Hi

We are travelling to Japan and will be spending 2 weeks as follows:

3 days Sapporo
2 days Hiroshima / Miyajima
2 days Osaka / Himeji
3 days Kyoto
1 day Hakone / Mt Fuji
4 days Tokyo

Which of the following sites do you recommend we visit and why - Nikko or Nara or Kamakura (I think after Kyoto we will have seen enough temples and the like).


Many thanks for your advice.

I suggest:
d) None of the above.

For two reasons: 1) you've got a lot on your plate and 2) you figure you will be templed-out after 3 days in Kyoto.

Nara has some great sights, though, and it is accessible from both Osaka and Kyoto. Could be a day trip from Osaka. Or an overnight between Osaka and Kyoto.

I guess it could be a day trip from Osaka but what I meant to say it would be a good day trip from Kyoto.

I agree with mrwunrfl. Your plate looks very full. You will see a lot in the areas you are covering. No use in adding more to your schedule. I am one who thinks Nikko is worth more than a day trip from Tokyo. I suggest spending the night there. It would be a long day trip if you do.

If it were me, and I know it isn't, I would drop the 2 days in Osaka and add one more to Kyoto and Hakone. You can do a day trip to Himeji from Kyoto if you feel you must.

Save Osaka for another trip unless there is something there you must see as it is the least interesting of all the cities on your agenda imho.

Aloha!

I would vote for Kamakura. It was one of my favorite places when I visited Japan, and we did it as a day trip from Tokyo by train.

While I also visited Kyoto and Nara, I fell in love with Kamakura because it's such a wonderfully quaint little town to just walk around. We were there during cherry blossom time, and the promenade that goes from the temple to the sea was lined with blooming trees and filled with locals just enjoying the day. It was magical, and a wonderful break from the big cities.
I also stayed 3 days in Kyoto, but did a side trip to Nara on one of those. I think you could fit both in. Sounds like a terrific trip!

Hi, freddofrog04 -

If you think you'll have had your fill of temples, then you might consider going to Nikko to see Lake Chuzenji and Kegon-no-Taki. But as others have said, your schedule is pretty full already!

Hope that helps.