Japan in January??
May 17th, 2019, 10:15 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 9,370
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Japan in January??
I have some air miles and an Amex companion voucher burning a hole in my inbox! We have a window of opportunity for travel in mid January. Anyone been at that time of year? Is it a decent time to visit as far as the weather is concerned?
I appreciate that it will be cold, which is not a problem but would love some blue skies ( enough grey in England in January). Hotel prices do seem lower so I am guessing it is less crowded in Jan.
Any suggestions for a 10 - 12 day trip? Initial thoughts were just revisiting Tokyo and Kyoto but a couple of days in the countryside at a reasonably priced Ryokan would be nice.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.
I appreciate that it will be cold, which is not a problem but would love some blue skies ( enough grey in England in January). Hotel prices do seem lower so I am guessing it is less crowded in Jan.
Any suggestions for a 10 - 12 day trip? Initial thoughts were just revisiting Tokyo and Kyoto but a couple of days in the countryside at a reasonably priced Ryokan would be nice.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.
May 18th, 2019, 08:46 AM
#2
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 17
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I am planning to visit Japan with my partner for two weeks in mid January. I lived in Japan for three years and my memory is that January can certainly be cold (especially in the more northerly parts of the country), but it’s also beautiful. In central Japan, December and January tend to be some of the sunniest and clearest months of the year, strangely enough! You can expect at least some blue skies unless you’re very unlucky. This makes it one of the best times of the year to see Mt Fuji, for example. As long as you avoid the New Years and Chinese New Years, it is definitely the low season as well - which I prefer. Some suggestions for things to do to take advantage of the winter:
- Go to some outdoor hot springs (onsen). There is nothing like sitting in a hot springs bath while snow falls around you! Skiing and winter sports are popular as well if you’re into that.
- Look up some local festivals and see if any will overlap with your trip. Summer is the traditional festival time in Japan, but there are plenty in winter as well. This is doubly true if you will be in Japan over January 1st to 3rd or so.
- Japan is a profoundly seasonal country, if that makes sense. Each season has food and drink specialties. Take advantage of winter specialities like mikan (Japanese tangerines), oden and nabe ( both a kind of stew), mochi (pounded rice cakes), etc. Don’t forget non-food traditions like sumo and sitting under a kotatsu (a kind of heated table with a blanket over it.)
- Go to some outdoor hot springs (onsen). There is nothing like sitting in a hot springs bath while snow falls around you! Skiing and winter sports are popular as well if you’re into that.
- Look up some local festivals and see if any will overlap with your trip. Summer is the traditional festival time in Japan, but there are plenty in winter as well. This is doubly true if you will be in Japan over January 1st to 3rd or so.
- Japan is a profoundly seasonal country, if that makes sense. Each season has food and drink specialties. Take advantage of winter specialities like mikan (Japanese tangerines), oden and nabe ( both a kind of stew), mochi (pounded rice cakes), etc. Don’t forget non-food traditions like sumo and sitting under a kotatsu (a kind of heated table with a blanket over it.)
May 18th, 2019, 01:36 PM
#3
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 374
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
You can certainly do it. It will be cold and there's a big lack of the verdant green and flowers in other seasons, but it's a tourist low season and airfares are cheaper. Going to some hot springs is a great idea. Weather is usually not bad - enough clear days for you, and winter is a good time to see Mt Fuji, which is often obscured.
May 20th, 2019, 05:06 AM
#6
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 362
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We went in winter this last season and it was fine - other than spending a bit of time in Tokyo (we holidayed in Japan in 2017 for three weeks as well) and Kyoto (and Nara) for a few nights each, we took off for six nights in Wakayama Prefecture south from Osaka and it was wonderful, lovely coastal scenery, it's tuna country so lots of that, great wagyu beef there too and we certainly enjoyed a few bbq's! We always stay in hotels although we did stay in Yunomine which is an amazing onsen town (the whole town literally steams!) on the Kumano Kodo trail at a very good hostel.
