Japan in December - yay or nay?
 

Hello all,

So my future husband and I will be visiting Japan at the end of the year. We will be arriving in early December (between the 1st and the 4th - still looking at tickets) and returning two weeks later. Our tentative itinerary is below:

Day 1-3: Arrive in Tokyo and explore the city

Day 4: Tokyo-Kyoto

Day 5-6: Kyoto

Day 7: Nara/Kyoto

Day 8: Kyoto-Himeji-Hiroshima

Day 9: Hiroshima-Miyajma-Kanazawa

Day 10: Kanazawa

Day 11: Kanazawa-Shirakawago

Day 12: Shirakawago-Takayama

Day 13: Takayama

Day 14: Takayama-Tokyo

Day 15: Return to America

My first question is this: is it worth going to Japan in early/mid December? We don't mind the cold - we actually find it rather romantic. But, from everyone's experience, will it be as enjoyable as, say, going in November? We also have considered going to Japan in mid/late November, if it will make that much of a difference.

My next questions is: is this itinerary too packed? If so, which items should i cut out?

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!

Mid-late November is the perfect time to see the koyo (fall colors).

No question, this is a packed itinerary. It wouldn't be right for me - too much moving around, not enough time in Kyoto, for instance. And a number of the days will be all in transit - no time to see/do/experience anything. (e.g. Day 9). In a similar number of days, we visited Tokyo, Kanazawa, Kyoto and Hakone. I wouldn't have wanted to cram in any other destinations. But I like slow travel, with the time to explore and savor places.

Only you can decide which places to cut.

Thanks so much for the response. So instinctively, I'm leaning towards cutting out Hiroshima/Miyajima and the second day of Takayama. So that's three days cut. Thank you for the advice!

I haven’t visited Japan at that time of year. Have you checked typical climate data?
https://www.wunderground.com
Or sunrise/sunset times?
https://www.timeanddate.com

At any time of year, I must admit that I would find this itineary too rushed. I wanted 6 full days for a first visit to Kyoto / Nara. I’m not convinced that you are giving Hiroshima/Miyajima enough time (given the transportion times you have on each side), and can assure you that I regret giving Kanazawa only 2 days. Personally I would not cut a day from Takayama; YMMV.

What to cut? Your call, based on your intersts. FWIW, when I can’t see everything that I want to see, I’m inclined to shortchange the city or cities that are easiest to reach with international flights, as they will be most easily folded in to a subsequent trip. JMO.

BTW, if you haven’t already done so, I’d encourage spending lots of time with japan-guide.com

>>as enjoyable as, say, going in November?

No. For your itinerary it would be better starting in mid-November or a bit earlier.

I suggest that you keep Hirohima/Miyajima and drop Takayama. Return to Kanazawa from Shirakawago.

Fly home from Komatsu, (airport code KMJ) or from Toyama (TOY).

If you go in December then you need to check on the bus schedule to/from Shirakawago. The road from Kanazawa might be open but I think the one to Takayama might not be.

>>keep Hirohima/Miyajima

Because of the weather. The last time that I went to Japan in November I got a ticket to Osaka and returning from Toyama. Both ways via Seoul on Asian in F which was wonderful.

My original plan for that was to find my way to Toyama via Takayama. But, I realized later that it was going to be winter, cold & bare trees, in Takayama.

I opted to go to Hiroshima to use as a base. Eventually, I got to Kanazawa (again) which I really enjoyed. Had to spend the last night in Toyama in order to catch the airport bus for my morning flight.

At the time, there was limited express train service between Kanazawa and Toyama. But now the new shinkansen servicce can make that trip in as little as 18 minutes (and then the ~25 min bus ride to the airport).

>>Seoul on Asian

s/b Seoul on <u>Asiana</u> (from/to LAX)

Just commenting on the timing - I personally find December fine. My daughter and her partner plan to visit Japan in either early to mid Japan or mid to just-before-Christmas. They may run into problems, eg they won't be able to walk the Nakasendo. But Japan is a culture so keyed to seasonal changes that there is something to celebrate in absolutely every season. The famous garden in Kanazawa, for example, (Koraku-en) is deemed beautiful in winter when the trees are wrapped in straw (komomaki).

If you had the ability to change to mid November, I'd probably advise that though - just because I am such a sucker for shichi-go-san, the children's festival that (though ostensibly mid November) actually takes place almost every weekend in November -in the big cities. In the country side, families may not have the financial wherewithal to invest in the special ceremonial gear for their 3 and 7 year old girls and 5 year old boys.

As for timing the trip to enjoy koyo - I personally advise against planning a trip around a natural phenomenon such a hanami or koyo, unless you are willing to chase the leaves/cherry blossoms. Which means leaving a lot of flexibility in your schedule.

I've gone to Japan in winter a few times. If you go around Christmas or New Year, you will have the benefit of all the holiday decorations and foods, and the weather, though cold, is usually a dryer cold.
At the higher elevations, you'll definitely have snow. Once we even had snow in Kyoto in December. It was magical!