Please help
havent finished the itinerary but would like help with what i have please
any advice will be very appreciated

jan17-jan28 osaka...have not yet worked this out

Jan28 Fri:
-Leave Osaka to Hiroshima. Osaka-4mins-Shinosaka-1.5hrs-Hiroshima
-Hiroshima: Abomb Dome, Peace Memorial Park, HPM Museum, Shukkeien Garden, Hiroshima Castle, Fudoin Temple, Heiwa Dori (Dreamination)

Jan29 Sat:
-Hiroshima-26mins-Miyajima
- Miyajima: Otorii Gate, Itsukushima Shrine, Daishoin Temple, Toyokuni Shrine, Five Storied Pagoda
-Leave Miyajima back to Hiroshima to travel to Kyoto. Miyajima-26mins-Hiroshima-1.5hrs-Shinosaka-25mins-Kyoto

Jan30 Sun:
-Kyoto station, Kyoto tower, Nishi Honganji and Higashi Honganji (two large shrines near Kyoto station), Nishiki Market

Jan31 Mon:
-Nijo Castle, Imperial Palace, International Manga Museum, Kyoto Chopstick Culture Museum, Osamu Tezuka World

Feb1 Tue:
-Chionin Temple, Philosophers’ Path, Ginkaku-ji Temple, Shimogamo Shrine, Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, Kinkaku-ji Shrine, Kamigamo Shrine,

Feb2 Wed:
-Day trip to Koka (45min from Kyoto) ninja village. Kyoto-23mins-Kusatsu(Shiga)-35mins-Koka

Feb3 Thur:
-To-ji temple, Fushimi-inari Shrine, Daigo-ji temple, Ujigami Temple, Fukuchiyama (Oni Village)

Feb4 Fri:
-Kyoto – chubu inuyuma. Kyoto-52mins-Nagoya-4min walk-Meitetsunagoya-35mins-Inuyama

Feb5 Sat:
-Shunkoin Temple Accommodation with zen meditation and tour in English.

Feb6 Sun:
-Kyoto – 2.7hrs – Tokyo – 3hrs – Hachinohe – 3hrs – Hakodate (9.50-10hrs Travel, if leave at 7.45am will arrive in Hakodate 5.30) to Loisir Hotel Hakodate accommodation
-Check out Mt. Hakodates view at night

Feb7 Mon: Start of snow festival
-Check out of Loisir Hotel Hakodate accommodation
-Spend morning in Hakodate.
-Hakodate – 3.6hrs – Sapporo to Marks Inn Sapporo accommodation roughly 4.30pm

Feb8 Tue:
-Day in Sapporo: glass pyramid, clock tower, odori park, beer museum, nijo fish market

Feb9 Wed: My birthday
-Sapporo – 1hr – Asahikawa – 40mins Bus 400y – Asahiyama Zoo
-Dinner

Feb10 Thur:
-Trip from Sapporo – 45mins – Otaru (if stay til sunset can see otaru yukiakari no michi - snow gleaming)

Feb11 Fri:
-Day in Sapporo – anything we have missed

Feb12 Sat:
-Check out of Marks Inn Sapporo at 10am
-Sapporo – 3.5hrs – Hakodate – 2hrs – Aomori
-Sannai Maruyama Archaeological Site – Aomori museum of art
-Leave Aomori – 54mins- Hachinohe- 74mins- Sendai
-Check in APA Villa Hotel Sendieki-Itsitsibashi

Feb13 Sun:
-Sendai – 98mins –Kakunodate
-Kakunodate - Hiburi Kamakura (Fire and Snow Festival), Samurai District (Ishiguro House, Aoyagi House), Tamachi Bukeyashiki, Nishinomiya House, Furushiroyama Castle Ruins (Kakunodate Castle Ruins)

Feb14 Mon: Valentine’s Day
-Sendai – 81mins – yamagata – 40mins bus – zao onsen

Feb15 Tue:
-Sendai – 48mins Koriyama(fukushima)- 65mins-Aizu
-Aizu - Aizu Buke Yashiki (theme park), tsuruga castle

Feb16 Wed:
-Check out of APA Villa Hotel Sendieki-Itsitsibashi
-Sendai-48mins Koriyama(fukushima)-81mins - tokyo

feb16-mar4 tokyo have not yet worked this out


thanks in advance for any help

I know that Osaka to Shin Osaka station may only be 4 minutes by train, but, dont frget to allow yourself time to get upstairs from the local train..walk all the way down to entrance of Shinakansen and then go through two gates ( from memory) and find your train and platform... They run on time in Japan, but, dont time your journey to the second.

