Hi there,
Planning our first trip to Japan from May 11, 2016-May 26, 2016. Got most of the information from this forum but changed a few things around.
ITINERARY:
DAY 1 | (wednesday): Arrive Tokyo NRT (Arrive 1pm)
-trail running around tokyo: okutama, hakone, tanzawa, takao area?? - Explore Tokyo at Night Roppongi Crossing (Evening) or Tokyo Skytree after Dark for view - Stay night in Tokyo
DAY 2 | (thursday): Explore Tokyo
- Free day to explore Tokyo - Stay night in Tokyo
DAY 3 | (friday): Ginza
- Visit the Edo-Tokyo Museum - Stay night in Tokyo
DAY 4 | (saturday): Leave Tokyo to fuji five lakes (maybe to hakone?)
- Stop at Mt Fuji Five Lakes, spend day in Mt Fuji. hike to top and return to tokyo - Stay night in Tokyo
DAY 5 | (sunday): Leave Tokyo to Kansai.
Kyoto explore the following:
- Kiyomizu-dera Temple - Fushimi Inari - Sanjusangendo temple or Shugaku-in Villa - Stay night in Kyoto
DAY 6 | (monday): Kyoto day trip to Arashiyama and monkey park
- Tenryu-ji Temple - Bamboo Forest - Okochi-Sanso Villa - Kinkaku-ji Temple - Daitoku-ji Temple - Stay night in Kyoto
DAY 7 | (tuesday): Free Day in Kyoto
- koke-dera - koto-in temple - gio-ji moss garden - Stay night in Kyoto
DAY 8 | (wednesday): Free Day in Kyoto
- Otagi-Ninbutsu ji - Stay night in Kyoto
DAY 9 | (thursday): Explore eastern side of Kyoto - Kiyomizu-dera, Nanzenji and further to the south, the Fushimi Inari Shrine - stay night in kyoto
DAY 10 | (friday): Leave Kyoto to Himeji Castle and Kokoen Garden
½ day at Himeji Castle and then onward to Osaka. Stay night in Osaka.
- Stay night in Osaka ( Dotonbori plus the Umeda Sky Bldg or Abeno Harukas)
leave in morning to Nara
DAY 11|(saturday) Leave early for Nara day trip (1/2 day)
Then onward to Mt Koya - Stay night in Mt Koya at a Temple
DAY 12 | (sunday): Mt Koya (Dpt 10:20am) to Yakushima via ferry/JETFOIL?? need more info
- Spend day in Yakushima - Stay night in Yakushima
DAY 13 | (monday): Yakushima
- Hike to Jomon Sugi - Stay night in Yakushima
DAY 14 | (tuesday): Yakushima
- Hike to Shiratani Unsuikyo - Stay night in Yakushima
DAY 15 | (wednesday): Yakushima (Depart 1:00pm) to Tokyo Haneda OR ferry port???jetfoil?
- Explore Tokyo east districts or Explore Tokyo at Night Roppongi Crossing (Evening) or Shinjuku for neon lights, more trail running!
-Stay night in Tokyo
DAY 16 | (thursday): Last morning in Tokyo. Early city run. Depart NRT@ 1:50pm (get to airport 3 hours earlier)
QUESTIONS:
1. how to get from Mt. Koya to Yakushima via ferry (JETFOIL??) as we are traveling on a lesser budget. Is this possible? i know we have to get to kagoshima before we get to yakushima but i'm wondering if it is possible by ferry. if not, can we take a plane from mt. koya to yakushima or do we have to fly out of osaka?
should we forego yakushima because it is so far away and instead spend more time in osaka, nara, mt. koya area... specifically should we be spending more time in osaka? i dont want to miss anything important there. if we spent more time in osaka with the nara and mt. koya mini trips, we could also then come back to tokyo a day early and have one extra day and night there.
do we need the 7 day JR pass or 14 day JR pass. i'm still a bit confused about this.
are we totally missing out by not hitting hiroshima? my guy thinks it is too depressing and would rather spend time elsewhere but i think it is an important historical place to see. thoughts?
Please let me know what your thoughts are. Especially about whether to make the trek to yakushima or just stay for more time in osaka. Does this itinerary sound good?
Best,
Tegan and Bowen