15 Day September Travel Itinerary Help
My two friends and I are planning a trip to Japan at the moment. I'm not that versed in what exactly there is to do in most places so I'm more concerned about whether where we are going and the allocated times make sense.
(I'll be staying in Tokyo for two extra nights with my boyfriend before the other friend arrives to have some us time, but likely not a lot of planned sightseeing in the Tokyo tower area. They are not part of this itinerary)
Day 1-4 (31.08-03-09): Tokyo
Planning to stay in the Shinjuku/Shibuya Area and experience local food, Shibuya Sky, Ginza, Meiji Shrine, soak in the city, etc.
Day 4-5 (04.09-05.09): Fuji Summit Climb
Would be an early set of so we can sleep in a mountain in and summit Fuji around sunrise next morning and should be able to either return to Tokyo or along our itinerary as we return from Fuji.
Day 5-7 (05.09-07.09): Nagano Shibu Onsen or Takayama
We want to have a little onsen arc with a traditional Ryokan stay, and I feel like these smaller areas are more suitable for that, though it will not be a snow paradise around this time. This is probably where I'm the least confident, whether Takayama or Nagano is the better choice here, or none of them at all. Nagano seems great because of the 9-Onsen in the onsen resort and we'd be able to rent a room for about 200€ there. Takayama is arguably a lot prettier and richer in history but I harder to reach and I can't find much in terms of having a great choice of onsen compared to Nagano.
Day 7-10 (07.09-10.09): Kyoto/Osaka
Would love to rent a kimono there and explore the Kyoto area. I actually don't know much about Osaka but I'm sure we'll find plenty to do. And if possible, a day trip to Nara would be amazing.
Day 10-15 (10.09-15.09): Tokyo
We'd stay in the Akihabara area this time. We are all pop culture fans and would likely spend a lot of time shopping and experiencing the surrounding areas of Tokyo. What we do in the first and second Tokyo stay is ultimately flexible.
What I'm unsure about:
The Nagano/Takayama decision or whether we should go somewhere else and check those areas during winter sometimes.
Other things we were thinking of doing was a temple stay and the North coast by visiting Kanazawa and Toyama
And I'm quite unsure if my day allocation is solid or if we should allocate it differently.
Would appreciate any input and critique of the itinerary 😄