Hiroshima to Miyajima.. How do you plan to go there in 26 minutes ..Helicopter ? If you are using JR pass, you can take local train from Hiroshima to Miyajima station, then walk down an take the ferry across. Did it years ago on a few occasions, and I have also taken the tram in Hiroshoma, but, a lot more than 26 minutes.

i was going but rough estimates off hyperpedia
i know there will be longer travelling times - they are more mental notes for myself, should had left them out when putting them on here

Very busy and a well thought out schedule. A few random thoughts if you don't mind.

Try to fit in some shopping on the doris near the Peace Park in Hiroshima.

On Miyajima try to fit in some time for the ropeway up Mt. Misen.

I have done the train from Odawara to Hakodate in the spring and it will be a long day. The shinkansen goes all the way to Aomori now but that only cuts down a little time from before. At that time of year it will probably be dark and very cold in Hakodate when you arrive, be ready for that when getting off the train and also on top of Mt Hakodate if you go. I would probably prefer a nice dinner and hot furo about that time.......

In Sapporo there would be the snow festival going on at Odori park

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5311.html

Nothing much left of the castle ruins in Kakunodate except a hike up a hill and a nice view of the town. Spend a night in Kakunodate and maybe rent a car from the JR station and drive around a bit. You can explore more of the area that way and drive up to Lake Tazawa and Nyuto Onsen with a night at Tsurunoyu onsen. The views would be beautiful then but very cold.

http://japaneseguesthouses.com/db/ak...unoyuonsen.htm

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3650.html

Looks like a nice long trip!

Aloha!

Sorry to be pedantic, but you're confusing your (Shinto) shrines and your (Buddhist) temples: if the name ends in -ji or -in or -dera then it's a temple. Even if you are not interested in the theology, it helps to know that these employ different architectural styles (a bit like a church and a mosque).

Thus, Nishi (west) and Higashi (east) Honganji are temples, not shrines. So is Kinkakuji. OTOH Ujigami is a shrine (the oldest one, actually).

Then you have several minor sights listed but are missing some of the major, world class ones. E.g., in Kyoto: Kiyomizudera and Sanjusangendo would be high on most people's lists, and also some of the Zen temples (Ryoanji, Daitokuji). The entries at www.japan-guide.com can help you select the places to visit that seem most interesting to you.

In Uji, you are missing the Byodoin (the most famous building in Japan: it's on the back of the 10-yen coin).

In Koka, isn't the Miho museum nearby?

I'd rate the city of Nara (and its western Temples--the oldest wooden buildings in the world) on a par with Kyoto and well worth a day or two.

What are you doing in Inuyama? It has one of the 12 original castles, and a famous tea hut. Meiji-mura (an open air museum of Meiji-era buildings) is nearby. A more interesting route between Kyoto and Inuyama goes via Biwa-ko (the big lake near Kyoto).

On Miyajima, take the chair lift up Mt Misen: you get a spectacular view of the inland sea.

I've not been to Tohoku or Hokkaido--I hope to go there next year--so I look forward to your trip report. Best wishes for a good trip.

You may already have seen these pdf's of things to do in the regions you will be traveling but if you have not the guides are well worth your time:

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/ttp/ptg/

Aloha!

I didn't see a side trip to noboribetsu in the Sapporo section - with all the running around you are doing, it might be a nice relaxing day and/or night at the hotsprings. We got a package (spas,room, dinner) for $180 US (for two people)in July 2009 at the Daiichi Takimotokan
http://www.takimotokan.co.jp/english/index.html
It truly was hot spring heaven

I don't think you need to get too specific about which temples and shrines you'll see in Kyoto and on which day. You have a lot of flexibility there.

I second the recommendation for Byoudo-in at Uji. it sounds like a busy but fabulous trip.I hesitate to add any suggestions to an already busy schedule but I hope you make time to see something of Sendai while there. there's a Loople HOHO bus that does the rounds of the main tourist sites and some interesting shopping dori (heaps better than Hiroshima, HT (IMO)

Definitely add the castle in Inuyama to your itin.