Help me with Japanese Alps please!
 

We are husband, wife, and 2 boys (6 and 2.5) planning to visit Japan in July 2011. We are deciding between Japanese Alps and Tohoku region. My main requests are cool weather, small walkable towns, lots of onsen, and beautiful scenery. We come from heavily polluted Jakarta. We will be using mostly rail and perhaps some buses too.

If we go the Japan Alps route, I am thinking:
day 1: arrive AM tokyo, straight to matsumoto
day 2: matsumoto
day 3: matsumoto
day 4: matsumoto-kamikochi
day 5: kamikochi
day 6: kamikochi
day 7 - day 10????
day 11: fly home from tokyo/nagoya

what can i do between day 7-10? Any suggestion for areas? we all love onsen, so would like to stay in as many onsen and ryokan as possible. I've read about Takayama....but mixed reviews with some saying it's wonderful and others saying it's a tourist trap.

Will matsumoto have muji/uniqlo type stores? I am not a big shopper, but need to stock up on some items while in japan.

We have previously skied in Nozawa Onsen near Nagano and we just spend 2 weeks in eastern hokkaido in sept 2010.
We love Japan and dont mind coming back again and again.

Should we do Tohoku instead? Any suggestion welcome.

Thanks a lot!
Nana

Nana, if you will go visit Takayama, I'd highly recommend to stay at Okuhida onsen. It's a looog car(bus) ride but the views of Alps from there is breath-taking. Many outdoor baths, a beautiful nature, it is far from a tourist trap. When you have a chance, try Shin-Hodaka Ropeway. It is so gorgeous.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5940.html

And, yes. There is muji/uniqlo in Matsumoto according to their stoire locator websites.

Not far from Tokyo, there is Kusatsu onsen & Mount Shirane.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7400.html
The sulfurous/highly acidic hot spring, make sure remove metals/gold/silver before soak in a tub.
If you'd go Tohoku, how about Aizu?
You can enjoy onsen, castle and for adults, sake tasting.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7700.html

We really enjoyed our stay at Sumiyoshi a traditional Ryokan in Takayama and I can also highly recommend a stay at a monastery in Koyasan, Both undersatndably get lots of visitors but I certainly would not describe either as overtly touristy. More info and photos on our blog (entries 28 & 30 :

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...ai/1/tpod.html

I'd also visit Shirakawa-go. It's a very beautiful UNESCO listed village.

http://www.google.com.au/images?rls=...w=1659&bih=844

Thanks for the detailed info!
I've updated my planned itinerary:
1 arrive tokyo in the morning, straight to matsumoto
2 matsumoto
3 matsumoto-takayama
4 takayama
5 takayama
6 takayama-okuhida
7 okuhida
8 okuhida
9 okuhida-kamikochi
10 kamikochi
11 kamikochi
12 kamikochi-tokyo
13 tokyo-jakarta

My worry is that okuhida and kamikochi may be too similar. I may just choose between the 2 and spend more days in matsumoto so that we have a city experience as well.

Now if only I could find a website with all the train/bus schedule and hotels.

Thanks again!

Bus schedule:
http://www.alpico.co.jp/access/express/index_e.html

Hirayu Onsen is the interchange for Kamikochi on the Matsumoto-Takayama route.

train schedules:

www.hyperdia.com

http://www.japanrailtravel.com/Japan...able/index.cfm

Aloha!

In my opinion, Kamikochi & Okuhida are not similar. Yes, you can see Japan Alps from both but Kamikochi is more like a seasonal resort spot where you can walk around, see the Alps view, lakes & Azusa river. People comes with tour bus get there, take pictures of beautiful views of Apls & Azusa river, then leave within 3-4 hrs. Others enjoy hiking all day. Kamikochi is open from April/May to Nov so summer time is peak season for the tourists.

Okuhida is laid-back, hot spring village nested deep into the Japan Alps. Onsen is the main reason to visit there.

Have fun.

Thanks again for all the helpful responses.

