Hi, me and my wife will be going to Japan in mid May for 14 nights. I will be arriving in the morning and returning at night through Narita airport.

Planning to cover a few areas as follow:
Tokyo (4 nights?)
- Shibuya
- Shinjuku
- Ginza
- Harajuku
- Akihabara
- Hitachinaka
- Kamakurakokomae (worth to visit?)

Kawaguchiko (1 night?)

Nagoya (3 nights?)
- Studio Ghibli Park
- Takayama
- Kurobe Gorge

Kyoto (4 nights)
- Kiyomizudera Temple
- Fushimi Inari
- Nara
- Shiga (?)
- Adashino Nenbutsuji (alternative to Arashiyama)?

Osaka (2 nights)
- USJ
- Kuromon Market
- Dotonburi

I have not booked any accomodations and still can adjust on the places to visit. Prefer to visit scenic/nature places. We can cut down on the number of days in Tokyo if there are any other nice places to visit outside of Tokyo.

Any recommendations on other city/town to visit? Any good traditional ryokan with onsen to visit?

Thank you!

This post has been edited by jdachum: Mar 5 2024, 02:46 PM

Hi everyone, I will be travelling to Japan in mid May later this year. I will be going with my wife and we are both in early 30s. I have been to Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka whereas my wife has been to Osaka with day trip to Kyoto.

We would enjoy more on nature and some cultural/historical place as well as some fun activities.

Please have a look at my very early draft of the itinerary below. (I have only booked hotel for Tokyo so far)

Day 1 (16th May) - Thursday [TOKYO]
• Arrival at Narita Airport in the AM.
• Collect and activate 14 days JR Pass.
• Take train to Tokyo. Deposit luggage at locker as hotel check in time is at 3pm(?).
• Walk around and explore, lunch while waiting for check-in time.
• Check-in at 3pm
• Explore Akihabara Electric City in the evening as well as dinner

Day 2 (17th May) - Friday [TOKYO]
• Explore Ginza (shopping)
• Yoyogi Park - Meiji Jingu
• Shibuya Crossing
• Shibuya Sky (evening)
• Dinner
• Shinjuku Kabukicho
• Omoide Yokocho Alley

Day 3 (18th May) - Saturday [TOKYO]
• Hitachi Seaside Park
• Teamlab Planets

Day 4 (19th May) - Sunday [TOKYO]
• Harajuku
• Tokyu Plaza Omotesando
• Kamakura
• Kamakurakoko-mae Station for seaside sunset

Day 5 (20th May) - Monday [KAWAGUCHIKO]
• Train to Kawaguchiko Station
• Store luggage at locker
• Tour around Kawaguchiko Lake with Oishi Park as last stop
• Collect luggage to check in hotel
• Chureito Pagoda
• Oshino Hakkai late afternoon

Day 6 (21st May) - Tuesday [NAGOYA]
• Depart to Nagoya
• Store luggage at locker
• Nagoya Castle
• Check in hotel
• Nabano No Sato Light Illumination

Day 7 (22nd) - Wednesday [NAGOYA]
• Ghibli Park
• Oasis 21
• Hosho-in (Osu Kannon)

Day 8 (23rd May) - Thursday [TAKAYAMA]
• Depart to Takayama
• Explore town
• Sanmachi Suji
• Hida-Furukawa

Day 9 (24th May) - Friday [KYOTO]
• Depart to Shirakawago
• Store luggage at locker
• Explore Shirakawago
• Collect luggage
• Depart to Kyoto - Check in hotel
• Explore Gion

Day 10 (25th May) - Saturday [KYOTO]
• Zenrinji (Eikandō) Temple
• Kiyomizudera Temple (Late afternoon)
• Yasaka Pagoda (Hokanji Temple) at Ninenzeka Street
• Philosopher's Path - Nanzenji Temple

Day 11 (26th May) - Sunday [ARIMA ONSEN]
• Depart to Arima Onsen Ryokan
• Explore Arima

