smart to go once they reopen
getting colder now and picture is at kyoto....not even tokyo(which should be colder)

Your nara is not going to take the whole day if you just want to see deer and todaiji. The deer are like right smack outside todaiji's entrance. You could like add plan to see some mausoleum (this will require some bus rides, so research a bit) or you can opt to go 1/2 day Nara (you can throw in kasuga taisha after visiting todaiji its walkable distance also the road leading up to kasuga also bazillion deers.....) Then go to kyoto and enjoy gion during the evening (its more instagrammable at dusk and night...) Kyoto, if you just want to do the usual tourist spot of kiyomizudera and its downtown dont need a whole day. But best give kyoto at least a daytrip and plan a route)

You could spend whole day in Nara, it reallt depends on how many mausoleums and temple/shrines you wanna see there. Ah don't forget that shopping street with the viral mochi pounding man 👍

Fushimi inari taisha is best you go early morning. Less people... But since no chinese tourist should be ok 😂😂😂 arashiyama is a very small bamboo forest... The picture makes it look like as if its super big but after go there.... expectation 100% reality 30% lol but if you go during scenic times (spring or autumn) take the scenic train ride before going to the bamboo forest

P/S dotonbori and shinsaibashi literally at same spot

P/S2: you could also go further down from fushimi inari like early morning go fushimi inari, after climbing up and down those torii, have lunch then take the train to Fushimi for a quick stop to a sake museum (it even has sake tasting and you can also obviously buy sake. Precovid every entry ticket gets you a bottle of sake, idk if they still do that. The museum is called Gekkeikan) and after sake museum, depending how much time you dwaddle therw, you can take the train ride to the motherload town of uji matcha, Uji. Then head back to kyoto or osaka depending where you are based

This post has been edited by cannellini: Nov 16 2022, 03:27 AM

hi thanks for the input

the next day after Nara will be heading to kyoto, and will be staying there for 2 nights
so should have enough time in kyoto I guess

how cold would tat time be? I was in Hokkaido few years back during dec also, n that's freezing....

any tips from Kansai Airport to hotel in shinshaibashi?
3 big luggage 1 hand carry 1 stroller 1 kid

Unless you made another post before that post i replied to, i must've missed when you mention you plan to go. Please replied to me again so i can see a notification. I will give a better guide and explanation to you this evening after i finished work. Is that alright? If you got a lot of luggage suggest you stay namba area. Thats where the airport transfer is. Namba also super convenient. Also another thing, if you plan to bring a 5 yo kid to fushimi inari taisha, i hope your kid is a really good no tantrum kid or you and wifey got a lot of stamina cause you gonna be needing it hauling your kid up a lot of steps. The torii is an ascent. Also some steps are narrow and mossy, blah2. If you have ambition to go all the way to the top, have a contigency plan 😅 if not gonna have very unhappy kid and parents

Edit: woops sorry i see you asking for december... A pity you wil miss the koyo alrd... If you go now is best time. Will be beautiful. I can rework your itinerary a bit and give some suggestions. You can consider Kobe also.just barely half an hour on a normal train. You can just buy the normal ticket. Can take ropeway up nunobiki garden and have a nice cooling time and cool view of kobe city then walk back down the ropeway first station then have a nice walk pushing stroller around all the special western district and kobe chinatown 👍 then can enjoy kobe beef too

This post has been edited by cannellini: Nov 16 2022, 10:12 AM

no worries, evening is fine
yea, if got time I don't mind going Kobe for half a day

as for fushimi inari, not going all the way, should be uturn after the 1st section hahahah

thanks in advance, as for now, pre book 1st 3 nights at shinshaibashi hotel, seems like not a good location to reach

take the airport express train from KIX that ends at Namba, closest you can get to Shinsaibashi afaik. otherwise its a transit of trains within the Osaka Metro/Subway line (Midosuji i think). bad news is airport express can get crowded as many uses it to fast transit to city

as for cold, japan cities down south in winter shouldnt be as terrible as hokkaido. i was in Osaka/Kyoto in Jan, coldest was 0C and avg 2-4C daily. if sun out longer, then itll be 6C max. just pray no strong winds, that one i suggest a hardshell windbreaker to pair with your warm clothing

thanks for the tips

so just one heat tech, one shirt one jacket/windbreaker will suffice I guess?

