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Japan Itinerary Critique and Suggestions

Japan Itinerary Critique and Suggestions

Old Sep 24th, 2016, 09:43 AM
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Japan Itinerary Critique and Suggestions

Hi, we are going back to Japan with a couple who has never been. Our interests are medieval and traditional Japan. We like temples, shrines, castles, onsens, and little restaurants off the beaten track, used by the Japanese mainly. We have no interest in seeing Hiroshima.. Here's my initial stab:


Depart 4/23 Arrive 4/24 – have supper with friend also on tour.
25Mar – bus tour of Tokyo
evening rest
26Mar – day trip to Nikko Ntl. Park
Geisha dance show that night
27Mar – day trip to Hakona Ntl. Park/Mt. Fuji
evening rest
28Mar – Tour on our own (Imperial Palace, Shinjuku shopping district, Tokyo National Museum)
evening walking night tour of Shinjuku
29Mar – Kyoto by bullet train
evening another Geisha dance show
30Mar – Hire private tour guide for Kyoto tour (Imperial Palace and Stone Garden)
evening rest
31Mar – Day trip to Nara
evening rest
01Apr – Day trip to Osaka Castle (or transfer to Osaka hotel)
tour castle
evening ??
02Apr – Day trip to Himeji Castle from Osaka or spend night at Himeji
evening rest
03Apr – Make way (somehow) to hotel on Shikoku Island
evening - dinner with our Japanese friend
04Apr – Rent car (Japanese friend will drive) and tour island
??
05Apr – more island touring
evening ??
06Apr – return to Tokyo
evening ??
07Apr – Depart Tokyo
08Apr – Arrive Houston

This is only 15 days and we could go up to 21, so I'm looking to see if there is something really great we are missing. I also forgot to schedule an onsen. We did one at a resort in Hakone last time and would like to try a different one this time (although that one was very nice). We also enjoyed the little hike they allowed us to do on our trip to Nikko to see a waterfall. Any time spent driving through the forested hills, maybe taking the occasional hike, stopping at a country restaurant -- all that would be idyllic. I'm also thinking about extending the trip to include Kanazawa.

Any advice or comments would be welcome.

Rob
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Old Sep 24th, 2016, 10:09 AM
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You have almost no time in Kyoto as I read your itinerary. You arrive on 29 March, hire a private tour guide on 30 March for the Imperial Palace, then take a day trip to Nara the next day. I don't know why you have decided to hire a guide for a day in Kyoto, and you certainly can if you'd like, but there is no need for a guide. You can easily see Kyoto on your own. But we spent 6 nights - five full days in Kyoto and didn't see it all (of course) but in five full days, we saw the things we most wanted to see in Kyoto.

So I'd start by adding time to Kyoto. I'd also consider an overnight at Hakone (a good place to visit hot springs as well) since you can add time to your trip. We also loved visiting Kanazawa. We spent three nights there, but I wished we had more time.

Spend some time with www.japan-guide.com to help with your planning.
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Old Sep 24th, 2016, 10:11 AM
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Nikko can be visited as a day trip from Tokyo, but given your stated interests, it can make for a long day. I was glad I spent the night there, which gave me time to see Kegon-no-Taki and a bit of Lake Chuzenji, in addition to the main temples and shrines of Nikko. (The walk you took in Nikko may have been the Kanmangafuchi Abyss.)

If you can attend a dance performance by maiko and geisha in Kyoto (I believe the dances are called odori), I would strongly encourage you to do so – but are any actually staged in the evening? I could be wrong, but thought they were all during the day, with advance tickets strongly recommended.

Many people visit Nara as a day trip; I wanted two full days for Nara and the temples just outside it in Ikaruga.

It seems to me that you are giving Kyoto very, very little time. Given your interests, I would have expected something like 6 days for Kyoto and Nara (together).

Himeji is an easy day trip from Kyoto.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3504.html

Kanazawa is, IMO, delightful, and again, given your interests, it would be worth pairing Kanazawa (say 3 nights) with Takayama (say 2 nights).

No interest in Koya-san?

If you haven’t already done so, spend some time with japan-guide.com

Enjoy!
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Old Sep 24th, 2016, 11:44 AM
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how, where, will you attend those geisha dances?
where is your friend on Shikoku?

Spa World in Osaka is a great place for a soak.

Arima Onsen is a one-hour bus ride from Osaka station.
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Old Sep 24th, 2016, 12:30 PM
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Are you on some sort of tour? Sounds like you are saying that....
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Old Sep 24th, 2016, 01:01 PM
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Mara, no I'm not on a tour. We are completely on our own.

As I said, I've been to Hakone and spent the night there. I don't want to do that again. Also, Nikko was great, but this trip is kind of a compromise between things we've already done (so our friends can see them) and new things for us, so I'll stick with a Nikko day trip.

What about Himeji and Osaka Castles? Would you recommend both as day trips from Kyoto, or transfer to Osaka to do them? Is Osaka a nice place?

It sounds as if I want to extend to Kanazawa and research Takayama.

The town in Shikoku is called Niihama-shi in Ehime Prefecture.
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Old Sep 24th, 2016, 01:55 PM
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Thanks for clarifying!

Himeji is doable as a day trip from Kyoto. Osaka castle is a reconstruction and wouldn't be on the top of my to-do list although it sounds like you'll be there for cherry blossom season so the Park there is a good venue for that. I wouldn't waste time changing hotels to go to Osaka.

To me your itinerary seems sort of rushed.

In Shikoku with a car you should be able to do quite a bit - you could go to an onsen there - the Iya Valley might be a good choice....
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Old Sep 24th, 2016, 02:28 PM
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Rushed in what parts. If I add 5 nights for Kanazawa and Takayama and a final night in Tokyo, I'm up to 21 days, which is a long trip for us.

