Japan Travel Tips (Kansai Hiroshima)
I visited Japan for the third time last April. The first time we went, we went to Tokyo for 5 days. The second time we went to Osaka and Kyoto for 9 days. In the first two trips, a travel agency was used to make most of the arrangements. I felt comfortable enough on our third trip for me to make the itinerary and arrangements myself and I wanted to share what we did because I spent a lot of time researching and I felt it turned out to be a pretty well planned trip.
We covered Kansai-Hiroshima in our trip last April. We loved Osaka so much during our second trip and felt that we had not seen everything to see. Also my daughter wanted to go back to USJ to see the Minion Park and I wanted to see the Harry Potter area which I missed last year. We also wanted to see hanami which was late last year that is why we missed it. I added Hiroshima and Miyajima on this trip to add something different - a dose of history and the Japanese countryside.
Here was our schedule:
Duration: April 14-22
Notes: I have a 5 year old daughter so our itinerary has a lot of kid activities. Also, our itinerary is not packed. You can definitely squeeze in more activities and places to visit if you wanted to.
April 14: Arrival
We arrived at 1 PM and picked up the passes from the HIS counter before heading out to our Airbnb. This should take no more than an hour as the line moves pretty fast. Make sure you have your passport and the downloaded vouchers as they will be scanning the barcode. It took me longer because I forgot to download beforehand and had to download there which took a while because of the spotty free wifi. We arrived at our Airbnb around 5 PM. Since we were in the middle of Shinsaibashi (approximately 250 meters away from the Shinasaibashi Apple Store), we just walked around the shopping street and Dotonbori after we freshened up.
April 15: Osaka Castle and Cathedral of Immaculate Conception
My original plan was to go to the castle in the morning and Tennoji in the afternoon. I dropped Tennoji because we started late and because we wanted to catch the English language mass.
The castle opens at 9:00 AM. You should reserve 3-4 hours to visit Osaka Castle with 2 hours inside the castle itself on a busy day. Also, reserve your slot for the Gozabune (traditional boat that goes around the inner castle moat) before going to the castle. Both the Castle and the Gozabune are free with the Osaka Pass. The castle grounds are huge. There is a tram that goes around so you can see the grounds without having to walk too much. The tram is not free with the Osaka pass. After touring the castle, you can opt to ride on one of the aquabuses that is free or discounted with the Osaka pass.
Intro, Map, Website
April 16: Tempozan, Kaiyukan (Aquarium) and Legoland
The ferris wheel, aquarium and Legoland open at 10 am so no need to rush on this day. It is easy to spend the whole day in this area - 2 hours in the Kaiyukan, 30 minutes in the ferris wheel, 1.5 hours for lunch and 4 hours in Legoland. This is not the most interesting area to eat in my opinion but there is an eat-all-you-can-cook-your-own kushikatsu place across Legoland that my husband loves.
The ferris wheel and Legoland are free with the Osaka pass. The aquarium is discounted. If you do not have any kids with you skip Legoland and schedule something else for the afternoon (like USJ if you have the 1.5 days pass). Or do something else in the morning and go here in the afternoon.
Osaka Bay Area, Kaiyukan, Legoland
April 17: Kyoto
This day should have been the day we go to Kyoto but we canceled it because there was 90% chance of rain. Instead it became a shopping day around Shinsaibashi and Dotonbori.
Here is the plan if we had gone to Kyoto: Arishayama -> Lunch at Nishiki -> Kennin-Ji -> Gion -> Chio-in -> Maruyama -> Kiyomizudera -> Higashiyama -> Fushimi Inari Taisha. I planned to skip the more popular spots in in Kyoto (i.e. Imperial Palace, Golden Pavillon) as we had been there before in our previous trip. This is packed itinerary. I think it would be best to spend at least 2 days in Kyoto. My plan was to drop sights depending on our progress. Also, I was not planning on exploring in detail. Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to edit it because we never went.
