didn’t realize this was a thing!

a final note on osaka: sooo many more gaijin/tourists than tokyo. i was not expecting this! europeans were around every corner. i also found myself getting lots of more stares in osaka. i didn’t once notice anyone staring at me in tokyo, but almost from the get-go, i clocked it in osaka. i don’t care to read into why they were staring or what the social context is, i just observed this as a difference between the two cities.

general tips: get international phone service for the month of your visit or an esim - it’s a lifesaver. don’t get too attached to your plans and account for a rest day / a nap here and there. a suica/ic card is 100% necessary. always carry cash - you may end up using your credit card a lot, but carry it anyway. learn the basic phrases (arigatōgozaimasu, sumimasen, gomen nasai) - they will take you far. look up restaurant etiquette. be mindful of social norms and be quiet in public (there are exceptions like izakayas, but i’m talking about public transit and the average restaurant).

day 1 - 7-11 and jet lag. we landed around 9 the night before, got our hotel, and tried to sleep, but made the mistake of sleeping on the plane. if you land in the evening, try to stick it out and stay away. i was a mess this day and got actually sick. a mid-afternoon bath rejuvenated me and we ventured back out in the evening for a gyoza dinner.

day 2 - explored the imperial palace grounds and went to akihabara in the evening. visited the 10-story yodobashi camera and super potato. conveyor belt sushi for dinner.

day 3 - shibuya - record shopping, many stores, and the hachiko statue. shinjuku - kabukicho and golden gai. we went into an empty bar on a corner with no cover charge and ¥700 drinks. the man running the place played us guitar and gave me a cigarette. indian for lunch. yakitori for dinner.

day 4 - senso-ji temple and karaoke. dinner at an izakaya.

day 5 - last day in tokyo. back to shinjuku. art museum, views from the government building, and a rest in chuo park. korea town and a lovely bonchon dinner. thrifting in harajuku.

day 6 - fly to osaka (we probably could have taken a bus or train, but oh well, this worked for us). pizza and a shoeless smoke-friendly izakaya.

day 7 - universal studios.

day 8 - osaka castle (but i lowkey overheated so we didn’t stick around long). dontonbori. takoyaki and okonamiyaki for dinner. drinks and cigs by the water.

day 9 - kyoto. temples, views, markets. sushi and green tea ice cream for lunch. burger king for dinner LOL.

day 10 - history museum. beef bowls, unagi, and natto for lunch. shinsekai - rainy and so hot / humid i almost crashed out. sichuan noodles and a shared kebab for dinner.

day 11 - private hot spring at an onsen (this ran us ¥7,200. pricier than a normal onsen, but i have tattoos and we didn’t want to be separated for the experience). yakiniku for lunch. izakaya hopping in the evening.

day 12 - last day. taiwanese breakfast. kaiyukan, ferris wheel, more okonomiyaki. early night and home the next day!

if you want any specifics or recommendations, feel free to ask in the comments! the post was long enough so i limited myself lol.

thanks for reading :-)

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/propenal on 2025-08-25 02:29:04+00:00.

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After reading this entire subreddit and watching (almost) every Youtube video on Japan walking tours, my wife and I spent an amazing 3 weeks in Japan in May 2025. Stop scrolling and use this itinerary for your own walking tour.

Shinjuku City, Tokyo:  Beautiful city. Highlights include an early morning walk through Meiji Jingu and Yoyogi Park, in one of the most pedestrian-friendly big cities. However, this trip was focused mostly on nature walks so our stay in Tokyo was short.

Hakone:  We took the Romance Car from Tokyo to Hakone and spent an amazing two nights at a historic Ryokan. Highlights include the very quiet evenings, Gora Park, the Open Air Museum, and a very early morning walk in Onshi-Hakone Park to view Mt Fuji, before taking the touristy Pirate Ship, and Ropeway (which were fabulous). For being super touristy, this place was gorgeous. We used the gender-separated public onsen, which was amazing.

Nakasendo Trail:  We spent 4 days walking between post towns Nakasugawa, Magome, Tsumago, Nagiso, Kiso-Fukushima, and Narai. The forest walks and waterfalls were spectacular, but the best views were near the small villages surrounded by rice fields and the beautiful Japanese countryside. Typical morning walks were only 4-5 hours, with slow lunches, and a soak in the onsen after a quiet dinner. We packed very light for this trip and had no trouble with our 12lb day packs. The trails were very quiet, and food and drink options were plentiful with a bit of planning.

Kanazawa: One of the prettiest gardens in all of Japan is Kenrokuen and we walked every part of that garden. This was a large city, and so our stay was short.

Kyoto: We spent 4 days in Kyoto, and for being a large city it was incredible. A top highlight was a quiet bike ride right along the Kamo River to the botanical garden…, one of our favorite bike rides anywhere, and eating lunch at the very busy Nishiki Market. We walked through a dozen amazing gardens, parks, and shrines, and enjoyed  delicious food at many small restaurants.

Kumono Kodo: We spent 5 days on a 75 km pilgrimage walk on a gorgeous forest path, walking between very old moss-covered shrines and quiet mountain streams. Reservations are organized by the Tanabe City Kumono Tourism Bureau, and you must plan many months in advance in order to choose the best locations right near the trail. If you want to be surrounded by some of the best scenery in rural Japan, start planning your trip now. All of the Japanese people (and most of the other visitors) we met along the way were friendly, happy, and kind. We took a few wrong turns, hiked in a downpour, and once had trouble finding an ATM, but enjoyed every minute of it! Thanks Reddit.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/cjbri4 on 2025-08-24 10:10:00+00:00.

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Day 1 - Land at Narita get to hotel Day 2- Shibuya crossing, senso-Ji temple, shopping Day 3- Disneyland Day 4- Teamlabs borderless and planets and Tokyo sky tree Day 5 - day trip to Mount Fuji Day 6- free day in Tokyo for walking around/shopping, imperial palace, maybe hop on hop off bus Day 7- Train to Kyoto Day 8 - arashiyama bamboo grove, fushimi inari shrine, maybe kiyomizu dera Day 9- day trip to nara, todai Ji and nara park Day 10- train to Osaka, Osaka castle Day 11- world expo and shopping Day 12 - universal studios Day 13 - umeda sky building/free time Day 14- fly out of Osaka (late flight so time to do things during the day)

What is this itinerary missing in your opinion? Is there anything not worth doing? My partner is also pregnant or we’d probably have a more intensive itinerary to cover a lot more

Thank you in advance for any suggestions or opinions

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/APauloRTS98 on 2025-08-18 16:43:07+00:00.

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Hi everyone! Please prepare yourselves for a long read!

After 10 years of dreaming, my girlfriend and I are finally planning our dream fall trip to Japan, and we’d love your feedback on our itinerary! We’ll be there for 22 full days between late October and early November (not counting arrival and departure days).

We’ve spent the last four months planning and have booked all accommodations via Agoda (with flexible cancellation), so we can still tweak plans based on your tips. The itinerary focuses on minimizing travel time while still letting us experience a wide variety of places.

WARNING: This itinerary was NOT generated on Chat-GPT or any other AI model but I did use them to help me write this post!

About Us:

• Age & fitness: Both in our mid-twenties, in decent shape, and love walking.
• Pace: We want a balance between packed sightseeing and slower, more relaxing days. We don’t mind early mornings, but we’re not aiming to wake up at dawn (5:00/6:00) every day.
• Japan experience: First visit! We want to see the major sights but are happy to skip overrated spots for hidden gems.
• Budget: €3,500–4,000 each. Happy to splurge on experiences that are worth it, but aiming to stay under budget.

Priorities & Interests:

Nature & Scenery

• Want to visit a mountain region, a coastal town or beach, and at least one waterfall.
• Mt. Fuji is a dream of ours and a priority while in the area.
• Want to see peak autumn foliage if possible.

Culture & History

• Want to visit 1-2 Castles (Preferably in their original state).
• Want to visit temples that feel unique in setting, architecture, or atmosphere.
• We love museums and unique art.

Personal Interests

• I’m fascinated by samurai history, and enjoy anime & video games.
• My girlfriend loves shopping, especially for personalized & unique souvenirs.

