ncaferra

Hello,
in may i will travel in japan for the second time (19 to 27 may).
In my first trip i have visited (2 weeks) tokyo, kamakura and kyoto. This time i'm planning an itinerary to see something different or to visit some nice spots i have missed on my first travel.
These are the two itineraries i have selected :

# itinerary 1 (new places) :
20 may : tokyo
21 may : matsushima (from sendai)
22 may : yamadera (from sendai)
23 may : tokyo
24 may : kamakura
25 may : nikko
26 may : tokyo

# itinerary 2 (spots i missed on my first trip)
20 may : tokyo
21 may : (move to Kyoto) arashiyama
22 may : himeji / Fushimi Inari (i've visited only first torii tunnel on fushimi inari)
23 may : uji, kibune or ??? (suggestions for trip in kyoto)
24 may : tokyo
25 may : nikko or kamakura
26 may : tokyo

what do you think about these two itineraries ??
Which one do you prefer ?? Tell me your ideas, i don't know what to choose
Thanks !

thursdaysd

If you want to see new places, why go back to Kamakura?

If you fly into Tokyo, consider Kanazawa, Matsumoto and Takayama.

Or fly into KIX and spend more time in and around Kyoto, perhaps adding Hiroshima or Koya-san or a bit of Shikoku.

Do you arrive on May 20?, because if so you really only have six days. If you also fly out on May 26 you only have five.

Kavey

I was wondering the same thing, why go back to Kamakura if you have already visited?

I can't commend on Sendai and region, I've not been so no idea how realistic your time estimates are there (in terms of travel time against sightseeing time).

For Kansai (Kyoto) region, you can see:
* Uji (half day for temple and tea specialists)
* Yamazaki (half day max to do tour and tasting at whisky distillery)
* Osaka (afternoon / evening to experience Dotonbori and specialist foods, plus whatever other bits appeal to you)
* Kobe (has some older merchant areas, and sake breweries, I've not been)
* Miyama, this is a bit further afield, a little north of Kyoto, I stayed a night in a traditional bamboo thatched wooden house, to see more rural side of the region
And there may also be much more for you to see in Kyoto depending on what you saw last time.

If you haven't visited Takayama / Kanazawa, these pair together well and are both beautiful cities to visit, Takayama has some beautiful historic districts, fantastic Hida beef (one of the prized wagyu brands), temples and markets and more. Kanazawa has one of Japan's most amazing gardens (Kenrokuen) and much more besides.

Kavey

(Kamamakura question looks more abrupt in writing than how I said it in my mind - was genuine question, i.e. did you miss some key sites or have you a personal reason to go back again? No criticism, just question).

ncaferra

thanks for all your reply.

I will travel from italy on 19th may (i will land in tokyo in 20th morning) and i will leave tokyo on 27th may.

Takayama looks like a fantastic place, but is too far from tokyo (4h with train), this is the reason beacuse so i'm excluding it from my itinerary.

For Kamakura : i've already been there, but i have missed many places (on my first trip i have only visited the west part of the city, the great daibutsu, hasedera temple and beaches). I would like to visit east part of the city : Hokokuji, Zuisenji temple,etc. Kamakura isn't in my priority list i will consider it if i have a free day (maybe with #1 itinerary)

Itinerary #1 : sendai is 90min far from tokyo (with Shinkansen) and i will be able to visit Yamadera and Matsushima with a 30/45 min train. Yamadera looks like a stunning place, i can't understand why no many people visit this place. Matsushima is one of the top 3 japan views, but i'm not really impressed by the bay and islands.

Itinerary #2 : in Kyoto area i would like to see Arashiyama, Himeji and Fushimi Inari (explore all the shrine until the end). I could add one more day trip, maybe Uji, Kibune, or... i don't know !

I'm really confused, i don't know what to choose

Thanks for your help

kja

I can’t choose for you, but can offer some comments:

Many people visit Nikko as a day trip from Tokyo. I was glad that I spent a night there, as it gave me time to see a bit more of the area.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3800.html

Himeji-jo and Fushimi Inari were among the highlights of my time in Japan.

I also enjoyed Uji, and spent 2 full days / 2 nights in and around Nara. Nara is one of my favorite places in Japan.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2165.html

And yes, there is a lot to see and enjoy in Kamakura / Kita Kamakura, IMO.

I think I'd go for # 2, but honestly, that's irrelevant... it's what YOU want that matters. No bad decisions here IMO, just difficult ones.

mrwunrfl

Which Tokyo airport?

FWIW: itinerary 1 might cost less and take less travel time. You might be able to use the JR East Tohoku Area Pass (5 travel days of your choice in a 14-day period for 19,000)

Matsushima would not be on my list of top-3 beauty spots in Japan. It is a nice visit though, to get out on the boat and it is pretty. It's now a whole-day thing. I didn't get anything out of my time in Sendai-shi, but I didn't research it and didn't spend much time there. My point is that you will need to plan more for that day than just Matsushima.

You are arriving in the morning, so you could just go straight to Sendai that day. In fact, you might be able to have a nice visit to Matsushima on arrival day. I think it is possible.

You could move Nikko to visit there on your way south to Tokyo. The shinkansen from Sendai to Tokyo goes through Utsunomiya which is only 49 min or so from Nikko.

I can point you to a gyoza restaurant in Utsunomiya that recently served me the best bowl of ramen that I ever had in my life. It is across from the station on the corner.

That JR East Pass gives you lots of Tohoku destinations that might interest you.

ncaferra

Thanks for all your suggestion, all your posts are really precious

I think this will be my final itinerary (i have bought jrp) :

# Itinerary :
20 may : Tokyo (landing in Tokyo at 10.30 am)
21 may : Yamadera (night in Sendai)
22 may : Matsushima or Nikko (night in Tokyo)
23 may : Tokyo
24 may : Kyoto/Himeji
25 may : Kyoto
26 may : Tokyo
27 may : flight at 12:30 from Narita

This itinerary looks good to me, I will be able to see some nice new spots in Tohoku (at least Yamadera, it looks awesome..) and Nikko (never been there, but i have to skip Matsushima). 2 days in Kyoto should be enough to visit at least Arashiyama and Fushimi Inari (last time i have seen only first Torii tunnel). Do you have suggestions for 1day/half day in Kyoto ?
Cons of this itinerary : i have to catch a lot of trains, but i will take advantage of my jrp .

Let me know what you guys think about it, and thanks again for your replies

mrwunrfl

You could think about going on through to Kyoto on the 22nd. That would eliminate a travel day. You will be on the shinkansen that day, so you can eliminate a trip between the shinkansen and your Tokyo lodging.

If you chose Matsushima for that day then it could be pretty easy. Visit there in the morning and then, for example, get the 12:44 shinkansen from Sendai to Tokyo and then you'd have 15 minutes to catch a Hikari to Kyoto arriving Kyoto at 17:45.

It took me an unhurried 10 minutes to change at Tokyo station from a Nozomi to a Yamabiko (opposite direction from you), got my seat and the train departed 2 minutes later. It is good that it is a terminal station for both trains.

If you choose Nikko for the 22nd then your travel is a bit more complicated. You will be on the shinkansen that day from Nikko of course, but probably from Nikko too (via Utsunomiya). The exception would be the JR L'ex that departs from Tobu Nikko and goes to Shinjuku at around 4:30 PM.

kja

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2158.html