Japan itinerary questions
Feb 13th, 2008, 04:25 PM
#1
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Japan itinerary questions
Thought I would repost with a better title!
Im off to Japan for 16 days beginning early October this year with my husband, and frankly I'm a little overwhelmed atm! Ive printed out so many helpful trip reports from Fodors (invaluable!) and am in the midst of reading 2 guidebooks.
This will be my 2nd trip to Japan, and I feel like I need help in narrowing down the places to visit. I'm considering the following regions:
Tokyo (didn't get enough time to see the city on my last trip to Japan) for 3 days
Japan Alps - I am warming to Kiso Valley, Obuse, Matsumoto, Ogimachi (maybe even Takayama for the Fall festival)
Inland Sea - Miyajima for sure, not sure where else. I read one trip report that raved about catching a ferry from Miyajima to Shikoku
Shikoku - Matsuyama, maybe Uwajima, and many more towns interest me
Kyushu - most of Kyushu sounds amazing - Beppu, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kumamoto and more
Obviously, I cant do all of this, but am finding it really hard to narrow it down to something manageable
To give you an idea of what we like: My husband and I like to take our time and not have to move on to a new hotel every 1 or 2 days (although are willing to do so some of the time, just not the whole time). We would also like to see Sumo and / or Baseball (maybe in Tokyo or Fukuoka). On our previous visit we loved the scenery, nature, culture, visiting temples / castles, loved Tokyo but didn't get to see enough of it, loved the shopping, the food.
Questions:
1. For the time that we are going (early Oct to mid Oct), is it an ok time to go to Shikoku / Kyushu (typhoons)
2. Ive looked at Japan Ball and Japanese Baseball and it seems like the Japan series is held in October. Where can i find out specific dates and locations as the sites don't seem to list this
3. Japan Alps - is there a good base to explore a lot of the towns Im interested in? Also, is it just too overcrowded at the Takayama festival (or is that part of the charm and atmosphere)
4. If you had to choose 2 to focus on (Japan Alps, Shikoku or Kyushu), which would you choose and why?
Thank you!
Im off to Japan for 16 days beginning early October this year with my husband, and frankly I'm a little overwhelmed atm! Ive printed out so many helpful trip reports from Fodors (invaluable!) and am in the midst of reading 2 guidebooks.
This will be my 2nd trip to Japan, and I feel like I need help in narrowing down the places to visit. I'm considering the following regions:
Tokyo (didn't get enough time to see the city on my last trip to Japan) for 3 days
Japan Alps - I am warming to Kiso Valley, Obuse, Matsumoto, Ogimachi (maybe even Takayama for the Fall festival)
Inland Sea - Miyajima for sure, not sure where else. I read one trip report that raved about catching a ferry from Miyajima to Shikoku
Shikoku - Matsuyama, maybe Uwajima, and many more towns interest me
Kyushu - most of Kyushu sounds amazing - Beppu, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kumamoto and more
Obviously, I cant do all of this, but am finding it really hard to narrow it down to something manageable
To give you an idea of what we like: My husband and I like to take our time and not have to move on to a new hotel every 1 or 2 days (although are willing to do so some of the time, just not the whole time). We would also like to see Sumo and / or Baseball (maybe in Tokyo or Fukuoka). On our previous visit we loved the scenery, nature, culture, visiting temples / castles, loved Tokyo but didn't get to see enough of it, loved the shopping, the food.
Questions:
1. For the time that we are going (early Oct to mid Oct), is it an ok time to go to Shikoku / Kyushu (typhoons)
2. Ive looked at Japan Ball and Japanese Baseball and it seems like the Japan series is held in October. Where can i find out specific dates and locations as the sites don't seem to list this
3. Japan Alps - is there a good base to explore a lot of the towns Im interested in? Also, is it just too overcrowded at the Takayama festival (or is that part of the charm and atmosphere)
4. If you had to choose 2 to focus on (Japan Alps, Shikoku or Kyushu), which would you choose and why?
Thank you!
Feb 13th, 2008, 05:32 PM
#2
Ferry goes from Miyajima to Hiroshima and then another one to Matsuyama, not Miyajima to Matsuyama. I'd be happy if you proved me wrong.
1) I think so but don't know for sure.
2) I think you will be too late for baseball. There are grand sumo tournaments in Japan (Tokyo) and November (Fukuoka) but not in October.
3) Not really. Obuse/Nagano are in a different region from Hida Takayama. Matsumoto is over the mountains from Takayama. You could visit Kiso Valley from Matsumoto. Maybe Nagano if you don't mind the backtracking. I think people do day trips to Kamikochi from Matsumoto I would just keep going to Takayama.
You can visit Gero Onsen from Takayama. Also Ogimachi Shirakawago (but from here it would be good to go on to Kanazawa).
Ok, well, Nagoya. Nagoya to:
Takayama is 2hr 17 min
Matsumoto is 2 hours
Gero, Ise, Gifu, Inuyama are short trips from Nagoya.
There is a bus from Nagoya to Shirakawago. It is seasonal, but I believe it will still be running in October.
3) I went to the spring festival in Takayama and it was not overcrowded.
4) Difficult decision. I'd want to spend at least a week in Kyushu. Of the three, choosing one, it would be Japan Alps mainly for it's easy access.
You didn't mention Kyoto.
1) I think so but don't know for sure.
2) I think you will be too late for baseball. There are grand sumo tournaments in Japan (Tokyo) and November (Fukuoka) but not in October.
