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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/mirdyll on 2024-05-02 06:43:00.

Thank you for all the posts here that helped to plan and execute this itinerary!

Background:

This was my (29M) second time traveling to Japan. I have a friend from high school currently living in Tokyo for a year who inspired another trip around cherry blossom season. My GF who was visiting family in China at this time was able to join me in Tokyo for a few days.

My first trip in January 2020 was with a larger group and consisted of a week in Tokyo and a week with JR pass going north to Aomori, Hakodate and Sapporo.

I don’t speak Japanese and did not utter anything besides: hai, sumimasen, konnichiwa, gomenasai, arigato gozaimasu, daijoubu desu and ohio gozaimasu. Around 75% of the itinerary was thoroughly planned in advance, with 25% room to improvise. I took a large suitcase, a carry-on, and a backpack. My friend helped me with the bag logistics.

I planned to include multiple running sessions and many anime pilgrimage spots. Some of these may not be as interesting to that many people, but I hope this trip report can help and inspire future travelers.

Day 1 Tokyo

  • Landed at Haneda in the pm and figured out how to use PASMO on apple wallet. This was much more convenient than a physical card that I was topping up with cash last time around. Took the subway and got to our Hotel in Ikebukoro around 6pm. My GF was expected to land in the evening.
  • Met my friend near the station with the plan of catching nearby cherry blossom. We first walked up to Shakuji River and then to Asukayama Park. It went dark quickly at this time, but the tree-line all along the river and in the park was at peak. My mind was already blown. The park had chill locals picnicking, but there wasn’t a single tourist around.
  • Walked back to Ikebukoro by the time my GF got there.

Day 2 Tokyo

  • Planned to wake up early and go for a run before GF gets set for the day. I was so struck by the scenery from the night before that I decided to see it in daytime. Ended up doing a 10k up and back to the same river and park. It was even better.
  • Headed out with the GF around 9am, grabbed coffee and breakfast on the way.
  • Suga shrine. (subway) Iconic spot from Kimi no nawa. Someone took a picture of us reenacting Taki & Mitsuha at the top of the stairs.
  • Meiji Jingu. (walked)
  • Shibuya. (walked) We had shabu-shabu for lunch on a high floor of one of the tall buildings there with nice view of the crossing.
  • Meguro. (subway) Unbelievable cherry blossoms. There was crowd concentrated near Naka-Meguro station, but surprisingly not that many people walking along the river.
  • Ginza. (subway) We hit the 12 story UNIQLO before dinner at an elevated Teppanyaki. I preferred Wagyu, GF preferred Kobe. It should have been closed, but we were also able to see the Asahi-inari shrine depicted in Weathering with you.
  • Tokyo Tower. (subway) Made a reservation in advance for the top deck tour at one of the latest spot (9pm ish). We got a cute photo of us as a free souvenir.

Day 3 Tokyo

  • Picked up breakfast and coffee then sat in Minami-Ikebukuro park.
  • Mejiro Garden. (walked) We didn’t want to go far before lunch, so picked out this garden to walk to. It was nice and scenic.
  • I took my large suitcase and dropped it at my friends house (few stops from Ikebukoro). Then did a short run back. Stopped at Don Quijote and bought a pair of throw away walking shoes for 2k yen. (This was one of the smartest decisions I have made) Also took this time to set up my 7 day JR pass, which would activate 2 days later and I got a separate ticket for a train next morning.
  • GF picked out a ramen place for lunch near Kanda. (subway)
  • Sumida Hokusai museum. (subway) My friend also joined us here. This was a sad miss for me last time, so I was super eager to go. It does not disappoint.
  • Tokyo Dome. (subway) Saw Giants vs Carps. The atmosphere was electric all throughout and the giants came back from 3-4 with a 7-run 6th inning. Snacked on takoyaki and everyone got a free baseball shirt.
  • Shinjuku / Kabukicho. (subway) We had tentative plans to get some drinks here but they both bailed citing fatigue. I ended up walking around solo and stopped by Hanazono Shrine and Golden Gai. Caught a street sumo performance before heading back to Ikebukoro.

