← Playground Friends trip

A friends trip · March 2027 · Luis, Mary, Roger & Misia

Friends trip to Japan

Food first. Then Mt Fuji and Hiroshima, with cherry blossom season as the backdrop.

TokyoOsakaKyotoKawaguchiko

01 · The shape of the trip

Four friends, one very well-fed fortnight.

Roger presents in Osaka on Thursday March 25, 2027. Good Friday (March 26) and Easter Monday (March 29) are Dutch holidays, so the long weekend gives us a natural block of free days around his talk.

Who
Luis, Mary, Roger, Misia
Start
Luis and Mary begin in Tokyo and meet Roger and Misia later
Priorities
Food first, then Mt Fuji, then Hiroshima
Also
Temples and old Kyoto, city life and nightlife, nature and hiking
Pace & budget
Relaxed, mid-range with a few splurges
Food style
Street food, markets and casual spots, plus omakase and kaiseki

02 · Route

Tokyo, then west, then back to Fuji.

This is a draft built for March 19 to April 4. The dates will shift with whichever flights we pick. The line below is a schematic, not a map to scale.

  1. Amsterdam

    Fly out

  2. Tokyo

    4 nights

    Neon streets, markets, and a Nikko day trip.

  3. Shinkansen to Osaka

  4. Osaka

    Mar 24 to 29

    Street food, Nara, Hiroshima and Miyajima. Roger presents Mar 25.

  5. Kyoto

    Mar 29 to Apr 1

    Temples, old streets, kaiseki.

  6. Kawaguchiko

    Apr 1 to 3

    Ryokan, onsen, Mt Fuji views.

  7. Tokyo to Amsterdam

    Fly home from Tokyo

03 · Priority one

Food first.

Street food, markets and casual spots, with an omakase dinner and a kaiseki dinner as the splurges.

  • Yakitori
  • Ramen
  • Omakase
  • Yuba
  • Takoyaki
  • Okonomiyaki
  • Kushikatsu
  • Kaiseki
  • Matcha sweets
  • Hoto noodles
  • Grilled oysters
  • Momiji manju

Tokyo

  • Tsukiji Outer Market for breakfast snacks
  • Omoide Yokocho for yakitori and small bars
  • Ramen and izakaya evenings
  • An omakase sushi dinner as a splurge
  • Department store food halls for treats

Nikko

  • Yuba, the tofu skin Nikko is known for
  • A casual soba or tofu lunch near the shrines

Osaka

  • Takoyaki and okonomiyaki, Osaka's signature street food
  • Kushikatsu in Shinsekai
  • Kuromon Market for grazing
  • A group dinner once Roger is done on the 25th

Hiroshima & Miyajima

  • Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki
  • Grilled oysters and momiji manju on Miyajima

Kyoto

  • Nishiki Market, the covered food street
  • A kaiseki dinner as a splurge
  • Matcha sweets and tea houses
  • Tofu and yuba lunches

Kawaguchiko

  • Ryokan kaiseki dinner and breakfast
  • Hoto noodles, a Yamanashi specialty
Stylized illustration of a rainy Tokyo neon street at night with paper lanterns and drifting cherry blossom petals
Tokyo after dark, a stylized scene

04 · 4 nights

Tokyo

Luis and Mary's base for the first four nights. Plenty to eat, easy to wander, and a good place to ease into the pace.

Things to do

  • Senso-ji and the Asakusa streets
  • Meiji Shrine and its forest
  • Shibuya Crossing at night
  • Ueno Park for cherry blossoms
  • Shinjuku nightlife and Golden Gai
Stylized illustration of a red and gold shrine gate among tall cedar trees in morning mist
Nikko's shrine gates, a stylized scene

05 · Day trip from Tokyo

Nikko

A day out of Tokyo for shrines in the cedar forest. The plan puts it around March 22.

Things to do

  • Toshogu Shrine
  • Rinno-ji temple
  • Futarasan Shrine
  • Shinkyo Bridge
  • Kegon Falls and Lake Chuzenji if the weather allows
Stylized illustration of a night canal lined with glowing street food stalls and red lanterns
Street food by the canal, a stylized scene

06 · Mar 24 to 29

Osaka

Our food base. On the 25th Roger presents while the rest of us explore, and we all meet up in the evenings.

