south from Toyama or north from Nagoya
 

I am planning to visit Takayama and other locations along the JR line between Toyama and Nagoya.

Will be using a FF award in Japan and am currently scheduled to fly from Sapporo to Toyama. Then I would head south to Takayama, Gero, ..., and on to Kyoto. It is a connecting flight. An option would be to fly non-stop to Nagoya then take the train to Takayama.

Is there any reason to take the connecting flight to Toyama? Anything to see there? Is the rail trip between Toyama and Takayama particularly scenic or interesting?

If I go north from Nagoya, then I guess it would be easy enough to just continue to Toyama after seeing the Gifu-ken sights. I seem to remember from previous reading that there is a notable onsen near Fukui. I did rush through Kanazawa on my last trip and it deserves more time. hmm

Toyama is a much smaller city than Nagoya. You'll be able to breeze in and out of the airport, faster than Nagoya. Toyama is closer to Takayama than Nagoya. Toyama isn't a destination in itself, but it is an well laid out small city that is easy to get around. It has some temples and a good flea market the first Sunday of the month except in winter.

Since you are in the area, may I recommend Shirakawa-go? It's one of my favorite places...I like it more than anywhere I've ever been in Japan! During Golden Week, for the past 5 years at least, the cherry blossoms have been at their peak in Shirakawa-go...very lovely with the grass-roofed Gassho houses.

Of course, I recommend Kanazawa....I live there! When is your trip? I know you've said so, but I can't remember.

It will probably be May 31 when I go through Toyama or Nagoya on the way to Takayama and Shirakawago.

I suppose it would be easier to get around both the Toyama airport and eki than Nagoya. Any experience with connections in Haneda? I would have 55 minutes to connect in HND from a Sapporo flight to the Toyama flight (both on JAL). I would spend the first four of June visiting Takayama and Shirakawago, maybe Matsumoto.

Toyama airport is 20 minutes or so from the station by taxi (about 3000 yen). Nagoya airport is about 40 minutes from the station without traffic. I haven't used Toyama airport before, but my friend's husband does all the time because parking is free. He says it's a really easy airport. I've used Nagoya airport a lot for international flights, but not domestic. Haneda is easy to navigate and you'll have plenty of time.

May/June will be LOVELY.

Between Kanazawa and Fukui there are some very nice onsen towns. Yamanaka and Yamashiro are just lovely...small towns with lovely onsen hotels and walking paths. Yamanaka is famous for lacquerware...just gorgeous. The big onsen town is Kaga onsen, which is really an entire area of many towns and many onsen. Personally, I really like Yamanaka and Yamashiro. The bigger places, like Kaga, Gero, Wakura...they have well deserved reputations for baths and service...but I find them to be overtouristed, somewhat tacky and often overpriced. You've really got to look hard in the big onsens to find a hotel that isn't, how can I say, overdone. The bigger hotels almost always cater to groups and company outings.

A night in Shirakawago might be nice. Some minshuku there have open hearth dining and hinoki baths (for the life of me I can't remember the English for hinoki, sorry). The village really quiets down at night after tourists leave and you can really enjoy the peace and quiet. You can also experience soba making and weaving at the small museum there.

Do you know anything about the Kiso valley between Matsumoto and Nagoya?

Yes...we've been meaning to go there for years now - but haven't yet so no first-hand info. Magome and Tsumago are supposed to be very picturesque.

Friends have gone and walked between the two villages and really enjoyed the walk. The villages aren't too difficult to get to...not direct train, but buses serve the villages. I'm not sure of times and such, as we have a car and drive most places. I'd go there if it fits well in your route.

You know, you just made it click it my head where Tsumago really is. I could go south from Toyama to Takayama, then north on JR Chuo line to Nakatsugawa and local trains in the valley. A visit to Matsumoto-jo and then south on the Lida line that goes from Matsumoto to Lida to Toyohashi. OR Matsumoto- Kofu- Hakone.

Or north from Nagoya and instead of turning left at Toyama for Kanazawa and south to Kyoto, I turn right to Matsumoto and south to Nagoya. Then a shinkansen to Himeji and back to Kyoto.

Exactly right. Matsumoto is supposed to be very nice as well. Your trip includes many of our "need to see but haven't gotten around to them yet" places. That's the problem when you live somewhere...you get lazy about sightseeing.

I was just poking around the Japan Airlines website to check on their Welcome to Japan Fare. Accidentally clicked on a link that showed a map identifying the cities in Japan served by JAL. That's how I learned that JAL flies to Matsumoto, one of the places I want to visit. Not only that, but they go there non-stop from Sapporo.