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Please help with my itinerary for Japan, Part One

Please help with my itinerary for Japan, Part One

Old Jun 8th, 2016, 07:19 AM
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Please help with my itinerary for Japan, Part One

As I posted on my first planning thread, I'm headed back to Japan in October - some may remember that I limped round Japan back in 2010. I'm a solo, senior, female traveler and will be using public transport. I fly into KIX from Busan, South Korea, so no jet lag. I fly home from Narita five and a half weeks later. Aside from a night in Narita I have no plans to travel north of Kyoto. After Honshu I'm figuring a week for western Shikoku, a week for Kyushu and a few days for an island south of Kyushu.

I'd like input on this itinerary for southwest Honshu. I'd also like a recommendation for a ryokan somewhere along this route (or on the other two islands) that would take a single, foreign traveler, is under $200 possible? Also, a recommendation for one splurge kaiseki meal. (Note, in general my price point for accommodation is Toyoko Inns.)

Kyoto - 7 nights.
My flight arrives at 5:20 pm, so the first night doesn't count, giving me six days, one of which will be for Nara. I'm wondering whether to spend two nights in Nara and only five in Kyoto. I did see a few things when I was in Kyoto last time, but I was limping rather badly. Since I won't arrive until early evening I'm thinking of staying near the station. Suggestions?

Okayama - 4 nights
There are several things I want to see in Okayama itself: Koraku-en, the castle, the Museum of Oriental Art. Then I will use it as a base for Kurashiki, Himeji and Imbe (Bizen pottery). Maybe it rates another night? Or maybe the first night should be a ryokan in Kurashiki?

Tottori - 1 night
I keep putting Tottori in and taking it out. CaliforniaLady speaks highly of it, but I have seen a lot of sand dunes, and will visit the Kyzyl Kum desert earlier in this trip.

Matsue - 3 nights.
Relax. Day trip to Izumo shrine.

Yamaguchi - 3 nights
Base for day trips to Tsuwano and Hagi. The train from Matsue goes through Tsuwano, so I could spend a night there instead.

That's it. from Yamaguchi I will head to Shikoku.
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Old Jun 8th, 2016, 09:07 AM
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Just my observations

First glaring thing I see is the month of October in southern (they call it western) Japan. The weather then is more suitable for Hokkaido and Tohoku, fall colors etc. But knowing your travel style you would probably want to avoid that lol. Also typhoon season in those areas and as I am seeing it this year may be a doozy.

I like your idea of giving Nara two full days. Lots to see there and another five in Kyoto should give you enough time to see .

I would just pass thru Totorri on your way to Matsue. A nice place for a ryokan in that area is Kinosaki Onsen with a scenic train ride from Kyoto thru rural Japan. We enjoyed Kinosaki Onsen and there are many many ryokan to choose from as the whole town is a little ryokan town lol. If you like seafood, with and emphasis on crakani, this is the place to go.

http://japaneseguesthouses.com/ryoka...Kinosaki+Onsen

Shikoku - We loved Matusyama and the beautiful castle there. Kotohira outside of Takamatsu and of course the gardens. Iya Valley is on my want to do list as is some of the Buddhist temple trail.....

I know you plan well. Hope you enjoy Japan this time without the pains of the past

Aloha!
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Old Jun 8th, 2016, 11:38 AM
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Thanks ht, good to hear from you.

Do you mean it will still be hot and humid in Honshu? I get enough of that at home (summer has already arrived...) I was figuring I wouldn't get to Kyushu until November, and maybe typhoon season would be over by then.

Yes, I think two nights in Nara would be good. I was going to go there straight from KIX, but my flight gets in a bit late for that.

Thanks very much for the ryokan suggestion! Will definitely look into it.

Definitely Matsuyama, also Kochi. I did Takamatsu and Tokushima last time, and I think the Iya valley is too difficult without a car. Did you ever get to the Naruta whirlpools?

I'll have been traveling for two and a half months by the time I get to Japan, plenty of time to turn another ankle, but lets hope not!
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Old Jun 8th, 2016, 03:02 PM
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Yes, I have been in October several times and Honshu southwards will be hot and sticky until the end of the month. I know the Japan Guide bible says different but that's been my experiences. This year I am predicting a later than usual typhoon season....we will see.

Mara has done Iya Valley without a car....Japan buses go everywhere just got to find the right one

No we have not experienced the Naruto whirlpools yet. You travel with knowledge and a keen sense of humor...I love that lol.

