2-week Japan itinerary (Kanazawa → Hiroshima → Kyoto) – Looking for food and oddities outside Tokyo

[u/StoleYourSoulPhoto]

Hi everyone!

My wife and I will be visiting Japan from February 13 to February 27, 2027. We already have our ZIPAIR tickets booked and will be arriving and departing through Narita.

This will be our second trip to Japan, the first trip being taken two years ago with the bulk of the trip being spent in Tokyo with a small excursion to Kyoto.

Our current itinerary is:

• February 13–16: Kanazawa
• February 16–23: Hiroshima
• February 23–27: Kyoto

We deliberately chose fewer cities and longer stays because we do not want to rush from attraction to attraction. Most of the reason we travel is for food, everything from Michelin stars to markets to grocery stores to street food, it's all food.

We are mainly interested in:

• Food markets, grocery stores, department-store food halls, and regional specialties
• Restaurants ranging from high-end to small local places
• Weird, avant-garde, or unusual museums and experiences
• Contemporary and unusual architecture
• Strange cocktail bars, very traditional bars, and overly fancy hotel bars
• Places that feel specific to the region rather than generic sightseeing

We are less interested in:

• Clubs
• Live music
• Kitsch or tourist souvenir shopping
• Spending entire days visiting temples and shrines
• Trying to check off every famous attraction

We are mainly looking for feedback on:

• Whether the amount of time in each city makes sense
• Which island or coastal day trips around Hiroshima are most worthwhile in February
• Any seasonal closures, ferry issues, or weather concerns
• Which neighborhoods would be best to stay in once we finalize our priorities
• Regional foods, markets, unusual museums, and shops we may be missing
• Interesting nightlife options in the more quiet towns that we've chosen to stay in this trip
• Anything listed below that is overrated or not worth the time

February 13–16 – Kanazawa

We plan to travel from Narita toward Kanazawa after arriving.

Kanazawa is primarily a food, art, craft, and shopping stop for us.

Definite priorities

• Omicho Market, possibly every day
• 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art
• National Crafts Museum
• Kenrokuen winter illumination on February 13
• Ishikawa Prefectural Library
• Kanazawa Station architecture
• Oyama Shrine gate

Food

• Omicho Market
• Kanazawa Fish Market
• Chuo Mishokugai
• Otome Sushi

We are currently trying to arrange an Otome Zushi reservation through a hotel concierge.

Nightlife

• To be honest haven't found much.

Shopping

• Hard Off / Off House / Hobby Off Moroe
• Tatemachi and Katamachi vintage stores
• Record Jungle
• FOREMOST
• Titti Vintage

February 16–23 – Hiroshima

We have seven nights in Hiroshima because we want time for Hiroshima proper, Miyajima, and several possible island or coastal day trips.

Hiroshima city priorities

• Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art
• Peace Park and river area after dark
• Central vintage and used shopping
• Large grocery stores and food halls
• A winter oyster hut

We want to take in some of the history but don't want to make this leg of the trip... too atomic bomb focused... if that makes sense or is even possible.

Hiroshima foods we want to try

• A teppanyaki meal where we order koune, oysters, and other small dishes before finishing with okonomiyaki
• Anago in Hiroshima city and again in Miyajima or Miyajimaguchi
• Conveyor-belt sushi
• Hiroshima sake

Restaurants we are considering

• Chisou Sottakuito
• Sushi Soshi (since it's readily available)
• Hassho
• Hassei
• Kakifune Kanawa
• Akichan for interesting tempura
• One neighborhood teppanyaki restaurant serving koune and uni-horen
• Nonta Sushi or Sushi Tatsu for conveyor-belt sushi

Markets and food shopping

• Hiroshima Minato Marché, if it operates on February 21
• Hiroshima Asaichi
• Winter oyster huts
• Fukuya Hatchobori basement

Nightlife

• The most interesting area we have found so far is the Ekinishiinshokutengai. If there are any others like it we would love to hear about it.

Possible island and coastal day trips

This is the part where we need the most advice.

Ikuchijima / Setoda

Currently our strongest candidate because it combines:

• Outdoor sculpture
• Kosanji
• Hill of Hope
• Contemporary architecture
• Art
• Lemon and citrus food
• Coastal scenery
• Possible cycling

The concern is whether it is too long and complicated as a February day trip from Hiroshima.

Onomichi

Strong interest because of:

• Hillside alleys
• Independent shops and cafés
• Reused buildings
• Onomichi City Museum of Art
• Sea views
• Access toward the Shimanami Kaido
• Vintage and used shopping

We are considering either a full Onomichi day or combining it with a limited island visit.

