Japan Honeymoon for Cherry Blossoms

Welcome to the forum.

It sounds like you are hoping to do this during the current year - less than two months from right now?

I hope you are aware of the intense levels of tourism that permeates cherry-blossom time in Japan. It's extremely busy, crowded (with both foreigners and also Japanese tourists), and is the most expensive time to be there. Have you booked anything yet at this point (flights, hotels), or starting from scratch?

So what is Sakura Season is busy and crowded? There is a reason for that, the cherry blossoms make for such a wonderful sight. Go and enjoy!

I wanted to mention a few things about Tokyo. First, there is a nine day window each spring when the grounds of the Imperial Palace are open to the public to view the cherry blossoms there. It is a fun and unique opportunity. If it happens to coincide with your time there, take the time to attend. Secondly, Team Labs Planet is such an interesting experience from an interactive art perspective, that it would be a shame to miss it. It sells out so purchase tickets in advance. Right next to a train station so transport is easy.

You should purchase a Suica card in advance and preload it with a small amount of money. Put it in the electronic wallet on phone and tap and go for transportation and purchases at many stores, including the all important convenience stores. Reload as needed through the app.

By “shinuku” do you mean Shinjuku area of Tokyo? That’s fine, but it’s very congested, I would suggest looking into the Ueno area. Beautiful park with cherry blossoms, lots of hotels and restaurants, easy connections by Keisei line from Narita. A Nara day trip from Kyoto is great. I haven’t been to the others, as there’s lots to see in Kyoto. Osaka has never appealed to me. I would like to see Himeji.

We did a similar trip in October of 2024.

FWIW, I don't like that you are checking in an out of Tokyo 3 times.

I would be inclined to have one extended stay in Tokyo at the beginning, which is what we did.

After Tokyo, you could then spend 1-2 nights in a ryokan in Fujikawaguchiko (or Hakone). My Japan-expert friend strongly recommended this, and he is usually right about these thing. However, I found that such a side trip was a bit too expensive and time consuming with no guarantees that the weather would cooperate to see Mount Fuji.

Then you can continue on to Kyoto. Tip: book a seat on the right side of the train for a 5-minute chance to view Mount Fuji.

Himeji Castle is a nice day trip from Kyoto. You can arrange a free English guide: https://i-guide.jpn.org/. They will not accept money, but a small gift would be appreciated (e.g. bottle of maple syrup, offer of lunch).

On our last day, we took a series of trains from Kyoto/Osaka to Narita to catch our plane to Canada at 3:40 pm. If you can do this, you will not have to split your stay in Tokyo. I was nervous about missing our flight home, but our son had done the same thing in a previous trip. And we could have easily done this even if our flight was earlier in the afternoon. The train system in Japan is very fast and reliable. Alternatively, you could fly from Kyoto to Narita (or Haneda and then take train or bus to Narita). The domestic flights in Japan are also reliable, and cheap.

Good luck.

Thank you all so much! We have our flights booked and are trying to keep accommodations and trains somewhat flexible so we have a better sense of the cherry blossom forecast as it gets closer. Am I right that there should be no issues getting trains last minute?

For Fujikawaguchiko, I have heard mixed ideas about going as a day trip from Tokyo when we know there will be visibility for Fuji as opposed to staying overnight and risking bad weather. A day trip seems rushed, but it would certainly be disappointing to stay there and not be able to see or do much. Is it easy enough to go directly to/from there to Kyoto with two large suitcases, or better to stop off in Tokyo in between? I agree that checking in and out of Tokyo isn't ideal, but it seemed easier to get to/from Kyoto that way.

What are some of your favorite day trips/overnights from Kyoto and Tokyo? We are thinking of Osaka (maybe overnight), Himeji, Uji, and Nara at least.

For planning my own Japan trip this spring I have found several YouTube channels helpful:

Abby from Pictour
Kensho Quest
KyotoTravelTips
Sam and Victor

Also to avoid disappointment you might book hotels with free cancellation so you have something even if later you conclude to change.

Enjoy the planning!

FWIW, we spent 6 nights in Tokyo, 4 nights in Kyoto and 5 nights in Osaka. If you look at any top 10 list for each city, we probably went to most of them. Everything was great and worth seeing. And there was never enough time to see everything.

We travelled in October and noticed that there were still available seats on some of the trains. However, we pre-booked all of our trains to maintain our schedule, especially on that last day. Sakura season is very busy. It would probably be a good idea to book your seats.

Good luck.