Aloha!
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Old Jun 8th, 2016, 04:42 PM
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ht-Did you do the walk up the hundreds of steps in Kotohira? I am considering this as a stop between Okayama and Matsuyama, but I don't know how difficult the walk up the mountain is, or how much time it would take.
thurdaysd-We will be in Japan between Nov. 3 and Nov. 17, but I don't think our itineraries overlap, otherwise I would suggest a GTG. Unfortunately, we did not get a chance to meet you at the last Boston GTG, although we both attended it.
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Old Jun 8th, 2016, 06:27 PM
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ht - thanks for the warning. Does the hot and humid include Kyoto? Last time I was in Japan was early October 2010 and I don't remember the weather being a problem, but I didn't go south of Kyoto. Maybe I should go back to the Japanese Alps and skip Kyushu... But I won't get beyond Nara until the 18th.

shelleyk - sorry I missed you. Sounds like we are going to some of the same places, just not the same dates. I fly out Nov 17, am thinking of sleeping in Narita Nov 16. Will that work for a GTG?
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Old Jun 8th, 2016, 08:57 PM
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Fabulous planning, thursdays. You have a nice slow, well-paced itinerary. So many newbies don't understand that you can be busy every moment of your trip if you place yourself strategically in a base city, and branch out from there. Here are my comments:

Tottori:
You have my permission to dump Tottori, since you are already sand dune OD'ed, even four months before you arrive. You have to schlep via bus to the sand dunes from Tottori, and then you have to walk on the sand in order to see the ocean. I'm a big fan of nature and science, so that's my thing--rather than temples.

Kurayoshi:
How about substituting Kurayoshi for Tottori? It's a really fascinating little city, as there are a bunch of historic buildings all clustered together, and a beautiful park nearby. Then, you can take the train to Matsue from there, and maybe stop in Yanago on the way.

Weather:
I recommend keeping Kyushu in your itinerary. I was there in September, and the weather was fine. I get rained on wherever I go in Japan. I take a vented umbrella, Coleman poncho, waterproof shoes, and I just keep on going.

Matsue:
I stayed in the Matsue City Hotel, and although it could use a renovation, it was just fine. They have single rooms, and I had a million dollar view of the lake--where I could see the fisherman. Also, there is a fantastic information center just outside the train station there, and also, the department store at the train station has a wonderful grocery store in the basement. I lived on their sushi and bento boxes (grilled salmon).

Himonisaki Coast:
The day that you go to the Izumo Shrine, catch a twenty minute bus in front of the Starbucks, and head to the Himonisaki Coast. There you will find a cool lighthouse, and a gorgeous, jagged coast. You can walk along a little trail right on the water. (BTW, buy a round trip train ticket from Matsue to Izumo--it's cheaper.)

I don't do ryokans, as I'm a pure-bred princess who can't sleep on a matt, nor do I eat in fancy restaurants when I travel alone, so I can't answer either of those questions. Let me know if you have any other questions.
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Old Jun 9th, 2016, 04:48 AM
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Thursdaysd-We are leaving from Itami (Osaka) on Nov. 17, and transiting thru Narita, but have a very short connection time... So close for a GTG, but not close enough.
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Old Jun 9th, 2016, 05:37 AM
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Thanks CaliforniaLady. I have decided to drop Tottori. I made a reservation for four nights in Matsue at the Dormy Inn last night, but I can cancel it. (Matsue was 53% booked on booking.com so I thought I'd better put something in place.) I will look into Kurayoshi and the City Hotel. Grilled salmon - yum! Rugged coast - ditto.

I didn't have any trouble sleeping on the floor six years ago, trust I am still OK with it! My problem was not having anywhere to put things. However, there are ryokans with western rooms, including most of those I was looking at yesterday in Kinosaki, so no reason to avoid them entirely.

Pity about that, shelleyk! I'm flying home via Dallas, so suspect we are not on the same plane either.
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Old Jun 9th, 2016, 07:01 AM
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I took a bus tour to the Iya Valley. I took the train there from Kochi which I used as a base when in southern Shikoku. For some reason I can't post the link so do a search for bonnet bus iya valley and it should show up.

I also recommend a visit to Matsue - the Adachi Museum, Yuushien Garden and Izumo Shrine - are pretty easily accessed on public transport.
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Old Jun 9th, 2016, 07:13 AM
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Thanks Mara - will definitely check that out!
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Old Jun 9th, 2016, 08:20 AM
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Hagi is not really a day trip from Yamaguchi. I took the bus from Shin-Yamaguchi to Hagi and did not enjoy riding on the winding mountain roads at night. I don't remember how long it took but I would not want to do it twice in one day, for sure.

Rail service on the San-in coast isn't as frequent as in other parts of Japan.

Below is a link to a hyperdia search for Shin-Yamaguchi to Hagi with a departure time of 08:00.

Note that the first two results require over 5 hours of travel. The third result requires "only" 144 Minutes but departure time isn't until 12:44.

I spent one night in Hagi and very much would have liked to spend a second night but I had to get on to Matsue. From Hagi to Matsue I had to take what I could get and that required a long connection in Masuda.
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Old Jun 9th, 2016, 08:21 AM
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http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi/en/searc...d&sum_target=7
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Old Jun 9th, 2016, 09:01 AM
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Thursdays, I am enjoying reading about your planning. I am gobbling up planning threads and trip reports of places that interest me, as (alas!) we have no international travel this year. We'd love to get back to Japan some time in the next few years.
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Old Jun 9th, 2016, 09:27 AM
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Do not skip Kyushu!! I am just warning of the weather so you will be prepared. Just saying that time of year is more conducive to the Alp and northern areas. I love Kyushu, what are your plans there?