Food

• We love trying a wide variety of local dishes, often splitting meals to try more without getting full too fast.
• We have liked every single Japanese dish we have tried to date.
• My girlfriend can't handle spicy food.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————

So, with all that in mind, here’s our itinerary:

Arrival – Monday: Kansai Airport → Osaka

• Arrive Kansai Airport (15:50) → Immigration via QR code → Withdraw money from ATM (Revolut/Wise)
• Train to Tennoji → Hotel check-in next to Tennoji Station
• Depending on energy:
  • If tired, quick dinner & sleep right away
  • OR Visit Abeno Harukas (21:30 last entry) for sunset/night view
  • &/OR Walk to Shinsekai for dinner/light exploring

Day 1 – Tuesday: Osaka

• Metro to Daikokucho → Visit Namba Yasaka Jinja (6:00 opening time)
• Walk Namba Parks → Nipponbashi Denden Town → Kuromon Market (food)
• Metro to Nippombashi → Explore Nakanoshima Park: Children’s Book Forest, Rose Garden & Central Public Hall
• Metro to Shinsaibashi → Explore Shinsaibashisuji & Amerika-mura
• Explore Dotonbori, Hozenji Yokocho & visit Hozenji Temple
• Metro to Tennoji → Back to hotel

Day 2 – Wednesday: Katsuoji Temple & Minoh Falls

• Wake up early (~7:00)
• Metro to Minoh-Kayano → Bus to Katsuo-ji Temple (8:00 opening) → Visit temple
• Taxi/Uber to Minoh Falls → Explore falls & hike down to Mino-o Station
• Train to Ishibashi Handai-Mae → Train to Osaka-Umeda → Metro to Tennoji → Back to hotel

Day 3 – Thursday: Osaka

• Metro to Tanimachi Yonchōme → Explore Osaka Castle area
• Metro to Nakazakichō → Explore Nakazakicho neighborhood
• Walk to Osaka Station City and explore: Ghibli Store, Pokémon Center, Nintendo Osaka & Grand Green Osaka (Optional: Visit Umeda Sky Building & Koji Kinutani Tenku Art Museum)
• Train to Bentencho → Metro to Osakako → Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan (17:30 entry) → Ride Tempozan Ferris Wheel (21:30 last entry)
• Metro to Bentencho → Train to Tennoji → Back to hotel

IMPORTANT: Our plan is to buy the JR Kansai + Hiroshima Pass for the next 5 day stretch of the trip.

Day 4 – Friday: Nara

• Wake up early (~7:00)
• Train to Tsuruhashi → Train to Kintetsu-Nara → Explore Sanjo Dori Street (Most shops open at 10:00, try mochi at Nakatanidou)
• Walk around exploring Nara Park: Kofukuji, Yoshikien, Isuien, Todaiji (7:30 opening, visit main hall & Nigatsudo/Sangatsudo), Tamukeyama Hachimangu, Kasuga-taisha & hike Wakakusayama Hill (sunset)
• Train to Tsuruhashi → Train to Tennoji → Back to hotel

Day 5 – Saturday: Himeji & Kurashiki

• Wake up early (~7:00)
• Metro to Shin-Osaka → Shinkansen to Himeji → Visit Himeji Castle (9:00 opening) & Kokoen Garden
• Shinkansen to Okayama → Train to Kurashiki → Explore Kurashiki Bikan Quarter: Ohara Art Museum, other museums, shops & do a canal boat ride
• Train to Okayama → Shinkansen to Hiroshima → Hotel check-in next to Hiroshima Station

Day 6 – Sunday: Miyajima

• Wake up early (~4:30)
• Train to Miyajimaguchi → Ferry to Miyajima (First departure at 6:25)
• Visit Itsukushima Shrine (6:30 opening) → Explore Momijidani Park → Ropeway to Mount Misen → Hike down through Daisho-in Temple
• Ferry to Miyajimaguchi → Train to Hiroshima → Back to hotel

Day 7 – Monday: Hiroshima

• Walk to Inarimachi Station Shrine → Tram to Genbaku Dome-Mae → Visit Peace Memorial Park & Museum
• Free/optional exploration: Orizuru Tower, Art Museum, Hiroshima Castle, Shukkeien Garden & Toshogu Shrine (close to Hiroshima Station)
• Back to hotel

Day 8 – Tuesday: Kyoto

• Wake up early (~8:00)
• Shinkansen to Kyoto → Leave bags at hotel next to Kyoto Station & early check-in (if possible)
• Visit Kyo-o-gokoku-ji, Nishi & Higashi Honganji, Sanjūsangen-dō (16:30 last entry) & Shorinji Temple → If still not tired also visit Tofukuji Temple & Komyo-in
• Back to hotel

Day 9 – Wednesday: Kyoto

• Wake up early (~4:30)
• Bus to Kiyomizu-michi → Visit Kiyomizu-dera (6:00 opening)
• Explore Sannenzaka & Ninenzaka → Glanta Custom Ring Workshop (reservation required 2 months in advance)
• Visit Yasaka Koshin-do, Kodaiji, Kenninji & Yasaka Jinja
• Explore Hanamikoji Street & Pontocho Alley
• Bus to Shiokoji Takakura → Back to hotel

Day 10 – Thursday: Kyoto

• Wake up early (~7:30)
• Train to Saga-Arashiyama → Taxi/Uber to Otagi Nenbutsuji → Visit Otagi Nenbutsuji (9:00 opening) & Adashino Nenbutsuji
• Walk down Saga Toriimoto Street → Arashiyama Bamboo Forest → Tenryuji Temple
• Boat ride on Katsura River → Walk Togetsukyo Bridge → Hike Arashiyama Monkey Park
• Train to Kyoto Station → Back to hotel

Day 11 – Friday: Kyoto + Uji

• Wake up early (~5:30)
• Train to Inari → Hike Fushimi Inari
• Train to Uji → Visit Uji Bridge, Byodo-in, To-no-shima Island, Kosho-ji, Uji Shrine & Ujigami Shrine
• Train to Kyoto Station → Back to hotel

Day 12 – Saturday: Kyoto

• Wake up early (~7:00)
• Bus to Kinkakuji-michi → Visit Kinkakuji Temple (9:00 opening)
• Bus to Okazaki Jinja-mae → Visit Okazaki Jinja
• Bus to Ginkakuji-michi → Visit Ginkaku-ji
• Walk Philosopher’s Path → Visit Zenrinji, Nanzenji & Tenjuan → Finish at Keage Incline
• Metro to Karasuma Oike → Metro to Kyoto Station → Back to hotel

Day 13 – Sunday: Hakone

• Shinkansen to Odawara → Train to Hakone-Yumoto → Ryokan check-in
• Visit Fukazawa Zeniarai Benzaiten Shrine → Relax at private onsen (Reservation required)
• Private kaiseki dinner at 18:30

Day 14 – Monday: Hakone

• Wake up early (depending on breakfast schedules)
• Bus to Hakone-jinja-iriguchi → Visit Hakone Shrine
• Explore Narukawa Art Museum, Old Tōkaidō Road, Onshi Hakone Park & Hakone Checkpoint
• Pirate Boat to Togendai → Ropeway to Owakudani → Explore & eat black egg
• Ropeway to Sounzan → Cable Car to Gora → Explore Gora: Hakone Museum of Art, Gora Park, Museum of Photography, Open-Air Museum (Choose on the day)
• Train to Hakone-Yumoto → Train to Odawara → Train to Ofuna → Train to Kamakura → Hotel check-in next to Kamakura Station (Last check-in at 00:00)

Day 15 – Tuesday: Kamakura

• Wake up early (~7:00)
• Train to Hase → Visit Hase-dera (8:00 opening) & Kotoku-in (8:00 opening)
• Depending on energy (1 option):
  • Taxi/Uber to Sasuke Inari OR Zeniarai Benten
  • OR Train to Kamakura
• Lunch at Komachi-Dori
• Depending on energy and how much time we have until sunset (1 option or none):
  • Train to Kita-Kamakura → Walk down to Meigetsu-in and visit temples and shrines on the way down
  • Bus to Jomyoji → Visit Hokokuji Temple
• Visit Tsurugaoka Hachimangu → Walk Danzakura → Yuigahama Beach for sunset (16:38)
• Train to Shinjuku → Train to Mejiro → Hotel check-in next to Mejiro Station

Day 16 – Wednesday: Tokyo

• Train to Yoyogi → Visit Meiji Shrine (6:10 opening)
• Depending on how tired we are (1/2 options or none):
  • Explore Harajuku (Takeshita Street & Togo Shrine)
  • Explore Yoyogi Park
  • Explore Omotesando (Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Omokado Mirror Entrance, Espace LV, Zenkoji Temple & Cat Street next to Gyra)
• Explore Shibuya: Shibuya Crossing, Miyashita Park & Hachiko Statue → Visit Shibuya Sky → Shibuya Nonbei Yokocho
• Train to Shinjuku → Light shows at Tokyo Metropolitan Government → Explore Shinjuku: Kabukicho, Omoide Yokocho, Golden Gai, Hanazono Shrine & Godzilla Head
• Train to Mejiro → Return to hotel

Day 17 – Thursday: Tokyo

• Train to Ebisu → Metro to Naka-Meguro Breakfast → Starbucks Reserve Roastery (7:00
• opening)
• Walk along Meguro River → Visit Daikanyama T-Site, Kyu Asakura House & Teien Art Museum (17:00 last entry) → Dinner a...

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Content cut off. Read original on https://old.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/1mtrb7u/dream_trip_itinerary_22_full_days_in_japan_2025/

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/WWBSkywalker on 2025-08-18 04:13:37+00:00.