Day 4 Shirakawa-Go & Takayama

  • Caught the shinkansen around 8am heading to Toyama (which I reserved the day before) bringing my carry-on and backpack. GF flew back to China.
  • Realized I will have to take the local train from Toyama to Takayama. This was one of the only transit points I didn’t precisely plan ahead and the only time I got slightly nervous about making a connection on time, as I had a bus from Takayama to Shirakawa-go reserved at 1:20pm.
  • The local train turned out to be amazing. Incredible scenery on both sides: mountains, valleys, rivers, cherry blossoms viewed from a handsome quaint little train car.
  • Arrived in Takayama and had around 40minutes before my bus. Made the call here to fast walk to my hotel and drop my luggage. There was an old lady at reception and it was too early for check-in. As I tried to explain that I just want to leave my bags but she gave me the room keys and signaled that check-in is ok now. I made it back to the station for my bus with a few minutes to spare.
  • Shirakawa-go. Had the bus reserved back to Takayama at 17:20 so had around 3 hours here which felt like just the right amount. First stop was a store where I knew I can pick up the Higurashi map. I ended up getting a Higurashi t-shirt as well. Got the matcha pudding from the famous pudding house then walked around all the Higurashi spots which pretty much covered the entire town.
  • Back to Takayama for the evening. The town was buzzing as the spring festival was happening the next 2 days. Cherry blossoms in full bloom along the river.
  • Contemplated eating out somewhere, but ultimately went back to the hotel. I asked the lady at the reception about food and she ended up making me ramen by herself. She was so nice!

Day 5 Takayama & Kyoto

  • Woke up early and went for a run. Hit most of the Hyouka spots and went up to the castle ruins.
  • The town was full of festival floats being prepared for the evening. Unfortunately, I knew I wont be able to stay for the night festival, but I caught the am performance of the singing showcase.
  • Planned to go to Bagpipe (Western style tea house famous from Hyouka) at 9:30 for opening. I checked out the town museum nearby and got there at 9:28. It was already open and I was sat at the last available table. Had a beautifully served iced coffee and a slice of cheesecake. The interior is exactly like in the anime, and they have some sketchbooks available to read.
  • Spent a couple more hours strolling around Takayama. Got some Hyouka merch, had a Hida beef skewer and was enjoying the festival vibes.
  • Picked up my bags and with my JR pass now active, took the Hida ltd express to Nagoya and the Shinkansen to Kyoto.
  • My friend from Tokyo was joining me here for the next few days. We had a hostel booked near Higashiyama for the night. I got there around 5pm, dropped my bags and headed back out.
  • We wanted to see the Botanical garden which was supposed to be open until late, but it was unexpectedly closed that day. We ended up just walking along Kamogawa River towards the north of the city. This turned out to be amazing. It was an idillic spring Sunday evening, with again, lots of cherry blossoms and barely any tourists.
  • My friend had dinner plans with his former teacher so we got back to Kawaramachi around 9. I walked back to the hostel touching Kiyamachi and Hanamikoji street.

Day 6 Kyoto, Uji & Osaka

  • Woke up early again and went for a run through the Heian-jingu garden and the Imperial Palace garden. The hostel served a flawless buffet style breakfast.
  • Arashiyama. (train) Saw some wild monkeys wondering next to Horinji Temple. There was an expected crowd at the bamboo forest around 10-11am, but it was still wonderful to see.
  • Uji (train) Had lunch at a small curry shop. I picked up some Uji matcha and we hiked up to the Daikichiyama Observataion Deck. (Iconic from Hibike! Euphonium) Hunted a couple more Hibike spots on and around Ujibashi bridge.
  • Kiyomizu-dera. (train back to kyoto) This was the most crowded spot on my entire trip with an abundance of people in kimonos in front of the cherry blossom trees.
  • Walked back to the hostel through Ninenzaka and Maruyama Park.
  • Picked up the luggage and took the train to Osaka. I have booked the Conrad Osaka for a night through Amex FHR, which was absolutely insane. Reception is on the 40th floor and the moment you step out the elevator you feel taken aback. Stunning views of the entire city. Had dinner at the fancy hotel restaurant and crashed.

Day 7 Osaka & Kyoto

  • I decided to check out the hotel gym instead of a run this morning. It also had insane views, and I could do some cycling warm-up for next day. We had a big buffet breakfast at the hotel.
  • National Bunraku Theater. (subway) Booked the 11am show in advance. Absolutely worth it even if you don’t speak any Japanese. The standard of performance is extremely high. I got an english audio guide which was following the narrative and…

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