I believe my itinerary no need what ever train pass right? just buy the tickets as is as when

for 12C its sufficient, i was just wearing just tshirt and jeans at night 12-14C recently but thats prolly cause i was walking alot, so feeling stuffy if worn another layer

if your itinerary involves around travelling to other cities ASAP that easily cost >5000yen per trip, then only get JR pass. an example would be you from Osaka needed to travel to Nagoya, Fukuoka, Tokyo etc within a day trip kind then only worth it. FYI a shinkansen to Nagoya around 6.5k yen, shinkansen to Kyoto around 3.5k yen. to tokyo afaik its 12k yen. so if return trip its 2x the price liao, which even a 7 day JR pass at 29k is already recouping the value

do note also JR pass cannot be used on non JR lines. so that Midosuji line i mentioned above? your JR Pass cannot go thru.

That i disagree tbh i chance upon this thread late and saw your itinerary few days ago and was gonna comment but saw your travel was october so i didnt.but now is like give the other guy kinda bad advice so i have to say something. You could have just got another pass thats cheaper for the itinerary you were planning and just fly to tokyo (check out JAL or ANA flight pass for foreigners. Osaka to Tokyo only 7700 yen 🙄) JR PASS is only worth it if you wanna take a lot of really far distance

Shinsaibashi depends also what is your itinerary. Also, idk why the other guy says the airport transfer a lot of ppl take to go city 🤔 maybe he is talking abt the cheap one.if you take the express liner, as someone that is bringing a kid is more comfortable pay a bit more its like 1700 yen per person iirc but more comfort and also its reserved seat

If you plan to turn back after first section then haha not a problem then.

Kobe yes half day doable. If you are not into castle, can skip himeji... That stop only got himeji castle nothing else so can just go straight kobe. Anyhow i will write you long essay later in the evening. I lived in osaka for a year so quite familiar 😅

This post has been edited by cannellini: Nov 16 2022, 12:33 PM

nothing wrong with diff POV for passes but thats if you want to take flying instead of shinkansen

if OP has no issues with taking flights then by all means. do note taking flights means going thru longer checks and wait than a shinkansen. i assumed OP prioritise speed like all travellers than hassle of going thru airport security/immigration etc. shinkansen otoh just buy tix, hop in and settle down

Also if you got a pass obv can take shinkansen go to kyoto from osaka (its only 15 mins ride) but even if you buy shinkansen ticket without pass, its under 1500 yen each way. Osaka to kyoto is like KL go sunway not very far. I usually just take the normal train and pay using ic card. Normal train is like 30 mins to reach

This post has been edited by cannellini: Nov 16 2022, 12:42 PM

Okay, so here are some of my tips and info for Osaka. Hope it can be useful for you.

IF you're doing:

ROUND TRIP OSAKA. ONLY PLAN TO SIGHTSEE AROUND OSAKA CITY, KYOTO, AND/OR KOBE. Then,

a. you don’t need a JR PASS of any sort.
b. You do however can make use of various other passes like;
a. Osaka city 1D metro pass to go around Osaka City
b. You can take advantage of Osaka Amazing Pass
i. Offered as a 1D or 2D pass
ii. (it is bundled with all day metro and bus pass and works on Nankai, Hankyu, Hanshin, Keihan, Kintetsu trains)
iii. Offered you to enter some sight-seeing spots around the city for free instead of having to pay Admission.

c. In Kyoto, bus pass is more superior than subway pass. Though do note driving in Kyoto City is a nightmare (even parking is a pain).
However since you have a stroller, maybe do the Kyoto subway. It’s not as convenient as the bus, but at least you can squeeze in a stroller easier.
d. If you don’t mind the extra bit of spending and lazy to buy the above-mentioned passes, just get yourself an IC card (ICOCA) and use it as a normal MRT card.
Just top up when needed. Though if you’re a first-timer in Osaka, I do say Amazing Pass is quite a nice deal.
e. There are other passes offered by other rail companies besides JR you can use to go to places like Nara, Uji, Wakayama, Shiga. Examples:
i. Kintetsu Rail Pass (1D is 1500 yen) Pass is offered as a one day, two days, or five days option. The 1D pass will let you travel from Namba to Nara or Kyoto to Nara sufficiently on the Kintetsu Line.
It’s also the fastest line for Kyoto-Nara.
ii. Hanshin also offer a 1D tourist pass to let you ride unlimited rides on their trains. You can make use of it to go to Kobe. The pass is about 500 yen. Or you can also just pay normal fare.
Hanshin, JR and Hankyu have route from Osaka to Kobe.