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While planning for our own 3-week Jul 25 Japan trip recently, I found many of the commentary and advice from this reddit chain useful, so this is just my own contribution back as a travel report.

I’m a bit of a travel planning junkie so I wrote a 10,000 plus word trip record and kept a record of all spending transactions for this entire trip because I’m crazy - so I have a lot of details around the trip recorded. We travelled with a group of 70s, 50s and 20s. We stayed in AirBnb in Tokyo and Osaka mainly because we find that our AirBnb fitted our needs better than hotels as a large group of various age groups. We travel on a good value budget basis.

I am happy to answer any follow up questions.  Here’s our itinerary

Day 1 Arrival - Arrived Sat night into Narita, used an airport transfer, and checked into our AirBnb

Day 2 Asakusa – Dressed up for some folks, hung around Asakusa, attended the Tanabata (star festival) street festival on Kappanboshi street. Rested in the afternoon. Attended the Samurai Ninja Museum and shopped around Asakusa in the late evening.

Day 3 Harajuku & Shibuya - mainly shopping and visited the Cat alley

Day 4 Pokemon Café and Ginza - best way to get reservations to Pokemon Café turned out to be to check the night before at between 8.00 pm to 10.00 pm which we successfully did. This was only Japanese activity I failed to get a way advanced reservation despite actively trying before we arrive in Japan. Shopped in Ginza for clothing at Uniqlo flagship etc.

Day 5 Ghibli Museum – travelled to Shirohige's Cream Puff Factory to get Ghibli theme food to set the mood and then to Ghibli Museum for noon entry. Izakaya dinner for everyone.

Day 6 Akihabara and Ikebukuro– rest day for some, rest did cosplay and anime shopping at Akihabara and Ikebukuro.

Day 7 Enoshima & Kamakura – booked a day trip to Enoshima and Kamakura. At Enoshima, we visited the Imaya caves, then took the tram to Komachi Street. Visited the Tsurugaoka Hachmangu shrine and the Giant Buddha at Kamakura too.

Day 8 TeamLabs – visited the Team Labs Borderless in the morning and spent some time at Aazbudai Hills food market and finished some late shopping in Akihabara.

Day 9 Travel to Osaka – took the Shinkansen to Osaka and then checked into our AirBnb. Visited the Kuromon market and then had dinner at Shinsekai

Day 10 Osaka – visited the Lion Head Namba Jika shrine, walked through the Namba area to get some food including the Rikuro cheesecake. Visited the Hezon-ji Temple before having a street food lunch at the Dontobori area, including taking photos of the Glico Man in a dedicated area. Then headed north to Americura for some second hand clothing shopping (a standout activity in Japan). Had the famous ice cream hot dog which was very above expectation. Ended at Pokemon Osaka in Shinsaibashi and then back to the AirbnB

Day 11 Kyoto & Arashiyama – took an early local train to Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. Then climbed the Arashiyama Monkey Park before having lunch at the Arashiyama Rilakkuma Café. Took cabs to Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion). Then took cabs to our hotel in Kyoto for our 2 night stay. Attended the evening performance at Gion Corner.

Day 12 Kyoto – after breakfast headed to Kiyomizu-dera. Then walked to Kodai-ji temple. Next walked past the Maruyama Park before ending up at Yasaka temple. We then had lunch, visited the Nisihiki market, had a brief stop at Pokemon Kyoto and finally visited the Museum of Kyoto. For dinner we visited the food street market for Gion Matsuri (the Kyoto Summer festival).

Day 13 Kyoto – attended the Gion Matsuri parade though it rained heavily all day which dampened down the festivities. After lunch we took the local train back to our Airbnb in Osaka.

Day 14 Osaka Expo Day – We planned and scenario built Osaka Expo extensively via Excel of course, it’s not an activity I would recommend to just rock up without planning. We left early to get to our 9.00 am entry, but only managed to get in around 9.40 am. For myself I ended up doing this in sequence (with no real successful reservations that day). Japan Pavilion –> German Pavilion -> South Korean Pavilion -> Singapore Pavilion -> Hungary Pavilion -> Oman Pavilion -> Qatar Pavilion -> UAE Pavilion -> Day Time Water Show -> Future City Pavilion -> Spain Pavilion -> Earth At Night Pavilion -> Malaysia Pavilion -> Night Water Show -> Drone Show -> Swiss Pavilion. Some of our group did less, one of our group did 5+ more. Main ones I did different from the others were the Australia Pavilion and the China Pavilion, while I tried 3-4 times unsuccessfully to get same day reservations at kiosk.

Day 15 Nara – Slower pace day to recover from Osaka Expo Day. Took the train to Nara and visited the Kofuuji Temple and the surrounding complex. Then spend a bit of time at Nara Deer Park feeding the deer. Took a short break at the free Yoshikien Garden before heading to the lantern centric Kasuga Taisha Shrine. We skipped the Todai-ji shrine. Then headed back to the Airbnb.

Day 16 Miyajima & Hiroshima – took the shinkansen to Hiroshima and then the local ferry across to Miyajima island. Walked to the Itsukushima Torii gates (it was low tide), then visited the Daisho-in temple. Got some exclusive Rilakkuma merchandise at the Omotesandō Shopping Street. Then had a Anago lunch with fried oysters. Both Anago (Sea eel) and Oysters are good food to try out at the island. Then took a direct ferry back to Hiroshima and visited the Hiroshima Peace Museum, the Memorial Park and the Dome. Then visited the Pokemon Hiroshima Center at the Hiroshima station before heading back to the Airbnb

Day 17 Ghibli Park Day – took an early Shinkansen to Nagoya and then two local trains Ghibli Park. One of us is a huge studio Ghibli park fan so this was a must do in Japan .We had the premium tickets so did all the park related activity, lots of photos were taken that day – more details can be shared. And then took the long 3 hour journey home when the park is nearly closed. Others who didn’t join us visited the Osaka Castle instead.

Day 18 Himeji & Kobe – we took a Shinkansen to Himeiji Castle and spent a couple of hours there before taking another Shinkansen to Kobe for lunch at the Kobe Steakland. Then we walked around Kobe Chinatown a bit before heading back to Osaka for dinner at the Namba area.

Day 19 Universal Studios Japan – some of us were keen to visit Super Nintendo World, so we left early. Official opening hour that day was 8.30 am but it opened at 8.00 (that's normal and expected) and we ended up at Super Nintendo World by 8.10 am without any Fast pass or the like. The most ambitious of our group managed to get onto the following rides all before 2.00 pm, in roughly this order. Mario Kart -> The Flying Dinosaur (multiple times that day) -> Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey -> Hollywood Dreams -> Jurassic Park -> Jaws -> Minion Mayhem -> Spy X Family XR Ride ->  Flight of the Hippogriff. Basically every thrill ride except for the new Donkey Kong Ride (which had a 3 hour wait time by 8.30 am!). We also did all the decent shows like Waterworld, Dorameon 4D, Sing and the Monster Rock mostly a good choice to hide from the heat. We finished and left the park around 6.00 pm.

Day 20 Osaka -> last full day for us in Osaka, so after we arranged for some luggage to ship to our Tokyo hotel, I ended up at the Shitennoji Temple to get a taste of the Tenjin Matsuri. Also walked the tenshindori-suji arcade shop which had at least a dozen temple carrying parades go through there in preparation of the following day’s proper Matsuri Tenjin which we will miss. Then back to Airbnb for our journey back to Tokyo. Had a sukiyaki dinner.

Day 21 Tokyo -> arrive via Shinkanesen in the morning to check into our Tokyo hotel next to the Tokyo Station. Did some last minute shopping around the area and a sushi dinner.

Day 22 Last day in Japan -> Headed to Ueno to visit the Tokyo National Museum, then off to Narita airport and getting last minute exclusive Pokemons from Narita Airport for our evening flight out of Japan.

This ended our 3 week holiday in Japan. Most days we started early but finished not too late in light of the age and fitness of our group. I built in some flexibility in our schedule (despite what it seems from the itinerary above) and we were not too stressed if we missed out certain activities. We treated the heat in July with respect but it wasn’t an impossible challenge.

If you have any questions or thoughts, I am happy to help and respond to them. Hope you have a great trip in Japan yourselves.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Nizzeyy on 2025-08-17 13:48:26+00:00.

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3-Week Japan Travel Itinerary/Report (May 18 – June 6, 2025)

This May/June, my girlfriend and I traveled through Japan for three weeks together with another couple. I’d love to share our itinerary and travel experiences with you. It’s a fairly factual overview, mainly intended to give a general idea of what there is to do and what is feasible in a day. I don’t review everything in detail, but we honestly enjoyed almost everything—unless I specifically mention otherwise. Feel free to ask about any specific experiences or practical tips, tho!

