Itinerary Check

Hi all, would anyone kindly advise me about our proposed itinerary in Japan? We are two first time travellers to japan, arriving May 27th and departing June 15th. We plan on getting the 14 day JR pass but could also get the 21 day pass if necessary.

So far our itinerary is as follows:

Arrive Narita,

Tokyo 5 nights -day trip to Nikko

Overnight in Yudanaka at a Ryokan, spend the next day at the Monkey Park

Shinkansen to Kyoto

4/5 nights Kyoto - day trip to Nara sometime here, day trip to Osaka

Go to Naoshima and overnight there

See hiroshima and overnight at Miyajima ( unsure about this part)

Back to Tokyo for 4 nights (?) with a day trip to Fuji Q

Depart Narita

Can anyone help by advising me of the best way to do this? We are pretty flexible. Im not sure if I have gotten the routing correct - especially that after miyajima, its a 12 hour train ride back to Tokyo?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Nicole :)

I'm always baffled by people wo do: arrive at Tokyo, spend n �„ 1 nights in Tokyo, [...], spend m �„ 1 nights in Tokyo, leave fron Tokyo.

Why not spend n+m nights in Tokyo in one go? I can understand when n or m equals 1, if your flight arrives late or leaves early, but not the case where both n and m are �„ 1...

(Also FYI japan-guide, this is not 1995 anymore, there are ways to safely allow < and > in posts.)

Hi,
I'm not sure what difference it makes? This way we can stay in two different parts of Tokyo, and maybe see a bit more without getting big city overwhelm.
Any thoughts on the rest of the itinerary?

Nicole :)

I agree with Faras, previously i would just go back to Tokyo for the last night to catch a plane, it seem the best way to get the most out of your time.

Either way I think you can easily do a day trip from Kyoto to Miyajima if you leave in the morning and take the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Hiroshima and then the JR line to Miyajimaguchi it should allow you plenty of time to explore Miyajima.

P.s. Miyajima is the most beautiful place I have ever been.

I guess first off, not sure what is wrong with Starting and ending Tokyo Firas? I done this many times and the simple reason most people do this is because most international airlines fly to Tokyo or it is cheaper to fly in and out of Tokyo rather than in Tokyo out Osaka. But anyways�c.

Let�fs check your itinerary:
May 27 Arrive Tokyo/Narita – Welcome to Japan!
May 28 Tokyo
May 29 Tokyo
May 30 Tokyo
May 31 Tokyo – Day Trip to Nikko
Jun 1 Tokyo
Jun 2 Yudanaka – Overnight Ryokan
Jun 3 Yudanaka – Monkey Park
Jun 4 Kyoto
Jun 5 Kyoto
Jun 6 Kyoto – Day trip to Nara
Jun 7 Kyoto – Day trip to Osaka
Jun 8 Kyoto – Day trip to Osaka
Jun 9 Naoshima
Jun 10 Hiroshima/Miyajima
Jun 11 Tokyo
Jun 12 Tokyo – Day trip to FujiQ at Lake Kawaguchi
Jun 13 Tokyo
Jun 14 Tokyo
Jun 15 Depart Tokyo/Narita – Come back soon!

Some parts I put in as example but let me know if some parts are wrong.
14 days rail pass is good for sure but let try to sort some stuff first.

Tokyo: I am just wondering about the 7 days in Tokyo, what are your plans in Tokyo?

FujiQ: Are you going to go around Lake Kawaguchi area? FujiQ is probably going to be all day so you would need one more day if you would like to travel around the Lake Kawaguchi area.

Let me know and we can try to create something for you.

Also let me know if you have already booked anything that is already set.

Hope this helps!!
Have Fun!!!

Thanks all for your responses!
We have figured out our itinerary as follows:

May 27 Arrive Tokyo/Narita
May 28 Tokyo
May 29 Tokyo
May 30 Tokyo
May 31 Tokyo – Day Trip to Nikko
Jun 1 Yudanaka – Overnight Ryokan
Jun 2 Yudanaka – Monkey Park, Pm Shinkansen to Kyoto
Jun 3 Kyoto
Jun 4 Kyoto
Jun 5 Kyoto
Jun 6 Kyoto – Day trip to Nara
Jun 7 Kyoto – Day trip to Kobe (?)
Jun 8 Hiroshima/Miyajima, over night at Miyajima
Jun 9 Naoshima
Jun 10 Naoshima
Jun 11 Osaka
Jun 12 Tokyo – Day trip to FujiQ
Jun 13 Tokyo
Jun 14 Tokyo
Jun 15 Depart Tokyo/Narita

We are going to get the 14 day rail pass.

The days in Tokyo, we dont have too many plans, just to explore as much as possible! For Fuji Q we just thought to do a day trip there just to go on all the crazy roller coasters.

So far we have booked some accommodation, so more or less we need to stick to this itinerary.

I realise it may not be perfect but that's ok, we need to leave some things to see next time :)

So excited, cant wait to get there!

Nicole :)

Two small suggestions: If I were taking this trip I might move Nikko earlier in the Tokyo visit so that I'm not traveling two days in a row. Also you might find it easier to see how much time you have for sightseeing if you include the trains because traveling takes up about half a day.

Those are good suggestions. The reason for the Nikko trip placed where it is was to take best advantage of the 14 day rail pass. Will have another look! Thanks again everyone :)

I agree with firas on Tokyo
The travel and search for the hotel and checking in again is a real pain. I prefer to do each city at a time

Don't have to wait at the lobby for check in or be rushed out when its check out time
If you are afraid of being overwhelmed then big cities are clearly not for you. Do spend time in non big cities then

Hi there,

Thanks for the suggestion, but we have already sorted the itinerary as described above and have booked places to stay in Tokyo at both the start and end. I am not in the least overwhelmed by big cities, being born and bred in a big city as well as having travelled extensively, just thought that it could be a nice to travel a bit but start and end in Tokyo.
Im sure whatever the plan the trip will be great :)

I would consider moving the day trips to Nikko and Nara to weekdays to avoid weekend crowds. Enjoy!

Great suggestion! Thank you

:)

A curiosity question - in the original post it said 12 hours Miyajima to Tokyo. On Tuesday we did the 8:06 from Hiroshima and were at Narita by 2:30 for our 6:30 flight home.

Also, for those wanting to fly in/out of Tokyo, it is cheap and easy to stay at the airport hotels. US80/night gets a comfortable room and breakfast, but the last few trips we've just traveled from wherever we end up and fly out (usually from Kyoto) - it's an easy trip.

Hi, yeah I was wrong about that, it's not 12 hours at all :)

XD didn't even notice the 12 hours Miyajima Island to Tokyo. Its only a few hours BUT I would not recommend travelling on train and flying out the same day XD.

Anyways the new plans looks very good to me!
Just start your Japan Rail Pass on May 31 and it will last until Jun 13.
Then the rest you could get Suica or Pasmo IC card and just load up when you need too.

Hope this helps!
Have Fun!!

I can only recommend First Cabin Haneda as a low cost hotel.