f. If you plan to sight-see around Osaka City, you could opt to base yourself at Shinsaibashi or Namba/Nipponbashi area. You can even consider quieter, yet still accessible area like Daikokucho (which is like a 5 mins walk to
Namba Park, close to Shinsekai. And depends on how much of a walking person are you, you can stroll through Namba to Kuromon Market. All are within walking distance.
g. Namba is also where the Airport transfer is at, so you can save yourself the annoyance of lugging pieces of luggage through Osaka Metro (which is always packed... esp Midosuji line) to reach the airport.
h. Namba area is great as a base for city exploration and also to access other areas like Wakayama. Also, there’s SIX (yup) Namba stations owned by different rail companies... So don’t get confused and get to know who owns
what.
i. Namba is also convenient to go to USJ, kaiyukan, ferris wheel.
j. December is also a great time for the annual Christmas Lights Illumination at Midosuji.
k. If you’re planning to take a lot of shinkansen rides and no deep dive Osaka City exploration. It’s better to base yourself at the north (kita) area of Osaka like around Umeda or Shin-osaka.


KYOTO

a. You could easily squeeze Kiyomizudera, Gion district, the downtown shopping area incld Nishiki Market for ½ day. Near to Kiyomizudera is Yasaka Shrine (it’s also located in a big ass park,
if you walk that, you will take up a lot of time). So you could do a route of Kiyomizudera -> then walk through the famous Ninen and Sannen zaka (this will connect you through all the way to Yasaka Shrine).
Yasaka Shrine sits at a T junction facing Kyoto-Kawaramachi that will connect you to Gion and the downtown area.
b. Kinkakuji and Ginkakuji are both a little out of the way (also opposide direction of each other).
c. Since you’re interested in going to Arashiyama, you should try the Sagano Scenic Railway. Then you can walk through the Bamboo Forest and also consider a boat ride on Hozugawa.
This whole itinerary would take you just half a day.

NARA

a. Nara itself has a lot to offer, but most people only know deer, todaiji, and maybe kasuga-taisha. But Nara actually also have a “mountain” (tbh it should be a hill) but you might not be able to access it in december.
If you’re like a history afficianado, Nara is also the location for a few mausoleums of past emperor and empress of Japan. The most famous one will be the mausoleum of Emperor Kaika and another is the mausoleum of Empresss Jingu. They are however, a little not that convenient to get to compared to famous spots like Todaiji, kasuga-taisha and kofuji. So, if you only plan to do the general sights, half day trip is more than sufficient.

As mentioned in my first reply, you could after visit to Fushimi Inari, take the train a few stations down to the sake brewery or just go straight to Uji and do a ½ day tour there. You could also do a Shiga/Lake Biwako day trip from Kyoto. There’s Hieizan in Shiga (you can go up with a ropeway) that offer nice view of Japanese primodial forest and also view of Lake Biwako from the observatory on top. Then could go to Lake Biwako and enjoy ferry cruises (they got all sorts! One type was even a kind of American style ferry called Michigan Cruise.


If you want to do a 1 day or 1/2 day itinerary to Kobe, I would suggest first go to Nunobiki Garden (I recommend it all my friends that wanted to go Kobe). You can take the ropeway up there (the ropeway station base is also conveniently located right around the corner at Sannomiya station) The Garden offers a view of Kobe City. There’s also a really nice café and shop at the top of the garden and even has a foot bath.
After you come down from the garden, you can stroll through Kitano-cho (the western district with a lot of interesting period buildings, some of them requires a fee to enter). From Kitano-cho it is an easy walk towards the downtown (to enjoy kobe beef meal) and Kobe Chinatown. Kobe Chinatown is also a really easy walk to nearby Kobe Port (where you can still see some preserved remmants of the great Kobe earthquake in 1995) and Port tower.

Weather wise in December, Kobe, Osaka and Kyoto are similar. As long as wind doesn’t blow, you’re good. Just layer yourself and prepare a warmer jacket for night time.

