Days 1-3 (7/23 to 7/25): Tokyo
Notes for the 25th: I don't want to over-plan this day as you're going to have close to three hours of travel time in the morning, and then you will also need to put your bags away at your hotel before heading out. Thus, I wanted to keep the activities relatively simple.
There aren't many chances to see a proper castle while you guys are in Tokyo, and so I thought that it may be nice to visit Osaka (only 12 minutes away from Kyoto by train) to see the very famous castle there, and then spend the rest of the day in that area, to provide a contrast to the day that you will spend in Kyoto tomorrow. Osaka and Kyoto are almost one city. Their subways connect, and the people in both cities have the same 'warmth' to them. After visiting the castle, I want to arrange something that is perhaps unorthodox. There is a botanical garden here in Osaka that has been blended with a futuristic art exhibition. It's extremely difficult to describe and so I will link a video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0NcRNp3Vjo
Lastly, I think it would be best to have dinner while in Osaka. The city's nickname is Japan's kitchen and I think it definitely earns it. The Dotonbori area has restaurants everywhere, and it is also one of the best places to see Osaka come alive at night.
Activities (with a guide):
- Osaka Castle
- TeamLab Osaka Botanical Garden
- Dinner arrangements: TBD
Planner's Notes: Currently, we are hoping you'd be alright with taking a train from Tokyo that departs at 8:33 AM, and would have you arriving in Kyoto at 11:12AM. Due to this, we wanted to take this day relatively slowly. We'd have you check in to your hotel, before heading out to Osaka to put your bags away. I think a guide on this day would be great, but it isn't 100% necessary. Also, I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts about the Botanical Garden as it is something that I was a bit hesitant about adding. This is especially pertinent if you guys will be visiting any of the TeamLab experiences with your children in Tokyo. The two exhibits are very different, but the time could be spent on something else if you aren't really interested in it.
Day 4 (7/26): Kyoto
For the first day in Kyoto, I'd like to arrange a traditional day with experiences built into it, so as to avoid being 'temple'd' out. There are thousands of temples and shrines just in the Kyoto area alone, and so I want to focus on the ones that I feel are most iconic, and also interesting. I'd like to pair these visits with activities that are also uniquely "Kyoto". So, first I'd like to start the day off with a tea ceremony at Daitokuji Temple Complex, which is one of the places that is recognized as being the birthplace of the modern tea ceremony. There you will be paired with a tea ceremony master who will teach you about all of the important aspects, and traditions of the ceremony itself, while also partaking in it.
After this, visiting some of the city's most famous icons is on the menu. First a stop at Fushimi Inari, which is probably not only the most iconic shrine in Kyoto, but in the entire country of Japan. After that, I'd like to arrange a visit to Kiyomizudera, which is another one of the city's icons, and it may sound strange, but it's one of the more interesting places to visit in the city as there are multiple 'activities' that take place there which make the visit fun. For instance there are two stones in one of the temple's courtyards that are separated by about 40 feet. It is said that if you touch one of them, close your eyes and then try to find the other stone with your eyes closed you will be able to find your soulmate in this lifetime. It's an interesting place to people watch for sure.
Lastly, I want you guys to taste Kyoto. The city has many different dishes that it is famous for. I want to arrange a food tour so that you and your husband can take it all in.
Activities (with a guide:
- Tea Ceremony at Daitokuji Temple Complex
- Visit to Fushimi Inari Shrine
- Visit to Kiyomizudera Temple
- Kyoto city food tour
- Dinner arrangements: food tour
Planner's Notes: I don't want to rush this day. I've paced this in a way that will also hopefully give you guys a bit of free time in the city since you are only here for a few days. Thus, even my choice of temple and shrine visits was impacted by how close they are to one another, so that we can leave a little bit of free time for both lunch while moving between locations, and also some free time before going out in the evening for the food tour. If you would prefer me to prioritize a temple to replace Kiyomizudera that is more visually spectacular, please let me know and I will do so. Also, a guide is almost a necessity on this day. The visit to these locations is transformed when accompanied by someone who can give you the history of each place.
Day 5 (7/27): Hiroshima
This day will be completely dedicated to the classic sites of Hiroshima. Your guide will take you to the locations below. Be prepared to be surrounded by middle school kids when you are visiting the Peace Memorial Park, as it is required for all children in Japan to visit the park before attending high school.
Activities (guided):
- Peace Memorial Park
- A-Bomb Dome
- Peace Memorial Museum
- Ferry to Miyajima
- Itsukushima Shrine
- Daihouji Temple
- Mt. Misen Ropeway (time pending)
- Dinner suggestion: Okonomimurua
Planner's Notes: If there were only a single day in this whole itinerary where I could assign a guide to you guys it would be either this day or the day for the Nebuta Matsuri. A lot of the older guides in the area were affected by the bomb in some way. Either they lost parents or family members during the event, or they themselves were just children when it happened. Visiting the museum and park is changed drastically when you hear personal accounts of what took place on this day. The dinner suggestion is to try okonomiyaki while in the area. Hiroshima has a very particular way of cooking the famous dish. There is a place that has around 40 or so restaurants that all have their own take on the dish in Hiroshima, but there are also other great restaurants in the area that do an amazing job at making the dish.
Day 6-9 (7/28 to 7/31):
Left unplanned at the request of Roxan.
