Nara or Hiroshima?

Old Nov 24th, 2016, 09:37 AM
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Nara or Hiroshima?

Hello everyone! I have 4 days to spend in Kyoto. But I was thinking that I could probably take 3 days in Kyoto and 1 day for Nara or Hiroshima. Which one you would recommend? And maybe my last night could be in Osaka, so I could enjoy the views at night? The 5th day I'll have to go back to Kansai as my flight departs at 11am. Thank you I'm advanced for your comments and suggestions!
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Old Nov 24th, 2016, 09:50 AM
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I'd spend all 4 days in Kyoto. There is so much to see there, you won't cover it all even if you had 10 days there.
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Old Nov 24th, 2016, 10:05 AM
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Thank you, Kathie. Still, I live in Peru, and for me doing this kind of trips is quite an effort because of the long distance, so I really want to make the most of it. I already covered what I want to see in Kyoto in 3 days (I know I could be there a whole year and still having lots of things to visit), but I was thinking on scaping to Nara or Hiroshima for a day, and I really don't know what to choose!
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Old Nov 24th, 2016, 10:10 AM
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Your call! Nara would be more similar to Kyoto than Hiroshima -- Nara is even older than Kyoto, and like Kyoto, has a number of wonderful temples and shrines. Visiting the A-Bomb Dome, Peace Park, and Peace Museum in Hiroshima can be extremely moving, IMO, and quite different than anything you would encounter in Kyoto or Nara.
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Old Nov 24th, 2016, 10:32 AM
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Thank you, kja! I was reading that! I also read some of your comments in other posts. I'm starting to get fascinated about the idea of going to Hiroshima. I'm a very sensitive person, and I don't know if I'm going to take it. But this trip is to get emotional as well, not only to see beautiful places. So I'll consider it! Thanks!
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Old Nov 24th, 2016, 02:16 PM
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cmoragues

There is also a peace museum in Osaka, near the castle. It is not as famous as the one in Hiroshima but has the advantage that Osaka is much closer to Kyoto than Hiroshima.
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Old Nov 25th, 2016, 01:45 PM
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Do go to Hiroshima and see the Peace Park. Spend the Night on Miyajima. It is a very special experience, quite different from other places.
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Old Nov 25th, 2016, 02:55 PM
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Miyajima was a favorite of ours too.
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Old Nov 25th, 2016, 05:25 PM
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You're flying all the way from Peru to Japan for only 4 days??? Even if that is 4 full days on the ground, I think it's a mistake to waste even one hour travelling between cities. I concur with Kathie to spend your 4th day in Kyoto. But I suspect you've already made up your mind and are looking for confirmation here. So since I believe that is the case, I'd vote for Nara. Much closer to Kyoto. Hiroshima, as I recall, is close to a 2 hour train ride. You then have MORE travel time on top of that to get to Miyajima.
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Old Nov 25th, 2016, 07:03 PM
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Thank you, Sue_xx_yy. I think that what I like about the idea of going to Hiroshima is the history that lays besides the city. I'll be traveling for 6 weeks all around China, Japan, Cambodia and Vietnam, and I believe that Hiroshima could add something really special to my trip. I appreciate your idea, though!
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Old Nov 25th, 2016, 07:05 PM
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Thank you, Nywoman, that's what I was thinking. I believe that adding that special touch to my trip it would make more sense.
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Old Nov 25th, 2016, 07:07 PM
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Thank you, dgunbug. I was reading about the spirit of that city and automatically catched my attention. I believe I like the idea of doing it, too!
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Old Nov 25th, 2016, 07:12 PM
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Thank you, MinnBeef. LOL! Nooo... I would be crazy to go to Japan from Peru for 4 days! I'm going to Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai, Kyoto, (probably Hiroshima and Miyajima), then Kuala Lumpur, and finally Cambodia and Vietnam. It's a 6 weeks trip. And that flight to Kyoto was an escape between Shanghai and Cambodia. It wasn't planned at the beginning, but as I was in Tokio last year, I decided to go back to Japan, as I loved it so much! But I appreciate very much your advice. Thank you again!
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Old Nov 25th, 2016, 07:44 PM
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Actually, given your statement that, "I already covered what I want to see in Kyoto in 3 days," I though you were saying that you were already in Kyoto and had seen everything you wanted to see there. Now that I know that you are planning your trip, I would strongly suggest that you consider cutting back on your itinerary so you can spend more time actually seeing things and less time in transit. I understand the desire to fit everything in, but there really is, I think, a point at which you are short-changing too many things and spending way too much time (and money!) getting from one place to another. Too, I’ve realized that if I can return to a region, the LAST thing that I am likely to want to do is spend my time re-tracing all that extra travel time so that I can go back and finally see the things I skipped the first time. In fact, I might end up not returning specifically because it would mean wasting so much time going from place to place! So give some thought to seeing fewer places for longer intervals.
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Old Nov 26th, 2016, 08:01 AM
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When you say 4 days to spend in Kyoto, do you mean 4 nights, and therefore only 3 actual days, or do you mean 5 nights and 4 full days?