As for ryokan recommendations, I can’t really suggest any OTL... I’m a single woman and I don’t consider myself heavily tattooed, but tattoo-ed enough on my body so I don’t really bother about going to onsen that kind of thing. Just too bothersome to find one that will accommodate me. More of an outdoor person. If you want to hike around Japan, I got a lot of recommendations lol) But one thing i would say is find somewhere thats very near Kyoto Station (walkable) or least only 1-2 subway (like at karasuma-gojo) or bus ride away. Any further will just be kinda inconvenient.

This post has been edited by cannellini: Nov 16 2022, 09:46 PM

Hi all,

I am travelling to Japan for leisure for 18days. Its quite scary to carry a stack of cash around.

I heard about the Revolut but sadly its not available in Malaysia.

Is there any other option? Are there any e wallet option available for tourists?

Thanks!

Withdraw from atm? at a small charge.. i think most 7E will have atm machine. You have to contact your bank to ask about this function also. Some people use the BigPay card i guess. I always carry cash though ariybd 200k to 300k for 10+ days.

How about Wise? It's available in Malaysia.
https://wise.com/my/

Japan are one of safest country to travel. Even you carried alot of cash also very safe.
Even you drop 100K yen on spot, you got 90% chances get it back from nearest police station.
Japan I can told you from paper very advance, in reality, Japan are like 90s. They still prefer cash & alot of shop not even had credit card machine or E pay system.

Thanks so much for the things to do n visit

Read thru ur reply at least 3 times, hahaha not easy for me digest yet

So my itinerary now is agak agak fixed dy

1st 3 nights staying in shinshaibashi, will take up the amazing pass, n cover the area for the 1st 2 days, then 3rd day will be spending it at USJ itself
was only able to get tickets to usj on the 20th
So literally if I need to go anywhere, just reach there I buy the tickets is also fine right?
What are the peak hours to avoid? 4 luggage + stroller seems like a nightmare

then will travel to kyoto, by train, give up driving there
stay 2 nights there, will try to follow your itinerary
1st day go Gion evening? next day early morning head to Arashiyama or fushimi?

after 2 nights in kyoto will be travelling back to osaka, staying in Shinsekai
hopefully in time to visit Suntory distillery on the day arriving back at Shinsekai
xmas eve may try to visit either Nara or Kobe , I wonder where is a nice place to have a xmas eve dinner for the family
checking out on xmas day itself, but btwn 11am (hopefully they allow late checkout) to 11pm (departure) where to hangout? hahaha

Sorry, I wrote it on microsoft word, but then after pasting, realised this forum doesn't accept Word's formatting. I hope it's not that confusing. If there's any confusing part, feel free to ask, I'll try to explain better.



Regarding this, 99% you could just do that yes. But for the Sagano Rail, I would suggest you buy online, like maybe through middleman app like Klook or KKDAY, sometimes you won't be able to get Sagano on the same day. So best to book that in advance to get the day and time you wanted.


Driving to Kyoto is really pointless (not only that, the train ride from osaka to kyoto is such a short ride...) because unless you plan to go out of Kyoto (still in Kyoto but out of it) the traffic jam is gonna drive you mad. Also parking is a struggle. You cannot just park anywhere and not all lodging offer parking. So you need to take that into consideration (assuming you plan to rent a car the whole time you're there).

Oh, one thing I do have to remind you is that there's a new post covid rules about luggage on shinkansen (though you probably won't be riding any with your itinerary unless you decides to change it)
On certain shinkansen routes like on Tokyo-Osaka/Osaka-Tokyo (Tokaido Shinkansen), Sanyo route (Osaka-fukuoka/fukuoka-osaka) and a few others i don't remember, if your luggage size exceed 250cm and above, you're not allowed on the train, if it is below 250cm but above 160cm, then you need to make seat reservation (green car). You could also consider luggage forwarding service (for like few thousand yen) if you really have a lot of luggage to your next destination so you can travel the train with ease. Some hotels can hook you up with this kind of service, no harm asking.



Yup. that is a good flow so you're not going all over the place and wasting time travelling.



No hate for Shinsekai, I love going there for the little hidden shops with kickass and cheap kushikatsu, but do take note that Shinsekai is a red-light district. (it is also one of the poorer district, was improving regarding homelessness, but that is still a thing... i have not been to osaka post-covid, but shinsekai took a heavy beating during covid-era. Japan as a whole are safer than a lot of country. You can still stay there, but just take note.

