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5 Day Osaka/Kyoto/Nara March Itinerary (Subsequent stay in Tokyo thereafter)

dan
dan
about 9 years ago
3 responses

Hi would help if you could help me to look through my itinerary and let me know if there is any popular places that i may miss out :) Thank you so much!

Day 1 : Tokyo - Osaka ( JAPANICAN 22k Yen round trip Shinkansen ) + one osaka day pass

Day 2 : Osaka - Osaka day pass -Osaka Castle
-Tempozan ferris wheel
-Kema sakuranomiya

OR*******

Day 2 : Osaka - Osaka Amazing Pass (2300 Yen)

-Osaka Castle -Umeda sky building -HEP five ferris wheel / Tempozan ferris wheel -Tombori river cruise -Kema sakuranomiya

Day 3 : Osaka - Kyoto using Hankyu Tourist pass , Osaka Umeda station to Arashiyama station (kyoto Hankyu line)

-Arashiyama -Bamboo forest & Tenryuji Temple -Togetsukyo bridge -Umeda Skybuilding

Day 4 : 0saka to Kyoto using Hankyu Tourist pass + Kyoto one day bus pass (500 Yen)

Can i buy kyoto bus pass and board the bus from Karasuma or kawaramachi station on the kyoto hankyu line?
Because i will be taking the hankyu line from osaka to kyoto.

-Kinkakuji Temple -Kiyomizu-dera -Fushimi Inari Shrine -Philosopher's walk / Ginkakuji Temple

Day 5 : Nara - Kintetsu nara line ( 560 Yen )
-Todai-Ji Temple -Nara Park -Koufukuji Temple & Higashimuki Shopping street

Thanks in advance for any valuable inputs and advice. =)

avatar
Daniel-san
18832 posts
about 9 years ago
Expert

Hi there,

I think that you've already made a great selection of places to visit. With limited time, you always have to decide what to visit and what to leave for the next time. In Osaka, I'd personally go for option two as this way you can get a better view and feeling for Osaka.

There's also more than enough in Kyoto to keep you busy for weeks but again I think you have made a great selection. Personally I'd recommend a visit to Nishiki Market and Goin if you have the time.

The Kyoto bus pass can be purchased at Kyoto station and many smaller shops in Kyoto, I am not sure if you can do so at Karasuma but I would expect so.

In Nara, also consider a visit to the national museum it has an impressive collection and is well worth your time if you are interested in history and tradition.

Hope this helps,
Daniel

Toraneko
Toraneko
1303 posts
about 9 years ago

I think you have some good places in your itinerary but a few modifications would be helpful.
Your 2nd plan for Day 2 in Osaka works better. But you might re-arrange things and go to the Umeda Sky Bldg just before sunset if you can. Watching the city turn from day to night is quite a treat. You can get a good night preview here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb1wuyAGgyQ

An alternative ir addition would be the Abeno Harukas Bldg next to Tennoji Stn. It's double the price but if the weather is good the view from the 60th floor is just amazing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AyUZmGbW8g

Day 3 is actually quite empty. The bridge is one of the most overblown and overhyped places in Japan - it USED to be a very beautiful and historic bridge. Now it's just another ferro-concrete bridge with cars and trucks running over it all day long. You can be through it in 5 minutes or less. The bamboo forest is quite nice to walk through, nice atmosphere but won't take you long to get through either. Tenryuji is one of the better sites there - the temple isn't really spectacular, but the real treat is the temple garden - don't miss it.
There is a lot more there - you might want to visit the Iwatayama monkey park where you can feed and be with several dozen monkeys. There are also several good temples to visit and are largely free of the tourist hordes. See:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3950_arashiyama_full.html

Don't miss the Otagi Nenbutsuji at the end of the line - very unique and even humorous:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efvtB_5jmjA

Also since Kinkakuji is closer to Arashiyama, I'd stick it in with this day, rather than in Day 4 going from there all the way to the other side of the city.

Day 4 has the other 2 big places to see in Kyoto. Everyone has their own pace, but you could be through it in about 90 minutes without rushing. Fushimi Inari could take a couple hours to all day if you want to go through every trail. There's a nice look at that also at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EandKTAwfOM

Some other good places worth look through are Sanjusangendo and Nanzenji - very nice. For Nara, next to Nara Park there are also 2 nice gardens (one free for foreigners), Isuien and Yoshikien. Most people just stampede past them without even seeing them, so you can see some beautiful gardens without the crowds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk-7IoLELio

The Kasuga Taisha Shrine in Nara Park is also very nice and worth seeing.


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