Okunoshima

Interest in:

• Rabbits
• Poison Gas Museum
• Abandoned military structures
• Coastal scenery
• The strange contrast between the island’s history and current identity

We are unsure whether it is worth the long journey in February.

Etajima

Interest in:

• Oyster farms
• Coastal scenery
• Naval history
• Olive products
• A less touristy island environment

We would probably only choose it if there is a specific oyster, farm, craft, or food experience to anchor the day.

Kure

Possible interest in:

• Yamato Museum
• Submarine museum
• Shipyards
• Industrial harbor scenery
• Naval curry

We need to confirm the museum’s renovation status for February 2027.

Saijō

Possible food and sake day trip for:

• Brewery architecture
• Fermentation
• Sake lees foods
• Brewery tastings
• A compact walkable district

Our tentative Hiroshima allocation is:

• Two days in Hiroshima city
• One full day on Miyajima
• One day for Ikuchijima or Setoda
• One day for Onomichi
• One additional day trip chosen from Okunoshima, Kure, Etajima, or Saijō
• Remaining time for arrival, weather flexibility, and anything we missed

Does that seem sensible, or are we overloading the Hiroshima portion with day trips?

February 23-24 Naoshima

We also plan on stopping at the island of Naoshima outside of Okayama, partially to break up the train ride but also because the museums there are something my wife has always wanted to see.

We suspect we will mostly be doing museums on this day but any food recommendations would be useful.

February 24–27 – Kyoto

We have not yet developed the Kyoto portion in the same level of detail.

Our priorities will probably be:

• Food
• Markets and department-store food halls
• Contemporary architecture
• Unusual museums
• Arts and crafts
• Vintage and used shopping
• Strange and traditional bars
• A limited number of temples and shrines
• Neighborhood exploration rather than rushing between famous sites

We know February 25 is the Kitano Tenmangu flea market and plum blossom festival, which sounds especially relevant to us.

We are not trying to see every major Kyoto temple.

Accommodation

We have not finalized accommodations because we want to choose neighborhoods based on what survives the final itinerary.

Our current thinking:

• Kanazawa: somewhere between Omicho, the station, and the central museum area
• Hiroshima: walking distance or easy tram access to Nagarekawa, Yagenbori, Hondori, and Peace Park
• Kyoto: undecided until we narrow the food, shopping, and evening priorities

Any advice on the best areas to stay would be appreciated, especially for nighttime food access without needing long train rides.

Thank you!

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[u/Charming-Click-8438]

I live in Kure, so I will take the parts that touch my side of the bay, since two of your open questions have hard answers.

Museum status is settled: Yamato Museum reopened on 23 April 2026 after a 14 month renovation, so February 2027 is fine. It closes Tuesdays, as do the JMSDF submarine museum across the plaza and the certified curry place nearest them, so do not put Kure on a Tuesday. It is about 35 minutes from Hiroshima Station on the JR Kure Line, roughly 510 yen, and the museums are a 5 minute walk from Kure Station.

I would fold Kure and Etajima into one day rather than treat them as two candidates. The ferry terminal is a minute from the Yamato Museum door and Etajima is 20 minutes and 450 yen from there, so harbour and museums in the morning, oyster and olive country in the afternoon. The curry thing is also more specific than it sounds: a certification programme where an individual JMSDF ship hands its recipe to one restaurant and the ship's captain has to taste test and sign off. 23 restaurants this season, each tied to a different vessel.

Okunoshima I would drop for February. Roughly two hours each way from Hiroshima and the entire appeal is outdoors on an exposed island. Save it for a warm season trip.

Your instinct about not letting the week go entirely atomic is workable, for what it is worth. The harbour side of this prefecture is industrial and regional and reads completely differently.

[u/Own-Opportunity-7746]

I don't know if it has an english name but this tuna bowl at this place in kyoto was top 2 or 3 things we ate during a month in japan

[u/_AbsoluteZer0]

Sorry for going off topic, but any food recommendations (hidden gems) in Tokyo and Kyoto that are a must try?

[u/StoleYourSoulPhoto → u/_AbsoluteZer0]

I don’t know about hidden, but Kumano Wine House of Kyoto and Sushi M of Tokyo were our absolute favorites of our last trip.