Also, if you're staying at Shinsekai, you could take a metro or just walk (it is very close by) to Tennoji and go to Abeno Harukas (one of the tallest skyscraper in Japan and has a observation deck to offer you a non-impeding view of Osaka City. The observation deck requires admission fee. You could have your xmas eve dinner (but usually you gotta book, walk-in on xmas eve/xmas is really about finding a miracle lol) over at Abeno Harukas (got some fancy places with good atmosphere) as well or you could do it over at the Umeda area (also got a lot of fancy places), have a nice dinner then afterwards, then stroll through the xmas lights illumination on Midosuji.

If you do go Kobe, you could still make it a day trip or overnight. Rent a car there and you can include driving to Akashi-kaikyo bridge to the rest of the itinerary or drive to Rokkosan Mountain Farm to enjoy family oriented activities there.

Tbh,if you have more days to spend, i would've suggest you get like JR Kansai Wide pass and go to Tottori (December in Tottori is the season of Matsuba crab and zuwaigani aka snow crab. It's absolutely insanely fresh and cheap when in season, you could rent a car there and also drive all the way to sakaiminato as well, its a port and with a lot of fresh seafood) and further to Hiroshima/Miyajima.



Go where you haven't go in Osaka city area Also, since Airport Transfer is located at Namba, you could either drop your luggage at the locker there or search for a luggage keeping service. They charge by pieces usually. Just google Luggage storing service namba osaka. it will bring you a list. Make sure it's near the train station though.

This post has been edited by cannellini: Nov 18 2022, 11:31 PM

Itinerary Check - 11 Days in Tokyo, Gunma & Yamagata Feb - Mar 2023

Hi guys! I'm planning to visit Japan at the end of Feb (21 Feb – 5 Mar) next year mainly as a getaway kind of trip and also to see snow for the first time! Going solo

*Long post ahead*



21 Feb - Arriving Haneda

22:15PM – Land at Haneda Airport. Probably takes an hour until I can leave the airport.

23:15PM – Get on to the Limousine bus to Shinjuku Station if I’m lucky enough the catch the last bus. Else, overnight at Terminal 3

23:50PM – Drop off at Shinjuku Station and walk to Anshin Oyado Premier Shinjukueki-mae for overnight stay (however, I do feel unsafe leaving my luggage in the shared area… Thus, might drop off at Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku if I think the USD 50 difference is worth to keep my luggage with me)



22 Feb - Tokyo

10:00AM – Wake up have random breakfast nearby. Walk around if I wake up early.

11:00AM – Take Yamanote Line to Ueno station

11:30AM – Walk around Ueno park and Shinobazu pond

12:30AM – Walk around Ameyoko Street

01:00PM – Walk to Maekawa for Unagi rice lunch

02:00PM – Asahi Brewery for some beer

02:30PM – Walk around Akihabara

03:20PM – Yushima Tenjin Shrine

04:20PM – Walk around randomly or maybe visit the Koishikawa Korakuen (seems a little too far on foot since I’m heading back to Sumida side)

05:50PM – Walk around Sumida Park

06:30PM – Have dinner at Daikokuya, San Sada or Owariya for Tempuraaa

07:20PM – Popeye for some beer

08:00PM – Walk to Asakusa Station -> Higashi-Nihombashi Station -> Shinjuku Station; or

Walk to Ueno Station -> Shinjuku Station

08:40PM – Walk around Shinjuku area until supper or perhaps just rest at hotel

10:00PM – Have supper and sleep at either Anshin Oyado Premier Shinjukueki-mae or Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku

*Note: Is it recommended to stay overnight at net café? Would like to stay overnight for once just for the experience



23 Feb - Tokyo

07:00AM – Would like to do some morning jog around the area. Shower and rest. Then get some breakfast

09:00AM – Take Yamanote Line to Shibuya Station (If it’s crowded, I will chill first)

and walk around (Crossing, Hachiko, Miyashita Park, etc.). Get some morning alcohol/coffee maybe

10:30AM – Walk around Yoyogi Park

11:30AM – Meiji Shrine

12:30PM – Walk around Harajuku (Maybe crepe too)

01:30PM – Lunch at either Harajuku or Shibuya?

02:30PM – Could be sunny, maybe walk in the malls. However, not much of a shopper really.