Things to do

  • Dotonbori and the Glico sign at night
  • Osaka Castle and its park, a classic blossom spot
  • Shinsekai and its retro streets
  • Umeda and Namba for city life
Stylized illustration of a vermilion torii gate standing in the sea at sunset
A floating torii at sunset, a stylized scene

07 · Day trips from Osaka

Hiroshima, Miyajima & Nara

Hiroshima and Miyajima

  • Peace Memorial Park and Museum
  • The Atomic Bomb Dome
  • Ferry to Miyajima for Itsukushima Shrine and its floating torii
  • Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki
  • Grilled oysters and momiji manju on Miyajima

Nara

  • Todai-ji and its giant Buddha
  • Nara Park and its deer
  • Kasuga Taisha and its lantern-lined paths

Hiroshima is a long day, so it is worth deciding early which of the free days it takes.

Stylized illustration of a pagoda among cherry blossoms above an old street of wooden houses
Kyoto in blossom, a stylized scene

08 · Mar 29 to Apr 1

Kyoto

Old Kyoto, with temples and slow evenings.

Things to do

  • Fushimi Inari and its torii paths
  • Kiyomizu-dera
  • Arashiyama and the bamboo grove
  • Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion
  • Gion and the Philosopher's Path
Stylized illustration of a snow-capped mountain reflected in a lake beside a wooden inn and cherry blossoms
Fuji from the lake, a stylized scene

09 · Apr 1 to 3

Kawaguchiko & Mt Fuji

Two nights in a ryokan by Lake Kawaguchi for the Fuji view, an onsen and a kaiseki dinner. The climbing season is closed in March, so the plan is views and gentle walks.

Things to do

  • Lake Kawaguchi walks with Fuji views
  • Chureito Pagoda viewpoint
  • Kachi Kachi Ropeway
  • An evening in the ryokan's onsen

After Fuji we head back to Tokyo and fly home.

10 · Weather

What late March usually feels like.

Typical averages Not a forecast. Nobody can forecast March 2027 yet, so these are 30-year averages (1991 to 2020) from the Japan Meteorological Agency, for the dates in the Mar 19 to Apr 4 draft route.

Around Mar 20 to 24

Tokyo

15°6°high / low °C

Chance of rain on a given day
~30%
Rain on our dates
~17 mm

Mar 24 to 29

Osaka

16°7°high / low °C

Chance of rain on a given day
~30%
Rain on our dates
~20 mm

Day trip from Osaka, Mar 24 to 29

Nara

16°5°high / low °C

Chance of rain on a given day
~30%
Rain on our dates
~20 mm

Day trip from Osaka, Mar 24 to 29

Hiroshima & Miyajima

16°7°high / low °C

Chance of rain on a given day
~30%
Rain on our dates
~25 mm

Mar 29 to Apr 1

Kyoto

17°6°high / low °C

Chance of rain on a given day
~30%
Rain on our dates
~14 mm

Apr 1 to 3

Kawaguchiko & Mt Fuji

14°1°high / low °C

Chance of rain on a given day
~30%
Rain on our dates
~11 mm

High and low are the average of the daily normals over our dates in each place. Chance of rain is the share of days with at least 1 mm of rain. Nikko has no figures here.

If we go on the earlier dates

On the Mar 13 to 29 option the first days are about 1°C cooler than on Mar 20, and Kawaguchiko and Nara dip lowest at night. Daily normal high / low in °C, same stations.

Daily normal high and low temperature in degrees Celsius on four dates
CityMar 13Mar 20Mar 29Apr 3
Tokyo13.9/4.614.9/5.516.1/6.717.2/7.5
Osaka13.7/5.514.8/6.416.3/7.717.5/8.6
Nara13.3/3.114.5/3.916.1/5.317.3/6.3
Hiroshima & Miyajima14.1/4.615.1/5.616.4/6.917.5/7.8
Kyoto13.6/3.814.8/4.716.3/5.917.5/6.8
Kawaguchiko & Mt Fuji10.0/-1.811.1/-0.812.6/0.413.9/1.3

Cherry blossom, typically

Usual dates for the first flowers and for full bloom, as 1991 to 2020 averages. Real years run earlier or later, so we check the forecast closer to the date.

