Japan & Taiwan Local Explorer
CreatorDavid Newlun
DateMay 20, 2026
Stardrift makes travel planning effortless by finding flights, hotels, and experiences that match your travel preferences. Learn more.
Day 1
Oct 25
- Arrive in Osaka and keep the first day extremely light.
- Settle into an apartment-style stay so there is space to rest, snack, and cook a few simple meals.
- If energy is good, do only a short coffee-and-neighborhood wander around Nakazakicho, then head back before dinner.
- Pick up pantry basics and any comfort items close to the stay, and treat anything else as optional rather than a must-do.
Day 2
Oct 26
- Make Osaka your first real base day, but keep it to one main area in the morning and one optional outing later.
- Browse seafood and produce at Kuromon Market early before the biggest crowds, then sit down for lunch or bring food back to the apartment.
- Rest through the middle of the day and use taxis or short transit hops instead of chaining long walks.
- In the evening, visit Dotonbori only briefly for atmosphere, then peel off to quieter side streets or head home if it feels too crowded.
Day 3
Oct 27
- Keep this as a recovery-style Osaka day with lots of flexibility.
- Start with coffee, then do low-effort grocery or home-goods browsing close to transit rather than covering multiple neighborhoods.
- Spend part of the afternoon around Utsubo Park for benches, shade, and an easy pace.
- Leave dinner completely flexible and feel free to turn this into an early night if walking starts to feel like enough.
Day 4
Oct 28
- Make this a gentle shopping day with frequent sit-down breaks.
- Spend the morning around SenNichiMae DoguyaSuji cookware Shopping Street, but keep the goal to browsing rather than covering every shop.
- In the afternoon, do only the easiest nearby Threeppy / Daiso / Don Quijote stops and a grocery run for a simple dinner back at the stay.
- Pack a small overnight bag for Kurashiki tonight so tomorrow's transfer feels easy and unrushed.
Day 5
Oct 29
- Travel to Kurashiki instead of an onsen town; it is an easy rail stop between Osaka and Hiroshima and better suited to a lower-stress day.
- Stay in a simple ryokan or traditional inn around the Bikan area so you still get the tatami-and-ryokan feel without the bath-hopping focus.
- Keep the day very light: check in early, rest, then take only a short canal-side wander around Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter.
- Plan for an early dinner, minimal walking after dark, and taxi breaks whenever that sounds better than pushing through on foot.
Want to tweak this itinerary?
Day 6
Oct 30
- Head onward to Hiroshima and treat transfer day as the main event.
- After check-in, keep things simple with a short stroll around Hiroshima Hondori Shopping Street only if energy is still good.
- Choose one easy coffee stop and one relaxed dinner, ideally close to the hotel.
- Keep the evening short so tomorrow can still feel fresh rather than overloaded.
Day 7
Oct 31
- Treat Itsukushima as optional and weather- / energy-dependent rather than a fixed must-do.
- If you go, focus on the easiest part of the island: a scenic arrival, one coffee stop, one seafood lunch, and plenty of sitting time.
- Skip any long detours, steep routes, or pressure to see everything.
- Return to Hiroshima early so the day stays comfortable; if the ferry-and-train combo feels like too much, this can simply become another slow Hiroshima day instead.
Day 8
Nov 1
- Morning: visit Peace Memorial Park - Hiroshima at your own pace, with permission to keep it brief.
- Have an easy seated lunch nearby and avoid trying to stack extra sights around the memorial area.
- In the afternoon, decompress at Shukkeien Garden only if a second outing still sounds pleasant.
- Leave the evening fully open for rest, groceries, or dinner close to the hotel.
Day 9
Nov 2
- Travel to Nagoya and keep the rest of the day intentionally simple.
- If there is still energy after check-in, do a short wander in Osu Shotengai Shopping Street near whichever stretch looks easiest and least crowded.
- Use cafes as built-in rest anchors rather than trying to cover the whole district.
- Keep dinner local, close, and early.
Day 10
Nov 3
- Keep this as a low-pressure Nagoya day with one shopping street and one calm green stop.
- Spend the morning around Endo-ji Shotengai Shopping Street with plenty of cafe pauses and no pressure to stay out long.
- After lunch, go to Tokugawaen Garden only if a gentle garden break sounds restorative rather than tiring.
- End the day with groceries or a simple meal back at the stay so the trip continues to feel easy.
Want to tweak this itinerary?
Day 11
Nov 4
- Keep Nov 4 in Nagoya as a buffer-style day with no hard commitments.
- Start with a slow local-food morning around Yanagibashi Central Market, but keep it short and seated whenever possible.
- Leave the afternoon open for department stores, Don Quijote, Daiso / Threepy, or a hotel rest block depending on energy.
- Have one more relaxed Nagoya dinner and pack gently for tomorrow's Taiwan flight.
Day 12
Nov 5
- Arrival day in Taipei should stay extremely light.
- After arrival and check-in, choose just one easy neighborhood outing: ideally Taipei Dadaocheng for a short old-street wander with tea or coffee.
- Treat Yongkang Street as optional for another day if the flight takes more out of you than expected.
- End with a low-key dinner and prioritize hydration, rest, and an early night.
Day 13
Nov 6
- Make this your gentlest Taipei day with no hot-spring component.
- Start with a slow morning around Daan Forest Park so there is plenty of seating, shade, bathrooms, and flexibility.
- If energy is good later, shift to the cafe-lined streets around Fujin Street for coffee, browsing, and an unhurried lunch.
- Keep the afternoon open for a hotel rest rather than committing to anything time-sensitive.
Day 14
Nov 7
- Final full day in Taiwan should feel easy and flexible.
- Take an outing to Tamsui Old Street only if a waterfront wander sounds pleasant; otherwise this can become a slower city day closer to the hotel.
- Keep the focus on one snack stop, one coffee, and plenty of sitting rather than covering the whole area.
- Return early for packing and a relaxed final dinner.
Day 15
Nov 8
- Departure day.
- Keep the morning open for a final coffee and any last convenience-store or grocery picks close to the hotel.
- Leave earlier than usual for the airport so the transfer feels unrushed and there is time for bathroom and snack stops.
- Treat everything beyond the airport as optional; the goal is just a smooth, low-stress trip home.
Personalize this trip with Stardrift.