10 Day Japan Trip - Need Some Help Choosing!
 

Hi!
My girlfriend and I are travelling to Japan this coming end of April for the first time for 10 days. Turns out it’s a bit overwhelming to peruse the internet for days and weeks on what to do in Japan. We are hoping someone out there has some good advice for us on our trip! Our hopes for this trip are pretty simple: we want to stay in a traditional Japanese Inn in the hills for a little, explore Tokyo for a few days, and go on some beautiful hikes (not to say that we aren’t open to other ideas!). If anyone has any good tips and/or advice for us, it would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Here's a great source on traditional Japanese inns:
http://www.japaneseguesthouses.com

info on Tokyo;
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2164.html

Though I must admit that I preferred Kyoto:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2158.html

Info on hikes:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2427_where.html

Enjoy!

Lucky to be going to Japan
A recent trip report.....
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...s-in-japan.cfm
Omit Mt Koya and Kanazawa and you'd have a basic ten day itinerary,
You could replace Takayama with a Nikko overnight, or a Hakone overnight.
Check the other trip reports on this site and don't try to do too much.
Have fun

Many, perhaps most, though not all, of the people I know who've been to Japan have expressed a preference for Kyoto over Tokyo. That's not to say that Tokyo isn't worth seeing -- it is, and it's fantastic. But, for many of us, Kyoto is even more fantastic. :-D

I used Japan Guide to work out my shortlist and possible itinerary for my first trip (I had 17 days to play with) and gave 5 of those nights to Kyoto, with additional nights in Osaka, Nara and Koya-san, plus a side trip to Hiroshima (overnight on Miyajima).

The itinerary I'd suggest (based on my personal preferences/ tastes) for a first-timer to Japan would depend on whether they are flying in to Tokyo or Kyoto.

Flights into/ out of Tokyo:
Tokyo 2 nights
Kyoto 5 nights
Osaka 1 night OR Nara 1 night
Koya-san 1 night OR Hiroshima/Miyajima 1 night
Tokyo 1 night

Flights into/ out of Kyoto:

This would depend on whether Tokyo is a must-visit or not. With just 10 days, I'd probably suggest a limited focus on the Kansai area and come back another time for Tokyo and other destinations.

In which case, it'd be the following, but you could swap the order of nights around easily.

Kyoto 3 nights
Hiroshima/Miyajima 1 night
Nara 1 night
Kyoto 2 nights
Koya-san 1 night
Osaka 1 night

That's just a rough suggestion, based on my experiences...

It IS overwhelming trying to plan a first trip -- there's so much you could see and it's hard to narrow down to a realistic and enjoyable itinerary for the time you have.

Keep at it, use Japan Guide and here and good luck!

I agree with Kavey. We had more time had did Kyoto 8 nights, Koya-san 1 night, Hiroshima/Miyajima 2 nights, then a final night in Kyoto before leaving from Kansai. We did Nara as a full day trip. We had spent 3 nights in Tokyo first and a night in Hakone. It was the Hakone part that was memorable for us.

On my first trip to Japan, I had less time than you (7 nights, way too short!). Because my flights were in and out of Tokyo, and I knew I wanted to visit Kyoto, I split my time between Tokyo (3 nights) and Kyoto (4 nights). I didn't have a set itinerary or list of things I wanted to see beforehand, and I went in early March, so it worked out well for me.

Recently I've slowed my pace of travel, and on a second trip I would focus more on specific things/areas. But I think you could do 5/4 night split of Kyoto/Tokyo or 4 in Kyoto, 2 in Hakone, and 3 in Tokyo to satisfy your range of wants.