  • TokyoFirst flowersMar 24Full bloomMar 31Our stay ends on the usual first-flower date
  • OsakaFirst flowersMar 27Full bloomApr 4First flowers during our stay, full bloom usually after we leave
  • NaraFirst flowersMar 28Full bloomApr 4First flowers at the very end of our Osaka block
  • HiroshimaFirst flowersMar 25Full bloomApr 3Around first flower on a day trip, before full bloom
  • KyotoFirst flowersMar 26Full bloomApr 4Past first flower, full bloom usually just after we leave
  • Kofu, nearest to FujiFirst flowersMar 25Full bloomApr 2Usual full bloom falls in our stay

Sources: Japan Meteorological Agency, daily normals and monthly normals for the Tokyo, Osaka, Nara, Hiroshima, Kyoto and Lake Kawaguchi stations (1991 to 2020), and the cherry blossom normals. Kawaguchiko is 860 m up and Kofu, the nearest blossom station, is 273 m, so the lake itself can differ. The chance of rain on a given day is derived from JMA rain-day normals (days with at least 1 mm in March, divided by 31, rounded to the nearest 5%).

11 · Flight options

Getting there.

Snapshot From Google Flights on October 28, 2026, lowest fare first. Amounts are left off this page; treat the ranking as a guide, as fares change.

  • Korean Air via SeoulMar 13 or 14 to Mar 29
  • China AirlinesMar 20 to Apr 4
  • Etihad via SingaporeSingle ticket, Mar 13 out
  • KLM directMar 13 or 14 to Mar 29
  • Singapore both waysFour separate tickets
  • Cathay via Hong KongMar 20 to Apr 4

1

Korean Air via Seoul

Dates
Mar 13 or 14 to Mar 29
Outbound
Optional 17-hour Seoul stop: land Sunday afternoon, sleep there, reach Tokyo Monday 12:25
Return
Lands at AMS Tue Mar 30, 18:55
Leave days
10
Check
Korea's K-ETA for 2027

2

Etihad via Singapore

Ticket
Single ticket, AMS to Singapore on Mar 13, then on to Tokyo
Return
Home from Tokyo Mar 29

3

KLM direct

Dates
Mar 13 or 14 to Mar 29
Why
The cheapest direct fare we found
Other dates
A higher fare for Mar 19 to Apr 3

4

Singapore both ways

Out
Etihad AMS to SIN, Sat Mar 13 09:40, lands Sun 09:35 via Abu Dhabi
On
ZIPAIR SIN to Tokyo, Mon Mar 15 00:40 to 08:25
Back
Scoot Tokyo to SIN, Sat Mar 27 08:50 to 15:30
Home
Emirates SIN to AMS, Sun Mar 28 02:30 to 13:15 via Dubai
Leave days
9, lands at AMS on a Sunday
Direct instead
KLM nonstop AMS to SIN and SIN to AMS is the direct alternative

Also seen on the same snapshot, both for Mar 20 to Apr 4: Cathay via Hong Kong and China Airlines.

12 · Before we book

Open questions for all of us.

  1. Which flight option do we like: cheapest, direct, or a stopover worth seeing?
  2. Do Roger and Misia fly with us or on their own, and when do they join?
  3. Do we want to use a stop in Seoul or Singapore to see a bit of the city?
  4. Passports and Japan's entry rules still need checking for each of us before we book.
  5. Korea's K-ETA for 2027 and the Singapore arrival card, if we pick those routes.
  6. How many days off each of us wants: 9 days on the Singapore option, 10 on Korean Air.
  7. Bags on budget airlines, which would add to the fare.
  8. Which ryokan and which splurge dinners to reserve first.

Then, in order

  1. Pick the datesThe flight choice sets the route order.
  2. Rebuild the day-by-dayFit Roger's March 25 presentation into Osaka.
  3. Book the hard-to-get thingsRyokan and splurge dinners go first.