04:00PM – Ayoyama cemetery and walk around the area

05:00PM – Take the Ginza line from Gaiemmae Station back to Shibuya Station

06:00PM – Hakushu Teppanyaki for wagyu.

07:00PM – Go to Nonbei Yokochō for some beer/sake

08:00PM – Chill around or head back to Shinjuku Station

09:00PM – Maybe have a look at the Golden Gai at Shinjuku

10:00PM – Have supper and sleep at either Anshin Oyado Premier Shinjukueki-mae or Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku



24 Feb - Gala Yuzawa (Gunma)

09:30AM – Wake up, have random breakfast nearby or near Tokyo Station once arrived.

10:00AM – Take Chuo line to Tokyo Station

11:00AM – Take Jōetsu Line (Tanigawa train) to Gala Yuzawa Station (Lunch in the train?); or

Take Jōetsu Line (Toki train) to Echigo Yuzawa Station and walk north (Lunch in the train?)

01:00PM – Ski or snowboard*

05:00PM – Rest and check in at a hotel/ryokan at the area. (Have not found any yet)

06:00PM – Dinner: maybe provided by the hotel/ryokan or walk around for dinner

07:00PM – Walk around the area and chill. Maybe sake?

10:00PM – Sleep at the available hotel/ryokan

*Would appreciate recommendations/tips on equipment rental stores and class providers



25 Feb - Takaragawa Onsen (Gunma)

08:00AM – Would like to jog around the area if it’s not too cold

10:00AM – Wake up and have breakfast: maybe provided by the hotel/ryokan or walk around for breakfast

11:00AM – Take Jōetsu Line (Toki train) from Echigo Yuzawa Station to JRJomo-kogen station

12:00PM – Lunch at JRJomo-kogen station

12:40PM – Take courtesy bus to Takaragawa Onsen Ousenkaku (bus to arrive at 1pm)

01:50PM – Leave my luggage at the hotel and walk around the area

02:40PM – Check in, chill at onsen and rest afterwards (hopefully can get some laundry done too)

06:00PM – Dinner provided by the hotel

08:00PM – Some beer/sake/whiskey

10:30PM – Sleep



26 Feb - Tokyo

07:00AM – Would like to jog around the area if it’s not too cold

07:30AM – Last onsen before leaving

09:30AM – Breakfast provided by the hotel

10:00AM – Check out

10:20AM – Head to station for bus to reach Minakami Station

11:00AM – Take bus again to reach Jomo-kogen Station and head back to Tokyo Station (lunch in between this time I guess)

02:00PM – Reach Tokyo Station

02:30PM – Check in at nine hours Otemachi so I can leave my luggage there. (If it’s not worth it, might leave my luggage at Tokyo Station’s locker and check in after dinner at nine hours Otemachi instead)

03:00PM – Ginza

03:40PM – Kyu-Shiba-rikyu Garden

04:40PM – Tokyo Tower and chill around

06:30PM – Have dinner. Maybe Sukiya?

07:30PM – Walk around the area. Find some bar for a drink

08:50PM – Get laundry done if possible and not done yet

10:00PM – Sleep at nine hours Otemachi



27 Feb - Zao Onsen (Yamagata)

09:00AM – Wake up and have breakfast

10:00AM – Head to Tokyo station again to take JR Yamagata Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Yamagata Station. Takes around 3 hours so probably bento lunch on the train.

01:00PM – Reach Yamagata Station and take bus to Zao Onsen Bus Terminal. Takes an hour

02:00PM – Reach Zao Onsen. Find a skiing/snowboarding school/provider* and leave my luggage with them so I can move on to skiing

06:00PM – Check in at Takasagoya Ryokan and have dinner around the area.

07:00PM – Chill around or maybe enjoy the onsen at hotel/public (if any)

08:30PM – Walk around the area. Maybe some sake

10:00PM – Sleep

*Would appreciate recommendations/tips on equipment rental stores and class providers



28 Feb - Zao Ropeway (Yamagata)

10:00AM – Wake up and have breakfast

11:00AM – Head to Zao Ropeway for the ropeway (maybe book ticket on Klook first?).