Day 12 (27th May) - Monday [OSAKA]
• Depart to Osaka
• Store luggage at locker
• Osaka Castle
• Ichiba Kuromon Market
• Dotonburi

Day 13 (28th May) - Tuesday [OSAKA]
• Universal Studio Japan
• Dotonburi

Day 14 (29th May) - Wednesday [OSAKA]
• Wakayama half day trip (Ide Shoten)
• Tokyu Hands

Day 15 (30th May) - Thursday [NARITA]
• Checkout, store luggage
• Leisure explore
• Collect luggage
• Travel back to Narita Airport for night flight

Hotels
Tokyo - Daiwa Roynet Hotel Shimbashi
Kawaguchiko -
Nagoya -
Takayama -
Kyoto -
Arima Onsen -
Osaka -

Do let me know if you have any recommended hotels. I have checked Sotetsu Fresa at Shimbashi but they have no more non-smoking room.

Any suggestions/recommendations if there are locations that I can add/remove and if the flow of travel is feasible are welcomed! Anything to make the itinerary more enjoyable? Thank you!

This post has been edited by jdachum: Mar 12 2024, 11:10 AM

Thank you for the suggestion! I forgot to add in another location for the kawaguchiko stay, is it still possible to add for the Fuji Shibazakura?

I actually picked Arima Onsen for the ryokan and kaiseki experience. Do you have better option? I heard Arima Onsen is slightly like the scene in Spirited Away. I know Ginzan Onsen will be more similar but it’s too far away.

I was considering Kamikochi too, but it’s too far away as I will need to travel to Nagoya right after that.

Do you think renting a car is possible at Takayama just for one day? Pick up car at Takayama in the morning and return at Nagoya at 8pm.

For May travel, which way is the best for Shirakawago to Kyoto? The Kanazawa route or the Nagoya route? I will be having a JR Pass.

Thank you so much for the detailed explanation.

I already have a plan to stay one night in Takayama. Initial plan is :
Nagoya > Takayama (explore town and short excursion to Hida-Furukawa)
Next day, check out Takayama > Shirakawago > Kyoto

Would you say it’s better to change the order to :
Nagoya > Shirakawago > Takayama (explore town)
Next day, check out Takayama > Short excursion to Hida-Furukawa > Kyoto?

Hyperdia is already obsolete since 2022. Google map, ekispert and navitime will be good. I find both Google map and ekispert to be sufficient.

If the other person has no phone, still can use handwritten arrival form.

If using Visit Japan Web, each person must have a QR code.

Yes makes sense. No problem with that plan. Gion got different feel at night.



Took this photo of Yasaka Pagoda backdrop by chance which is near Kiyomizudera



Gion in the evening

I see that you will be there in November, which is considered to have high chance to have good visibility of the Mt Fuji.

I also stayed at a hotel near Fujisan Station previously. For cycling, I was told by the hotel staff it’s better to take the train to Kawaguchiko St and rent there instead of cycling all the way to the lake as it is an uphill route.

Like you, I also included Takayama in my trip, but in a different direction.

Ya, the first time I went, we used the shuttle bus to go around kawaguchiko, visibility of Mt Fuji is great.

Second time, went cycling but my wife was kinda new to cycling and got scared about cycling by the road with many cars driving by, visibility of the mt Fuji is bad, can’t see anything. However, when we went to Oshino Hakkai in that evening, the cloud cleared up and the view in Oshino Hakkai is great.

If you are good with cycling, definitely no problem cycling around kawaguchiko. The bicycles comes with lock.

Oshino Hakkai is very far tho. Don’t think that cycling there and back is reasonable haha. Just take the bus there and back.

Yes cheaper, plus the additional 10% GST we no need to pay

MAS

If you are okay with transit, Viet Air, Cathay, Philippine Air, Thai Air

MAS, ANA and JAL were throwing price last month at around RM1.5k, damn cheap

ANA just had an ANA Blue Sale last week. RM1.9k including free domestic flight in Japan, even managed to search one in April next year for the Sakura season

This post has been edited by jdachum: Sep 11 2025, 10:06 AM