5 weeks in Japan
Nov 29th, 2015, 12:37 AM
#41
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So lovely to read about how your trip is shaping up...
Mine is getting there, but I just had my Kyoto rental booking cancelled, which has peed me off quite a bit, so back to the drawing board on that week.
I may post my current itinerary actually.
Mine is getting there, but I just had my Kyoto rental booking cancelled, which has peed me off quite a bit, so back to the drawing board on that week.
I may post my current itinerary actually.
Nov 29th, 2015, 08:25 AM
#42
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"drop Kanazawa...............far more interesting than Kanazawa"
you seem to be not familiar with Japan, Kanazawa and history. Matsue(cultured), Hagi(spartan/militaristic w), Tsuwano(cultured), Izumo(religious), etc. are certainly very interesting, and I myself love the Sanin region so much I have visted these places countless times. But, are there any feudal things like http://www.seisonkaku.com/english/mi...dokorotop.html in Sanin (or anywhere else in japan)? How about strategic/engineering sophistication like http://www.jcca.or.jp/kaishi/234/234_toku2_yoneoka.pdf ? (i asked this because you seem to be interested in japanse castles, and you seem to read at least basic japanese ? Some related pictures http://kimassi.net/tatumi/tatumi.html ). I also noticed that you very much love so-called "original" castles. But, is original parts of Bitchū Matsuyama Castle (Bitchutakahashi) as "big"/sophiscated as Kanazawa castle ruins' small number of tiny, tiny orignal buildings (such as Ishikawa-mon gate complex, Tsurumaru warehouse, Sanjukken Nagaya)? How about feudal-era stonewalls like http://nobuyasu27.exblog.jp/iv/detai...4_15485514.jpg ,.... or four-century-old "Shikishi Tanzaku-Zumi" stone walls which appear in the middle of this bog http://burattojii.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-1150.html ? (Like Kenrokuen, this Gyokuseninmaru garden also served as defensive castle facility as well, utilising the water drawn up to the hilltop castle based on the reverse siphon system. http://shofu.pref.ishikawa.jp/shofu/...uisen/d01.html ) Too many interesting things to write here even about the mostly-empty mere castle ruins, let alone Kanazawa as a whole. (my recent obsession is exploring the huge feudal-era cemetery in the suburbs of kanazawa, especially senior samurai area there where i often find myself surrounded by numerous Gorintō and other forms of feudal tombs, many of which are 3 to 4 metres tall, dotting the mossy, wooded hillside as far as the eye can reach. Thousands of feudal-era mounds, where dead bodies, sometimes clad in armours, were actually buried. Probably not appropriate for tourism, unlike Okunoin of Koyasan where thousands of old (but fake) graves are located.) Anyway, after having read your various comments here, i just felt that you are simply not familiar with kanazawa and japan.
you seem to be not familiar with Japan, Kanazawa and history. Matsue(cultured), Hagi(spartan/militaristic w), Tsuwano(cultured), Izumo(religious), etc. are certainly very interesting, and I myself love the Sanin region so much I have visted these places countless times. But, are there any feudal things like http://www.seisonkaku.com/english/mi...dokorotop.html in Sanin (or anywhere else in japan)? How about strategic/engineering sophistication like http://www.jcca.or.jp/kaishi/234/234_toku2_yoneoka.pdf ? (i asked this because you seem to be interested in japanse castles, and you seem to read at least basic japanese ? Some related pictures http://kimassi.net/tatumi/tatumi.html ). I also noticed that you very much love so-called "original" castles. But, is original parts of Bitchū Matsuyama Castle (Bitchutakahashi) as "big"/sophiscated as Kanazawa castle ruins' small number of tiny, tiny orignal buildings (such as Ishikawa-mon gate complex, Tsurumaru warehouse, Sanjukken Nagaya)? How about feudal-era stonewalls like http://nobuyasu27.exblog.jp/iv/detai...4_15485514.jpg ,.... or four-century-old "Shikishi Tanzaku-Zumi" stone walls which appear in the middle of this bog http://burattojii.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-1150.html ? (Like Kenrokuen, this Gyokuseninmaru garden also served as defensive castle facility as well, utilising the water drawn up to the hilltop castle based on the reverse siphon system. http://shofu.pref.ishikawa.jp/shofu/...uisen/d01.html ) Too many interesting things to write here even about the mostly-empty mere castle ruins, let alone Kanazawa as a whole. (my recent obsession is exploring the huge feudal-era cemetery in the suburbs of kanazawa, especially senior samurai area there where i often find myself surrounded by numerous Gorintō and other forms of feudal tombs, many of which are 3 to 4 metres tall, dotting the mossy, wooded hillside as far as the eye can reach. Thousands of feudal-era mounds, where dead bodies, sometimes clad in armours, were actually buried. Probably not appropriate for tourism, unlike Okunoin of Koyasan where thousands of old (but fake) graves are located.) Anyway, after having read your various comments here, i just felt that you are simply not familiar with kanazawa and japan.
Nov 29th, 2015, 09:42 AM
#43
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Thanks for the links kanazawan. Those are indeed interesting places and I will seek some of them out next time I visit. But they and many of the sights of Kanazawa are rather technical and require more knowledge and investment than I and possibly other readers possess. The reason I advocate Matsue is that its attractions are more immediate: the castle is black and sits on a hill and is surrounded by a moat. The tea arbor has a view of the castle. The samurai area contains the house of someone that westerners have heard of. The lakes provide beautiful views and sunsets. Gesshoji temple is full of (to me) mysterious tombs.