Intro, Sightseeing bus, Hop-on-off bus
April 18: USJ
Wednesday is the least busy day for USJ according to online tips I read and a crowd calendar site. Thus I planned our itinerary around this date being the day we go to USJ. I also checked the weather when I selected this day - there was only 10% chance of rain. It turned out to be the perfect day - clear skies, not too crowded and no timed entry in Harry Potter. We got to go on Minion Mayhem twice, Flight of the Hippogryph twice, Spiderman with just a ten minute wait and Forbidden Journey with no wait time without an express pass. My husband won a unicorn for my daughter and I got the Hogwarts Express to blow off steam using a magic wand.
Here was our plan*:
8:00 Breakfast at Universal City Walk
9:30 Get English map, check park closing and get timed entry to Harry Potter**
10:00 Minion Park, Minion Mayhem
1:00 Lunch
2:00 Space Fantasy, Sesame Street/Spiderman*/Universal Cool Japan/Jaws
5:30 Harry Potter - Flight of the hippogryph, Forbidden Journey*, Snack at The Fying Brroomstick Al fresco area
7:30 Go home
8:30 Dinner at Yakiniku Goen
* We got to the park at 11 because we left the house late and got a bit lost in the subway
** Turned out that there was no need for timed entry that day
Tips: Purchase a ticket (inc. express pass) online (i.e. Klook) beforehand. There is a 1.5 day pass for those you want to spend more time in USJ. Get there early. 11-4 is peak time so spend time exploring, watching shows and riding on the less popular rides you want to go to at this time. It is easiest to go to popular rides really early or near closing time. The Harry Potter wands are expensive but fun. Borrow from someone before going if you can. Bring a water bottle and fill in the USJ water coolers. There are rides that do not require you to interact with the people you are with like the Spiderman ride. Use single rider so you do not need to queue for a long time.
Crowd Calendar, Nice blog post with USJ guide
April 19: Hiroshima and Miyajima
There is a sightseeing bus in Hiroshima that is covered by the JRPass. I suggest you get on it to conveniently see the city. However, based on my limited knowledge of Hiroshima, there was not much to see other than the Peace Park/Atomic Bomb dome area. If I were to go back, I would just tour the city on the bus and get off at the Peace Park, spend 1-2 hours there, have lunch at Ekohiiki or Nagataya and then proceed to Miyajima.
Sightseeing Bus, Peace Park Information
April 20: Miyajima
Miyajima was voted one of the top three most scenic spots in Japan. It is home to one of Japan's most iconic sights - the Itsukushima Shrine. There are many things to do on the island - interact the wild deers, go to the shrines, see Mt. Misen, go to the aquarium, eat oysters and momiji manju, etc. It would be easy to spend 2 days here so I suggest to go to the island by early afternoon after the Peace Park and stay the night. If you stay in one of the ryokans, try the onsen and the kaiseki dinner - pricey but worth the experience.
Tips: There is a ferry from the Peace Park going to Miyajima and a ferry covered by the JRPass from Miyajimaguchi station. The Peace Park ferry is more convenient if you are already there but it is expensive. If you opt for the JR ferry, try to take the trip from 9:10 AM to 4:10 PM as they will get close to the torii. There are not many restaurants open at night in the island so figure out your dinner plans early.
Intro, JR Ferry, Only In Japan Miyajima Street Food Guide
April 21: Shinsaibashi and Dotonbori
We just walked around on this day and bought stuff to bring home. Oh, don't forget to drop by the Kuromon market. The seafood are amazing!
April 22: Departure
Other Tips:
1. Book a JRPass
2. Use Klook. When using Klook, look for vouchers. There is always a voucher for first time users.
3. Use MK taxi for dropoff/pickup if you do not want to use the train or airport limo.
4. Check the weather when planning your itinerary. Schedule indoor activities when chance of rain is high.
5. Transport schedules as published in Google Maps are very accurate but there are transport types that can be impacted by weather such as ferry rides. If you can, do an additional check and do not rely only on Google Maps in such cases. We missed the last ride from Hiroshima Peace Park to Miyajima because we thought there were later schedules. Unfortunately, some trips were canceled that day.
