Order Your JRPass
Order Your JRPass

Forum

Enter your new post below.

Back to Itinerary check

Itinerary help

t.fry
t.fry
about 7 years ago
8 responses

I think I'm approaching the final draft of my itinerary, I'd like a second opinion on what I have so far. I'm planning to bring my fiancee to Japan at the end of October/early November.

Day 1-4 will be spent in Tokyo. I'm looking at hotels in Shinjuku because I think it will be fairly easy to access the major areas (Harajuku, Ueno, Shibuya, Asakusa, Akihabara, Odaiba, etc) from there.
Day 5 I'll activate our 7-day JR Pass and travel early from Tokyo to Kamakura for the day, then travel from Kamakura to Kyoto for the night.
Day 6 will be spent in Kyoto. I'm not sure where to look for a place to stay here yet. I'd really love to find a ryokan to stay at while in Kyoto, one with a private onsen option as we both have tattoos that I know are not welcome in public onsen.
Day 7 we'll travel from Kyoto to Nara for the day and stay the night in Osaka. I'd love to find a love hotel in the Namba area, but I don't know where to look.
Day 8 I'd like to stop by Himeji Castle on our way out of Osaka and stay the night in Hiroshima, if its not too far out of the way.
Day 9 spend the day exploring Miyajima and stay another night in Hiroshima. I think I've read the ferry from Hiroshima>Miyajima is covered w/ the JR Pass?
Day 10 travel from Hiroshima as early as possible to Kumamoto, stay the night there. I'm not so much interested in sightseeing here, I mostly want to stop because I have some friends I'd like to visit.
Day 11 try to spend as much time in Kumamoto before making our way back to Tokyo for the last day of the JR Pass. If we weren't able to find a love hotel in Namba, maybe this night we'll look for one in Tokyo. OR make our way back to Narita airport and stay in the capsule hotel.
Day 12 back to the States.

There are some places I'm interested in seeing, but unsure they'd be easily accessible w/ the JR Pass alone:
Kamakura: Kotoku-in, Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu & surrounding area.
Kyoto: Fushimi Inari, bamboo forest, Nijo Castle
Nara: Deer park, Todai-ji
Osaka: Namba, Dotonbori, aquarium

I would greatly appreciate any suggestions to make my itinerary easier, as well!
Thank you in advance, and I look forward to your reply.

avatar
Daniel-san
18835 posts
about 7 years ago
Expert

Hello there,

I've added my thoughts below.

Day 6 will be spent in Kyoto. I'm not sure where to look for a place to stay here yet. I'd really love to find a ryokan to stay at while in Kyoto, one with a private onsen option as we both have tattoos that I know are not welcome in public onsen. There are quite a couple of options, most Onsen will be fine with Tattoos as along as you cover them up, or you can just rent a private onsen and no one will see them anyway. A couple of great options around Kyoto are Kurama Onsen, which is hidden in the northern mountains of Kyoto. For a very exclusive experience, consider Tawaraya, the oldest (and likely most expensive) Ryokan in Kyoto. You can also take a train north to Kinosaki-Onsen.

Day 7 we'll travel from Kyoto to Nara for the day and stay the night in Osaka. I'd love to find a love hotel in the Namba area, but I don't know where to look. You can just walk around the area and enter one you like, most people do not make reservations for love hotels. However, I would not enter too late, or else most rooms will be taken. A quick google search finds many love hotels in Osaka near Osaka station (Umeda area) but not that many around Namba. Consider doing some scouting using google street view.

Day 9 spend the day exploring Miyajima and stay another night in Hiroshima. I think I've read the ferry from Hiroshima>Miyajima is covered w/ the JR Pass? Correct :)

Day 11 try to spend as much time in Kumamoto before making our way back to Tokyo for the last day of the JR Pass. If we weren't able to find a love hotel in Namba, maybe this night we'll look for one in Tokyo. OR make our way back to Narita airport and stay in the capsule hotel. Day 12 back to the States. Shibuya Love hotel hill is a great location if you are still looking for the experience. Note that most capsule hotels are for men only. Sometimes they cater to women too but they have their own floor, not very romantic :)

Hope this helps,
Daniel

Useful!0
Reply

Looking for more information? Search the forum

Select Category

Instant Quote

Starting from $336.00 for 7 days of unlimited Japan Rail travel

Can’t find the answer?

Learn from over 17433 questions about the Japan Rail Pass, or ask our Japan Rail travel experts

Ask Question

Get pocket Wifi in Japan

Get pocket Wifi in Japan
Japan Rail Pass

Visit us on Facebook

Get inspired for your visit to Japan by following us on Instagram and don't forget your own shots once you are there.


Find out where to buy the japan rail pass online.

Order your JRPass Now!

Order Now

We have special prices for children and great first class options. See all tickets or see our range of Regional Passes