Along the San'in coast you ride in a train consisting of a single carriage and get a totally different experience than on the main lines. The Meiji-era history at Hagi partly concerns Japan's interaction with the west (not to mention the Chosu 5's attendance at London University) and that's something I can relate to more than, say, the Ikko Ikki.
The Izumo shrine is in an attractive park and has the massive rope whose photograph was one of the things that first interested me in visiting Japan. Unlike Ise, the inner buildings are visible to outsiders.
It's similar with Bitchū Matsuyama Castle: it sits on a mountaintop and that's obviously cool. The reason for interest in the 12 original castles is not their authenticity but that you have to have some way of deciding where to go and tracking them down has taken me to interesting and attractive places I might not have gone otherwise.
The recommended itineraries here on Fodors are generally very similar: Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Takayama, Kanazawa. People write enthusiastic trip reports, others follow, and it becomes a groove. It's the same on the other forums (try New Zealand). I like to suggest places that I have found more interesting so that readers can consider (as I said, radical) alternatives.
Along the San'in coast you ride in a train consisting of a single carriage and get a totally different experience than on the main lines. The Meiji-era history at Hagi partly concerns Japan's interaction with the west (not to mention the Chosu 5's attendance at London University) and that's something I can relate to more than, say, the Ikko Ikki.
The Izumo shrine is in an attractive park and has the massive rope whose photograph was one of the things that first interested me in visiting Japan. Unlike Ise, the inner buildings are visible to outsiders.
It's similar with Bitchū Matsuyama Castle: it sits on a mountaintop and that's obviously cool. The reason for interest in the 12 original castles is not their authenticity but that you have to have some way of deciding where to go and tracking them down has taken me to interesting and attractive places I might not have gone otherwise.
The recommended itineraries here on Fodors are generally very similar: Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Takayama, Kanazawa. People write enthusiastic trip reports, others follow, and it becomes a groove. It's the same on the other forums (try New Zealand). I like to suggest places that I have found more interesting so that readers can consider (as I said, radical) alternatives.
Nov 30th, 2015, 10:14 AM
#45
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@Kja I was using Hyperdia to calculate travel time required from point A-B. After checking with Japan-guide.com I made a slight alteration to my preovious intinerary. Is this a more logical route? (train wise) I haven't check to see if I will need to get a JR pass yet.
Osaka Koyasan 2 nights
Hiroshima/Miyajima 2 nights
Kyoto 10 nights
Nara 3 nights
Takayama 3 nights
Kanazawa 4 nights
Tokyo 7 night
Nikko 4 nights
or
2 nights in Nikko and 2 nights in Hakone
which sums up my 5 weeks in Japan.
I have decided to skip Okayama, but hopefully I can visit Himeji as a side trip from Kyoto. I'm drawn to that particular castle for some reason and would like to hike up to Mount Shosha to see the temple.
@someotherguy Thank you for your radical suggestion, I'm all for getting off the beaten track, but I'm not a seasoned traveler such as yourself so I need more practice to get my confidence up. Having never been to Japan, I have read great things about Kanazawa, I do have to see it for myself. I will keep your suggestions in mind for my future travels to Japan.
Osaka Koyasan 2 nights
Hiroshima/Miyajima 2 nights
Kyoto 10 nights
Nara 3 nights
Takayama 3 nights
Kanazawa 4 nights
Tokyo 7 night
Nikko 4 nights
or
2 nights in Nikko and 2 nights in Hakone
which sums up my 5 weeks in Japan.
I have decided to skip Okayama, but hopefully I can visit Himeji as a side trip from Kyoto. I'm drawn to that particular castle for some reason and would like to hike up to Mount Shosha to see the temple.
@someotherguy Thank you for your radical suggestion, I'm all for getting off the beaten track, but I'm not a seasoned traveler such as yourself so I need more practice to get my confidence up. Having never been to Japan, I have read great things about Kanazawa, I do have to see it for myself. I will keep your suggestions in mind for my future travels to Japan.
Nov 30th, 2015, 04:35 PM
#46
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"Is this a more logical route?"
I'm not positive, but my guess is that it would make more sense to go from Nara to Kanazawa and then Takayama. You'll have to plot things out to be sure.
Depending on your interests, 4 nights could be a LOT in Nikko. I didn't make it to Hakone, but see a lot of merit to the idea of splitting your time between Nikko and Hakone. JMO.
I would probably put Nikko / Hakone before Tokyo, assuming you are flying out of Tokyo.
No reason why you shouldn't be able to visit Himeji from Kyoto -- or on the way to or from Hiroshima. Himeji-jo is magnificent!
For that matter, you could also stop in Okayama en route! But if you stop at both Himeji and Okayama, you might want to add a night to your time in Hiroshima / Miyajima, just so you aren't rushing.
I'm envious of this trip!
I'm not positive, but my guess is that it would make more sense to go from Nara to Kanazawa and then Takayama. You'll have to plot things out to be sure.
Depending on your interests, 4 nights could be a LOT in Nikko. I didn't make it to Hakone, but see a lot of merit to the idea of splitting your time between Nikko and Hakone. JMO.
I would probably put Nikko / Hakone before Tokyo, assuming you are flying out of Tokyo.
No reason why you shouldn't be able to visit Himeji from Kyoto -- or on the way to or from Hiroshima. Himeji-jo is magnificent!
For that matter, you could also stop in Okayama en route! But if you stop at both Himeji and Okayama, you might want to add a night to your time in Hiroshima / Miyajima, just so you aren't rushing.
I'm envious of this trip!
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