Planning two weeks in Japan
 

I’m planning to spend two weeks in Japan next summer, and would love to hear any feedback/suggestions on whether this would be a viable itinerary.



I fly into NRT on July 1st. I’m hoping to see the Imperial Palace, visit Tokyo Dome, and perhaps go to Fuji-Q as a day trip or stay there overnight. On Saturday July 5th I’m thinking of flying to Hiroshima, to see the Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima Castle and go on a day trip to Miyajima to climb Mt. Misen. Then on July 8 or 9th take the Shinkansen to Osaka. There I hope to visit Universal Studios, the expo, a day trip to Himeji Castle, and another to Nagashima Spa Land. I fly out from KIX on July 14th.



I think over time I will have more concrete plans and will also be interested in other sightseeing and experiences too.



Does this sound doable for two weeks?

Between late October and early May? Sure. Yes.

During the first two weeks of July?

I coped way better with Japan’s summer heat in 2023 than I expected to. So much so that I was back for another month in 2024.

I thought about going to Fuji-Q with my daughter and staying there overnight. Ended up cancelling our reservation as I realised what being there actually meant (it is more exposed than the Disney Parks.)
We didn’t end up climbing Mount Misen either, just wasn’t high enough to be cool. We did spend a night on the island and had a lovely time, if we’d have had a second morning there I would have gone up.
Our plan was to spend some time in Hiroshima, alas the rain during those hours was epic so we went earlier than scheduled to Kanazawa. Turns out there is loads to do in Kanazawa at 6am.
If Himeji castle isn’t air conditioned getting to the top will be an ordeal during opening times.

In summary, my advice for getting the most out of a July visit is to choose activities you can do very, very early in the morning. Unfortunately, this approach invalidates the concept of day trips since you will get the most out of locations you can wake up in or near to.

Go up Mount Misen? Sure, just start climbing by 6am (be sure to have lots of mozzie repellent)
Imperial Palace, Tokyo? Pass. Opens too late.
Nagashima Spa Land? Why not?

My dos céntimos as a heat tolerant Spaniard.

Thank you so much! I'm not much of a fan of heat or mozzies. I might try to focus on activities that avoids the heat. One other option could be going to Hokkaido instead of Hiroshima, as its likely cooler there in summer?

I’ve still not been to Hokkaido. I can tell you that Sendai and nearby Matsushima won’t offer much relief.

It is usually cooler in Hokkaido during the summer, though you'd want to book newer hotels with individually controlled a/c as that's not a given in a region which didn't historically need it. Hopefully it wouldn't be necessary but at least it'd be available. There was a heat wave in Hokkaido 2023 https://japan-forward.com/hokkaido-f...e-summer-heat/

Japan is hot in summer. But the drama about hot weather in summer is far more dramatic. So if this is only when you can go, go. Prepare for it. Make sure to have hotel rooms with rock solid Ac to cool down. But drama about heat in japan gets old.

it is doabl,e

>> visit Tokyo Dome
you mean to go to a baseball game?

I met Tokyo Dome City, the amusement park. Mainly to ride Thunder Dolphin. I've never had much interest in baseball :D

Also keep in mind that early July is usually still the "rainy season" in most places. (this past summer it "officially" ended around July 15th in most places). Its not necessarily rain all day everyday, but it rains more often than usual then, and if not rainy, then it can often be overcast and mountains can be covered in clouds/fog. Mt. Fuji views wold be a gamble indeed.
Hokkaido though tends to be out of the rainy season, and as far as temperature, it is much more pleasant in Hokkaido during summer as well

I think I have an updated itinerary, how would this be in terms of accomodation?

July 1st - Fly into NRT

Stay at The Blossom Hibiya - four nights



Visit Tokyo Dome City, Fiji-Q, Imperial Gardens, sightseeing



July 5th

Shinkansen to Hakodate - gran class + train to Sapporo

or fly JAL in F

Stay at Sapporo Grand Hotel - three nights

Spend time exploring Sapporo



July 8th

Fly to Osaka Itami

Stay five nights Doubletree Hilton Kyoto Station

Visit Osaka Expo, USJ

Day trips: Hiroshima, Nagashima Spa Land



July 13th

Stay at Hotel Nikko Kansai Airport



July 14th

Fly out of KIX - 10:55am

Never heard of The Blossom Hibiya, but looks pretty nice. Good location, also. My office was for many years right across the street.

Wow what a cool coincidence!

I have one other question. I noticed that hotels during my trip seem to be a bit cheaper in Kyoto than Osaka. Is it worth staying there and commuting to Osaka for the expo and Universal Studios?

Starting from Kyoto station, you're looking at a commute time of about an hour each way, with a couple of changes. If you're not staying right by Kyoto station, add some additional time to get there. Expect the last stretch of the ride to the expo site to be crowded.

I'd rather poke myself in the eye with a sharp stick, but that may have something to do with my lack of interest in the expo.

We did it for a game two years ago and it was great very different than big NA cities games