Hi Maria!

Sorry for the late reply. I would recommend going to Hakone. You may have to wake up early to take the first Shinkansen that stops at Odawara station (Hikari Shinkansen). From there, you have to change trains to Hakone-Yumoto and finally take another train to Gora. All in all, this takes around 3h30min. 

At Gora is where you that…

Read more

Hi Maria!

I don’t know about the Sanyo-san area pass, but I can help you with the Hiroshima question. I think that without spending a night in Hiroshima, it’s a really tight trip. Maybe feasible, but you’d have to run a lot and everything would have to go smoothly, taking into account that in Japan many museums close quite early.

Actually, I did…

Read more

Kyoto is usually a bit colder on winter, so there may be an average of 2-4 days full blooming delay. It’s not much, but it can make a difference if you get there a bit tight. Nevertheless, in the end it comes down to the year.

I’m glad it was helpful!

Hi Maria,

In 2018, Sakura were still in full bloom by the 1st April. That day I went to Banpaku Koen (north of Osaka) and the sight was still splendid. However, it didn’t last much longer (a couple or three days more). In the end, it will come down to the year (whether it’s a cold or a hot year). In Osaka, the sakura usually bloom between…

Read more

I had a large suitcase, but as I had my own apartment in Osaka, when I traveled within Japan I left it there. I only moved the suitcase from KIX airport to the apartment, so I never brought it to the Shinkansen.