Activities:
- n/a
- Dinner arrangements: TBD
Planner's Notes: I know that we aren't handling any of the arrangements while you are in Tokyo, however I strongly want to suggest that you guys attend the Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival on the 29th of July. Preferably if you guys are able to enjoy the fireworks on a yakatabune boat, so that you guys are on the river with the boats that are actually firing the fireworks, that would be the best way to experience it. Tickets for these boats sell out very quickly, but if you want us to look into it, let me know. I'm including a short video of what the event looks like below (you can skip the video to 1:35). Also, if you guys are going to be using the same hotel when you return to Tokyo before your flight out of Japan, I would very much like to ask that you only take a small bag with enough clothes for the trips to the northern regions in the following days. It will simply make things a lot easier since you guys will essentially be hopping between towns each day during that period.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gIW82Z1MqM
Day 10 (8/1): Nikko
Nikko is just north of Tokyo, and the best way to get there is by train. There is a train that actually has a private cabin (which is pretty rare for Japan), and it's the most enjoyable way to watch the landscape change from modern, to countryside. Nikko is the resting place for the shogun who unified Japan. There is a shrine there in his honor, and it by far the most ornate of any shrine I've seen in the country. The first half of this day is best spent with a knowledgeable guide who can give you all of the history of Nikko, and the shrines so that you can best appreciate it. The shrine itself is planted right in the middle of a large cedar forest, which only adds to its majesty. After that, the next stop is more lighthearted. The Edo-era theme park isn't located too far from the shrine. I love visiting here, and they usually have to kick us out, because we typically stay until closing hours. There is so much to do, see and learn while visiting. There are impromptu sword fights, hidden ninjas in the streets, areas that teach you about the crafting process of katanas (it is insanely complex), and even stations where you can try your hand at creating your own daruma dolls. It is a lot of light-hearted fun, but I can definitely understand if it isn't exactly what you're looking for with this itinerary. Please let me know what you think about it, and we can replace this with something else (Nikko has some onsen spots nearby that we could put into this day).
As transportation in the area can be very complicated, we would like to arrange a private car for you and your guide on this day (to travel around Nikko after you have arrived by train, or even to pick you up directly from where you'll be staying in Tokyo).
Activities (guided):
- Visit to Toshogu Shrine (guided)
- Visit to Edo open-air museum/theme park (or onsen)
- Private compartment train (based on availability)
- Dinner Reservation:
Planner's Notes: Toshogu Shrine is indeed a shrine, but it isn't like any other shrine in Japan. I know that people can easily get tired of shrine/temple visits when visiting here (especially with kids), but if I could only plan a single shrine/temple visit, it would definitely be this one. In addition to that, we have Edo Wonderland planned, to kind of "counter-balance" the visit. Private car is an a must on this day.
Day 11 (8/2): Koriyama
I'd like to dedicate this entire day to exploring the lesser known countryside areas of this region. Koriyama is kind of the perfect place to do it as there is a bullet train near here that can get you to the next destination with ease and quickness. I also would prefer to rent a small countryside house for this leg of the trip as well, for the full experience. As it is the countryside, relying on public transportation here would not be the best option as things have very irregular or inconvenient times. Thus, I think using either a private taxi for the whole day, or renting a car and driving here would be the best option. A car may be the better option, since you'll have a guide with you for the day.
Activities:
- Hariko Doll creation at Takashiba Deko Yashiki
- Abukuma Cave exploration
- Manju baking lesson (time permitting)
- Niida Honke Sake brewery visit (time permitting)
- Dinner arrangements: TBD
Planner's Notes: I've listed several activities above that I think are some of the highlights of this region. I want to get your feedback on the ones that you think are the most interesting to you, but out of all of them, I think that the Abukuma Cave exploration and the Hariko Doll creation are top of the list, personally. I've preemptively given the sake brewery a call, and while they are open I'm not sure if they will be able to give you guys a tour of the brewery when you visit as they are doing a few renovations that aren't scheduled to be done until the beginning of August, but when I called they didn't give me an exact day. I do hope that the renovations will be complete by then as this is my favorite sake brewery in the entire country. It is over a hundred years old and it's one of the few sake breweries that are that old, and still committed to using only traditional methods and no additives. If anything, it will be a great place to stop to grab a bottle to enjoy later on in the evening.
Day 12 (8/3): Aomori + Nebuta Matsuri
Today is completely dedicated to the sights of Nebuta Matsuri in Aomori. The matsuri itself is around five days long, but I've specifically chosen this day for the experiences as it includes not only the massive colorful floats that the festival is famous for, but it also includes the children's floats as well (which you can kind of see a small bit of towards the end of the video I'm attaching below).
While the guide that we've arranged to travel with you is not from this region, we wanted to arrange an experience with someone who knows the matsuri well and is from the region, and so we called the city to ask about any experiences they may offer guests visiting the region on this day. Luckily, we were able to arrange a local guide to accompany you guys to some of the areas where the craftsmen are putting the floats together in the morning before the procession to give you guys a more up close look at how they are made. It is a very short tour (about an hour and a half), and your guide that is traveling with you will act as an interpreter as the local guide will not speak English.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOAnqRSI_EE
Activities:
- Nebuta Matsuri
- Nebuta float assembly tour (with local guide)
- Dinner arrangements: TBD
Planner's Notes: Between the morning tour and the matsuri itself, there will be plenty of time to go get lunch and explore the surrounding areas other highlights. The guide we've chosen, really wants you take you to Hokkaido quickly by ferry, however we are still discussing what the best plan is for that space. I'll update you later on what we'd like to present to you for your consideration.
Day 13-14 (8/4-8/5):
Returning to Tokyo for departing flight the next day.
Activities:
- n/a
- Dinner arrangements: TBD
Planner's Notes: As the Nebuta Matsuri's best parts are at night, I would like to arrange for you guys to leave this area on the next day in the morning to head back to Tokyo, rather than leaving on the night of the 3rd. Getting back to Tokyo from the Aomori region is a surprisingly quick journey (around 3 hours by bullet train). If we arrange for a 8:11 AM departure, you'll be in Tokyo around 11AM, so you would still have plenty of time to explore on your last day before you depart Japan the next day.
