Pureboy

Try three times in Tokyo (like 2 months total) and haven't been to Meiji either!

According to Hyperdia, Shin-Osaka to Hiroshima via shinkansen is 91 minutes. Train from Hiroshima to Miyajimaguchi is 28 minutes. Ferry to Miyajima is 10 minutes, but allow for connecting time. Once at Miyajima, you want to spend time at the bottom, and then take the ropeway to the top, spend time there. Another hour to get back to Hiroshima. If you left Shin-Osaka around 6am, you'd probably be at Miyajima around 9am. I'd venture you'd be there till 11am minimum, so lets say you are back at Hiroshima at noon. You spend 2 hours at the peace museum and surrounding sites (really not as much time as you'd likely want) and that is 1pm. This is not taking into account meals, of course. So I guess with that early and tight a schedule it is possible to hit both Himeji and Kobe on the way back in a single day, but it would be a long packed day. It would be a few hours away from sunset when you'd get to Himeji, and might be dark when you get into Kobe. One great thing about Kobe is that it is on a mountainside sloping into a bay, which you couldn't see as well at night. Not the way I would travel but if you want to stuff it all in and check off those boxes, you could. I would spread it out over a day and a half, minimum.

Another thing to consider is that part of the charms of Miyajima are the deer and monkeys. You will see the deer in Nara and can see monkeys in Arashiyama. There is more to Miyajima than that, but for me that would knock it down a few pegs in the priority list if you are doing the others.

cruisingmickey

You rock pureboy!!! Thanks for the directions on how to get to Hiroshima. I haven't gotten that far yet so haven't read up anything. I just came back from Tokyo on Dec 8, and have been researching/reading up on Kyoto/Osaka for the past two weeks. It sounds like that will be too much to do in a day. I will read up more and see how much I can realistically fit in. It sucks I am going in winter time so the sun sets earlier =( Good to know about the deer and monkeys! I thought the deer was only in Nara. I read they like to eat paper haha.

Haha and oh boy! You will need a 4th trip to Tokyo so you can visit Meiji! It's funny because I was right there at Meiji, but visiting Harajuku was much more appealing to me so I chose Harajuku over Meiji. I think I spent 3 hours in one store in Harajuku alone.

Thanks again to you and everyone else here with the helpful feedback =)

emma69

I think they far prefer the deer cookies sold around the park tho! They will bow when they ask for one - but beware you may get swarmed! Fortunately they know the universal upturned palm 'I'm all out' gesture, and move on!

Pureboy

One more data point (opinion more valid than mine because the person actually did it): http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/23958496-post12.html

nycnyc

Ang2383 can you please report back and let me know if you did Hiroshima and Miyajima in a single day? I'm staying in Kyoto for 4 nights and I wanted to do the same day trip if possible. Thanks!

cruisingmickey

emma69 - that is cute with the bow! i will definitely buy some deer cookies for them!

thanks pureboy for the link to that post!

nycnyc - i will definitely report back! it won't be until march though =(

nycnyc

Ha I'm going in March too!

abmj-jr

Back in the mists of time - long enough that I was still shooting film - I made my first visit to Kyoto in late March. I was just about a week early for cherry blossoms. There is plenty to photograph in Kyoto at any time but the cherry trees are rather iconic. I spent a little time looking for something else.

So, a hint for those going in March, if the cherries (sakura) have not opened yet, look for plum blossoms. Several of the tourist-oriented temples have very nice plum (ume) gardens and they make for quite beautiful flowering displays as well.

jib71

+1
I prefer plum blossom to cherry blossom. (And peach blossom is just OTT ... but I digress)

ellyse

ang2383, I'll be waiting for your trip report - I'm going on much of the same myself but in early April.

FlyinHawaiian

We visited Hiroshima and Miyajima as a day trip from Osaka last week. It's definitely doable, although it's a longish day: we left our hotel (Hilton Osaka) around 8am and got back close to 10pm. We went to Miyajima first, walked around and visited various shrines/temples, and had lunch and coffee before hopping back on the ferry. We got to Hiroshima Station around 3pm and visited the Peace Park and the museum, had dinner at a Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki restaurant near the station, and then hopped on a 7:45ish shinkansen back to Shin-Osaka.

We probably could have made it back to Osaka a little earlier but this worked out fine. I think it makes most sense to assume you'll eat dinner in Hiroshima if you want to do a day trip, rather than waiting until you get back to Osaka/Kyoto.

Also, the exterior scaffolding on Himeji Castle is down now, so you can get a glimpse from the train, although it's hard to get a good photo of it.

cruisingmickey

abmj-jr and jib71 - You guys are on point! I am planning to see the Plum Blossoms! Cherry Blossoms are over rated haha. We can see them in DC! Although I know no where as nice as Japan.

Ellyse - Will def report back!

FlyinHawaiian - Good to know leaving at 8am is a good time. I am planning on that time too.