RaeJ

Hi All,

My husband and I are heading to Japan for the first time in October. I’ve been doing a ton of research, we’ve finally settled on a tentative itinerary but we’re still unsure about a few things and I’d love any advice you’ve got.

We only have 12 days & we want to make the most of them! Our major interests are: Great food and drinks: exploring regional foods, street food, nice food, weird food- you name it. Seeing and experiencing as many beautiful and unusual sights as we can, staying in a beautiful old ryokan with an excellent rotenboro (and hopefully a view!), and a little hiking.

We don’t plan to rent a car so we settled on the the 7-day JR Pass which seems like the best option for our route. Sadly, we don’t speak or read Japanese - although we’re practicing the basics so we’ll at least be able to try!

Here’s what we’ve come up with:
14th: Arrive in Japan at Narita 9PM & head to our Airbnb in Shimokitazawa.
15th: Tokyo
16th: Tokyo
17th: Tokyo → Hoshi Onsen Chojukan in Gunma for an overnight trip (1 night) Rest, hike, onsen.
18th: Hoshi Onsen → Tokyo: Stay in a more central neighborhood for a night, more exploring and eating.
19th: Tokyo → Gero Onsen, then bus to Maze for a night at Maruhachi Ryokan
20th: Maze → Okuhida Onsen, stay in a ryokan with rotenboro (Maybe?)
21st: Takayama, explore the city, sleep in hostel or guesthouse in Takayama.
22nd: Takayama→ Kanazawa. Explore Kanazawa
23rd: Kanazawa → Kyoto
24th: Kyoto
25th: Kyoto
26th: Kyoto
27th: Osaka
28th: Osaka→ Home.

My only worries about this route is that it’s too urban. We were hoping to see some more rural parts of the country, but with limited time and no car we’re playing it a little safe - we don’t want to end up feeling rushed by trying to pack too much into a short trip.

Still on the safe side but a little more rural - we’re also considering a different route for the middle of our itinerary which would be:
Tokyo → Kiso Valley Explore Kiso Valley 19, 20th.
Kiso Valley → Gero/Maze for Maruhachi Ryokan
Gero → Nagoya, Nagoya → Kyoto.

Any advice about the route (we’re totally open to suggestions!) or japan in general you have would be hugely appreciated!!

Thanks a ton!

kja

I'm sure it will be a great trip no matter what you choose, and language should NOT be a problem -- at least if you learn the basic civilities. Just be sure you have written out, in Japanese characters, the names of hotels and places you want to visit.

A few comments on your plans:

For my taste, 3 days for Takayama and Kanazawa together would be unpleasantly rushed -- and it looks like you don't really have 3 full days for them.

Likewise, I found 6 full and VERY busy days barely sufficient for my highest priorities in Kyoto and Nara.

Of course, it really depends on what YOU want to see and experience.

I trust you have consulted japan-guide.com? It is, IMO, the best single resource available on travel to Japan. My only quibble with it is that IME, it seriously underestimates the amount of time it takes to see things.

Hope that helps!

mrwunrfl

Interesting itinerary. I think you have a good amount of country time. You could just scratch Osaka and use that time for Kiso Valley with your original itinerary. I haven't been to Kiso but have read that what you will see there is pretty much what you will find in Takayama. But Kiso Valley also offers you the Nakasendo hike.

You are right to just pass thru Gero Onsen. I enjoyed a stop there but Maze looks more interesting. You mentioned a bus, but I think that Maruhachi will pick you up at Gero station. Maruhachi means circle-eight which is the symbol for Nagoya and would be a good looking cattle brand. You probably read the same article in The Guardian about the place which described Maruhachi as a foodie destination. I would definitely want to get there around 3PM. Maybe have a soak in Gero before going to Maze.

Your itinerary doesn't have Shirakawago (Ogimachi) which is ok, as it gives you more time for Kanazawa, but you could use another night in Kanazawa.

mrwunrfl

The place in Gunma looks great. The trip from Maze to Okuhida probably won't take too long, but I'd have to get details about it before going there from Maze. I think it would work: stash some luggage at Takayama station before catching a bus from there to Okuhida area. Or maybe stop in Takayama and then side trip from there to Okuhida, but that would mean more moving. My guess would be that the bus schedule would be timed around the arrival of the limited express from Nagoya (via Gero).

flyingbaran

I find it helpful to put all the places in order of the itinerary on google maps to estimate travel time. For train schedules, I used hyperdia.com often on my last trip.

Although trains use enough English to get you going, it's still useful to have the name of the places written in Japanese to show locals when you want to double check. And if you haven't read the details about the JR Pass, be aware that it does not cover every type of train.

Takayama is lovely but I remember the train ride being something like 3 or 4 hours. That's not to discourage you from going there but to allow enough time for traveling and being there.

someotherguy

You could visit Kamikochi for some rural and hiking experience (it's where the Rev. Watson introduced the Japanese to the idea of mountain climbing). It's a bus ride from Takayama. Continue to Matsumoto (or stay at the hot spring area nearby).

RaeJ

Thank you all so much!

kja, I'm with you on Japan-guide.com, it's been really helpful. It's my new go-to website for procrastinating. I've almost had to cut myself off - the more read about how many amazing things there are to see the harder it is to plan! I can hardly complain though, it's a pretty awesome problem to have.

mrwunrfl, yup-- that Rebecca Milner article got us! Maruhachi doesn't have a website as far as we can tell, so we're going to ask a friend who speaks Japanese to call for us. I hope it works out, that food sounds amazing. We'll probably just eat lunch in Gero Onsen, but it looks kind of built up so we're not planning on spending any time there.

We were thinking of Okuhida less for the town itself and more as a way to add in one more rural ryokan experience to the trip before visiting a string of cities. We're from New York City so whenever we go away spending time in nature is a big priority.

someotherguy - I've been going back and forth on Kamikochi, it looks so beautiful but I'm not sure we'll have time. I'm hoping the hikes around Okuhida do the trick. The Shin Hokata idea is brilliant, we'll definitely do that.

I also really appreciate the feedback about the JR Pass flyingbaran, Hyperderia is a great resource. We're trying to decide if the 7-day is worth it, especially considering that we'll be taking a few buses.

Thank you all so much for your advice. I think our major issue is trying to find a balance between wanting to see and do as much as we can & not overdoing it and ending up missing out on great experiences because we're rushing.

mrwunrfl

With your original itinerary you definitely can use a 7-day JR Pass starting on the 17th when you go to Jomo-Kogen and ending on the 23rd in Kyoto.

The 17th would be shinkansen to Jomo-Kogen, a bit over an hour, and then two buses to get to your ryokan. Figure two hours to make the trip.

The 18th would be two hours back to Tokyo.

The 19th would be about four hours, Tokyo to Gero. That includes a half-hour transfer at Nagoya.

I think I would rather just spend the night of the 18th in Nagoya. You can get there in less than four hours. Then it would be pretty easy to get to Gero and Maze the next day.

You just don't have enough time for Kanazawa on this trip, imo, and suggest that you spend a second night in Takayama.

Actually, you could go from Jomo-Kogen to Matsumoto in two to three hours. Add an hour to get to Jomo-Kogen station. You could spend the night there, see the castle and go on to Kamikochi and/or Okuhida. Then Takayama and then Maze.

I would be tempted to go from Hoshi Onsen, visit Matsumoto castle, and get to Kamikochi before dark on the 18th. That takes time away from Hoshi, tho.

Kathie

I agree with mrwunrfl, you don't really have enough time for both Takayama and Kanazawa. Choose one.

I'm sure you will have a wonderful trip.