After looking at the map and JR rail website a few times, I've decided to fly into nagoya, and go straight to takayama
1arrive nagoya in the AM, straight to takayama (hida limited express)
2 takayama (morning market, walk around)
3 takayama (maybe shirakawa-go and make soba noodles)
4 takayama-okuhida (right now planning to stay in shin hodaka)
5 okuhida
6 okuhida
7 okuhida-kamikochi
8 kamikochi
9 kamikochi-matsumoto
10 matsumoto (castle, walking)
11 matsumoto (shopping)
12 matsumoto-nagano-tokyo
13 tokyo-jkt

More questions:
1. okuhida is pretty laid back? you just onsen and onsen? nothing else to do? should i shorten okuhida and stay longer in kamikochi? which onsen town in okuhida is recommended?

2. For day 12, i am thinking of taking JR limited express to shinjuku since travel time is not that different from the asama shinkansen from nagano-tokyo. My question, are the seats on JR Limited Express very different from the shinkansen seats? I have only taken the Asama once in green car before. Will there be space for suitcases?

3. are hida trains always wide view?

So many thanks,
Nana

I strongly recommend that you visit Shirakawago. It can be a day trip from Takayama but better as an overnight at gassho-zukuri. I would prefer to visit there during a weekday to avoid weekend tourists from Nagoya. If you, unfortunately, don't go to Shirakawago then you should go to the Hida no Sato in Takayama. No need to do both.

1. Onsen and hiking, I think:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Oku-Hida_Onsen_Villages
One day and night would be enough for me, but I am not a big hiker.

2. The L'Ex from Matsumoto to Shinjuku would be the way to go, if you are staying in Shinjuku or nearby. You compared that travel time with traveling via Nagano to Tokyo, but that is to Tokyo station. If you are really going to Shinjuku then you would need to add the connection and travel time on the Chuo Line from Tokyo to Shinjuku (or wherever). Seats are comfortable on the L'Ex trains and you would have overhead storage space. I assume that you aren't traveling with any big luggage.

3. You mean are the limited express trains on the Takayama Line all called (WIDEVIEW)HIDA. I am pretty sure the answer is yes.

Hida is the name of the region of northern Gifu-ken. You might see Takayama called Hida Takayama which distinguishes it from a Takayama (eagle mountain, I think) in a different region. Some of the trains in Hida, on the Takayama Line, are locals, so technically not all 'hida trains' are wideview. ;)

Forgot to mention that the route Matsumoto-Nagano-Tokyo would allow you make a stop to visit Zenkoji. I did this when I traveled that route (great view approaching Nagano). It was a short bus ride from the station to the Zenkoji area. I think I walked back. Would just take a couple of hours to stop enroute.

Yes, Okuhida is very laid back...just like you described, onsen is main purpose to go. Besides that, probably Shin-Hotaka Ropeway is sightseeing spot. Perhaps, you stay for a day or two, then add Shirakawago as other recommended?

We stayed at Okuhida Garden Hotel Yakedake. Although service/meals were fantastic, not sure they have English-speaking staff. According to the website, this place have someone who can assist guests in English.
http://www.hotel-hotaka.jp/

You may want to book the lodge in Kamikochi earlier. Since this is a seasonal resort area, the hotels are quite expensive & occupied quickly.

Thanks so much for the helpful replies. I am gonna search for more info on hotels, and then probably come back with more questions :)

Since you plan to come to Japan in July, please consider rainy season factor. Usually, rainy season ends around July 20 in the Kita-Alps region. Before that, you have higher chance of not seeing the mountain tops but not so many people will be in Kamikochi or Takayama.

If you come to Kamikochi and if you like hiking, you may consider staying a night in a mountain hut Karasawa Hut (6-hour from Kamikochi) - no reservation is needed.
http://www.karasawa-hyutte.co.jp/

We took bus from Takayama to Motsomoto. Asked in Takayama if any place we should stop in between. Recommended we stop at Okuhida, where the bus stops. We went to the hot springs spa across the parking lot from the bus stop. Nice mountain town with lovely spa. Go to www.hirayunomori.co.jp website. This was our best "find" in Japan. Loved the spa, I tried all the different baths both inside and outside. The food in the dining room was very good and we were sorry we did not plan to stay over. We were the first English speaking people to stop there in three years said our waitress. Really special.