Would you trade 3 days in Kyoto for this self-drive itinerary in Japan 🇯🇵

Would you trade 3 days in Kyoto for this self-drive itinerary in Japan 🇯🇵

My mom ruined our Japan trip. Here’s what happened. My mom’s about to leave Canada and meet us in Osaka. Then we’re spending 5 days in Kyoto, but she calls me and asks, “I’d really love to see Mount Fuji. How far is it from Kyoto? Cue the panic.” So, I canceled three nights in Kyoto and needed to find a way to get us to Fuji, then back to Osaka for a flight out. At first, I thought, “Easy, I’ll rent a car. I love driving in Taiwan. How different could it be?” Then I realized they drive on the other side of the road. My girlfriend was like, “That’s crazy.” So, we compromised by taking the bullet train halfway, then renting a car to cut the drive down from 5 hours to 2 and 1/2. Boom. The drive was easy peasy. Side note, if you want a video on driving in Japan, etc. Cards tolls, let me know. The second Mount Fuji popped out of the clouds, it felt like we were in a movie. We found a last minute hotel that was somehow crazy affordable. So, technically, we saved money by not staying longer in Kyoto. And then this was our view. Are you kidding me? We didn’t even have an itinerary. We just drove around, found the coolest hidden spots, and avoided most of the crowded tourist areas. It felt like we had Fuji to ourselves. We couldn’t have been happier with the trip itinerary change. So, this is what you do when you love your mom. Yes, Kyoto is beautiful, but the over tourism does take away a little bit of the magic. Happy days. So this is how

Did we make the right decision?