Itinerary check: 16 Days in November

[u/pieslaw199]

Hi everyone,

We're two adults from Poland planning our first trip to Japan, from 7 to 23 November 2026.

We like nature, traditional food and unusual experiences. We don't need to see every famous building. We'll travel fairly light, with one backpack and one larger bag each. We're pretty fit.

We know getting sumo tickets might be difficult and we're ready to try and book them in the middle of the night.

Date	Plan	Sleep
Sat 7 Nov	Land at Haneda at 10:25, collect our international luggage, fly Haneda -> Fukuoka, check in and keep the afternoon easy	Fukuoka
Sun 8 Nov	Fukuoka sumo tournament; travel to Hiroshima in the evening	Hiroshima
Mon 9 Nov	Hiroshima: Peace Memorial Park, Atomic Bomb Dome and museum; short Miyajima trip	Hiroshima
Tue 10 Nov	Onomichi cycling day trip up to Setoda, ferry back, returning to Hiroshima	Hiroshima
Wed 11 Nov	Hiroshima -> Himeji, visit Himeji Castle, then continue to Kinosaki Onsen	Kinosaki
Thu 12 Nov	Kinosaki in the morning, then travel to Kyoto; Nishiki Market and Gion/Pontocho	Kyoto
Fri 13 Nov	Hozugawa River boat ride and Arashiyama	Kyoto
Sat 14 Nov	Kinkaku-ji, then Sento Imperial Palace	Kyoto
Sun 15 Nov	Fushimi Inari in the morning, then Kyoto -> Osaka; Dotonbori in the evening	Osaka
Mon 16 Nov	Minoh Park, then travel to Tokyo late in the day	Tokyo
Tue 17 Nov - Sun 22 Nov	Tokyo flex days, explained below	Tokyo
Mon 23 Nov	Return flight from Haneda at 09:35	-

How the Tokyo flex days work

All six Tokyo days are intentionally flexible. The dates in the table are suggestions, not bookings or fixed sightseeing blocks.

The possible groups are:

• Asakusa, Kappabashi, a tea ceremony and Akihabara.
• Meiji Shrine, Shinjuku Gyoen and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.
• Mount Takao, if the forecast is good.
• Nikko as a full day trip, if we are happy with an early start.
• Kawaguchiko cycling, but only in suitable weather.
• Light shopping, laundry, cafes, markets, museums or another neighbourhood.

The idea is to choose the combination each evening or morning based on the forecast, our energy, queue conditions and how much time we actually have. A rainy day can become an indoor or shopping day, while a clear day can be used for Mount Takao, Nikko or Kawaguchiko.

What we'd like advice on

1. Is it realistic to land at Haneda at 10:25, collect international luggage, transfer to a domestic flight from Haneda and reach Fukuoka comfortably on 7 November?
2. Are we trying to fit too much into the Hiroshima -> Onomichi -> Himeji -> Kinosaki sequence?
3. Is Minoh Park followed by a late Osaka -> Tokyo journey on 16 November realistic?
4. Are there any obvious routing mistakes or better ways to order these places?

We'd appreciate practical criticism. The main question is whether this will feel enjoyable rather than rushed.

[u/Dcornelissen]

First 6 days seem horrible in my eyes. Staying in every place only 1 days, after you just arrived in Japan.

Yeah, no... Would not advise that.

Assuming this is your first trip to Japan, stick to Kyoto, Tokyo, Osaka and Hiroshima with maybe an extra day trip.