Three Weeks in Japan: A First Time Itinerary

A Honeymoon is a Big Deal!

Not as big of a deal as the Wedding Day itself, admittedly, but still... A pretty Big Deal. And so our decision of where to go on said honeymoon was not to be trivially made.

Tropical islands, picture-postcard white sands and endless cocktails have their own appeal. But neither Julien nor myself being members of the fly-and-flop brigade, we were going to need something a little more boots-on-the-ground and a little less bums-on-the-beach. The required cocktails notwithstanding.

And when it came down to it, Japan had been at the top of our bucket lists for so long that it really was, for us, the obvious choice.

This being a special trip, we were able to dedicate a bit more time than usual to our holiday. 3 weeks in a country that neither of us had ever visited, and for which we each had a list as long as our forearms of things to do and places to see. So how to set about planning a first-timers itinerary for our 3 week trip to The Land of the Rising Sun?

The really great thing about having a full 21 days to throw at our trip was that we could cover the majority of highlights a newbie traveller to Japan would generally like to see, as well as throw in a couple of extras. The main question for us was how to do it without relentlessly retracing our steps. Particularly as our flights were to and from Tokyo.

Another great thing about having 3 weeks' travel time available was that we could do it all without being too rushed. This is particularly important to both of us, and is a key component of how we plan any holiday. While I can certainly understand the desire to - and have a fair few friends who like to - fit as much as possible into any trip, that does not work for us. When we go on a holiday, we feel strongly that we want to be somewhere as much as we want to be going somewhere. A holiday for us is something to return from reinvigorated and re-enthused, rather than something to recover from.

And so after many months of research, many hours spent making bookings, and what feels like half a lifetime of looking forward to it, we were finally on our way to Japan and its iconic cherry blossoms!

[A quick side-note on travelling to Japan during the hanami season: If, like us, you are planning your trip for end-March and early-April to coincide with the blooming of the sakura cherry blossoms, it is essential to get on to organising your trip as soon as possible. It is no exaggeration to say that this is a very popular time indeed in Japan.

Based on suggestions we ourselves had read before travelling, we had finalised booking our accommodation for Japan by about 6 months before our departure. And that turned out to be a very good thing! As the weeks and months progressed and we got closer to our trip, the prices we'd paid came to seem like bargains. In some cases our accommodation was 50% more expensive nearer the time than what we had paid for it. Not to mention the fact that a lot of options were fully booked well in advance.

I have read that Japan is a country under-supplied by accommodation compared to the demand during peak seasons, and this being the case - make sure to plan accordingly.]

Now without further ado, our:

3 week itinerary: How we organised our trip as first time visitors to Japan

5 days in Tokyo

No trip to Japan would be complete without a stay in the capital city. Tokyo has the glitz and the glamour of a modern Japan, and the gravitas and hushed awesomeness that comes with a 1,000 years of history.

There are areas buzzing with eye-popping only-in-Japan zaniness, and quiet traditional suburbs filled with old-school charm. It is one of the world's great 24-hour cities, which makes it a perfect place to start a trip while you get over the jet lag of that multi-hour time-zone difference.

We had earmarked a handful of days for our Japan introduction. Check out our 5 days in Tokyo (itinerary) blog post for the full lowdown on how we spent them.

4 days in magnificent Kyoto

Just over 2 weeks remaining on our Japan itinerary, and so off to Kyoto we went...

Kyoto features at the top of many 'best places to visit in Japan' wish lists, and rightly so! Considered by many to be the cultural beating heart of Japan, it is a city steeped in religion, and is beautiful to behold.

It also sees a huge influx of tourists annually, and accommodation can be scarce and comparatively expensive (so shop around and book early!)

We saw many things to delight and admire in Kyoto, and even so we felt like we had only scratched the surface of this mesmerising city. Read on for all the details of our 4 days stay in Kyoto (itinerary)!

Okayama

Flush with old-school charm and culture after our days in Kyoto, we were ready for the more modern kind, and for that Naoshima Art Island would be the perfect thing!

First things first though: The first step in getting from Kyoto to Naoshima is taking a Shinkansen bullet train to the city of Okayama. We would not be spending a night in Okayama, but we did decide to take the opportunity to break up our journey here, which would allow us to visit one of Japan's Three Great Gardens: Koraku-en.

Naoshima Art Island

A few hours later, and onwards again from Okayama station, it was just a brief train ride to Uno station, from where a quick ferry departed that took us to the town of Miyanoura on one-of-a-kind Naoshima Island. On Naoshima we would be staying at the Benesse House hotel - smart accommodations that felt rather more like an art gallery than a hotel.

Naoshima is a wonder - a gorgeous island that is packed solid with avant-garde modern art museums. There are the more formal ones of the Benesse Art Sites, including the astonishing and popular Chichu museum (for which reserving tickets in advance is highly recommended). Elsewhere there is the more experimental Art House Project, set in various indoor and outdoor venues around the town of Honmura.