Day 1 (Sunday, May 18)

• Arrival in Tokyo. Arrival around 2 PM at Narita airport.
• By train and Yamanote line to our apartment in Shinjuku.
• To Senso-ji and the Sanja Matsuri festival in Asakusa. We were lucky to be there exactly on the final day of this annual festival in Tokyo. (Every third weekend of May).
• Ended the evening in Kabukicho/Golden Gai (walking distance from our apartment).

Day 2 (Monday, May 19)

• Meiji shrine + inner garden
• Yoyogi park (We had planned to go there on Saturday or Sunday, as it’s said to be very lively on weekends. Due to a problem with our flight, we only arrived in Tokyo on Sunday afternoon, so that didn’t work out. On Monday the park was very quiet).
• Harajuku (including Takeshita street)
• Shibuya crossing
• Akihabara

Day 3 (Tuesday, May 20)

• Kappabashi dori
• Ueno park
• Ueno Toshogu shrine
• Tokyo national museum
• Shinobazuno pond benten
• Ameyokocho market
• Walk through Nezu and Yanaka (nicely quiet after a day in the crowds).
• Nezu Shrine
• Dinner in Omoide Yokocho

Day 4 (Wednesday, May 21)

• Shinjuku Gyoen
• Yokohama (Minato Mirai and China Town)
• Football match Yokohama F. Marinos – Vissel Kobe

Day 5 (Thursday, May 22)

• Imperial palace / Kokyo gaien
• Tsukiji fish market
• Grand Sumo tournament in the Ryogoku Kokugikan. One of the highlights of the trip. Totally into sumo ever since. See my earlier comment about the experience.
• Tokyo Skytree. One of the few less enjoyable experiences that generally felt a bit like a tourist trap. The view was quite nice, but we were a bit late so it was already getting dark. Also, it was very crowded and we had to wait a long time to get up and especially to get back down.

Day 6 (Friday, May 23)

• Start of a 4-day road trip through the Japanese Alps.
• Arakurayama Sengen Park / Chureito Pagoda. We hoped to see Fuji, but unfortunately it was hidden in the mist so not visible.
• Drove on to Matsumoto. Visit to Matsumoto Castle.
• Stay in a Ryokan hotel with onsen, traditional Kaiseki meal.

Day 7 (Saturday, May 24)

• Hiking in the beautiful Kamikochi (Chubu Sangaku National Park)
• Dinner in Takayama
• Overnight stay in Shirakawa-go

Day 8 (Sunday, May 25)

• Enjoying the beautiful famous houses in Shirakawa-go and the slightly further located Gokayama.
• Continuation of the road trip to Kanazawa, overnight stay in Kanazawa

Day 9 (Monday, May 26)

• Traditional tea ceremony
• Kenroku-garden
• Kanazawa castle
• Final part of road trip from Kanazawa to Kyoto

Day 10 (Tuesday, May 27)

• Arashiyama Bamboo grove. Quite beautiful but small and very crowded. The bamboo forest on Mt. Inari was much more impressive.
• Nishiki market
• Gion (Sannenzaka, Ninenzaka, Yasaka pagoda, Yasaka shrine).
• Fushimi Inari Taisha. We didn’t just stay on the main path but also took the ‘hidden trail’ and we loved it. Very beautiful bamboo forest. At the top of Mount Inari a great view over Kyoto by night.

Day 11 (Tuesday, May 28)

• Nijo castle
• By Shinkansen from Kyoto to Fukuyama and from there a local train to Onomichi. Great to enjoy an ekiben bought at the train station along the way.

Day 12 (Wednesday, May 29)

• Shimanami Kaido! With rented road bikes from Onomichi across islands and bridges through the Seto Inland Sea to Imabari on Shikoku. Very cool for people who enjoy sporty activities like ourselves.

Day 13 (Thursday, May 30)

• Trip from Imabari to Hiroshima
• Peace memorial park / Atomic dome / Peace memorial Hall + museum. Impressive..

Day 14 (Friday, May 31)

• We flew from Hiroshima to Okinawa where we stayed for 3 nights. Unfortunately the weather was disappointing so we didn’t do much there, but we did relax.

Day 17 (Tuesday, June 3)

• Flight from Okinawa to Osaka.
• Baseball match Orix Buffaloes – Hiroshima Carps.

Day 18 (Wednesday, June 4)

• Osaka castle
• Kuromon market
• Shinsekai
• Tsutenkaku Tower
• Dotonbori street

Day 19 (Thursday, June 5)

• Osaka 2025 world expo. See my earlier review.
• ROR comedy club.

Day 20 (Friday, June 6)

• Traditional Bunraku performance at the National Bunraku theatre.
• Return flight from Osaka back home.

General experiences/impressions

An amazing trip through a beautiful and diverse country with rich culture, history, stunning nature, buzzing modern cities, calm parks, beautiful gardens, friendly people and delicious food. Love the food markets, love the konbinis, LOVE the izakayas.

Our travel pace was high and it was definitely not a ‘relax vacation’. But overall it was doable. For fit and active travelers this schedule is feasible, for people who prefer a slower pace it might be (too) intense.

Hopefully this helps you in planning your own trip and feel free to ask me anything you’d like to know!

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Bossball4 on 2025-08-13 13:49:11+00:00.

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With money from my summer internship flooding in, I decided well in advance to see the sakura in April for peak Japan. A full budget breakdown will be at the end including a link to the Spreadsheet I used to track my expenses. This was a solo trip I began planning for 8 months. I tend to overplan before cutting stuff out in the moment. This is going to be very in depth, so strap in and grab some popcorn if you want to tuck in!

Day -1: Flying nonstop MSP to HND was ~$1500 for regular Economy. I have my classic drink order: Woodford Reserve whiskey to sleep lol

Day 0: High Table: Landing in Haneda (HND), it took just 30 minutes from getting off the plane to leaving customs with my backpack and checked luggage. I reserved a 3GB Pocket WiFi from NinjaWiFi like always, which was plenty for solo travelling and using Google Maps every other moment. I used Timeshifter to help minimize my jet lag, which did help!! I also had melatonin with me as well to ensure my best chances of being jet lagged for not that long. I reserved a Gran Class ticket (to be used later) with my JR Rail Pass at the JR East Travel Center, and got some free chopsticks, neat! I wandered around Haneda Airport Garden but wasn’t too impressed.

LODGING, which I booked for my whole March 31 - April 12 stay: Pegasus Hostel. 200 USD total via AirBnB.

While the hostel was a little cramped, and you have to carry luggage up stairs, the in unit (I forgot if it was coin operated) laundry and free WiFi is nice to have, and I was more than happy given how cheap the accommodation was. The receptionist mainly speaks Mandarin, so my Cantonese did not really work, and we made do with English and Google Translate which had no issues. Let me tell ya, this hostel is a sleeper pick location-wise!! You are <5 min away walking from Asakusabashi Station, ONE stop away from Akihabara, ONE train ride to-from HND if you take Keisei thru line to the Asakusa Line, and a more involved walk to Bakurochō Station. There is a FamilyMart and 7-Eleven within a 2 minute walk, along with Naruto Taiyaki Honpo Asakusabashi shop for a nice evening Taiyaki. There is a caveat though, taking the Chuo Line from here is almost always super busy, and the station’s east exit is a little cramped, so I would not recommend it as much if you have more than 1 rolling luggage.

I ate supper over in Akihabara at Wako Tonkatsu Akiba 8th Floor, as PremierTwo recommended it, quite nice and super filling! I would need this to prepare my liver for…

HIGHLIGHT: Bar BenFiddich. I had to reserve this in advance, and I felt ultra intimidated being in such a curated and intimate space. I felt small in my expansive seat, as I was seated right in front of Hiroyasu Kayama himself! I got to see him make most of the drinks ordered in that 2 hour slot, and it was magical. I had to wrack my imagination for drink orders since this place has no menu. He put me at ease, and made 3 cocktails that I will never forget.

Scotch? + Passion fruit w/ Muscat Liquor, chocolate?, and fennel sprinkles

My request: something using the muscat grape. He blowtorched the top?! WHAT. But it was a brilliant gradient of flavor.

Japanese Gin w/ Lavender Distilled Water

My request: something floral. It’s perfectly fragrant, topped with a sprig of lavender. It’s wavy in the sense of winds going over a lavender field.

Chery Brandy + Drouet Cognac VS Grande Champagne

My request: “a warm hug on a cold snowing day.” He then makes this HOT tiny dainty signature cocktail, which was literally on fire at some point. WHAT. It was right on point with my abstract request, and my only regret was that I could not finish it… because 3 drinks would put me to sleep. I am a lightweight, 6’ 2”, 160 lbs, half white (Germany + Wales), half Chinese, and 2 drinks is enough to make me drunk. I needed to make sure I could take the train back to my hostel lmaooo

Step Count: roughly 9k steps

Day 1: Eye’s Up: It’s April Fool’s Day, so I did not sleep great, only sleeping 11-3-5-6? The rain in the morning was not welcome. Maybe it being April Fool’s was unrelated. I ate breakfast at Kameido Gusto (decent, but would’ve preferred a konbini) before buying a shirt from Work Land. I got new glasses at Jins (Akihabara Yodobashi Camera), but it took 2 days of having a mental breakdown before I started liking the glasses lmaoooo.

