Hi Barry. I wouldn't worry about it, you have a long visit and that gives you flexibility to enjoy being there at what is a lovely time of year, usually the peak of the azaleas and wisteria if you enjoy Japanese gardens and some of the most stable weather. Personally I book ahead our accommodation during Golden Week but in Japan I usually do that anyway as it can make a significant impact in the cost. We've been in Tokyo twice during Golden Week and even there if you are happy to chill and do what you can when you can then you'll be fine, everywhere is densely crowded, and we notice it most heading out for meals. You'll find plenty of places open to eat but a lot are closed too and that combined with so many people enjoying their time off means you can queue outside a restaurant for well over an hour, sometimes several hours waiting for a table and not just in tourist hotspots, smaller areas that are usually mostly locals too.

Heading out of the major cities as you suggest can also be a good option, while areas like the Nikko and Hakone hot spring regions will have an influx of domestic tourists that is less the case in the other cities although it is usually still significantly busier, especially eating out. If you can avoid travelling on the major train routes with luggage that week I would. Have a fabulous time, we'll also be in Japan for May this year, it's not a reason to avoid the time of year, just to manage expectations of doing anything quickly.

Hi
We are returning to Japan for a second visit in April through to late July. We overlooked the consequences of the Golden Week Celebrations which will occur during our second week. We would be keen to hear your advice and experiences to navigate the impacts. We are happy to immerse fully in the culture but understand accommodation and travel between major destinations can be very problematic. We thought we go rural and or over to the Japan Sea side and potter around down the coast. E.g Niigata, Toyama, Kanazawa etc and head inland to eventually revisit Kayoto on the way to Kumamoto etc. love to hear your thoughts. Very keen on ceramics, crafts, textiles and nature etc. Travelling by trains.

Hello Toni

Thank you for the information. Much appreciated.

🙂

Think I will extend my stay in Kyoto.

Hi Neema, it depends a bit on what it is that you enjoy doing, we like to spend more time in Kyoto but there is plenty we enjoy in Osaka too. We do like staying in the Namba area to wander the Dotonbori area in the evening, it's a great option for dinner but with it being a relatively short distance between the 2 cities with only a couple of nights I would probably stay in Kyoto and use the train. We've caught it between cities at night after dinner several times and felt very comfortable doing it, you lose a bit of time moving luggage and checking in and out of hotels that I would probably avoid for 1-2 nights.

excellent blog. Thank you for all your tips. I am planning on going to Japan in October this year. I am super excited.

I plan on staying in Tokyo for 5 days and Kyoto for 4 days (will do a day trip or 2 from both cities). However I can't decide whether to stay longer in Kyoto and do 2 day trips to Osaka or stay in Osaka for 2 or 3 days (with a day trip).

Would you recommend doing to 2 day trips from Kyoto to Osaka? I would stay in Osaka for 3 days but i have been reading that there isn;t much to do.

What would you advise? Many thanks

Thanks for the information Toni. Yes we do plan on going to Miyajiama island, so hoping we can see Himeji castle, Hiroshima and Miyajiama in the two days.
Thanks again

Hi Marika. There are so many options that it can get overwhelming, it's just not possible to do everything in the time but your dates are great, you will see so much in 18 days and should hit some great cherry blossom in that time too.

The shinkansen (bullet train) line between Osaka and Hiroshima has a stop at Himeji so you will find it very easy and convenient to do your plan of getting off there to see the castle and town then continuing on to Hiroshima. If you are taking luggage with you there are coin lockers at the station where you can lock it up. Are you planning to go to Miyajima while in Hiroshima? Younger children seem to love the novelty of the deer wandering through town and on our spring visits we've often seen them with fawns.

Have a wonderful trip and enjoy the planning stage

At this stage our itinerary is arriving in Osaka on 30 March 2020 and staying in Osaka until 8th April and then going to Tokyo and staying there until 16th April before returning home to Australia.

When we are in Osaka we are planning on doing day trips to Kyoto and Nara (and haven't decided where else yet). We also want to go to Himeji and Hiroshima so we thought we'd get the JR rail pass. I'm wondering if it's possible to go from Osaka to Himeji, stay there for a couple of hours and then travel onto Hiroshima, stay over night and then go Hiroshima back to Osaka? Would we be able to use the JR rail for that and are there connecting trains to go between Himeji and Hiroshima?

Thank you for your help - your website is full of so much helpful information

Hi Grace. The 2 main cities directly between Kyoto and Himeji are Osaka and Kobe, there is also a lot to do around Kyoto but outside the city centre if you haven't had time to look around already, places like Arashiyama, Uji and Fushimi Inari. While not directly in the route of travel Nara is inexpensive to get to by train and a great place to explore on foot for a day.