View our past Japan trip itineraries 2013 and 2014

This 12 day Japan itinerary was similar to our first trip although, this was a Multigenerational holiday. My parents joined us on their first international holiday and left all the planning up to me. We wanted to show them an overview of Japan with the old and the new. As we loved Kyoto so much, we were happy to return to show them some of the many fabulous sights. We had two kids now so wanted to avoid over-planning. As we were a larger group we decided against hiring a car, as we have done previously.

Our 12 day Japan itinerary included Kyoto and Tokyo with one night in the middle. We chose Gero Onsen as an overnight stop to experience a different area than the typical cities and to stay in a ryokan. As we were relying on public transport we wanted somewhere that was easy to get to with minimal transfers.

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Our 12 day Japan itinerary looked like this:

Day 0:

We Landed at Narita Airport in the evening and got a shuttle to Narita Tobu hotel.

Day 1:

In the morning we got the shuttle back to the airport and took the Narita Express to Shinagawa. From there we got a Shinkansen to Kyoto where we walked around and visited Nishiki Market.12 day Japan itinerary

Day 2:

We left in the morning for a day trip to Nara. Back in Kyoto we spent the afternoon in the Higashiyama area12 day Japan itinerary

Day 3:

We took a bus to Nijojo and then onto Kinkakuji. After getting a bus to Kyoto Station, we walked to The Kyoto Railway Museum. In the evening we walked along The Kamo River and back up through Kiyamachi Dori, a popular nightlife spot.  Japan trip itinerary

Day 4:

In the morning we took a shinkansen to Himeji. We stopped in a Hello Kitty cafe before walking to Himeji Castle. After the castle we went to Osaka where we visited Shitennoji Temple and the Dotonbori area.  Himeji castle itinerary

Day 5:

My parents visited Fushimi Inari while we wandered around. From there we took a train to Uji where we walked to Byodo-In TempleJapan Uji itinerary

Day 6:

From our hotel we walked to Higashi Honganji and went to the Yodabashi store to buy baby food and nappies. After collecting our luggage we took a train from Kyoto to Gero Onsen. In Gero we checked in to our accommodation then walked to Gero Onsen Gassho Mura, an open air museum with traditional thatched-roof houses. Japan country itinerary Gero

Day 7:

We had a traditional breakfast in our ryokan, then spent time walking around Gero Onsen in the rain. After taking the shuttle to the station, we got a train from Gero to Tokyo. Once in Tokyo we made our way to our Airbnb house. Japan itinerary countryside

Day 8:

This was a walking day where we saw Asakusa, Sensoji Temple and Tokyo Skytree. We spent time in Tokyo Station and saw the city from above at The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Read our Tokyo with kids guide here.Japan itinerary tokyo

Day 9:

The men and Fletcher went to the Kato store, while my Mum and I took Declan and went to Shimokitazawa. We all met up and went to Akihabara. japan itinerary akihabara

Day 10:

We strolled through Ueno Park and Fletcher had fun in the small amusement park. Ryogoku is known as Sumo town but unfortunately when we visited, the museum was closed and we didn’t spot any Sumo during our walk around. Fletcher had been wanting to see a garden so we went to Shinjuku Gyoen, by the time we got there it was almost closing time. 12 day Japan itinerary

Day 11:

The worst weather day, we had tickets for Disneyland. We spent the day there and left soaked. It was the only day the four year old didn’t complain about something. Japan itinerary disneyland

Day 12:

We walked around Shibuya and had drinks in Starbucks, over looking the famous scramble crossing. We shopped in Harajuku and had a convenience store lunch in a park after walking through Meiji Shrine. It was meant to be in Yoyogi Park but we went the wrong way. 12 day Japan itinerary

Day 13:

In the morning we walked from our Airbnb house to Shinjuku Station. From there we got the Narita Express to the airport for our flight home.



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