Lunch was at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building’s Cafeteria bc I make it a consistent staple to eat there once per Japan trip. The curry was good, but the cafe pastry left much to be desired.

I bought souvenirs at Shinjuku Marui Annex before walking to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden which was not that busy due to the light rain throughout the whole day. I sauntered into Omotesando but did not buy anything there. I took the train back, and it stopped for several minutes, an odd occurrence… My night ends with a mashup supper of a 7-Eleven onigiri, a FamilyMart fried chicken, and some dried persimmons before going to SAKE street nearby for a flight of sweet sake.

14.5k steps

Day 2: PremierMe: After a crisp 9 hours of sleep, I’m up for breakfast at Ootoya. HIGHLY RECOMMEND! For only 600 JPY, I got red rice, miso soup, chicken, and unlimited drinks. A killer breakfast set for basically $4 USD. Once again, my train stops in the middle of the line… huh.

I spend a fair amount of time taking Shinkansen pictures from the Nippori Station’s North Bridge before trying to find cats at Yanaka Ginza. The rain eventually stops, but not before I get some gelato and a latte from Guru Guru. The Yanaka Cemetery is a great place to visit. A stroll around leads to some peaceful adages, loads of sakura, and the rare stray cat. Another train down to Ueno leads to plenty of souvenirs, shaved ice, and lunch at Uo Tsuka: full of oysters, ikura-don, and a sweet sake to pair with the seafood. I eventually end up at Ishibashiinari Shrine where I adjust my itinerary until loud bells begin ringing. It’s 3PM, and a ceremony of sorts seems to be happening. I bask in the loud noises, before I drop off my purchases at my hostel.

Following a few of the steps that PermierTwo took in his 2024 Meguro walk and talk, I witness the sakura festival at Naka-Meguro! Stopping at Kura Sushi for supper, I go to the raised crossing that is the inspiration for the location where Akane Kurokawa is saved by Aqua Hoshino in Oshi no Ko Season 1. A bit of a trek from the station, but nothing unusual. I stop at Traveler’s Factory, a haven for stationary lovers, although I only buy a small notebook refill there. Next is SLOWJAM GARAGE for a sakura highball, where somehow I feel a brief and fleeting sense of community. I get a bit more food, some gyoza at Ohka the Bestdays.

Last stop of the day was Bar Panorma Ginza, which fun fact: is not located in Ginza. A pain to find, but once you enter you are in a textbook otaku paradise. No no, not for anime. Trains! The bulk of the floorplan is taken up by the lovely trainset! A shinkansen zips around. A local train whirs past, and there are more model trains on the walls! All of the drinks are train line themed, you HAVE to order the Yamanote Line drink if you like sweet and/or melon.

To unwind, I went to Akihabara because I found a Taiko machine cheaper than all the others… how? I got 3 songs per play instead of 2… ohohoho it is #MusicMaxxing time! I would do this most nights… I like combining violence (hitting a drum) with music (anime openings).

20.3k steps

Day 3: A Simple Meal: I didn't sleep that long, which was okay because I spent 6 hours in Akihabara! I got Pork Belly Curry for lunch at Hinoya Curry before spending 2x retail price on a countryside Miku figurine at a crane game, oof. I popped into Yusha Kobo which is a super cool physical keyboard shop. Yeah, you’re better off buying it all online, but it’s nice to see and test the keyboards and switches yourself!~

I waltz on over to Shibuya, and I immediately get lost. Not in the station, but in the basement department store of Shibuya Mark City. I swear, every department store could use better wayfinding, but I’ll live. I eventually found Kageyamarou to have some soba for supper! A perfect fuel for the drinks I am about to indulge in, I get out on the streets, and what’s that? PLAYERS by YOASOBI is playing! I am so elated, I saunter, skip, and dance my way down the street to LOST Bar. I enjoy the April Cocktail: License to Chill, Like a Magic Mule, and the cracker-cheese plate! I push myself to eat it all, even if I accidentally stalled my appetite… oops lol my greed tends to get the best of me >~>

10.4k steps

Day 4: A-S-O So Much Volcano: It is time to be ambitious! I take a 7AM flight down to Kumamoto, with a rental car in wait, ready to drive towards Aso. No, there were no Pikachu plushies in the vending machines, very sad. I was amazed security took only 1 minute AND I could bring water through security??? America could never. I miss spotting Mt Fuji from the plane which is very sad, but I was about to see more mountains!

The rental kei car was awesome! Getting >50 mpg, taking only <10 seconds on ignition for it to recognize and automatically play music from my iPad, and the snazzy gps. Oooo, now this is a nice upgrade from my Chevy Spark. While it was only 57F outside, it was warm coming from Minnesota~. Ozu Roadside Station was filled with samples aplenty, so ofc I had to buy some Ube Cheesecake, which was the tastiest thing I s...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Affius on 2025-08-12 08:04:33+00:00.

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I realized this could be too much so I want to know your opinion. I(M27)'m travelling with two friends (M27, M27) and we are visiting Japan the first two weeks of September. I'm kinda used to time-efficient schedules but I'm not sure about them. Do you have any suggestions for the weather. Thank you for your time!

09/01 Tokyo: Akihabara

12:15 Landing and customs

15:00 Lunch in Tokyo

16:00 Check in in Ginza apartment

17:00 Akihabara: Chuo Dori, Mandarake, Yobodashi Camera, Kanda Shrine

20:00 Maid cafe

09/02 Tokyo: Shinjuko + Shibuya

09:30 Shinjuko: Tokyo Metropolitan building

10:45 Shinjuko: Gyoen National Garden

13:30 Shinjuko: Hanazano Shrine, Street food, Golden Gai, Omoide Yokocho, Kabuki ho

15:30 Teamlab Planets (Already booked)

18:30 Shibuya: Crossing, Center Hai, 109, Sushi (booked), Shimboshi by night

09/03 Tokyo: Imperial palace + Asakusa

10:00 imperial palace tour (booked)

11:30 Seiko museum

12:30 Food at home

16:30 Asakusa: Senso ji, Nakamise dori, Sumida Park, Kappabashi street

20:00 Skytree by night (booked)

21:00 Udon, Senso ji by night

09/04 Nikko

09:00 Checkout

--Train 3h--

12:00 Visit tobu Nikko (Tosho gu, bridges and shrines) and have lunch

17:00 Check in hotel

18:00 Onsen

20:00 Dinner outside

09/05 Nikko

08:00 walking 50 minutes

9:00 Edo wonderland with traditional dressing (booked)

15:00 Go kart or Edo wonderland till 5pm

18:00 Exploring surround, onsen again?

20:00 Hotel dinner

09/06 Kamkaura

09:00 Checkout

--Train 3.5h--

13:00 Luggage dropoff and Ryokan lunch

14:00 Beach time

17:00 Enoshima island, Enoshima cave, Enoshima Garden

19:00 Dinner

20:00 Shrines (Tsurogaka, Hachimam, Buddha statue) by night

09/07 Kyoto

09:45 Checkout

--Train 4h--

14:00 Dropoff and lunch

14:30 Western Kyoto (Kinkaku-ji Temple, Ryoan-ji Temple, Tenryu-ji Temple, Togetsukyo Bridge, Horin-ji Temple, Okochi Sanso Villa, Iwatayama Monkey Park, Arayashiyama)

22:00 Check in

09/08 Kyoto

07:30 Fushimi Inari Taisha

09:00 Tofuku-ji, komyo Ji, shorin ki, takio shrine

12:30 Konbini

--Train 0.5h--

14:00 Uji Park

14:45 – Tea and matcha experience (booked)

16:30 Byodo-in Temple

--Train 0.5h--

To Ji by night

Umekoji park

Karaoke

09/08 Kyoto

Morning: Chōyō no Sekku at Kamigamo Jinja.

Afternoon:

Yanaka shrine and maruyama park, Kenning ji,

Nijo Castle,

Nishiki market.

Evening: Pontocho

09/10 Koyasan

09:00 Checkout

--Train 2.5h--

13:00 Shojoshin fire ritual Goma

14:00 Kongobu ji

15:00 Check in

17:30 Dinner

09/11 Osaka

06:30 Buddhist ritual

07:00 Japanese breakfast

09:00 Okunion cemetery

--Train 2h--

12:00 Dropoff

12:30 Lunch

Afternoon: Den den town (Shopping, manga, Gundam, Pokémon..)

Evening: Namba (Dontombori and Shinsaibashi)

09/12 Osaka

Day trip to Nara (🦌, Todai ji, Kasuha taisha)???

