Hi there good people of this forum, apologies for my long post and lots of questions
My wife and I will be travelling to Japan in the middle of November.
I have a rough idea on my itinerary but would really appreciate a little guidance.
We arrive in Tokyo at night so it really starts on the next day, My plans so far:
Day 1 - Tokyo - Senso-ji shrine - then go to Tokyo Skytree - then head to Sumida Hokusai Museum
Question 1 - Do you think we will have enough time to also do the Edo-Tokyo Museum?
Day 2 - Tokyo - Day trip to Nikko
Day 3 - Tokyo - Ghibli Museum - Then on to Kyoto!
Day 4 - Kyoto
Question 2 - Any recommendations for our 3 days in Kyoto are welcome - any must do's? places to eat? - We are muslim, so any Halal places anyone knows about or great seafood/vegetarian places?
Day 5 - Kyoto - Day trip to Nara
Day 6 - Kyoto - Kyoto most of the day - then on to Osaka!
Day 7 - Osaka
Question 3 - Same as Question 2 but for Osaka
Day 8 - Osaka - Universal Studios
Day 9 - Osaka - Osaka most of day - then on to Lake Kawaguchiko!
Day 10 - Fuji - Then back to Tokyo!
Question 4 - Any recommendations for our 2 half days staying in and around Lake Kawaguchiko?
Day 11 - Tokyo -
Day 12 - Tokyo - Shopping in Shibuya and wanted to see the Meiju Jingu Shrine
Day 13 - Fly home
If you made it this far then thank you very much for reading through my half completed Itinerary.
My Main question after all this would be travel and whether or not to get the 14 day Japan rail pass or just the 7 day Japan rail pass ???
Also any other travel tips between our destinations would be most welcome.
Thanks !
Comments
You can make a 7 day pass pay off, used for Days 3-9. Make sure you leave for Kansai and return by Day 9 to avoid some expensive charges.
For NIkko, you can get around cheaply with a Tobu Nikko Free Pass.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_002.html
A 14 day pass would not pay off for your plans.
For your Day 1, you might be able to fit in the Edo-Tokyo museum if you get a very early start. What many people recommend is going to the Sky Tree as soon as it opens and get your tickets before the huge line up begins. You can designate a future hour that day to see the Sky Tree. That way, you don't have to wait over an hour in line.
For your time in Japan, as well as where to go, you will be there at one of the best times of year - the autumn colors. You can see a good list of popular places at:
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2014.html
In Kyoto, the annual Top 3 places are Kinkakuji (the Golden Pavilion), the Fushimi Inari Shrine, and Kiyomimizudera. Kinkakuji can be seen in 30 minutes, Kiyomimizudera takes 60-90 minutes, and Fushimi Inari can take 1-2 hours or more if you want to walk through all the trails.
If you want vegetarian food, try Buddhist vegetarian or "shojin ryori".
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3963.html
You also might look at https://www.bento.com
For sightseeing, try:
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2158.html
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2157.html
After the temples of Kyoto close down around 5 PM, you could also go and see Kobe.
Please know that to go from Osaka to Kawaguchi it will take you 5-6 hours. The JR Pass can take you up to Otsuki, but the last hour you need to pay for the Fujikyu train. There are some discount tickets to see the area.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6906.html
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6905.html
You can see regular fares, routes and schedules on Hyperdia.
http://www.hyperdia.com
Under "More Options", be sure to uncheck the Nozomi box since you can't ride that train using the pass.
You can see previews of some of the best places to see in Japan on:
https://www.youtube.com/user/thejapanfaq/videos
Hope that helps.
I really appreciate it!