March 27 -> April 11 (16 days) 🌸 Itinerary Check 🌸

Looking for some feedback on this itinerary. It's a little disjointed I feel because right when we land should be pretty good for for cherry blossom viewing so we're front loading Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto and then following up with the other things we want to see (Hiroshima/Kanazawa/Takayama). I wasn't sure if we should from Hiroshimo to Takayama or to Kanazawa first.

We've been to Osaka/Tokyo/Kyoto/Nara so we don't need to see most of the typical attractions there and instead will use the time for favorites and visiting family/friends.

We'll be getting a 14-day JR Pass (green probably) so I need to figure out the best day to activate it.

We don't have accommodations booked, but I'll be booking this week as soon as we nail down the itinerary.

March 27 - April 11

Day 1 - Wed, March 27 (Tokyo)

• Arrive to NRT @ 4:30, pick up luggage, pocket wifi
• Train to hotel in [accommodations TBD]
• Get food etc. and rest

Day 2 - Thu, March 28 (Tokyo)

• Will likely be tired today after traveling, so the plan will be to take it slow and visit some shops and restaurants that we have on our list. Also take some time to enjoy the cherry blossoms, possibly stroll through Shinjuku Gyoen.

Day 3 - Fri, March 29 (Tokyo)

• A full day to experiance hinami, either Yoyogi Koen, Chidorigafuchi, or Inokarshira Onshi Park.
• Any recommendations on where to get some good supplies for Hinami? Blankets, picnic food, etc.?

Day 4 - Sat, March 30 (Tokyo -> Osaka)

• Catch an early train to Osaka in the morning.
• Check into [accommodations TBD].
• Visit family in the afternoon.

Day 5 - Sun, March 31 (Osaka)

• Visiting with family today, probably do some cherry blossom viewing around Osaka. Still sorting out what to do with elderly grandparent that can't for long periods. Any ideas?

Day 6 - Mon, April 1 (Osaka / Kyoto)

• Wake up and catch a train to Kyoto.
• Visit Kinkaju ji (Golden Pavilion) which I missed last time.
• Stroll around Gion, etc. and soak in the cherry blossoms .
• We are considering staying overnight in Kyoto (while keeping Osaka accommodations) to keep things simple and so we can have a fun night out visiting a favorite bar owner.
• I've read that Kyoto is beautiful in cherry blossom season so that's the main reason why we were thinking about a day trip here. If you have any tips on where to stroll that won't be too crowded please advise.

Day 7 - Tue, April 2 (Osaka / Yoshino day trip)

• Morning: day trip Yoshino and explore the town while checking out the large amounts of cherry blossom trees.
• Afternoon: return to Osaka for final visit with family.
• Evening: bring luggage to forwarding service to Hiroshima. Any tips/advice/services?

Day 8 - Wed, April 3 (Osaka -> Himeji - > Hiroshima)

• Catch the earliest train we can to Himeji and explore the castle and park.
• Quick head to Hiroshima and explore the park & museum in the afternoon.
• Finally, check into [accommodations TBD] and hope that our luggage is there :).

Day 9 - Thu, April 4 (Hiroshima / Miyajima)

• Morning train & ferry to Miyajima and take the full day to explore Itsukushima Shrine, hike Mounta Misen, see Daisho-in temple & Senojokaku Hall.
• Relaxing evening for big travel day tomorrow.

Day 10 - Fri, April 5 (Hiroshima -> Takayama)

• Big travel day trom Hiroshima to Takayama so we'll try to leave early as it's a 5-6 hr train ride.
• Check into [acccomodations TBD] and do a bit of exploring and have a nice dinner.
• Should we consider luggage forwarding for this journey too?

Day 11 - Sat, April 6 (Takayama)

• Full day of exploring Takayama: find a morning market, eat lots of hida beef, Hida folk village, Old Town, sake drinking.

Day 12 - Sun, April 7 (Takayama -> Kanazawa)

• Travel to Kanazawa in the morning and drop bags at our [accommodations TBD].
• Use the afternoon to get a head start on exploring Kanazawa (Omicho Market).

Day 13 - Mon, April 8 (Kanazawa)

• Full day of exploring Kanazawa: Kenrokuen, Ninjadera, Nishi Chaya, Higashi Chaya, etc.
• We were thinking about booking some sort of arts class for today like gold leafing. Any recommendations?

Day 14 - Tue, April 9 (Kanazawa / Shirakawa-go)

• Day trip to Shirakawa-go.
• Despire not being winter this is still a village we'd love to see.
• Should we account for it to take up the entire day, so that we're not rushed today?

Day 15 - Wed, April 10 (Osaka or Tokyo)

• Catch an early train to Osaka or Tokyo.
• We're not sure yet if we want to have our last night in Osaka (with family) or Tokyo. We'll likely want to use this day to do any last minute shopping (dishware, clothes, etc.) before we fly home.

Day 16 - Thu, April 11 (-> NRT)

• Catch train from Osaka/Tokyo -> NRT to arrive by 3pm~ for 6:15pm flight.

Submitted February 04, 2019 at 05:11PM by likeaboss_ http://bit.ly/2TvNCZg