Afternoon: Osaka Castle park and Kuromon market (before 6pm)

Evening: America mura

09/13 Tokyo

09:00 Check out

--Train 4h--

13:00 Dropoff at Yanaka hotel

14:00 Lunch and exploring yanaka

15:30 Ueno park (Ueno Toshogu Shrine - Shinobazu Pond) + shopping

19:00 Ameyoko street food

09/14 Tokyo

10:15 Checkout

10:30 Asakura museum

12:00 Lunch

12:30 heading to Narita flight at 5pm

EDIT: Thanks to everyone!

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Azrou on 2025-08-11 14:25:02+00:00.

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My wife had to go to Tokyo for work last November, so I flew in on her last day of meetings and we spent the next 12 days traveling along the north side of Honshu, down to Kyoto, over to Fukuoka, and back to Tokyo. I had a new camera and lens setup so was really excited to capture the fall colors. Suffice to say that Japan was absolutely gorgeous at this time of year, and I think fall might be my favorite time to visit. Hope this report will be helpful to others looking to do a similar trip.

We’re in our 30s and experienced travelers. This was actually our third trip to Japan in 2024 – once to go skiing at Niseko early in the year, and once in the spring for cherry blossoms – but we lived in Asia at the time and had moved back to the U.S. in the summer. Time tends to be more of a constraint than money, and we like to be comfortable while traveling without going crazy on luxury hotels and the like. We tend to fill out the schedule without a lot of downtime and don’t mind long days.

Some logistical notes:

• Hotels – I made about half our reservations on Booking and the other half directly.
• Internet – I have a Google Fi phone plan and high speed data was seamless as soon as I landed. My wife rented a hotspot from a kiosk at the airport since she arrived earlier.
• IC cards – Not sure if Suica card availability is still an issue (maybe at the airport?), but I had no problem getting them at Tokyo Station.
• Trains – I think it has been well covered here, but since the price increase, the JR Pass wasn’t worth it and I bought all our train tickets individually. I booked Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen tickets on SmartEx and linked our Suica cards to the tickets. The app is pretty clunky, feels like an early 2000s interface and can be buggy with accepting some credit cards. Regardless I was able to link a Chase Visa card and it got the job done.
• Maps – Download offline maps on Google just in case. Interestingly, Google would sometimes give different directions on my phone (Android) than my wife’s (iPhone). Generally mine seemed to be more accurate and quicker, especially when transferring on multiple trains/buses. Would also suggest grabbing an app called Organic Maps and getting offline maps on that. It uses data from OpenStreetMap and has a lot more granular detail on certain things like hiking trails.
• Car rental – A bit more of an arduous process than in any other country I’ve visited. Rented one car in Kanazawa from Nissan and another in Fukuoka from Avis through their websites. Make sure you understand exactly what documentation is needed and bring hard copies. For most foreign driver’s licenses, you need an International Driving Permit. In the U.S. these are only issued by AAA and are valid for one year. There were some other quirks like needing to fill up the fuel before return at specific approved gas stations within a certain radius of the car rental office, and showing the agent the timestamped receipt. Anecdotally, the Nissan was a newer car with better features like integrated Android Auto. The Avis car – a Honda Fit, I believe - was a bit older and more basic.

Day 1 – Tokyo

Landed in the afternoon, got a ticket for the Narita Express at the airport, rode to Tokyo Station, and checked in at the Hotel Monterey Ginza. My wife had been at a hotel in Shinjuku for work so she moved her bags over. I saw on socials that an old friend was also on vacation in Japan, and in an incredible coincidence, it turns out she was staying at the exact same hotel. The three of us went for a sushi dinner at the Mitsukoshi in Ginza. Afterwards, we met up with another couple that we’re good friends with who happened to be in Tokyo on their own trip, and stopped at a sake bar.

Day 2 – Kurobe Gorge

Took the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Kurobe and transferred to a local train to Unazukionsen. It’s a tiny place, so everything is within walking distance. We rode the Kurobe Gorge Railway and were rewarded with spectacular views. The gorge walls are steep, so I think the optimal timing is between 10am and 2pm when you’ll have fewer shadows. Try sitting on the right side leaving Unazukionsen and the left side for the return trip to get the best views. There are multiple vantage points in town where you’ll find iconic views of the rail bridges. Rail service was only to Nekomata because of damage from an earthquake in 2024, but the route beyond Nekomata to Kanetsuri and Keyakidaira is supposed to re-open some time in 2025. Back in town we went to a konbini to grab dinner and were surprised to find a troop of monkeys. There were about 25-30 in total wandering around foraging like they owned the place.

We stayed at a ryokan called the Unazukionsen Yamanoha and I didn’t see a single other foreigner there. It’s a larger ryokan but still quite traditional – I have a few tattoos and asked the staff if I would be able to use the onsen, to which they politely said it wasn’t possible. I wasn’t surprised but a bit disappointed as it hadn’t been an issue on previous trips to Niseko and Hakuba. There is an option to reserve a private onsen for 1650 yen to get around this though.

Day 3 – Kanazawa

Dropped our bags at the Daiwa Roynet Kanazawa Miyabi next to the main station in the morning. We spent the day exploring the city, starting off at Kenrokuen which is renowned as one of Japan’s Three Great Gardens. It rained off and on throughout the day but we got lucky and the clouds parted for a bit. The gardens are absolutely serene, and there’s even a small waterfall feeding one of the ponds. Before leaving Kenrokuen we stopped at Seisonkaku and then made the short walk to Kanazawa Castle. In the afternoon we took a bus to the tea district, Higashi Chaya, and sampled some teas and Japanese desserts at Sabo Issho. There were some things we missed like the geisha experience and Nagamachi samurai district, so I hope to get back to Kanazawa in the future. Note that the city buses don’t accept Suica cards – we had to pay cash.

Day 4 - Gassho-zukuri Villages

Picked up a rental car and spent the whole day visiting these UNESCO World Heritage sites. It was overcast and drizzling most of the time which created a wonderful fall atmosphere. Started in Ainokura, the smallest of the three villages. We mostly had the village to ourselves, which would not be the case later – especially at Shirakawa! There are a few short trails in the hills around the village that we explored before moving on to Suganuma. The traditional thatched roofs are remarkable.

We got to Shirakawa around 2pm and had to wait about 45 minutes just to get in the parking lot. This is the largest of the three villages by far and has some food options and souvenir shops. We wrapped up right as they were closing down at dusk and headed back to Kanazawa. There are dozens of tour buses dropping people off throughout the day, so if I had to redo our itinerary I’d have gone to Shirakawa first to try and beat the crowds. This was a Saturday and a holiday (Labor Thanksgiving Day) to boot which probably exacerbated things.

Day 5 – Kyoto

Over to Kyoto where we left our things at the Granbell Hotel before heading out. Most of the day was spent north of the city at Kuramadera. It is a long uphill walk to the temple that takes maybe 90 minutes depending on how often you pause to take in the beautiful pathway and shrines that dot the mountainside. The crowds thin out towards the top where you have the option of returning the same way back to Kurama station or taking a trail down the other side of the mountain. We opted for the latter and found a friend before stopping at Kifune Shrine. I was not expecting Kifune to be such a big attraction, but there were absolute hordes of people there.

The walk down to Kibuneguchi station is another 20-30 minutes on a paved road next to a stream with more gorgeous scenery. That night we met up with my friend from the sushi dinner in Tokyo to see the night illumination at Nijo Castle. There are better night illuminations in Kyoto to see the fall colors, but I hadn’t been to Nijo Castle before so it was a good way to end the day.

Day 6 – Kyoto

My wife was drained from the last few days so she grabbed a few extra hours of sleep while I woke up early and headed to Fushimi Inari. We’ve both been there before but experiencing the sunrise was a different experience altogether. I made it to the top around 7:15am, and by 7:30am the lighting was perfect. After a bit of time hanging out with [the foxes...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Content_Aardvark1652 on 2025-08-10 18:16:11+00:00.

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Sharing some details from our trip with this sub, as I got so many great ideas and advice from all of you while planning the trip.

Our stats: First-timers to Japan, Family of 4 with 12 and 17 year-old girls, from San Francisco (meaning unable to handle hot weather but used to city living and walking).

Day 1 - SFO to Narita. Opted to stay in Ueno due to recommendation I saw on Reddit. This was a great move as we were able to take the Narita Skyliner to Ueno in just 40 minutes. There are a few ways to buy these tickets and YouTube videos are helpful to see where you need to go and how the fares work. In the end, we did not prebook anything and simply bought them from the ticket office staffed by a human. Very easy and only a short wait. We opted for the &HERE hotel, which is a 5-7 minute walk from the Ueno station and directly across the street from Ueno park. they have contactless check in and our 4-person room had a small kitchen, table and bunks for our kids. Plenty of room and within easy walking distance of food, Ueno park and the Ameyoko area under the railway tracks. many options to help us stay awake until dark.

Day 2 - Explore by foot- Yanaka for “Old Tokyo” vibe, Ueno, and arcades and shopping in Ameyoko.