Personally, even with 5 nights, I'd spend the lot of it in Kyoto, if you want to do a day trip, I'd restrict to somewhere nearby such as Nara, Osaka, Uji, Yamazaki, Kobe... all within close travel distance. If it's only 4 nights then I'd recommend that even more strongly.

Hiroshima, is of course an amazing experience and one I wholeheartedly recommend, BUT personally I'd leave it until you have more time to spend in Japan and can visit Hiroshima AND overnight on Miyajima, without shortchanging yourself on Kyoto.

Have you got all your flights between the various countries in East Asia already booked or do you have some leeway to play around with the itinerary? You are spending a LOT of time travelling for very little time actually sightseeing anything!
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Old Nov 26th, 2016, 08:35 AM
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Kyoto- Nara is about 700 JPY each way.
Kyoto- Hiroshima is about 10,000 JPY each way.
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Old Nov 26th, 2016, 10:49 AM
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We were in Kyoto during cherry blossom time and ended up skipping Nara after some visitors at our little hotel came back and said it was a crowded nightmare with school field trips. So...take the season into account. We just did another day in Kyoto, walking the Philosopher's Path and going to the Golden Temple which we hadn't managed to squeeze in during out other four days there!

On the other hand, Hiroshima is an incredibly cool experience. With the history, there's nothing like it. Loved the museum. Loved the Peace Park. We were lucky enough to be able to go to Miyajima too, but Hiroshima is the real star. (Eat oysters in these towns; they are amazing.)

It sounds like you have quite a big trip going with other countries, etc., so you might just wing it according to how you feel then. If you're tired, do Nara or another day in Kyoto. If you're up for it, pull a long day to and from Hiroshima.
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Old Nov 28th, 2016, 08:08 AM
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We went to Hiroshima. We also stopped at Himeji and made a long day out of the whole trip: Kyoto to Himeji to see the Castle, Himeji to Hiroshima via Okayama (transfer to faster train), Hiroshima Peace Park area and back to Kyoto (via Osaka). Everything worked out fine even though our shinkansen to Himeji was late (yeah, you read that right - the whole network was delayed because of the earthquake off of Fukushima).
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Old Nov 28th, 2016, 09:01 AM
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Go to Nara instead of Hiroshima if you must go somewhere. If you go to Nara you will have time to see some sights and enjoy yourself. If you go to Hiroshima you will see more of the inside of the train that day than anything else and it would be a long day.

Aloha!
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Old Nov 29th, 2016, 07:00 PM
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Well, it would help if you gave more info on your interests...and I presume the cost of going to Hiroshima is not a factor in your decision.

No matter how you fit it in, you should make some time available to see Nara - many of the best places are in the Nara Park area, which is just 20 minutes on foot from the JR Nara Station - and if you go to the Kintetsu Nara Station, you are all but at the entrance to the park. The Todaiji Temple is a must-see place - many other temples years from now may turn into a blur, but *not* this place. Skipping it would be like going to India and missing the Taj Mahal. There are other sights close by as well, such as the Kofukuji Temple, Kasuga Grand Shrine, and Isuien & Yoshikien Gardens. Yould could cover all of them easily in less than half a day.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...TIKwkioxuAKwt5

This is not to shortchange Kyoto of course; you could spend months there and not see all there is. And you could see Hiroshima/Miyajima as a day trip with an early morning start and return after sunset. But one way it'd take 2-2½ hours depending on what bullet train you take, which is time taken away from sightseeing (returning in the dark isn't so important). But then again, maybe you can't ride bullet trains back home so it could be a fun experience.
And Miyajima is also a gem of a place too - most people just stampede to the Itsukushima Shrine and don't see much else - but the Daishoin Temple is in many ways far more varied and beautiful.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...KGUB-HPKNxP10Q

If you just can't decide, you could of course do both - take half a day for Nara, a full day for Hiroshima/Miyajima and 2½ days for Kyoto, seeing just the best of the best. The Honganji Temples near Kyoto Station open at the crack of dawn, and the Fushimi Inari Shrine is open 24/7, so you could still fit a lot of places in a day's itinerary with an early morning start. And if you really want to burn the candle at both ends, after the temples in Kyoto close around dusk you can spend the evening in Osaka, or on another evening in Kobe. At night Osaka comes alive and has some great places to see, such as Dotonbori, plus the night views from the Umeda Sky Bldg and Abeno Harukas Bldg are wonderful.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...K2bcKCzr2pJQh2

It is all up to your stamina and enthusiasm, really.
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