You would have noticed that the date stamp on my travel essentials post is 5th April 2016. I wrote the post before we left but posted it when we got back. We took a trip to Japan for 3 weeks during March. It was one of the best trips of my life. What struck me was the amount of people that we met on our travels who decided to wing their Japan trip and did not have an itinerary at all. I really applaud their spontaneity. Most of these travelers conceded that it took too much time and effort to put together an itinerary and winging it just suited them.
I, on the other hand, spent weeks researching and compiling a hardcore excel spreadsheet. I thought I would share my itinerary because I know how much it helped to see other people's itineraries online. I am just going to briefly lay it out in point form as a lot of the information I inserted in the spreadsheet was copy and pasted from www.japan-guide.com & www.jprail.com.
We did not necessarily stick to this itinerary and when we changed our plans, I'll put a little star (*) next to the activity or day. This is certainly NOT the perfect itinerary and there are definitely things that I would change (and did change) but I am merely sharing the one I created in the hope that it helps someone else/ inspires them to create their own.
TOKYO (5 DAYS)
Day 1: (Tokyo)
- Arrive at Narita, Tokyo Airport.
- Explore the area around the hostel
Day 2 (Tokyo):
- Meiji Jingu Shrine
- Harajuku District
- Shibuyo Crossing
- Robot restaurant (*)
Day 3 (Tokyo)
- Day trip to Nikko
Day 4 (Tokyo)
- Tsukiji Fish Market
- Akhihabara
- Asakusa (*)
Day 5 (Tokyo)
- Day trip to Hakone*
NAGANO (1 DAY)
Day 6 (Nagano)
- Travel to Nagano
- Stay one night in a Ryokan
- Visit Snow Monkey Park
- Experience Onsen
OSAKA (3 DAYS)
Day 7 (Osaka)
- Travel to Osaka
- Osaka Castle
Day 8 (Osaka)
- Baseball Game
- Dotonbori Canal
Day 9: (Osaka)
- Sumo Wrestling*
NARA (1 DAY)
Day 10 (Nara)
- Feed the deer
- Todaji Temple
KOYA-SAN (1 DAY)
Day 11 (Koya San)
- Stay one night in Buddhist temple lodging
KYOTO (4 DAYS)
Day 12 (Koya San to Kyoto)
- Morning prayer at buddhist temple
- Travel to Kyoto
- Nijo Castle *
- Manga Museum
- Nishiki Market
Day 13 (Kyoto)
- Kinkakuji (The Golden Pavillion)
- Arashiyama *
- Higashiyama District
Day 14 (Kyoto)
- Fushimi Inari Shrine
Day 15 (Kyoto)
- Free day to explore *
HIROSHIMA (1 DAY)
Day 16 (Hiroshima)
- Hiroshima Peace Park
- Hiroshima Castle*
MIYA JIMA (2 DAYS)
Day 17 (Miya Jima)
- Free day to explore *
Day 18: (Miya Jima)
- Climb Mount Misen
- See floating Tori Gate
TRAVEL DAY (MIYA JIMA TO TOKYO)
Day 19: Travel day
TOKYO (2 DAYS)
Day 20 (Tokyo)
- Free Day *
Day 21 (Tokyo)
- Free day *
Day 22: (Tokyo to Johannesburg)
- Travel home
So that is the itinerary that was planned but changed as we went along. I think it is so important to learn to be flexible. Some of the activities planned had to be rescheduled to another day. Researching online is one thing but when you are in the country, it is easier to figure out what to see on a particular day. Perhaps our traveler friends were clever to wing it. Personally, I am happy with the way we did it. We had a plan but were flexible enough to make changes based on the weather, the budget, when sites were closed for renovations or for safety reasons.
I really hope this helps someone with their trip to Japan. Writing about it is making me incredibly nostalgic.