5 days on the Izu Peninsula. Train to from Ueno station to Shimoda, with a nice break/train switch in Atami. Lots of food options in a shopping complex connected to the train station. Rented car to get to AirB&B in Sotoura Beach, just outside of Shimoda. Car rental ended up being great idea as there are a lot of small towns and beaches to explore. The car provided flexibility and it was not difficult to drive/park. We had obtained our international drivers permits in advance at AAA ($20 fee).

The Izu peninsula has lovely beaches (Shirahama, Irata, Sotoura, Tatadohama) and clear, refreshing water. This is a popular tourist spot for Japanese later in the summer, but in June it’s still pretty quiet. We had a paddle board lesson and recommend the cafe IRIE Coffee & Sea in Shirahama. The owner is a surfer and makes great smoothies. Also recommend FermenCo pizza at Irata Beach - you can make a reservation online (in English) and skip the line!

3 days in Kyoto. We stayed at an Airb&b near the Fushiri Inari shrine. This made it very easy on the day we visited the shrine, but it was otherwise a little out of the way for seeing other parts of Kyoto. Nishiki market and the nearby outdoor shopping streets/malls were a big hit with our girls. We also had fun in Round 1 (video games, bowling etc). There was a more obvious tourist presence in Kyoto, especially in Gion.

2 days at Kinosaki Onsen for traditional ryokan experience. Easy train ride from Kyoto (2.5 hours on Express). We stayed at Onishiya Suishien and opted to do the traditional meal service (breakfast and dinner), and take advantage of the free passes provided by the hotel to visit the seven public Onsens in the area. This was a great way to relax after the bustle of Kyoto shopping, and the hotel also had free e-bikes that we could use to explore the town and greater area, including biking to see the Japan Sea. The biking was a highlight for our girls, one of their favorite parts of the trip!

5 days - Tokyo. It was a longer travel day from Kinosaki Onsen to Tokyo but it was a great opportunity to take the Shinkansen (about 5.5 hours total, transferring in Kyoto). We also enjoyed being in a completely different area of Tokyo. I can’t do Tokyo justice in this post, there is simply so much to do but if you have time to stay in two parts of the city, I recommend it.

On this leg we explored: Shibuya, Harajuku (teen fave), Daikanyama, Ebisu, Ropponga, Diver City (to see Gundam robot, then unplanned stop at science museum because the nearby malls were super crowded). Specific activities included Disneyland and Teamlab Borderless. These activities were fun and we are able to get tickets a day or so in advance. We debated Disneyland due to concerns about crowds and heat but opted to arrive later in the afternoon and just strolled in! Many of the rides only had 5-10 minute waits (longest wait was 40 min) and there was a nice breeze and it cooled off in the evening. Having been to Disneyland in California a number of times the Tokyo version seemed small in comparison but it was a low key and fun addition to our itinerary.

Highlights and learnings:

-Appreciated the Japanese culture and found everyone to be incredibly friendly, helpful and polite. Japan is very clean and I felt completely safe everywhere we went. We were able to let our kids have some independence in the smaller towns to walk around on their own.

-June is rainy season and also pretty warm. This year there was significantly less rain than normal so we only saw rain in Kyoto and it wasn’t a big deal. The clear plastic umbrellas are readily available at stores or hotels and are better than rain gear as you stay cool and can leave them outside of shops. The heat was another matter. Most days were between high 80s/low to mid-90s F (sometimes up to 97/98) with high humidity. This was quite challenging for us, especially when we were in cities, as we live in a mild climate with low humidity. For those who have more resilience to heat, this may not be a big deal at all. Everywhere has AC and the evenings are pretty pleasant so we found ourselves spending more time in museums or indoor malls during the day. The weather was great for the beach in Izu Peninsula.

-We used taxis much more than planned, in both Kyoto and Tokyo. We didn’t realize Uber is readily available in both locations. There are Japanese taxi apps that are likely cheaper and work equally well. I believe all the apps connect you to real taxi drivers (this was at least the case with Uber). You could always get a cab within 3 minutes and for us this offered a few advantages that made taxis worth it: escape from heat, quiet/no crowds so could offer some recovery between activities while seeing the sights from the car, no language barrier. I’m sure more expensive but we did have a group of 4 at all times.

-I regretted not learning more Japanese phrases before the trip. Everyone we met with willing to work with translation app or hand gestures if they didn’t speak English.

-I had read the advice many times that it’s worth learning how the trains work in advance of the trip. We didn’t heed this advice so made some time-consuming errors by relying only on google maps in the moment. We didn’t understand Green Cars or how you combine base fares with additional tickets. We eventually figured it all out but learned to work with humans at the stations when buying tickets instead of just guessing. Larger stations in the city are busy and crowded, so plan for extra time.

-You do need to have some cash. We experienced cash-only restaurants in all cities we visited.

-Our younger daughter has a nut allergy, so it was extremely helpful to have pre-printed cards with an explanation of that allergy in English and Japanese. We found these online and used 10-15 cards throughout the trip. It’s helpful to have a physical piece of paper that can be taken back to the kitchen if needed, and we didn’t get them all back. Many restaurants have detailed lists of what allergens are present in each menu item.

It was such a memorable trip, I would definitely travel to Japan again during a cooler time of year.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/rcecap on 2025-08-06 14:43:00+00:00.

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For an experience that is utterly different from what you'll find on the usual Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka itinerary, consider allocating 2-3 nights to visit Kiso Valley, a perfect blend of natural beauty and culture/history, where you can visit Atera Valley and hike the Nakasendo Trail. You can make a transfer in Nagoya (on the Shinkansen line between Tokyo and Kyoto) to make your way up to Kiso Valley.

Two highlights in Kiso Valley:

Atera Valley is a stunning mountain stream with otherworldly turquoise waters that the Japanese call “Atera Blue.” We just spent an incredible day exploring natural swimming holes surrounded by lush forest and dramatic mountain scenery in the heart of central Japan. In the fall, there is amazing fall foliage.

Another highlight is the classic hike along the Nakasendo Trail from Magome-juku to Tsumago-juku, two super-scenic Edo-era post towns. The 2-3 hour hike between these towns takes you through a beautiful, forested route with waterfalls.

We based ourselves in Nakatsugawa, a small town in the Kiso Valley just 50 minutes by limited express train from Nagoya. Nakatsugawa is a good choice as a base, as it is close to both Atera Valley and Magome-juku, and it has a good selection of accommodations and restaurants. The town is compact so everything is within walking distance.

For Atera Valley, we took a 30-minute local train from to Nojiri Station, then walked about 15–20 minutes to the mouth of Atera Valley. You spend the day on a scenic walk along a beautiful well-kept road that follows the rushing water upstream, passing pool after pool where you can swim, some of which are deep enough to jump into from rocks 5–13+ feet high. It’s an incredibly peaceful and relaxing day filled with refreshing swims, rushing water and scenic views.

Start your day with swimsuit under your clothes and bring water shoes or sandals (e.g. Tevas). Once there, you can rent e-bikes from a nearby parking lot, but we opted to walk instead. There is also a van that goes to/from nearby parking lots up the road.

We had two of our best dinners of our trip in Nakatsugawa, including Waraidokoro Airo (笑処 あいろ), an obanzai place run by two smiling ladies, and Shabu Shabu Aoyagi (志ゃぶしゃぶ 青柳), a counter-only place run by an elderly couple. Both are limited capacity restaurants, so be sure to make a reservation once you get to Nakatsugawa (just stop by before dinner service starts or make a reservation for the next night).

Be sure to bring cash, as many places in the Kiso Valley don't accept credit cards and local train stations don’t take Suica/IC cards.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/lindoreda on 2025-08-06 23:52:38+00:00.

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Hi all,

My husband, mom and I just got back from an extremely hot 2 ½ week trip, and I thought I’d share. My husband and I are experienced Japan travelers specifically, having visited 44 and 45 prefectures respectively, but this trip sticks to sights mainly on the western part of the golden route due to my mom, who really wanted to see Kyoto (she visited Tokyo enough for her taste when my husband and I lived there). We tend to focus on historical sights and museums, local food (and beloved chains), and shopping for local mascot characters. Having done most of the classic sights in this region, we deprioritized a lot of them.

It’s entirely possible to do more stuff than we did in a day, but it was between 90 and 100 degrees F almost every day with high humidity, and my mom had a bad reaction to a knee treatment right before leaving, limiting her mobility for a while. And then we all got sick. It was a great trip, but definitely not a packed itinerary.

This did get long because I have a lot to say in the hopes that someone might find it useful, so I ended up splitting it into two parts. The Matsuyama and Kyoto parts will come in the second post, once I get around to fleshing out my outline.

A few logistics notes:

We all have physical suicas picked up from previous trips.

All transit except the boat to Matsuyama, the buses in Asuka and the airport bus were paid for with suica.

The only prebooked train was the shinkansen between Osaka and Hiroshima, using SmartEx.

My husband and I speak Japanese, my mother does not.

