shelleyk

We are planning a trip to Japan from Nov. 3-17. The itinerary is as follows:

Nov.3-6-Tokyo with one full day devoted to Nikko
Nov.7- Start our 7 day JR Pass. Take train to Hiroshima. Arrive about 2PM.
Nov.8-Full day on Miyajima, then train to Okayama at 6pm
Nov. 9, 10, and 11-Using Okayama as a base viisit Kurashiki, BitchuTakahachi,
Kojima for the view of the Seto Sea, Himejii and possibly Onomichi if time permits.. At the end of the day on Nov. 11 take a train to somewhere. We have the evening of Nov. 11,and Nov. 12 open and we could use our 7 day JR pass to go somewhere, before arriving in Kyoto on Nov. 13.
Nov.13,14, 15 and 16-Kyoto
Nov. 17-Fly home

Originally I was going to spend Nov. 11 and 12 in Himeji to see Himejii and Mt . Sosha. But it is a Friday and Sat. night and the only availability I am finding in Himejii is a very, small room at the Comfort Hotel, which I am holding, but thinking of cancelling as I don't think we'd be comfortable there and because I could see Himeji as a day trip from Okayama on one of the days we are in Okayama..

So, does one any have any suggestions about where we should spend the one or 2 extra days? I thought about Koyasan, but although the place seems interesting-the idea of spending the night in a monastary, with the associated vegetarian food offering does not appeal to us.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

someotherguy

I'd suggest somewhere with a different vibe to what you get along the shinkansen route. From Okayama, Shikoku is very accessible and it's all good. Same for Matsue and the San'in coast.

BTW. Himeji is a smallish town and may not have hotels with western-size rooms (just the ubiquitous business hotels). Also, some Japanese hotels limit advance bookings to 3 or 6 months (same with domestic flights) so you may be looking too early.

kja

I was pleased to have used Kurashiki as my base for Okayama, Himeji, etc. -- JMO!

shelleyk

someotherguy-Thanks for your suggestions. I will look into Shikoku and Matsue. Is there anyplace specific I should look at in Shikoku?

kja-Where did you stay in Kurashiki? I was considering staying there for 3 nights instead of in Okayama, but there were no suitable accommodations listed on booking.com. Maybe I am too early as someotherguy mentioned, but booking.com lists many hotels, including the Dormy Inn, as sold out. I'll keep trying as the time of my trip gets closer, but for now I have 3 nights in Okayama.

kja

I stayed at the Kurashiki Hokusai Hotel, which still seems to get OK (good, not great) reviews. I wouldn't be surprised if its too earlier to book in Kurashiki, so you might want to book something you can cancel and then check back.... IME, when a hotel hasn't opened it's rooms to booking, it appears on booking.com as sold out -- but I could be wrong....

someotherguy

Shekllyk, the Naruto whirlpools might work for you--I remember noticing a big Marriott when I was there. Check the tides as the spectacle varies with the lunar cycle.

There are four original castles on Shikoku (Matsuyama, Kochi, Marugame, and Uwajima), which are all good and their surrounding towns and scenery are full of interest, plus some of the 88 temples of the Shikoku Pilgrimage.

The Iya Valley with its vine bridges is accessible from Kochi (I used a car). There was a thread recently about Alex Kerr and "Lost Japan". The Iya Valley is where his place is located. The scenery on the way from Kochi to Uwajma also is really remote and attractive.

I've not been, but the art island of Naoshima gets some good reviews.

mrwunrfl

>>I'd suggest somewhere with a different vibe to what you get along the shinkansen route. From Okayama, Shikoku is very accessible and it's all good. Same for Matsue and the San'in coast.



Matsue is well worth the trip as I mentioned on your other thread. The only concern (for me) at that time of year would be the availability of lodging. I want to say that I think you would enjoy Matsue for some of the same reasons that you enjoyed Matsumoto. I can't recommend the hotel where I stayed in Matsue.

Matsuyama is where I fell in love with Japan. It was small things that did it - elements of the different vibe, maybe, that someotherguy mentioned. Loved the castle and Dogo Onsen. I stayed at Hotel Patio Dogo steps away from Dogo Onsen. The room was twice as big as what I had at Hilton Tokyo (true) at half the cost (maybe not true).

laurarc

What about Nara and Osaka? I don't see any mentions and they are very interesting places indeed!

shelleyk

Thank you all for your suggestions. After reworking the itinerary, and based on your input, we are going to incorporate a short visit to both Matsuyama and and Matsue in our trip. I'm looking forward to spending a few hours soaking at Dogo Onsen, and also viewing the garden and artwork at the Adachi Museum outside of Matsue.

mrwunrfl

Both! Maybe you can skip the visit to Kojima.

Dogo was the first onsen I ever visited. I enjoyed it and recommend it but IIRC hawaiiantraveler had a less positive eperience. I think it was very busy when they visited. It wasn't busy for me. Also, the bath is not very big.

I caused some excitement on one of my two visits. They have a couple of admission prices and there was no English. Apparently, I got the ticket that did not include a visit to the second floor but went up there. A couple of the women that run the place got worked up about it, but we got it sorted out and my apologies were apparently adequate. It was amusing, actually. It turned out to be quite pleasant having tea upstairs. Am pretty sure you would be able to meet DH up there after your soaks.

shelleyk

mrw-DH does not plan to soak. Just me. I plan to buy the 800 yen soak including tea, and then pay 250 yen to see the second floor. If it is really busy I'll pass on the soak, but we will be there on a Tuesday, so maybe it won't be too crowded. Whether I soak or not, there's a very interesting sounding temple which is a 15 minute walk from Dogo Onsen which I'm looking forward to seeing.

Also, we am going to skip Kojima because in my reworked itinerary we are going to Ritsurin Garden in Takamatsu as a day trip from Okayama, so I think I'll get a good view of the bridge on the way there and back.