01:00PM – Have lunch around the area

02:00PM – Ski/snowboard if I have the energy. Else, just enjoy the snow while heading back to Zao Onsen Bus Terminal. A bus will depart at 5.20PM

05:20PM – Leaves Zao Onsen Bus Terminal and head back to Yamagata Station

06:20PM – Check in at Daiwa Roynet Hotel Yamagata Ekimae. Dinner and chill for awhile

08:00PM – Walk around the area. Maybe some sake

10:00PM – Sleep



1 Mar - Hijori Onsen (Yamagata)

07:00AM – Would like to jog around the area if it’s not too cold

09:00AM – Breakfast

10:00AM – Head to Yamagata Station and take the Yamagata Shinkansen to Shinjo Station

11:00AM – From Shinjo Station, take a bus to Hijori Onsen

12:30PM – Arrive at Hijori Onsen. Check in at Ebisuya Inn Hijiori Onsen to leave my luggage

01:00PM – Walk around and find lunch

02:00PM – Beer/sake

03:00PM – Enjoy some onsen provided by hotel/public

04:30PM – Explore around the area until dinner time

06:00PM – Have dinner provided by hotel or elsewhere

08:00PM – Walk around or get laundry done if needed

10:00PM – Sleep


2 Mar - Ginzan Onsen (Yamagata)

07:00AM – Would like to jog around the area if it’s not too cold

09:00AM – Breakfast and chill until 12PM for the departing bus to arrive

12:00PM – Depart Hijori Onsen back to Shinjo Station

01:00PM – Arrive at Shinjo Station. Have lunch here.

01:30PM – Take Yamagata Shinkansen to Oishida Station

02:00PM – Arrive at Oishida Station and take the free shuttle bus to Ginzan Onsen

03:00PM – Check in at Takimikan to leave my luggage there.

03:30PM – Walk around Ginzan Onsen.

06:00PM – Head back to Takimikan for dinner and onsen afterwards

08:00PM – Sake and walk back to Ginzan Onsen for some night walk

10:00PM – Sleep



3 Mar - Yamadera Temple (Yamagata)

08:30AM – Breakfast provided by ryokan or find breakfast around the area

09:30AM – Last onsen before leaving the ryokan

11:00AM – Take shuttle bus to depart from Ginzan Onsen to Oishida Station (not sure about the schedule)

01:00PM – Have lunch at Oishida Station or lunch benta from Oishida Station to Yamagata Station via Yamagata line

03:00PM – Arrive at Yamagata Station. Take train again to Yamadera Station via Senzan Line

03:40PM – Arrive at Senzan Line. Hike the Yamadera temple. Closes at 5PM tho

05:00PM – Take Senzan Line back to Yamagata Station.

05:30PM – Check in at Daiwa Roynet Hotel Yamagata Ekimae. Dinner and chill for awhile

08:00PM – Walk around the area.

10:00PM – Sleep



4 Mar - Yonezawa, Tokyo
10:00AM – Wake up and have breakfast

11:00AM – Take Yamagata Line from Yamagata Station to Yonezawa Station

12:30PM – Reach Yonezawa Station.

01:00PM – Head to Yonezawa Beef Dining Bekoya for Yonezawa beef as lunch

02:00PM – Head back to Yonezawa Station and take Yamagata Shinkansen to Tokyo Station

06:00PM – Arrive at Tokyo Station. Dinner around the area.

07:00PM – Check in at nine hours Otemachi so I can leave my luggage there. (If it’s not worth it, might leave my luggage at Tokyo Station’s locker and check in after dinner at nine hours Otemachi instead)

10:00PM – Sleep at nine hours Otemachi



5 Mar

Buffer Day: Some flight tickets depart in the morning while some at midnight. If this day is travelable, I would probably jog a little and hope on to some random train (within reasonable range from base) to explore for fun


*Additional:

1) None of the hotel/ryokan/onsen/transportation have been booked. (However, the ryokan/hotel listed here are available for booking at the time of posting for the respective dates). Please feel free to suggest alternatives to any of the above.

2) If the schedule seems too tight, I wouldn't mind missing some of them so I could stay longer at some others. Not trying to hit any tourist KPI

3) Would appreciate additional suggestions for places to try "real"/"local" Japanese foods such as Kobe beef, tempura, unagi, ramen, sushi, etc., as well as Japanese beers and sakes!

4) Would also need advice on what to wear at Tokyo and Gunma/Yamagata area as this is my first time visiting Japan and experiencing winter season.

5) Also, not too sure if JR Pass is worth it, but it does seem like a Suica IC card would be sufficient for all the transportation needed in my itinerary?

Thank youuuuuu