Now if you were going in August it would be another type of warning from me

shellyk, no we took the bus up and walked down

Aloha!
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Old Jun 9th, 2016, 10:02 AM
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The trains on the Mine and San-in lines (to Hagi and onward) are mostly self-powered single cars. Some have two hitched together but the stations are so small only one of them actually abuts the platform. It's a different experience.

There's a loop bus in Hagi that takes in the main attractions. IMO these are Toko-ji (with 500 lanterns) and the shrine and museum for Shoin Yoshida (and the Chosu Five). It helps to know some Japanese history to fully enjoy this, so let me recommend the excellent History of Japan podcast: https://historyofjapan.wordpress.com/ . The Meiji Restoration starts at Episode 117 (there's an abbreviated treatment way back at episode 10 or so). The Satsuma (Kagoshima) and Tosa (Kochi) domains were the other main protagonists so you can follow up on those in the later parts of your trip if it interests you.

Matsue has one of Lafcadio Hearn's homes (and a museum) in its samuarai quarter. I found this very interesting (another of his homes is in Kumamoto). Gassho-ji is a very fine temple, and Meimei-an is a nice tea-house with a view of the castle. It's a good scene watching sunset over the lake (by the art museum).

I note that you hope to find Kyoto less busy before the leaf season. I had the same hope this spring, a few weeks before cherry blossom. Well, it was packed. The sights were OK outside the obvious top 10 (I'm glad I visited most of those 25 years ago), but the buses etc. were packed. Kyoto's transport infrastructure is not the best and is overwhelmed by the crowds. I'd suggest spending more time in Nara. There are splendid sites (and the museum) in Nara itself, but the oldest and best temples (Horyu-ji etc.) are outside and take a whole day. Iga-ueno is an excellent day trip, as are the Ise shrines (though I visted them from Nagoya), and there's a lot to see in Uji (including Byodo-in and a new museum about The Tale of Genji). Incidentally, Murasaki Shikibu is said to have started writing that at Ishiyamadera which is a magnificent temple outside Kyoto toward Lake Biwa.
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Old Jun 9th, 2016, 11:14 AM
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<b<mrwunrfl - thanks for the heads up. I wasn't planning on taking the train, but Fodors and Google Maps say that the bus is an hour from Yamaguchi city, and Lonely Planet says it's an hour and a half from Shin-Yamaguchi, and rome2rio says that by taxi it's only half an hour. Could it have been doing it after dark that took so long, or is there maybe a new road? Winding mountain roads don't bother me in daylight - I like them.

Kathie - nice to hear from you! So sorry you won't be traveling abroad this year. How is your shoulder coming along?

hawaiiantraveler - no, I won't skip Kyushu! I was just contemplating taking longer to get there. It will be into November in any case. I'll be posting Shikoku and Kyushu as Part Two once I get Honshu sorted. I am thinking I may have to skip Kumamoto. The tourist organization says that seismic activity "is still ongoing". (http://www.jnto.go.jp/eq/kumamoto.html )

someotherguy - thanks. I'm a big train fan, so always enjoy off-beat types. Could definitely stand to learn more Japanese history. Nara is looking better all the time!
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Old Jun 9th, 2016, 12:13 PM
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Hi Thursdays, my shoulder rehab is coming along well, but it will take a year to regain 90% of my prior range of motion. Complicating things is that Cheryl broke her wrist last week and had surgery on Tuesday. She hopes to be able to start PT late next week if all goes well. I thought of you and your broken wrist a few years ago in Switzerland, if I remember correctly.

At least we both had our accidents in the same year, so it should only interfere with this year's travels. We'll be back in the air next year.
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Old Jun 9th, 2016, 12:32 PM
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Oh no! Please tell Cheryl I'm so sorry and hope her PT goes well! It took me about six months, I think, but I had practically no range of motion when the cast came off - I broke it in a particularly bad place and I think the cast was on for six weeks. Yes, it was Switzerland, in 2005. Reminds me I still need to buy medical insurance for this year's trip.

Good luck with your PT, too.
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Old Jun 9th, 2016, 03:46 PM
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Regarding Toyoko Inns: I've tried most of the business chains and thay are the one I prefer. Join their frequent guest program: you get to check in an hour early, make reservations a month or so earlier, and get a useful discount plus a free night after every 10,

You have to be out of the room between 10 and 3 every day (if you are not out by 10 they'll phone and ask what are you doing), which can get a bit wearing when you need a day to chill out. However, you can request "no cleaning" (green or eco plan or something) every alternate day (they hang a bag of clean towels on your door, which rather negates the green element), and on those days you do not need to vacate the room (and you get a 300Y discount).
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