If you have 8-10 days and want to cover a few interesting places and also have a great experience, head to Japan!!  As we discovered, Spring is NOT the only time to visit Japan. Autumn brings fantastic hues to the maples all over the islands and creates beautiful landscapes, which combined with the serenity of the Zen gardens and temples, simply take your breath away.

A Snapshot of our quick travel itinerary – Tokyo, Kyoto , Osaka

16-Nov	Fri	Flight to Tokyo from SFO
17-Nov	Sat	Arrive by 2pm at Narita Airport
18-Nov	Sun	Sensoji, Tokyo Skytree,  Gingko trees at at the Icho Namiki
19-Nov	Mon	Ueno Park, Kappabashi street, Tokyo Station, Ginza Crossing, River Cruise
20-Nov	Tue	Travel to Fuji Lakes Kawaguchiko lakes(2 to 2 .5 hours ( JR line,Fuji Railway)
21-Nov	Wed	Okachimachi,Nihombashi, Tokyo Station to Kyoto (2 hours by Nozomi Shinkansen)
21-Nov	Wed	Cross Hotel – Sanjo, market and  local eats
22-Nov	Thurs	Arashiyama, Nijo Castle
23-Nov	Fri	Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kyoto to  Shin-Osaka (12 min by Nozomi )
24-Nov	Sat	Nara Prefecture (1 hr  from Osaka), JR to see Akashi Kaikyo Bridge (1 hour by JR line)
25-Nov	Sun	Himeji Castle ( 20-30 min by Nozomi/ Hikari from Osaka) Train to Kansai ( 1hour from Shin-Osaka). Flight to SFO

Places to Stay:

Hotels are plenty, but can be expensive. Depending on your personal choices, especially for food, you may want to consider staying at an airBNB if you are a family of four or more or have dietary preferences/restrictions.  airBNB accommodations are easily available on most big cities and may offer your family more space and comfort, if you prefer to cook your own meals or need more space.

Food:

For the seafood friendly, Japan offers some of the best and most varied choices. You will also find a lot of choices of meat and poultry. For vegans and vegetarians, there is plenty of choice as well.  There are a lot of vegan/ vegetarian only restaurants as well as regular restaurants which carry vegetarian/ vegan options. Happy Cow is a great app that lets you find these places.

Here are some Vegan/ Vegetarian jewels we found:

Sekai Cafe –  Senso-ji, Tokyo, Shake Shack – Aoyama-Itchome, Tokyo, Vege Herb Saga –  Okachimachi, Tokyo, Ain Soph Cafe – Sanjo, Kyoto

For those between meals hunger pangs:) – fear not! There are wonderful bakeries everywhere, where you can consume some amazing pastries and local favorites like bean cakes and biscuits.  We particularly loved the commonly available ice-creams, which tasted like heaven and also we really inexpensive at about $2.00 a cone.

Stores:

There are many 7-11 and other convenience stores, where you can pick up simple groceries, toiletries , even disposable utensils, forks, spoons etc. Supermarkets are also common, with easy availability of groceries and daily essentials.

Some Unique experiences and  places that you cannot miss in Tokyo:

Senso-ji, Tokyo Skytree, Benzaiten Temple and Pagodas at Ueno Park,  Shopping  in Kappa Bashi Street for pottery, wickerware, laquerware etc.  River cruise from Asakusa to Shinjuku,  Walked to Ginza Crossing , Gingko Trees at the Icho Namiki about one block from Aoyama-Itchome Subway Station.,Okashimashi Jewellery District – shops with. great bargains, if you are not looking for perfection or brands.

Getting to Fuji Lakes

You can reach the Fuji Lake area in abut 2 hours from Tokyo. If you are visiting this area, you may want to go to Kawaguchiko, which is one of the biggest lakes and offers one f the closest views of Mt. Fuji. Spring and summer visitors may be able to hike in the area, but autumn visitors are generally able to just stay at the lakes and enjoy the autumn scenery. It takes a while to get here, so if you have time to spare, consider spending a couple of days here!

From Shinjuku – take the JR line till Otsuki.(1 hr). At Otsuki – Buy the Fuji Railway pass to get to Kawaguchiko. (45 mins-  1hr)

Once you get to Kawaguchiko, you can take the red-line bus, which is a Hop on/ Hop off bus for visitors. Walk around the lake at different pints, and see the fall colors. There is also a ropeway to take you to the top of a hill for a fantastic view of Mt Fuji.

Kyoto :

The old capital of Japan, Kyoto is home to many beautiful gardens, shrines and palaces. The city is very colorful and vibrant, with an old town appeal.

Some places to not miss in Kyoto

Fushimi-Inari shrine , Tofuku-ji Temple, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Tenryu-ji Temple, Kinkaku-ji temple, Nishiki Market, Sanjo, Nijo Castle

Food: While Kyoto offers a variety of great restaurant options, it is probably a good idea to get adventurous and  sample the multiple great street food options, including the special rice cakes, roasted chestnuts and bean paste and chestnut delicacies.

 

Osaka: Osaka is a great stop to visit the Nara prefecture – home of the Todaii-ji temple. This temple houses the second largest sitting image of the Diabutsu or Buddha . The Prefecture is also home to many deer, which roam freely around . You can see several of them meditating in the gardens and many more freely roaming the streets and walking up to people, for deer crackers 🙂

If you travel west from Osaka, you can visit Himeji Castle for the day. Beware of the several stories that you have to climb inside the castle. The beautiful structure is a seven storied castle, involving steep stairs throughout.   Himeji Castle is especially beautiful in the spring, when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom.

Stop at Kobe and travel to see the Akashi Kaikyo bridge if you have some time to spare.