I agree most of the sentiments there, reading that itinerary makes me tired and want to have another vacations. It is too much, too contrived and any perturbations (weather, traffic, a missed bus, feet beaten, need for a coffee, a slightly longer lunch) will wreak havoc on it. Plus it removes spontaneity and honestly, fun. It seems more a tick box exercise (and I have been guilty of this too) rather than anything else. I will be in Japan same times as you (first two weeks of October), albeit it will be my third visit and I only plan a couple of museums I want to see and some general neighbourhood and that is it, despite visiting two cities I have never visited before.

Just adding my $0.02 here -- the best advice I think I have ever received in life is to "Be Present" -- if you are always on the clock and worrying about the next thing - how can you truly enjoy the present? A country / culture is SO much more than it's sights, and for a first time visitor to Japan (or any new country) I would recommend that "LESS is MORE" -- Of course I realize that everyone is different - but for ones first experience in a new country & culture the more time you have to immerse yourself the better!

We are planning our trip currently. Japan, Thailand and Vietnam. October, November and December. Japan is where we land 1st. We like a mix of plans and "wing-ing it". We don't have a determined set schedule of where to go, what to see. Two weeks? Three weeks? Love nature and quiet. But also, like walking around neighborhoods of big cities. A shrine or two.

Since we have no plans, anyone want to map out a perfect first visit?

Check out Japan-Guide and its several sections for some good ideas.
https://www.japan-guide.com

First, unless you are loaded, you need to decide whether you will need a a JR Pass and, if so, order it from an agency by the end of September this year. Price is just about to increase by 70%

The October itinerary I made for my parents’ fist visit took into account that my mother has never enjoyed researching, well, anything really. So I designed a trip where she could learn about the History of Japan by doing and seeing rather than reading and listening.
Tokyo - Matsumoto (castle and Nakamachi merchant house district) - Tsumago - then hike on portion of Old Nakasendo Route to - Magome - Inuyama to spend a day at the Meiji Mura Architectural Park - Kurashiki - Hiroshima and peaceful night on Itsukushima/Miyajima - Kyoto and Jidai Matsuri (Festival of the Ages) - Kurama Fire Festival - Yokohama (walk from Minato Mirai Port area up to Foreigners’ Cemetery) - Tokyo
The goal was achieved, my mother ended her tour knowing a LOT more about Japan than when she began.

A two week JR Pass is the cheapest way to complete this route.

Thanks!
 

Our budget allows for "comfortable" travel, and adventures too. We are full-time nomads, with trips to Galapagos, Antarctica, Machu Picchu, hiking Patagonia for a month and a whole lot more. Spent about one month hanging out on Crete. Currently we are back in the states doing some in-person paperwork and re-supplying before getting back on the road for Japan, Thailand and Vietnam. We are 60 and 61, pretty fit and adventurous, but not backpacker/hostel types. We travel with one suitcase and one backpack each. When we were in Aregentina for a 5 months, we mostly stayed in apartments. So, hiking, walking, nature, trains, cities and an onsen traveling by train to anyplace we are open to.

Great, the people who I made this introduction to Japan itinerary for were also in their 60s so this should suit you perfectly, only the festivals mentioned in Kyoto and Kurama will be irrelevant (although still possible on key dates this October). Just bear in mind that the Tsumago and Magome parts will be far less enjoyable once the winter sets in during December. Suitcases can be easily and cheaply sent on to your destinations within Japan so there’s rarely a need to lug them about when hiking.

The choice you have now is whether you want to pay 47,250jpy for a two week JR Pass or 80,000jpy. If you intend to start touring Japan before the end of this year and want the lower price you will need to go about getting the exchange order for your passes from a suitable agency before the end of September.
https://www.japan-guide.com/news/jap...-increase.html

Japan-guide also has a handy calculator showing the general costs of using the JR network
https://www.japan-guide.com/railpass/

This is what the itinerary I posted looks like

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1032e3d56.jpeg

Not included are the bus rides (or taxi) to Tsumago & Magome - shown as Kiso Valley - nor for travel to Inuyama on the Kintetsu rail network from Nagoya, but this is a commuter fare and not very expensive. A bus is also required to get to Meiji Mura from Inuyama or else your hotel may be able to arrange transport.

Since you are unlikely to be going when the Kurama fire festival is happening, a way of maximising the value of a two week JR Pass would be travel back to Tokyo/Yokohama a different way adding Kanazawa onto the itinerary.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3217b0282.jpeg


There are actually cheaper ways to complete these itineraries, but they involve bus journeys and require a different style of travelling than how you’ve described your own to be.

Thank you so much LapLap for all the advice and info!!!!

Thanks for the suggestions and advice. I'm not planning to go to any particular restaurants, but what's the best homemade ramen place in Tokyo/Kyoto?

One place I saw is Pyon Pyon Sya Ginza Una which handmake their noodles. Also Hirobun near Kyoto got my interest.

But as others have said, are they actually any use? Eg https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3051_...okyo_full.html how accurate are the timings?

I don’t think there are that many places in Tokyo that make or sell Morioka Reimen, so if that is what you are looking to try no doubt it will be an excellent choice.

