I'm planning a 8-9 day trip to Japan and vicinity. As I live in Va Beach, Va., I'm allowing 2 days to get there and 2 days to return, leaving about 5 days for sight seeing.

The only firm things on my "want list" at this time is to see the airport at Kansai (which is near Osaka) and to ride on a bullet train. I don't think I'd want to spend all 5 days in this area. Am thinking of going to Tokyo first and branching out from there.

I would be most appreciative of any suggestions of both what to see as well as things to avoid.

Thanks in advance,

htr

Regarding giving yourself two days to get back- on the way back you get home a few hours after you left Japan, on the same day.

I would spend the whole time in Kyoto.

If you decide to take the advice of glorialf, fly into Kansai(Northwest flys direct from Detroit). To get to Kyoto you can take the Haruka JR train from Kansai to Shin-Osaka(50 minutes). From Shin-Osaka station you take the Shinkansen(bullet train) for a short trip to Kyoto(15 minutes).

I cannot imagine why you want to see KIX (Kansai airport), but if the attraction is airports on manmade islands, then you could consider flying into KIX and out of NGO (Nagoya), which is a similar setup. Or vice versa. You can do this on United. And you can take the Shinkansen from Osaka to Nagoya (about 50 miles) fairly inexpensively.

Osaka and Nagoya are industrial cities but with many historical and cultural destinations nearby. I'd suggest visiting Tokyo only if you are into the big city vibe--do you go to New York City often?