Thursday 7/10 - Osaka

We landed in KIX directly from the US, rather than having to fly to Tokyo first and transfer. We got through customs procedures in about 40 minutes, largely because I picked the slowest moving line. Then we hopped on the train and made our way to the Red Roof in Namba. Normally we don’t pick western chains when in Japan, but I guess we got a deal. Definitely a Japanese business hotel with western branding, though.

Generally on our first night we buy toothpaste, but the nearest convenience store had been raided, so we spent way too long wandering around Namba trying to find one that was less picked over. And then trying to find sweat-proof sunscreen. Eventually, we accomplished our missions and collapsed.

Friday 7/11 - Osaka

We slept in out of respect for jet lag and ate convenience store bread for breakfast (true most days). My mom meanwhile decided to test herself and got a breakfast sandwich at the hotel next door. Once we were all combobulated, we decided for an “easy” day at Osaka castle. This ended up being hubris.

We last went to Osaka castle in 2016, as part of a two castle day with Nagoya back in the halcyon days of the JR pass being a good deal. At the time, I assumed my feet hurt so much afterward because… well, we did two castles in two cities on one day. I forgot that Osaka castle’s park is huge, and they added shuttle “buses” to get around the park for a reason. We hit 10,000 steps before lunch.

We opted not to buy tickets in advance, which meant waiting in line for the ticket machines for maybe 10 minutes. The line was covered, which is an innovation I wish they’d implement at Niagara Falls, but that’s a rant for another subreddit. The castle ticket includes admission to the small, recently opened castle wall museum, which we hadn’t been to before. Where the castle itself was slammed with people and it could be hard to get to some of the exhibits, the castle wall museum was quiet and cool. There’s not much there, but if you want a break from the crowds and the heat, it’s right there. It’s also got great english.

From there we decided to get lunch at the Osaka Gourmet Expo, which was on the grounds of the park, but actually pretty far from the castle. We ended up walking the full circumference to get back to the Osaka History museum, so in hindsight I might have chosen to have lunch closer to the history museum if only to spare my mom some walking. The Gourmet Expo itself is a collection of stalls that you order from via QR code. The food was good (okonomiyaki for me and my mom, beef bowl for my husband), but I don’t like QR code ordering. If you don’t speak Japanese, it’s probably more convenient, though.

After that was the Osaka History museum, which doesn’t seem to have changed since 2016. Plentiful english, and my mom enjoyed the intro to Osaka’s history. But the heat had drained us pretty badly at this point, so after navigating the dungeons of Namba station to find the 551 Horai (steamed buns), we retired to the hotel to rest until dinner. My mom ended up staying in for the rest of the night for her knee. My husband and I got different regional katsu bowls at nearby Miyamoto Munashi, and then popped over to Den Den Town for a little shopping. This was interrupted by sudden, heavy rain, and I dipped after two stores. My number one Japan tip: always carry a collapsable umbrella.

Saturday 7/12 - Asuka

My husband has been wanting to visit Asuka over in Nara prefecture for years because he’s a fan of kofuns - japanese burial mounds. He thought he had it figured out perfectly. We would walk less and take buses everywhere, because the buses are more frequent on Saturdays. This is true… in April and May. For those two months, they run extra buses on Saturdays. Otherwise, they’re once an hour. So we bought a day pass for the buses, but I’m not sure we ended up breaking even in the end.

In Asuka, we visited the Asuka History Museum first. It was light on English, but introduced a lot of the interesting artifacts from the area and the historical sites. We ended up getting lunch at a plant based food spot outside of the Asuka Museum of Manyo Culture, which was better than expected but small. They also ran out of food after we ordered so clearly if you need plant based food in Asuka go here early. The museum itself was pretty immersive with good english explanations, I would recommend it! The focus is on song and poetry, and even if you can’t understand the songs, you can definitely feel them.

After this we hopped on the bus to the Takamatsuzuka tumulus park, and specifically the mural museum within the park. Genuinely very cool, both in terms of vibes and temperature. The tomb found here had colorful murals inside, which is pretty uncommon in tombs from this period.

We could have walked around the park more, and I guess the thing to do is actually to bike it, but heat and pain were winning, so we took the bus back to the station, and trained back to Osaka. We had to make a poorly indicated train transfer (if you don’t speak Japanese), but luckily it was cross platform and I was paying attention, so we made it.

My mom wanted okonomiyaki for dinner, so I found Fukutarou in Namba station, and remembered it being recommended somewhere. Possibly here? There was a short wait, and they were clearly prepared to try and do everything through gestures up until I revealed that I speak Japanese. My mom tried the negiyaki and liked it, but my husband found the okonomiyaki under-sauced and with not enough ginger. As with everything, ymmv, I liked it.

After dinner, we took a break until dark, and took a walk through Dotonbori. I’ve always avoided it because I’m not one for crowds and nightlife, but it was worth doing once, at least as a fan of the yakuza games. It’s totally possible to take a walk down the canal without being sardined, once you get past the lines for the boat rides anyway. 

Sunday 7/13 - Osaka

We started the day with a pretty niche set of shrine and temple visits: one in honor of Sanada Yukimura, and the other on the former site of the Sanadamaru. Almost no english, really only interesting if you’re into this particular sengoku period warlord. Or if you want to see the alleged tunnel to Osaka castle.

The next stop was the Museum of Housing and Living, which my husband and I had done before, but thought my mom would be interested in. She loved it, so, win. If coming by subway, the museum is easy to find and well signed from within the tunnels. We came by JR years ago, had to find it on the street, and ended up having to ask for directions. So take the subway. One thing about this museum, the permanent exhibition after the model town relies on QR codes for their multilingual information, which I feel really slows down the flow of visiting a museum.

Now, the big mistake of this day. We forgot about the expo. Specifically, that it was Sunday, and many people might choose to take the Chuo Line to the expo on their day off. But we bought advance tickets to Kaiyukan for my mom, and we had a 1 pm slot. So we crammed ourselves onto the Chuo line and assured ourselves that the mall at Tempozan was still a great place to get lunch.

We ended up getting takeout from a katsu restaurant in the mall, eating them in a back corner of the old Osaka nostalgia alley. And it was honestly really good! But the place was a zoo, and we should have known better. The true pain was getting out, though. I think it took us four trains before one came out of Yumeshima with enough space for us to get on, which was another lesson learned. Expo traffic does exist, mainly on the Chuo line, especially near the western end, mainly on weekends. Plan accordingly.

My mom really enjoyed Kaiyukan, she got a go pro basically for this purpose. But it's gotten kind of expensive and they surge price, so I don't suggest just showing up without planning...

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Content cut off. Read original on https://old.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/1mjksmm/trip_report_part_1_osaka_hiroshima_and_miyajima/

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Dangerous-Cost8183 on 2025-08-05 06:07:33+00:00.

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Hey,

So i did Mount Fuji last week. I'm fat (110 kg for 1m80) but i pulled it off, by taking time to ascend. The ascent was not so difficult ( subashiri trail, with a stay at the 7th station Taiyokan ). I did not climb at night to get the sunrise, and it was a good thing, because with the fog in the morning nothing was to be seen. It was long, and at the end it really started to drag, not really physically, but with the lowering temperature, the small rain, and the endless stairs and laces.

We started at 11h at station 5 (taking 45 minutes to actually start, with sun screen, and so on) and arrived at 16h at the station 7 on day 1, taking time to do pauses and stamps. We then started at 5h, after a light sleep ( people are so fucking noisy in the stations ) and arrived at 9h30 to the top on day 2. Arriving at the top dispelled any fatigue instantly.

The descent was a nightmare without gaiters, with rocks going into my shoes every 100m, and 4 days after the descent, my muscles are still sores. People talk about running down in the sand for the Subashiri trail. It was not an option for my knees because of my weight, so i took my time (god bless the rendet hiking sticks at station 5) and it took maybe 5h30 to 6h30 to get down ( the 3 hours you see online for the trail are only if you can run the whole thing down I bet ).

To quote https://mynihonblog.com/2024/02/21/japan-2023-summer-day-12-descending-mount-fuji-on-the-subashirir-trail-with-altitude-sickness/ :

You’d think that once our symptoms improved the rest of the descent would be joyful, but no, this is where it gets worse haha. I had, of course, read about the sand run which is part of the descent on the Subashiri trail, they say you can get down several kilometers in less than an hour here if you slide/run your way down. (...)

Sand run is a little incorrect, instead of sand the run is made of small(er) volcanic rocks which steal your entire foot with each step. You also slide forward about a foot with each step too, making each step a bit of an adventure, and absolutely killing your knees as you try to keep upright. And the hardest part, the path is straight down, no switchbacks, no curves, straight down the entire way!

I did not get altitude sickness : the thing is only 3 800 m high, I went skiing at those altitudes and i personally think it's not big deal, but i saw (mainly japanese looking) people with oxygen can.

Anyway, if you have any question regarding equipment or the trail, don't hesitate !