6. When using the Osaka loop train to go to USJ, ticket booths selling USJ tickets are clearly marked. Do not buy from any booth. Wait until you see the signs indicating USJ.
7. If you manage to be there during Hanami, visit Yoshino. We were trying to catch the cherry blossom season that is why we went back but missed it again as it was early this year. We missed it last year because it was late. Darn! We have to go back again. :)
We covered Kansai-Hiroshima in our trip last April. We loved Osaka so much during our second trip and felt that we had not seen everything to see. Also my daughter wanted to go back to USJ to see the Minion Park and I wanted to see the Harry Potter area which I missed last year. We also wanted to see hanami which was late last year that is why we missed it. I added Hiroshima and Miyajima on this trip to add something different - a dose of history and the Japanese countryside.
Here was our schedule:
Duration: April 14-22
Notes: I have a 5 year old daughter so our itinerary has a lot of kid activities. Also, our itinerary is not packed. You can definitely squeeze in more activities and places to visit if you wanted to.
April 14: Arrival
We arrived at 1 PM and picked up the passes from the HIS counter before heading out to our Airbnb. This should take no more than an hour as the line moves pretty fast. Make sure you have your passport and the downloaded vouchers as they will be scanning the barcode. It took me longer because I forgot to download beforehand and had to download there which took a while because of the spotty free wifi. We arrived at our Airbnb around 5 PM. Since we were in the middle of Shinsaibashi (approximately 250 meters away from the Shinasaibashi Apple Store), we just walked around the shopping street and Dotonbori after we freshened up.
April 15: Osaka Castle and Cathedral of Immaculate Conception
My original plan was to go to the castle in the morning and Tennoji in the afternoon. I dropped Tennoji because we started late and because we wanted to catch the English language mass.
The castle opens at 9:00 AM. You should reserve 3-4 hours to visit Osaka Castle with 2 hours inside the castle itself on a busy day. Also, reserve your slot for the Gozabune (traditional boat that goes around the inner castle moat) before going to the castle. Both the Castle and the Gozabune are free with the Osaka Pass. The castle grounds are huge. There is a tram that goes around so you can see the grounds without having to walk too much. The tram is not free with the Osaka pass. After touring the castle, you can opt to ride on one of the aquabuses that is free or discounted with the Osaka pass.
Intro, Map, Website
April 16: Tempozan, Kaiyukan (Aquarium) and Legoland
The ferris wheel and Legoland are free with the Osaka pass. The aquarium is discounted. If you do not have any kids with you skip Legoland and schedule something else for the afternoon (like USJ if you have the 1.5 days pass). Or do something else in the morning and go here in the afternoon.
Osaka Bay Area, Kaiyukan, Legoland
April 17: Kyoto
This day should have been the day we go to Kyoto but we canceled it because there was 90% chance of rain. Instead it became a shopping day around Shinsaibashi and Dotonbori.
Here is the plan if we had gone to Kyoto: Arishayama -> Lunch at Nishiki -> Kennin-Ji -> Gion -> Chio-in -> Maruyama -> Kiyomizudera -> Higashiyama -> Fushimi Inari Taisha. I planned to skip the more popular spots in in Kyoto (i.e. Imperial Palace, Golden Pavillon) as we had been there before in our previous trip. This is packed itinerary. I think it would be best to spend at least 2 days in Kyoto. My plan was to drop sights depending on our progress. Also, I was not planning on exploring in detail. Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to edit it because we never went.
Intro, Sightseeing bus, Hop-on-off bus
April 18: USJ
Wednesday is the least busy day for USJ according to online tips I read and a crowd calendar site. Thus I planned our itinerary around this date being the day we go to USJ. I also checked the weather when I selected this day - there was only 10% chance of rain. It turned out to be the perfect day - clear skies, not too crowded and no timed entry in Harry Potter. We got to go on Minion Mayhem twice, Flight of the Hippogryph twice, Spiderman with just a ten minute wait and Forbidden Journey with no wait time without an express pass. My husband won a unicorn for my daughter and I got the Hogwarts Express to blow off steam using a magic wand.