I'll be candid, I enjoyed Tokyo more than Kyoto. I know my friends are going to want to see some Tokyo night-life.

Since Osaka is a reconstruction is there another, better, castle I could substitute that wouldn't take us too far out of our way?
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Old Sep 24th, 2016, 02:43 PM
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Interesting ... "Our interests are medieval and traditional Japan. We like temples, shrines, castles, onsens" ... but "I enjoyed Tokyo more than Kyoto." I'm not doubting you, but that is a bit of a contradiction!
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Old Sep 24th, 2016, 04:53 PM
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We arranged for private dinner with a geisha and a maiko while in Kyoto. It included a lovely dinner, a dance and music performance, and an interactive game that we all played. During dinner, through an interpretor, we were able to ask eachother questions about our different lives. It was fascinating and delightful.
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Old Sep 24th, 2016, 05:55 PM
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kja - I didn't say our only interests were the medieval or traditional. Being driven around Kyoto, it seemed like an unremarkable city whereas Tokyo seemed more exciting.
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Old Sep 24th, 2016, 06:03 PM
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I don't disagree that Kyoto, as a city, is not particularly remarkable -- it is its wealth of temples and shrines and gardens and imperial properties and traditional neighborhoods that make it such a gem, IMO. Tokyo has very little of "traditional" Japan.

You might want to describe your interests a bit more fully, as it is certainly relevant to the advice we provide.
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Old Sep 24th, 2016, 06:19 PM
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Hi Robert,

I have no doubt that driving around Kyoto was unimpressive, but if you are interested in traditional Japan, please take a look at this link for itineraries in Kyoto.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3950.html

We spent two full days doing the "Eastern Kyoto" section, and another full day doing Arashiyama and Kinkakuji. I could be wrong, but based on your comments, it sounds like you might have missed many of the traditional highlights that Kyoto has to offer.
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Old Sep 25th, 2016, 08:51 AM
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Okay, based on the comments above, I am thinking about extending our 1 full day in Kyoto, to 6 full days. But now that Kanazawa and Takayama have been mentioned, as an alternative, I could spend those 6 days there.

For those who've seen all 3, which is the better choice?
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Old Sep 25th, 2016, 08:54 AM
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Niihama is in Ehime-ken and only one hour by rail or car from Matsuyama. I'm a fan, I guess, of Osaka castle but you sh/could drop that in favor of visiting Matsuyama castle.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5501.html

In addition to the fine castle, Matsuyama is home to Dogo Onsen. This is a city onsen in a Meiji period building that would be worth visiting even if the onsen was not active.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5502.html
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Old Sep 25th, 2016, 09:06 AM
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mrwunrfl - Thanks for the info on how to get to Niihama. Does Osaka castle LOOK like a restoration? Would a visitor know it was a restoration if not told?

I was thinking a compromise would be to spend 4 days in Kyoto, dropping Nara since we've been there, and then spend 3 days in either Kanazawa or Takayama. That would be instead of 6 days in Kyoto plus Nara and Osaka castle. Thoughts on that?
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Old Sep 25th, 2016, 09:18 AM
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If you want to add Kanazawa then you should add it to the end of your trip after April 8, after spring has started springing. You would want 3 nights Kanazawa and 2 nights Takayama.

>>extending our 1 full day in Kyoto, to 6 full days

Well, that is not entirely necessary.

You should add Meiji Shrine to your Tokyo itinerary.

You could visit Himeji castle on your way (by rail) to Niihama.

I don't think your timing is good for the day trips to Nikko or to Hakone.

Really, it might be better to do this in reverse order. You can fly from Tokyo to Matsuyama on March 25th for only $110. Then work your way north and back to Tokyo.
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Old Sep 25th, 2016, 09:21 AM
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From my perspective: Although I loved Kyoto, Nara, Kanazawa, and Takayama, I'd prioritize Kyoto and Nara over Kanazawa and Takayama, and I would note that having spent 3 hours in Nara (the time you mentioned in another thread) doesn't really mean that you saw Nara. That said, Kanazawa has a magnificent landscape garden (Kenrokuen) that is unlike the temple gardens of Kyoto and it has some good museums of the arts and crafts of the area; Takayama has a wonderful outdoor museum of buildings from the Japanese Alps (Hida-no-Sato) and an extraordinary museum of glass. And if you go to that part of Japan, you might get some nice glimpses of the Japanese Alps. But as noted above, you really need 5 days, IMO, for the combination of Kanazawa and Takayama. JMO.
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Old Sep 25th, 2016, 10:22 AM
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RB, I just saw your most recent post. Your questions about Osakajo have convinced me to strongly recommend that you skip visiting there. Yes, Osaka castle looks like a Japanese castle but the elevator inside will tell you that it is not a restoration. It is a reconstruction, not a restoration. If you don't understand the site's place in Japanese history, might not appreciate the Osaka-history artifacts inside, and just want to see a Japanese castle, then Osakajo is definitely not worth a day trip from Kyoto. You will get that in Himeji and Matsuyama (which is more easily in your reach).

Am not sure about what you mean by "medieval and traditional Japan". Medieval Japan refers to periods before 1600. You are probably referring to the Edo period, feudal Japan, the shogun times from 1600 to 1868. Traditional Japan could refer to that and/or the Meiji period that followed.

I mention this in order to clarify your interests. Interest in the actual medieval period of Japan is not usual, but it can be indulged.
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Old Sep 25th, 2016, 10:29 AM
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>>Thoughts on that?

Yes, you have the makings of a good compromise. You mentioned 3 days. Is that 4 nights or 3?
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