And dotted here and there around the island itself are random outdoor art installations, not least of which are a couple of Yayoi Kusama's visually striking - and these days insta-famous - giant pumpkins. And all of it set against the lovely backdrop of Japan's Seto Inland Sea - other smaller islands visible off the coast and ocean views to the horizon.

While Naoshima certainly has become more popular in recent years, it still manages to pass slightly under the radar for many tourists. Our 2 days on this marvellous island were a highlight of our 3-week trip around Japan, and we think Naoshima deserves a higher place on those bucket-list Japanese itineraries.

Miyajima Island

A quick 35-minute bullet train west from Okayama is Hiroshima, from where it is an easy local train ride onwards to Miyajima-guchi station. There we hopped on the Miyajima ferry (included in the JR Pass) and 10 minutes later we were coming into port via our first views of Miyajima's most famous site: the Itsukushima Floating Torii Gate.

Floating only during high tide, mind you, so you may have to hang around for a bit if you are after that traditional photo shot of this magnificent red torii with its feet submerged.

We spent our afternoon meandering along the island, joining a Miyajima Historical Walking Tour, to discover some of the cultural highlights sites like the Itsukushima Shrine and the Tahoto Pagoda. We wandered up the mountainside and took in the dramatic views over the bays, and sat in a glade of falling cherry blossoms at Momobayashi park. We ambled around the old town and along the canal that cuts it in two, while snacking on Japanese treats from the local street vendors.

And at the end of the day, as the sun sank towards the horizon, we boarded the ferry for our journey back and our 1 night spent in Hiroshima city.

Hiroshima

The furthest west we would travel along Japan's main island of Honshu, and also the briefest of our stops, Hiroshima was nevertheless a revelation. Despite being over 75 years ago now that the Enola Gay dropped the infamous 'Little Boy' bomb over Hiroshima, the telling of those events has lost none of its impact.

We spent our morning on a walking tour of Hiroshima, seeing the museums, installations, parks and historic sites of the Peace Memorial: A part of central Hiroshima dedicated to preserving the memory of those terrible events, and that aims to serve as a continuing reminder of the horrific costs of war. Lest we forget.

The harrowing testimonies of the survivors, the displays of the victims' belongings, letters from loved ones to those they have lost, and photographs depicting the carnage, or thousands of origami paper cranes sent by children from across the world to the Children's Peace Monument each year - all were vivid and moving reminders of events that we can only hope will never again be repeated.

5 days in Osaka itinerary

With just over 1 week in Japan left to us, we were back in the heart of Japan, and we based ourselves in the modern city of Osaka for the next 5 days of our 3 weeks Japanese itinerary. Just a stone's throw from Kyoto, Osaka nevertheless makes a more convenient base for exploring the surrounding areas, thanks to cheaper accommodation, some of the best restaurants in Japan and superior nightlife options.

We spent our days discovering what Osaka had to offer, including historical sites like Osaka-jo Castle and the lovely Sumiyoshi Taisha shrine. We ambled along the riverbanks of the many waterways criss-crossing the city, rested our feet together with the locals in one of the trendy coffee shops overlooking the rivers, and ate in first-rate restaurants. We ascended the Umeda Sky Building for the fantastic views, and shopped in the department stores of the surrounding Umeda area.

And at night we made our way to the Dotonbori canal - the main tourist hub of the city - an area aglitter with neon lights and abuzz with other revellers out for the evening.

Osaka's great central location means it is also perfect for doing some day trips to some of the other popular tourist destinations that are within easy reach. We made the most of this fact, hopping on quick trains to discover a few more Japanese gems. The 3 Osaka day trips that we did were: Himeji, Nara and Kobe.

Himeji Castle

A visit to Himeji is like stepping into a living postcard from Japan’s feudal era. A mere 30 minutes bullet train ride from Shin-Osaka, the city is most famous for its Himeji Castle, often called the "White Heron Castle" for its elegant silhouette.

As we wandered around Himeji's historic district, the immaculate ivory castle dominated the skyline.

The castle itself, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is considered Japan’s most spectacular surviving example of traditional castle architecture. For our part, we wholeheartedly agree! Amongst all the lovely castles we'd see travelling around Japan, this one stands out in our memory as the most stunning.

We took a tour of the inside of Himeji castle too, and here we were perhaps a bit less inspired. The narrow passageways and steep wooden staircases are relatively bare, while the various levels present stories of samurai strategy which, while interesting in theory, we didn't find particularly fascinating.

The nearby Koko-en garden is lovely though, and well-worth a detour for anyone who has the time.

Nara Park

The journey from Osaka to Nara takes between 40 minutes and an hour, and given how easy it is, we think Nara should be an unmissable stop on any Japanese itinerary.

