laurieco

We want to spend two nights somewhere in Japan outside of a big city and have narrowed it down to either Kamakura or Nikko.

We went to Nikko 3 years ago as a day trip from Tokyo and enjoyed it but we're not sure if we should now go back for a couple of nights or try something new, Kamakura. Everything I've read seem to say they are somewhat similar but I'd rather hear from some of you people who have actually been to these places.

We would be coming from Nara so we wouldn't get there until afternoon, which is why we would want 2 nights in either place. It will take about 2 hours longer to get to Nikko than to Kamakura. In Nikko, we would stay at the Nikko Kanaya Hotel and in Kamakura, the Kanakura Mori.

Thanks for any insight you can give.

Mealea

Personally, I wouldn't spend 2 nights in Nikko. I much prefer Kamakura. For me, it has a very different atmosphere and I just like it a lot better. Kamakura is more of a day trip from Tokyo and people usually don't spend the night. I'm not sure about places to stay there. Have you consdered Hakone or Izu?

kja

I enjoyed visiting both Nikko and Kamakura, but would not call them similar. Nikko's temples and shrines are much grander than those of Kamakura, and are somewhat unusual for Japan; Kamakura's temples are older and more humble, and more typical of Japan. Kamakura is in a pretty setting by the bay; Nikko is near Lake Chuzenji and the impressive Kegon waterfall. Restaurants and shops in both towns apparently close early as a rule; in Kamakura, I was hard-pressed to find anywhere to eat after 7, but maybe I was just looking in all the wrong places. Hope this helps!

laurieco

Thanks for your replies and insights. I'm leaning more towards Kamakura, partly because we haven't been there. Guess we'll just have to eat early!

We thought of Hakone but ruled it out for this trip. We want someplace easy to get to from Nara and I think both Nikko and Kamakura are more in line with what we want to see.

If anyone else has an opinion, please chime in.

W9London

Both Nikko and Kamakura are more of day-trip destinations. If you're looking for some stay-over destination, Hakone would be my choice.

hawaiiantraveler

laurie,

L and I are getting into a lot of "hot water" on this trip. We are planning Nyuto Onsen and Nikko this time around but if we weren't headed in that direction we would definitely do Hakone.

We are planning on doing a day trip to Hakone from Tokyo this time around to check the "lay of the land" and explore for future visits.

E and you should get into some hot water too! Could be fun

http://digbig.com/4rdjs

http://digbig.com/4rdjt

http://www.senhime.co.jp/en/main.html

http://digbig.com/4rdjw

just some info on the areas aforementioned.

Aloha!

laurieco

I had made up my mind about going to Kamakura but I do have to admit, Hakone does look nice.

I know that Kamakura is usually done as a day trip from Tokyo but after reading 5 different guidebooks about it, there is an awful lot to see and I don't want to feel rushed. I like the fact that a lot of artists and craftsmen have settled there also.

I'll make up my mind for sure tomorrow. I'm off from work and I'm going to book the rest of the hotels and the JR pass tomorrow. I'll read more on Hakone tonight but I think that perhaps HT has a good idea about making it a day trip this time to check it out for a future visit.

HT, I'm not sure how Eric feels about getting into a hot bath with a bunch of other men. Something tells me it's not at the top of his list of things to do! He's really not a bath person. He's not into these types of relaxation. In all our times to SEA, he's never had a massage and he's not interested. I think he's nuts but to each his own I guess.

I'm still looking for some ideas for a place to meet up in Tokyo. I didn't get a chance last weekend like I thought I would so I'll add that to my list of things to do tomorrow.

laurieco

I've made my itinerary and all hotels are now reserved. I'm REALLY annoyed as a few days ago, several different web sites had the Nara Hotel for $150 per night if you held a JR pass. That special is now gone and it cost $209.00 plus "fees" which bring it to $246.00 per night! That's a huge difference but since I want to stay there, I'm sucking it up and booked for one night.

Anyway, the plan is this:

Arrive Narita March 26 and head straight to Kyoto

March 26-29: 4 nights Kyoto at the Granvia
March 29-30: 1 night Nara, Nara Hotel (at least we got a double in the old wing)
March 31-April2: 2 nights Kamakura, Kamakura Mori Hotel
April 2-April 7: 5 nights Tokyo at the Oakwood Apts Roppongi Central

We may do a day trip to Hakone from Tokyo to see if we would want to stay there on a later trip. We're also going to do a trip from Kyoto to Himeji. I was hoping to get to the Miho Museum again but I don't know if we'll have time.

Restaurant recos for these cities are welcome so if you have some, bring 'em on! Also, anything off the beaten track we should know about?