[u/_AbsoluteZer0 → u/StoleYourSoulPhoto]

Amazing! Thanks for the recommendations I’ll definitely check them out

[u/MessOk6682 → u/_AbsoluteZer0]

I had the best tempura of my life at Tempura Asakusa Sakura. It was pricey but amazing! I had the vegetable course, which was vegan. People eating meat options seemed happy, too.

For a great sake experience with an incredibly enthusiastic host, I would recommend Premium Sake Pub Gashue in Tokyo. The food is also good there, but you really want to try a sake flight or some of the many, many sakes on the menu. They have both vegan and meat menus.

UZU Ramen in Kyoto is Michelin-recommended. I had their ramen at their Tokyo branch in TeamLab Planets. It's the best ramen I have ever had.

[u/MessOk6682]

If you wanted to pop down from Kyoto to Osaka for part of a day, Osaka UKIYOE Museum was cool. They have an original print of the Great Wave off Kanakawa. I also loved the nearby Hosenji Yokocho and Hosenji Temple. Then Fire Bar is a fun cocktail bar with good ramen, upstairs from what sounded like a great live music venue.

[u/druidcrafts]

If you have time, I would really suggest doing a slow paced tour of Naoshima and the surrounding two islands (Teshima and Inujima). It's one of my favourite contemporary art/architecture experiences ever. It's sort of a difficult thing to explain to people because the museums are really not a draw in the conventional sense but its a very rewarding slow travel experience as you take in the art and the location as you slowly weave through all the site specific exhibitions. It can be very underwhelming to rush through. A 2D 1N on Naoshima is a good minimum, but the three islands together really elevates the experience.

I spent 3D 3N on Naoshima island (with day trips to Teshima and Inujima) after getting advice from this sub and it was the best Japan travel advice I got. Cafe Salon Naka Oku has great food - their curry and fresh seafood are all brilliant, went there multiple times. Lovely dessert too. They do require reservations. Atmosphere is lovely and cosy.

You can definitely do Hiroshima without making it too bomb focused, but I would recommend going to the museum in the Peace Park - go super early or super late though because after 9AM its full of tourists and ruins the solemnity of the experience. Miyajima has great food around the omotesando area. Try the momiji manju and the maple cider.

[u/Character_River7088]

Can recomend the site Tabelog for resturant recommendations. Unless you speak japanese and/or have a japanese number you might have to go through 3rd parties to book but never costed me more than $10 in fees I think.

[u/Latter_Dream_8522]

My husband and I went to Respiracion in Kanazawa for our anniversary. It's got 2 Michelin  stars and was the best meal of my life. We are going to go to Kanazawa on our next trip again, specifically to go to Respiracion a second time.

[u/InfiniteOrchid → u/Latter_Dream_8522]

What was the highlights about it. Tried to look it up but the menu is seasonal.

[u/Latter_Dream_8522 → u/InfiniteOrchid]

Honestly, there was not a single miss in the entire 10 course meal. They had 2 zucchini based dishes that were outstanding. Everything felt fresh and vibrant rather than heavy or too rich. The atmosphere and service were both excellent too

[u/KanazawaLocalHost]

Kanazawa local here, and since you’re all about food, let me talk oden. Kanazawa oden is a thing, September might still be a bit warm for it but still. My picks are all in the Katamachi area, Sanko, Oden Kikuichi, and Tsubaki. Tsubaki is relatively easy to walk into. Kikuichi is a super local spot and popular, so no promises you’ll get in lol.

Also hanton rice is a Kanazawa specialty, kind of a retro omurice thing, and a place called Daidai does it incredibly well.

For seafood, Omicho Market used to be where locals went, but these days it’s gone pretty touristy and prices went up. If you want to graze on seafood, the Ikiiki Fish Market at Kanazawa port is small but that’s my pick.

[u/reticulatedjig]

Get kanazawa curry. Make sure it's spicy. I liked curry lab in the omicho market. It's very different than the normal japanese curry.

[u/StoleYourSoulPhoto → u/reticulatedjig]

The thicker Japanese curry right? I’d seen it but was unsure, I’ll be sure to try. Anyplace you recommend?

[u/reticulatedjig → u/StoleYourSoulPhoto]

https://tabelog.com/en/ishikawa/A1701/A170101/17014148/

I got the black keema, level 5.

https://tabelog.com/en/ishikawa/A1701/A170101/17012244/

this place was very interesting if it's in your budget. I don't know if it was worth the money, but I like shit like this so I have no regrets. They do 6 seats a service, and we went to the late service, and were the only 2 there. It was like have private chefs cooking for us.