Here was our plan*:
8:00 Breakfast at Universal City Walk
9:30 Get English map, check park closing and get timed entry to Harry Potter**
10:00 Minion Park, Minion Mayhem
1:00 Lunch
2:00 Space Fantasy, Sesame Street/Spiderman*/Universal Cool Japan/Jaws
5:30 Harry Potter - Flight of the hippogryph, Forbidden Journey*, Snack at The Fying Brroomstick Al fresco area
7:30 Go home
8:30 Dinner at Yakiniku Goen
* We got to the park at 11 because we left the house late and got a bit lost in the subway
** Turned out that there was no need for timed entry that day
Tips: Purchase a ticket (inc. express pass) online (i.e. Klook) beforehand. There is a 1.5 day pass for those you want to spend more time in USJ. Get there early. 11-4 is peak time so spend time exploring, watching shows and riding on the less popular rides you want to go to at this time. It is easiest to go to popular rides really early or near closing time. The Harry Potter wands are expensive but fun. Borrow from someone before going if you can. Bring a water bottle and fill in the USJ water coolers. There are rides that do not require you to interact with the people you are with like the Spiderman ride. Use single rider so you do not need to queue for a long time.
Crowd Calendar, Nice blog post with USJ guide
April 19: Hiroshima and Miyajima
There is a sightseeing bus in Hiroshima that is covered by the JRPass. I suggest you get on it to conveniently see the city. However, based on my limited knowledge of Hiroshima, there was not much to see other than the Peace Park/Atomic Bomb dome area. If I were to go back, I would just tour the city on the bus and get off at the Peace Park, spend 1-2 hours there, have lunch at Ekohiiki or Nagataya and then proceed to Miyajima.
Sightseeing Bus, Peace Park Information
April 20: Miyajima
Miyajima was voted one of the top three most scenic spots in Japan. It is home to one of Japan's most iconic sights - the Itsukushima Shrine. There are many things to do on the island - interact the wild deers, go to the shrines, see Mt. Misen, go to the aquarium, eat oysters and momiji manju, etc. It would be easy to spend 2 days here so I suggest to go to the island by early afternoon after the Peace Park and stay the night. If you stay in one of the ryokans, try the onsen and the kaiseki dinner - pricey but worth the experience.
Tips: There is a ferry from the Peace Park going to Miyajima and a ferry covered by the JRPass from Miyajimaguchi station. The Peace Park ferry is more convenient if you are already there but it is expensive. If you opt for the JR ferry, try to take the trip from 9:10 AM to 4:10 PM as they will get close to the torii. There are not many restaurants open at night in the island so figure out your dinner plans early.
Intro, JR Ferry, Only In Japan Miyajima Street Food Guide
April 21: Shinsaibashi and Dotonbori
We just walked around on this day and bought stuff to bring home. Oh, don't forget to drop by the Kuromon market. The seafood are amazing!
April 22: Departure
Other Tips:
1. Book a JRPass
2. Use Klook. When using Klook, look for vouchers. There is always a voucher for first time users.
3. Use MK taxi for dropoff/pickup if you do not want to use the train or airport limo.
4. Check the weather when planning your itinerary. Schedule indoor activities when chance of rain is high.
5. Transport schedules as published in Google Maps are very accurate but there are transport types that can be impacted by weather such as ferry rides. If you can, do an additional check and do not rely only on Google Maps in such cases. We missed the last ride from Hiroshima Peace Park to Miyajima because we thought there were later schedules. Unfortunately, some trips were canceled that day.
6. When using the Osaka loop train to go to USJ, ticket booths selling USJ tickets are clearly marked. Do not buy from any booth. Wait until you see the signs indicating USJ.
7. If you manage to be there during Hanami, visit Yoshino. We were trying to catch the cherry blossom season that is why we went back but missed it again as it was early this year. We missed it last year because it was late. Darn! We have to go back again. :)
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