Going to Japan for a month next year from mid March to April (as mid March seems to be when the cherry blossoms are anticipated) with my parents and maybe brother. I’d like to see nightlife and arcades, as well as the cherry blossoms and getting some good solid days in nature and natural wonder. My parents would probably enjoy seeing flowers as well as live jazz music- also vintage things. Please let me know if you feel I’m missing anything or notice inconsistencies :)

22nd-26th March: Tokyo

Day one: -check in to hotel -look at cherry blossoms in Shinjuku-Gyoen park -eat at Ain soph journey for dinner (or lunch depending) Take time to settle in. The activities of today may vary depending on arrival time - party, club or explore kabukicho

Day two: -look through harajuku taking time to stroll -ramen at jikasei mensho -Go to nakameguro river and go to the Sakura festival (hanami- dates pending?) -Explore shibuya, go to shibuya scramble. Get a better view at mags park with a drink -Go up to Shibuya sky for a sunset viewing

Day three -get some convenience food or find a local cafe -Disneysea -Go out for dinner if leaving early (ideally an early start at Disney) -Party, club or explore Shinjuku nichome

Day four -early start at Sensoji temple as early as possible -Stop by fruit sand which shop then head to ueno park and sumida river to look at more cherry blossoms -Ashikaga park -Shop/look around in Akihabara and Harajuku -Tokyo tower at night, look by prince shiba park before going up

Day five -Mount Fuji day trip, look at chureito pagoda and go to lake kawaguchi. Fuji-Q or narusawa ice cave if there’s time. Or go to some of the other five lakes -wild card- stay in Fuji area as long as needed (This may be on another day, depending on the weather and what day seems to be the clearest to see Mr Fuji)

27th-31st March: Kyoto

Day six -arrive by Shinkansen, check into hotel -Nanzen-ji temple -explore the gion district (ideally want to stay in this area too in a ryokan if possible- and I believe there’s a Starbucks with a traditional tea house look around here?)

Day seven -early wakeup maybe 6am to go to Fushimi Inari Taisha -continue to Jonan-gu shrine

Day eight -early wakeup to go to arashiyama bamboo grove, then tenryuji temple -kinkuji temple/golden pavilion - Nishiki market/lunch

Day nine -day trip to amanohashidate, doing the chairlift to the viewing platform. Walking along the sandbar

Day ten -early wakeup for kiyomizu dera, exploring it and surrounding area for most of the morning into afternoon -sunset stroll alongside Katsura river

1st-5th April: Osaka

Day eleven -check in to hotel -explore dotonbori -don quixote ferris wheel

Day twelve -day trip to Nara -get food to take to murou art forest, explore till afternoon -go to Nara park and feed deer on way back to Osaka, toda-ji temple -possibly party in dotonbori- I have seen some clips of boat parties along the river with fun music. Does anyone know more about this?

Day thirteen -Go to Osaka castle -namba yasaki shrine -round1 stadium/or other arcade places -umeda sky tower

Day fourteen -universal studios, early wakeup. Spend most of day here but no plans to do anything else

Day fifteen -explore shinsaibashi -explore shinsekai

6th-7th April: Hiroshima

Day sixteen -check in to accom -go to peace park Take it easy for the day or freestyle

Day eighteen -go to the floating tori gates and left priestess bridge at high tide, ideally early Take the rest of the day to check out other parts of the island and hiroshima

8th-10th April: Beppu

Day nineteen (en route to beppu) -early arrival to Kawachi wisteria garden -thinking of getting a hire car from here, leaving early -check in to accom -onsen at accom -beppu observatory to look at the steam

Day twenty -seven hells beppu -lunch with steamed onsen food -hot sand onsen by the beach

Day twenty one -monkey park/mountain -beppu ropeway or nabegataki falls -onsen

11th-13th April: Miyazaki

Unsure if to stay in miyazaki or split it up Day twenty two -early start to takachiho gorge -amanoiwata shrine -Mount aso if there’s time

Day twenty three -devils washboard -aoshima island -sun messe and moai statues -udo ingo

Day twenty four -aya teruha suspension bridge -things that weren’t able to be fitted in on other days, or just relax

14th-16th April: Yakushima

Day twenty five -arrive and check into accomodation -go to jomonsugiland or yakusugi museum

Day twenty six -very early morning hike to jomon sugi -chill at accomodation or by one of the beaches later after relaxing

Day twenty seven -public hirauchi kaichu onsen, low tide -drive around the island, particularly the west, stopping at ohko and nunobiki waterfalls as well as swimming at isso and inakahama beaches along the way. Maybe snorkelling

17th-18th April: Tokyo

Day twenty eight (Tokyo) -check into capsule hotel -free day for night activity upon arrival, explore something that we weren’t able to do earlier. Maybe the Chiba monorail?
-explore roppongi

Day twenty nine -chidorigafuchi park, go on a boat or ashikga -explore shimokitazawa for thrift shopping and vintage shops, harajuku Takeshita street -explore odiaba and do Tokyo labs borderless (not the planets one) -Tokyo joypolis

back to Sydney (maybe via Singapore or on the way)

Some questions 1. We may have two more spare nights- any suggestions on where these should be allocated?

1. Is it too far travel distance between Miyazaki and yakushima and then yakushima to Tokyo? (Flying), I was considering a night in Kagoshima as a pit stop for each way, but not much there interests me

2. Do people have any suggestions on gay night life or parties in Tokyo and Osaka, and same goes for vegan food? Doing my research but open to suggestions! Bonus points towards house and dirty techno music!

3. I suspect spring will be very very busy. Do the waking up early hacks you see online actually work?

4. Has anyone heard of the Osaka river boat parties?

6z good ryokans?