MD
• 12w ago
Japan: Land of the Rising Sun
Intrepid Travel•Japan

Tokyo at the start or Kyoto/Osaka at the end — where do extra days count more?

Advice

Planning this trip for May and pretty close to booking. Have read through the experiences here which helped a lot, thank you everyone.

One thing I can't figure out: the itinerary doesn't spend much time in Tokyo and also ends before you get deep into Kyoto. We can add about 3 extra days but can't do both ends because of flights.

For people who added days — did you get more value from arriving early in Tokyo or staying on after for Kyoto and Osaka? Trying to pick the more useful end.

Answers Section

3 answers

Comment by bogota_poncha

BP
Tokyo at the end. The tour finishes in Tokyo so you are already there with momentum. Adding days at the start means arriving jet-lagged into a city that is best experienced with energy. Tokyo rewards walking and getting lost — do that when you are fresh, not at the beginning when you are still adjusting. Kyoto and Osaka are on the itinerary so you will get them. Tokyo extra time is the gap.

Comment by millie_roams

MR
Agree with Tokyo at the end. Also consider that arriving early in Kyoto before the group starts gives you the main sites without the crowds, especially Fushimi Inari at dawn. But if you can only do one end, Tokyo is the better choice for extra time.

Comment by luang_ginjinha

LG
Both. If budget allows, one day before in Kyoto for Fushimi Inari before the crowds, two or three days after in Tokyo. That is the ideal shape for this itinerary.