Help with China And Japan
 

I will be in Shanghai for 5 nites and then Xian for 2 nights. I can add 2 nights in Guillin and then onto Bejing for 5 nights. Should I forget about Guillin and go to Toyko for a few nights? Any thoughts?Thanks

I would not go to Tokyo, as it is just a huge, huge city, and not really the best part of Japan, at least IMO. Do Japan as a separate trip which includes the more traditional cities like Kyoto.

I think Guilin is interesting, if a little overrun with tourists. Personally, I think you have too many nights in Shanghai, I don't know what you will do with that many days there. IMO 2 nights is enough. While I think 2 nights in Guillin is fine, perhaps you can add a night to that and get out of town to see the countryside by bike, or go to a place like Lijiang. Or come to Hong Kong. Time of year would be an issue as well perhaps.

Are you thinking of going to Tokyo for two nights? I would not do that between Xian and Beijing...makes no sense really. Maybe at the end of your trip, and if you had more than 2 nights. I really like Tokyo for it's bright lights/neon and crowds, tall buildings, great subway system...but I wouldn't visit for two days in the middle of a China trip, or even for two days at the end of a China trip. If you mean to give it the last 7 days of your trip, then you could spend 3 in Tokyo and 4 in Kyoto, which would be a nice time I think.

thanks so much for your reply. I meant going to Toyko after Bejing for 4 nites ,enroute home and omitting Guillan.

Scratch Guilin, take a night out of Shanghai and Xian and stay 4 nites in Tokyo after Beijing. Should be the just enough time to whet your appetite for more Japan next time.

Aloha!

How bad do you want to go to Japan? Will you go back to Asia?

You can always go back to Japan on another trip - not just Tokyo, but the rest of the country too. But I think it'll be less likely you'll to Guilin soon, if you've already visited Shanghai, Xian and Beijing.

But of course I may be wrong. You may like China so much that you'll go to Guilin, Yunnan, Silk Road, Tibet and everywhere else again.