3) Not really. Obuse/Nagano are in a different region from Hida Takayama. Matsumoto is over the mountains from Takayama. You could visit Kiso Valley from Matsumoto. Maybe Nagano if you don't mind the backtracking. I think people do day trips to Kamikochi from Matsumoto I would just keep going to Takayama.
You can visit Gero Onsen from Takayama. Also Ogimachi Shirakawago (but from here it would be good to go on to Kanazawa).
Ok, well, Nagoya. Nagoya to:
Takayama is 2hr 17 min
Matsumoto is 2 hours
Gero, Ise, Gifu, Inuyama are short trips from Nagoya.
There is a bus from Nagoya to Shirakawago. It is seasonal, but I believe it will still be running in October.
3) I went to the spring festival in Takayama and it was not overcrowded.
4) Difficult decision. I'd want to spend at least a week in Kyushu. Of the three, choosing one, it would be Japan Alps mainly for it's easy access.
You didn't mention Kyoto.
Feb 13th, 2008, 10:58 PM
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Thanks for your reply mrwunrfl - you are really helpful!
Thanks for the info about the sumo tournaments. It looks like the sumo tournament in September ends on the 28th. I could possibly arrive on the 27th. Do you know how to purchase tickets for this, or when they go on sale?
The Alps sound really beautiful, but I'm also concerned that it may be too tacky (in particular Takayama). If I have time to visit both the Matsumoto region and the Takayama region, is it too much of the same - meaning would I be better off just picking one and then moving on to experience another part of Japan? Or are they each quite unique places?
Did you enjoy to spring festival? Is it more for tourists or the the Japanese go there as well?
Kyushu does sound interesting, but it seems as though it would be much easier to navigate with a car - which I don't really want to do, on this trip at least
I went to Kyoto last time, really loved it, and of course didn't have enough time, so I may do a couple of days there as well
Thanks for the info about the sumo tournaments. It looks like the sumo tournament in September ends on the 28th. I could possibly arrive on the 27th. Do you know how to purchase tickets for this, or when they go on sale?
The Alps sound really beautiful, but I'm also concerned that it may be too tacky (in particular Takayama). If I have time to visit both the Matsumoto region and the Takayama region, is it too much of the same - meaning would I be better off just picking one and then moving on to experience another part of Japan? Or are they each quite unique places?
Did you enjoy to spring festival? Is it more for tourists or the the Japanese go there as well?
Kyushu does sound interesting, but it seems as though it would be much easier to navigate with a car - which I don't really want to do, on this trip at least
I went to Kyoto last time, really loved it, and of course didn't have enough time, so I may do a couple of days there as well
Feb 14th, 2008, 12:06 PM
#5
I got tickets to sumo tournaments by showing up at the box office on the day. But that wasn't the last day of the tournament which would be extremely popular if the tournament winner is not decided. I don't know but expect that day sells out in advance.
Pick one, I think, if by Matsumoto region you mean from Nagano area down to Kiso Valley.
I did enjoy the spring festival. It is very much a tourist thing. Yes, of course, Japanese go there as well because most tourists in Japan are Japanese! Foreign tourists make up a higher percentage of the tourists in Takayama than in Beppu, for example, but I think they would still be a minority.
Wherever tourists go in Japan you can count on there being tacky trinkets for sale. Yes you will find the stuff in Takayama and you will find it in Kyoto.
Kyushu is certainly accessible by train. On one trip I flew from Tokyo to Kagoshima and took the train down to Ibusuki, then Kumamoto, Beppu, Fukuoka. The ride from Kumamoto to Beppu via Aso was pretty - very lush green. On another trip I flew to Nagasaki and then went to Fukuoka (that train, the Kamome, might be the nicest limited express train in Japan).
At any JR station you can expect there to be buses to meet the trains. and taxis. Some ryokans will pick you up at the station. Spending $$ for a couple of taxi rides might not sound like a good idea until you compare it to the $$$ cost of renting a car for a week. When you get to the city you are better off not having a car.
Not just Kyushu, you'd also be better off traveling the Japan Alps with a car. Otherwise you are relying on bus travel, e.g. for Matsumoto- Takayama- Shirakawago- Kanazawa. Except for Matsuyama, maybe, having a car on Shikoku would give more freedom. But the train system is pretty extensive and a good bargain with the JR Pass.
Pick one, I think, if by Matsumoto region you mean from Nagano area down to Kiso Valley.
I did enjoy the spring festival. It is very much a tourist thing. Yes, of course, Japanese go there as well because most tourists in Japan are Japanese! Foreign tourists make up a higher percentage of the tourists in Takayama than in Beppu, for example, but I think they would still be a minority.
Wherever tourists go in Japan you can count on there being tacky trinkets for sale. Yes you will find the stuff in Takayama and you will find it in Kyoto.
Kyushu is certainly accessible by train. On one trip I flew from Tokyo to Kagoshima and took the train down to Ibusuki, then Kumamoto, Beppu, Fukuoka. The ride from Kumamoto to Beppu via Aso was pretty - very lush green. On another trip I flew to Nagasaki and then went to Fukuoka (that train, the Kamome, might be the nicest limited express train in Japan).
At any JR station you can expect there to be buses to meet the trains. and taxis. Some ryokans will pick you up at the station. Spending $$ for a couple of taxi rides might not sound like a good idea until you compare it to the $$$ cost of renting a car for a week. When you get to the city you are better off not having a car.
Not just Kyushu, you'd also be better off traveling the Japan Alps with a car. Otherwise you are relying on bus travel, e.g. for Matsumoto- Takayama- Shirakawago- Kanazawa. Except for Matsuyama, maybe, having a car on Shikoku would give more freedom. But the train system is pretty extensive and a good bargain with the JR Pass.
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