It’s true that hindsight is 20-20. Our trip was incredible but if I could go back in time there are a handful of things that I would do differently. Assuming the same basic itinerary, I would probably make the below changes knowing what I know today.
Fly Into Tokyo and Out of Osaka
We wasted about half a day traveling back from Kyoto to Tokyo to fly home. We stayed in Narita the last night, which was great for catching a morning flight but made for a long day of travel (before another long day of travel home). And Narita is not super easy was to get to. We took the Shinkansen back to Tokyo and then the Narita Express and then a hotel shuttle, all of which took over 6 hours. It would have been so much easier if we had flown out of Osaka.
Do Hakone as a Day Trip
Hakone is my biggest regret of our time in Japan. We made the trip all the way there and spent the night and did not get to see or do anything. It was a complete waste of a day and a half. The only section of the Hakone Loop that we completed was an uncomfortable 1+ hour bus ride from Yumoto to our hotel on Lake Ashi. Everything was completely fogged in and it poured rain off and on the entire time we were there. I knew that our chances of seeing Mount Fuji were naturally low but it never occurred to me that we might not even get to Owakudani or ride the cablecar, ropeway or boat. In retrospect it would have been better to add an extra night in Tokyo and have some flexibility to pick the best day to go to Hakone based on the conditions. Plus the logistics are just so much easier to get there and be able to start the loop right away without dealing with bags and hotel check-ins.
Don’t Move Hotels so Often
Our itinerary had us spending 5 nights in Tokyo, 1 night in Hakone, 2 nights in Osaka, 1 night in Hiroshima, 1 night in Miyajima, 3 nights in Kyoto, and the last night back in Tokyo before flying home. We ultimately removed the overnight in Miyajima and added the night to Hiroshima, which did help a lot, but I wouldn’t do less than 3 nights anywhere if I had to plan it again. Although traveling between cities in Japan is relatively easy, it was still a lot of moving around which can start to wear on you. And 3 nights gives you two full days, which I think is the minimum to really get a feel for an area.
Spend More Time in Osaka and Use it as a Base for Day Trips
People have mixed feelings on Osaka (we really enjoyed our time there!) but whether you like the city or not, it is a great base for exploring the surrounding area. There are so many great day trips from Osaka. Nara, Himeji, Kobe, Uji, and Okayama can all be reached from Osaka in less than an hour. And the best part is that they are all covered by JR West’s Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass. This pass pays for itself just by taking a round trip Shinkansen from Osaka to Hiroshima. Everything you do on top of that is essentially free. If we had more time in Osaka, we could have taken advantage its great location and the huge benefits of JR pass.
Spend More Time in Hiroshima
Hiroshima was the surprise favorite for all of us. We definitely only scratched the surface and I wish we had been able to spend more time there and really explore.
