Hi everyone,
Two weeks ago I heard that I'll be spending a few weeks in Shanghai on a business trip at the start-mid of October. Seeing that I've always wanted to go to Japan and Shanghai is so close to Japan, I've decided to extend my stay after the project in Shanghai is done and do a 3 week vacation in Japan! I want to fly into Tokyo from Shanghai and my boyfriend will fly in the same day from the Netherlands
I've been researching since then and am amazed by how much information I can find. Enough that I do not want to "restrict" myself to a prearranged (group) tour, but create my own itinerary
One thing that slightly complicates matters, is that besides any luggage I want to take for my 3 weeks in Japan (walking shoes, fleece shirts for colder weather in the Alps, etc.) I will also have my business clothes for those first 3 weeks in Shanghai. Thus, a big luggage bag I'm afraid. Therefore, I wanted to try and base us in one hotel for a few days and do day trips from there
This is what I have in mind right now:
Tokyo Area:
Day 0 - Oct 17 - Fri: Fly to Tokyo
Day 1 - Oct 18 - Sat: Arrive in Tokyo - Go to hotel - Start sightseeing
Day 2 - Oct 19 - Sun: Tokyo - At least go to Harajuku to see the dressed up teens
Day 3 - Oct 20 - Mon: Day trip to Nikko
Day 4 - Oct 21 - Tue: Tokyo
Day 5 - Oct 22 - Wed: Day trip to Kamakura
Day 6 - Oct 23 - Thu: Tokyo
Mt. Fuji Area:
Day 7 - Oct 24 - Fri: Leave Tokyo in the morning and go to Hakone - Spend night in Ryokan with hot spring. I'm not really sure if we should stay in the Hakone area or the Five Lakes area. Looking at the places to visit at Five Lakes the Chureito Pagoda seems like such a beautiful place. I also want to spend the night to increase my changes to really see Mt. Fuji in the morning
Kyoto Area:
Day 8 - Oct 25 - Sat: Leave Mt. Fuji area and go to Kyoto
Day 9 - Oct 26 - Sun: Kyoto
Day 10 - Oct 27 - Mon: Day trip to Nara
Day 11 - Oct 28 - Tue: Day trip to Osaka
Day 12 - Oct 29 - Wed: Go to Mt. Koya to spend the night in a temple. I've read in another post that it might be possible to leave your big luggage with the hotel in Kyoto if we were to stay there for another night after our visit to Mt. Koya. Is Mt. Koya something to do for an entire day? Or should we leave Kyoto in the early afternoon?
Day 13 - Oct 30 - Thu: Leave Mt. Koya - Visit Himeji Castle - Go back to Kyoto in the afternoon. Is it easy to go to Himeji Castle from Mt. Koya, or should we do Himeji in an earlier day?
Day 14 - Oct 31 - Fri: Kyoto
Japanese Alps Area:
Ok, so here is where my itinerary is the most fuzzy, because I cannot really find the best/efficient route to visit all of the places I want to see. Especially with a big luggage trunk.
The things I want to do/see are: Do the Tateyama Alpine Route, visit and stay a night in a farmhouse in Shirakawa-go, visit/hike in Kamikochi, visit Matsumoto Castle, visit Kanazawa Kenrokuen, visit Takayama. Does anybody have any suggestions of what to do in which order and stay the night where?
Day 15 - Nov 1 - Sat: Leave Kyotot and go to Kanazawa
Day 16 - Nov 2 - Sun: Japanse Alps fuzziness
Day 17 - Nov 3 - Mon: Japanse Alps fuzziness - National Holiday I think?
Day 18 - Nov 4 - Tue: Japanse Alps fuzziness
Day 19 - Nov 5 - Wed: Japanse Alps fuzziness
Day 20 - Nov 6 - Thu: Leave Japanese Alps (from Matsumoto?) and go to Tokyo
Day 21 - Nov 7 - Fri: Fly out from Tokyo back to Amsterdam
Here are my reasons for/other questions about choosing this itinerary:
I've tried not to go to any autumn leave location during the weekends
After reading about the Ryokan, Minshuku and Temple Lodgings I wish I could spend every night in one of these, they seem like such an amazing experience! But that will get way to expensive I'm afraid. Our budget is maxed at about €2500 ($3300 / 340,000 Yen). But if anybody has some suggestions for nice traditional ryokan I'd love to hear
Not sure if we have too much time in Kyoto. But in the case we do get "temple fatigue" I think we will do a day trip to Hiroshjima/Miyajima instead
I think the 21 JR pass would be the best option for this trip?
We're both not really the night life kind of people. We like to get up early but still get our 7-8 hours a night. More of the Nature, old Japan mystique kind of people I guess :) (however, Kabuki is something that seems great to visit and if there is something else at night that we absolutely have to see, we don't mind the occasional short night ;) We just don't really go out in bars, etc.)
I've read my fare share of manga during my teens (especially from CLAMP), so I'd also love to hear any suggestions of places to visit that connect to this
Since it's only about 8 weeks away, I really have to start finding and booking hotels fast before they sell out :S (especially the ryokan and temple I hear)
Sorry, after typing it all out I see that there are a lot of questions, but I hope some of you are willing to answer a few :)
Thank you for any help!