An easy walk from Nara train station along the main street of the town took us to the delightful Nara Park. Peaceful and charming, Nara Park felt worlds away from the whirring of the Japanese cities.

Vast lawns and fun interactions with the freely roaming Nara deer made our visit here memorable. Wanderings beneath towering cedars, along lanes lines with moss-covered toro lanterns, took us to ancient temples.

Most impressive of these temples we thought was the Todai-ji - massive and awe-inspiring. It is the largest hall of its kind in the world, inside of which sits the Daibutsu: the Great Buddha of Nara. Towering at over 15 meters tall, this was one big buddha!

We also made sure to visit the nearby Kasuga Taisha Shrine.

And as the day winded down, Nara was one of those towns where we found ourselves wanting to linger. Dotted with cozy streets filled with local eateries, Nara is a destination known for its food, and we made the most of it before taking our return journey back to Osaka.

Kobe City

A day trip to Kobe offers a bunch of things for the aspiring tourist to sample.

Kobe is a modern city situated on the water, and so the first thing we did was take a stroll along the waterfront, and over to the Kobe Harbourland for views of the Kobe Port Tower.

Next we headed over to the Kitano district, to check out the western-style mansions there, set so incongruously amongst the more traditional Japanese architecture that had dominated our trip. From there we took the nearby ropeway up to the Nunobiki Herb Gardens, for views of the city and seasonal flowers.

And of course, no trip to Kobe would be complete without tasting its world-famous Kobe beef. Ubiquitous in the city, many restaurants serve it grilled to perfection, and we were not going to miss out.

Koya-san - A night in a Buddhist monastery

By now our time in Osaka was done, and our 3-week trip around Japan was equally nearing its end. But we still had a couple of special highlights awaiting us. And certainly one of the more unique Japanese experiences we had was our overnight stay in the Eko-in Buddhist monastery in Koyasan.

Koyasan - a mystical mountain south of Osaka in Japan's Wakayama district - is a wonder-filled place. There are many things to see in Koyasan, including sacred Buddhist sites and the incomparable Okuno-in, Japan's largest cemetery. We came away inspired and truly enchanted by our all-too-brief 1-night temple stay in Koyasan.

Hakone - Onsen hot springs and ryokan stays

What more could a body tired from gallivanting around the Japanese countryside need than a soak in a steaming hot spring bath? So to finish off our 3 week adventure, we booked ourselves into the superlative Gora Hanaougi ryokan in Hakone, for 2 blissful days of relaxation set in beautiful countryside surroundings.

We spent our days following the sites along the Hakone Loop tourist route, and our evenings submerged in dreamy onsen baths followed by delicious kaiseki meals served up by the Hanaougi staff.

Of all the hotels we stayed in around Japan, Gora Hanaougi was our favourite, and whenever we find ourselves back in Japan again we will be sure to put aside some time to revisit this amazing traditional ryokan.

Tokyo

All good things come to an end, or at least that's the case with holidays, and so back we were in Tokyo for one last night, on site and ready to make our way back to the airport the following day for our flight home.

It was with a little bit of sadness, a ton of new memories, and no small amount of thankfulness that we waved goodbye to Japan after what had been the 21 day trip of a lifetime.

There can be nowhere else in the world quite like Japan, with its millennia-old temples and its modern cities, its graceful peoples and unique experiences. The land of the rising sun, of sumo wrestlers, singing toilets and sake, had given us experiences to cherish that we would carry with us forever.

3 weeks in Japan itinerary - what we would do differently

The above itinerary was our best effort to fit in as much of our things to do bucket-list Japanese items during 3 weeks as we could, and it worked very well for us. With the benefit of hindsight, we did think there were a couple of small things we would change, and these are:

• We found our time in Osaka slightly more than we needed, and in Kyoto we'd have liked a bit more. We would reallocate a night or 2 between them, ie more like 3 or 4 days in Osaka and 5 days in Kyoto.

• We opted to stay on Naoshima Island itself for our 2 night visit there. In hindsight, we thought that the on-site Benesse accommodation was overly expensive, and not really necessary. Naoshima is easily reachable from the mainland, and we would recommend staying somewhere convenient (and less pricey) and visiting for a day trip.

That concludes our 3 weeks in wonderful Japan itinerary. Whether you have 1 week, 2 weeks or 3 weeks to dedicate to Japan, you're guaranteed to be blown away! We hope you have enjoyed reading, and wish you as much joy visiting this wonderful country as we had!!

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For your next travel inspiration, have a look at our 1 week in Namibia itinerary, as we travel around this remarkable country and its vividly stunning desert scenery!!

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Additional Japan resources:

• Take a look at the wonderful Japan Starts Here website - it is a super blog filled with hands-on personal experiences and information which we found invaluable in planning our own trip to Japan.