Please realise that if you are looking for a representative place for Ramen it would be exactly the wrong place to go.

ETA - I see you’ve added Hirobun in Kyoto which is famous for nagashi somen (the kind that gets sluiced down bamboo chutes)

Not sure if you’re just having fun at our expense or if you are simply drawn to cold noodles. If you’re being genuine, perhaps you’d like to try the most famous kind of cold ramen, Hiyashi Chuka, at the place where it was invented; Yosuko Saikan in Jimbocho, Tokyo.

Just to add a couple of resources. NHK’s “Trails to Oishii Tokyo” series provide solid introductions to specific kinds of foods.

This one is about somen (the kind offered at Hirobun)

ETA Previous linked video withdrawn. This NHK video about soba has been re-released
https://youtu.be/bN86jXzCBU8?si=eC8LuOkgwMm09RwI


NHK’s “Japanology” series introduction to Ramen

How accurate would you say this is?

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1f2d2b2e56.jpg

That chart would have been pretty accurate a decade or so ago, when it was mainly domestic tourists and a fraction of the foreign tourists Japan currently gets (pre- and post- Covid).

Nowadays, most popular spots will not be green nearly as much, especially in Oct/Nov, or even in late May/June. Other times would be red, like all of cherry blossom season from mid March right up to Golden Week. I can even imagine November this year will probably be mostly red too (definitely not green in mid-Nov !!)

Oh, and that chart doesn't account for weather, which would be an equal reason to avoid travel at times (Summer = starts with rain turning into oppressive heat with increased possibility of typhoons. Winter = cold days that are shorter with sunlight and much of nature is grey without the green leaves. Some sights/activities close or are not available in winter, especially outside of cities).

I’d say the Disney Crowd Calculators are a better, more accurate indicator of how busy Japanese tourist areas are at any given time. Although I generally agree with alan11’s comments, my own experience of mid April is very different.

I maintain that there is a juicy sweet spot in the middle of April, after the kids return to school at the end of March, once the majority of sakura petals have fallen at the start of April (varies year to year but rarely persists any further beyond the Tokyo area after the first week) and before the Golden Week build up at the end of April. The Disney crowd calendars also reflect this sweet spot.

As for the general pattern of your posts here, remember that the pursuit of perfection can make you miss the perfectly good.

I think you should just pick a time that suits you, [MENTION=271796]GodAtum[/MENTION], and make that time frame work for you. For every optimum detail that you might lose or miss by not being at X spot at X time there are many more you would probably never have selected or even imagined that will become apparent instead, you just need to allow yourself time to perceive and appreciate them. No need to overengineer a trip to Japan, the base materials are primo enough for anyone with joy to enjoy.

EDIT TO ADD
I actually ended up trying Morioka Reimen this summer. It was made by Pyon Pyon Sya, I picked up a packet with a 50% discount at the Kinokuniya food market at the basement of the new Shibuya Scramble Square.
The texture of the noodles was even more different to general ramen than I had expected, much more like springy Korean Naengmyeon but without buckwheat.

Somewhat accurate but not actually very useful without context. I imagine that there is probably an accompanying article on the LiveJapan site that explains what's going on and which specific dates in the red zones are problematic.

I agree that weather is an important consideration, and perfect is the enemy of good.

I agree with LapLap that there could be a sweet spot for a week or so just before Golden Week, but unless only visiting for that one week then you'd be best to make it you last week since you probably want to avoid GW. (of note, this year in 2023 I saw lots of western families and university aged westerners in mid-April since Easter was on April 9th and I guess many schools were out the following week, but in 2024 Easter is March 31, which should make Cherry Blossom time even more busy...)

I would probably have to say mid-May to Mid-June is arguably the best overall time for various reasons: after GW there is no Japanese holiday till July and there also is less domestic tourism then (especially mid-week); the temperature is pretty ideal nearly everywhere with low humidity; the days are long with a later sunset; most roof-top beer gardens are open but not yet too crowded; everything in nature is green and all places are open, including hiking trails and mountain huts (except Fuji); its not yet mosquito season in most places; various foods (especially vegetables) are coming into season; and its before the rainy season.... but that is now becoming a different issue.

For the past couple years the start of the rainy season has been out of whack. It usually used to start in mid-June, but not only did it begin this year in late May in many places, but there was even a typhoon that hit Kyushu-Shikoku-west Honshu on June 1st (which is pretty much unheard of!). And in the past few years prior to this year, again, May has been much rainier than usual (though technically not considered the "rainy season), with the actual start of the rainy season being a bit of a gamble. And while it may not rain daily nor does rain necessarily curtail too much (except when its a typhoon...) it would affect any outdoor-related activity, whether its going through gardens, walking around temples, any sort of mountain hiking, or just simply walking on nature trails.

A potential down-side of late spring is that there aren't really any big festivals happening then, but all in all, I'd still say mid-May to early/mid June is pretty optimal, but just bring an umbrella (or buy one here) and just try be a bit flexible with the dates for any outdoor activities. So if staying in a city 3 days and looking to one day go to some gardens, leave the option to shift the days' plans around based on the weather (but then again, with how common rain can be any time of year, it'd be good to have such weather-based flexibility no matter when you visit)