Heading to Tokyo by the end of November for 1 week, any suggestions for day trips
Interested in Hiroshima, not sure if it is worth it!

Day trip from which starting location? Hiroshima is quite far from Tokyo. It won't be a day trip. And yes Hiroshima is of course very worth it. You can also go to Miyajima while in Hiroshima. Just a 40min ferry over.

Hiroshima is worth it! And Gion. Do a night walking tour

Hiroshima is quite far out unless you fly there. Even taking Shinkanshen would take almost 4 hours one way.
You can consider these cities and a train ride takes about an hour:
Yokohama for Chinatown / full-size Gundam
Yokosuka for naval base boat cruise
Kamakura / Enoshima for temples

On the other hand, if you really want to go to Hiroshima for a day trip but stretched on time, you can consider taking the night bus. It leaves around early evening and arrives early morning the next day for both directions.
Or if you have not booked your flight ticket yet, you can consider leaving Hiroshima to the last day, and fly from Hiroshima to Tokyo to Vancouver and save a little bit of time.

Ken Siu flights are actually cheaper! I may fly there instead

You can do just Tokyo and Yokohama for a week. And Mt. Fuji. Hiroshima is far from Tokyo so it will eat up a lot of your time traveling to and from.

Following

I wpuld spend atleast 1 night in hiroshima personally since its quite out of the way. I would do arrive and stay in tokyo 2 nights, take the shinkansen to kyoto for 2 nights (if you like traditional looking temples, it is overrun by tourists so not my favorite place to go but still very nice) then take the train to osaka for 2 nights, then go to nara for 2 nights, then nara to hiroshima for 2 nights, hiroshima back to nagoya and fly from nagoya to tokyo before leaving. (If you do this route by the train pass or it can add up quick)

If you want to enjoy the Shinkansen with the Rail Pass in Novemver, buy the rail pass voucher now in Canada, as it's good for 3 months. The cost is increasing significantly after October, but you lock in the lower price by getting the exchange voucher now

Matt It depends on how many train trips you would take to break even, and it might be cheaper to fly low-cost airlines. JAL / ANA also offers discounted domestic flights exclusive to tourists. For example, Tokyo - Osaka is only CDN$75 (7700 yen) one way and the price is fixed throughout the year.

Ken Siu I'm aware of the discounted plane tickets and use them all the time as I'm in Japan multiple times a year.
Some ppl like the experience of riding the bullet train if they're new to Japan, hence the suggestion to get the voucher for the JR pass now before the price goes up.

Of course! Shinkansen is a must do for anyone who hasn't tried it.

Ken Siu yes that's what I am thinking about now considering the cost of the train trip

Rail passes are increasing 70% in October!!! Buy your JR pass before then, you can still use it til December.

Melissa how can you buy ahead? You can only use it if you’re on a tourist visa, not a biz entry.

You buy the voucher and redeem on arrival. Not sure what you are talking about re: the visas sorry.

Soooooooo worth it. The museum there is life altering

It’s very worth it and if you can squeeze in Nagasaki, it’s also worth it as they’re related in history. The museum is life altering as someone mentioned.

Dont miss day trip to Kamakura!!

I honestly believe that everyone should visit Hiroshima once in their lifetimes. The atomic bomb memorial museum is something you will never forget.

Angela Totally agreed!!

Angela I agree. It was an experience I will never forget.

Hiroshima is not a day trip from Tokyo

Hiroshima is certainly worth it but it would be a long day.
Hint: across from the Atomic Dome is a small cafe. Enjoy a shot or two of Japanese whisky and then cross the street and stand in front on the Dome. It’s a haunting experience.

Nikko

Kamakura is somewhere you should visit

I am going to Tokyo Dec 1st. A day trip from Tokyo could be Hakone. It is a day of adventure tours, view of Mt Fuji if weather permits.
I plan to Shinkansen train to Kyoto for the night. Next morning, go to Hiroshima. May go to Miyajima afterwards. Very peaceful island after the heavy visit at Hiroshima . But worthwhile . I’ve found many good podcasts on Spotify

Take the shinkansen there. Spend a night or 2. See the atomic memorial and museum. Cry a bit ,and then go for the best okonomiyaki dinner in Japan.
Its a nice city.