May 21st, 2019, 02:47 AM
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 9,370
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Okinawa wasn’t even in my radar but it does look like a good time. Apparently it is sakura season in Jan.
Patricia, you are making me very hungry - tuna and wagyu, two of my favourite foods. Yunomine does look amazing. Are you happy to share the name of the hostel you used there?
Patricia, you are making me very hungry - tuna and wagyu, two of my favourite foods. Yunomine does look amazing. Are you happy to share the name of the hostel you used there?
May 22nd, 2019, 12:08 AM
#8
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 362
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We stayed at J Hoppers which is a chain; there are more expensive onsen/ ryokans with full board. If you do stay at J Hoppers be sure to rather ask for a Japanese style room. J Hoppers has some great onsen baths, and they are private which I prefer. We didn't actually do the Kumano Pilgrimage trail but what we did, which was suggested to us by someone on Thorntree, LP forum was we caught a bus from Hongu which is the main centre there, up to Hosshinmon-Oji , and then walked/ trekked the 7kms basically back to Hongu, it was a highlight of our journey (among many!) a scenic trek among tea plantations, beautiful mountains, cedar forests, small villages, farmland to the Hongu Shrine. Then we caught the last bus to Yunomine.
A favourite hotel though, was Hotel Charmant in kii-Katsuura on the coast, the loveliest Japanese ladies run the hotel, wonderful breakfasts, they have a huge tuna auction in Katsuura every morning at 6am, worth taking in, also it is where one can take in the famous Kumano Nachi shrine.
We were in Wakayama Prefecture basically the end of December and it was warm, we wore just jackets and jerseys, it's a sub-tropical area where they grow citrus fruit etc, also no rain or snow when we were there.
Altogether we spent 6 nights in this area (which is the south of Wakayama), two nights in Tanabe, one night in Kushimoto, the southernmost point of the island of Honshu, very scenic, stopped for a morning in Taiji which is also lovely, two nights in kii-Katsuura and finally one night, away from the coast, in Yumomine. It was fab, wish we'd spent longer!
A favourite hotel though, was Hotel Charmant in kii-Katsuura on the coast, the loveliest Japanese ladies run the hotel, wonderful breakfasts, they have a huge tuna auction in Katsuura every morning at 6am, worth taking in, also it is where one can take in the famous Kumano Nachi shrine.
We were in Wakayama Prefecture basically the end of December and it was warm, we wore just jackets and jerseys, it's a sub-tropical area where they grow citrus fruit etc, also no rain or snow when we were there.
Altogether we spent 6 nights in this area (which is the south of Wakayama), two nights in Tanabe, one night in Kushimoto, the southernmost point of the island of Honshu, very scenic, stopped for a morning in Taiji which is also lovely, two nights in kii-Katsuura and finally one night, away from the coast, in Yumomine. It was fab, wish we'd spent longer!
Last edited by patriciatbrogan; May 22nd, 2019 at 12:17 AM.
May 22nd, 2019, 11:16 PM
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 9,370
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks Patricia. Sounds like a fantastic trip. I don’t think we have time for any serious hikes but yours sounds like a great approach for a shorter trip. I need to do some logistical planning re transport for getting around these places and how to tie them in with Kyoto and Tokyo and the 7 day JR Pass. Wakayama perefecture is high on the shortlist.
Your hotel choices are really helpful as they are exactly the sort of places we are looking for. Although we will splash out on a nice Ryokan for a couple of nights to celebrate my wife’s birthday.
Mrwunfl - thanks for the info on the Sumo. That will fit in nicely at the end of our trip
Your hotel choices are really helpful as they are exactly the sort of places we are looking for. Although we will splash out on a nice Ryokan for a couple of nights to celebrate my wife’s birthday.
Mrwunfl - thanks for the info on the Sumo. That will fit in nicely at the end of our trip
