sbmatttraveler

We are visiting our son in Tokyo the last 2 weeks of May, but we also want to see as much of Japan as we can. We would like to have some active adventures and spend a couple days in kyoto. We know nothing of the country and would appreciate any advice.

Kathie

Start by

1. buying a good guide book.

2. Reading some of the many trip reports here. Go to the drop-down menu and choose "Japan" and look at those that have the trip report symbol.

Obviously, one could travel in Japan for months and not see it all. Only you can figure out what you would be most interested in.

kja

Also see:

http://www.japan-guide.com/

Sydney2K

To slightly rephrase Kathie's post, "what would you be most interested in"? What do you like to see and do when you are travelling?

I have a personal (and simplistic) term I use to describe travelling in Japan, the three "C"s. If you want Culture, go to Kyoto. If you want Culinary, go to Osaka. And if you want Cutting-edge, go to Tokyo. (And if you want to go "chopping", the first syllable pronounced 'sh' as in 'Chopin', all three cities

sbmatttraveler

We are visiting our son who lives in Tokyo. After several days there we would like to explore. We would like to go to Kyoto, my husband is in the food business,and we enjoy trying new foods. We are also active. We like to bike and hike, etc. We don't care about shopping.

TokachiM

I live up in the northern island (Hokkaido), and you can usually add Hokkaido as a leg to your ticket for not too much money. There's a lot of biking paths up there, and it's very beautiful country -- and it won't be as hot as Honshu (if the weather is normal). If you fly into Asahikawa, you can take a bus to Sounkyo Falls, and rent a bike to check out the area. There's also an onsen. But I'm afraid to explore some of the other attractions in the area, it would be helpful to have your son available, or to speak some Japanese.

OTOH, Kyoto and Osaka are very close together, and not that far from Tokyo by bullet train. If you are interested in a little taste of the traditional performances, catch the show at Gion Corner. As far as the temples go, I would say don't miss Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto. It's quite a hike up a hill (especially if you get lost in the cemetery!), but really worth the time you spend getting there.

Near Tokyo is Nikko, which is primarily famous for the See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil carvings. Beautiful area, too, and it might be a nice escape from the heat of Tokyo.