Springtime in Japan: Help Me Plan
 

We’ve been trying to visit Japan since 2018 and for one reason or another have not made it back. We were there in 2012 - Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, and Nara - and thoroughly enjoyed our time there. What called to us were the unique culture, beautiful temples, magnificent gardens, great food, the cleanliness, and first-rate infrastructure.

For our return trip we’re looking at May 2023, after the Golden Week holidays and hopefully cherry blossom crowds. We intend to see, do, and experience a variety of places, from big cities to small towns and nature.

A rough itinerary starts us in Tokyo and conclude in western Japan. Stops we are eager to hit along the way are Kanazawa, Takayama, Kyoto, Okayama / Himeji, Tsuwano / Hagi, and Matsue. Other places are of interest but this seems to be the most we could fit in 3+ weeks on the ground. Right now I’m thinking 4 nights each in Tokyo and Kyoto and 2 or 3 nights elsewhere, to allow time to get outside of the bases (for example, a day hike in the Japanese Alps from Takayama).

I’m interested in thoughts and feedback from those are more Japan pros than me.

If for some reason we don’t get to go in May, then it will be at the top of the list for November next year.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

If you are going to be in Okayama you might consider checking out Kurashiki. We did an overnight there and the canal was really lovely at night. We had great yakitori at Takataya (Takadaya). We just did Okayama as a day trip from Kurashiki. We enjoyed Matsue when we were there (we were there for 4 nights- probably one night too long really). We did a day trip to Izumo Taisha and a day trip to Sakaiminato. We had planned to go to Iwami Ginzan instead of Sakaiminato but it was pouring rain and we figured that wouldn't be pleasant to visit in the rain. Sakaiminato is the home of Shigeru Mizuki, the creator of GeGeGe no Kitaro a manga that features weird looking characters (one character just has a giant eyeball for a head) and there were little statues all over of these characters. Not a must do but a fun little outing. There is also a shrine there that has these characters on their ema. In Matsue we enjoyed dinner at Akishima (english menu) and a curry lunch at Karly.
Have not been to Hagi or Tsuwano mostly because the travel to get there was complicated from where we were. I seem to recall it's easier to get there from Kyushu. We hope to include those on a future trip.

valgalchi and mrwunrfl, thank you for your incredible feedback and for letting me know I’m on the right track. I will continue to research and may have other questions.

We enjoyed Kanazawa on our last trip in 2016. We went for the garden but I also loved the food market, and can recommend the Ono Karakuri Museum at Kanazawa Port.
If you're into driving (we love driving in Japan) you may enjoy a few days to go up and round the Noto Peninsula. Can recommend Noto Tukumowan Hyakurakuso as a beautiful place to stay.
We visited Takayama on our first trip in 2012, and although it was crowded I am so glad we timed the visit for their matsuri festival in spring. Also enjoyed superb Hida wagyu while there. We did 2 nights.

Kavey, thanks for your thoughts on Kanazawa and Takayama.

I have nothing to add but I'm thrilled that you'll be going in the spring, as I'm planning to go in the fall of 2023 and your plans are always helpful to me!

Progol, happy to be of any help. Will this be your first visit? Do you have destinations within Japan in mind?

Thanks so much, tripplanner! I’ve got a rough itinerary for 3 weeks which I had planned 2 years ago when I expected Japan to open earlier than it did (didn’t we all?). We leave mid-October 2023 and I’m still waiting to get my return tickets - finally have enough FF miles to squeeze out tickets, but just barely!

The rough plan is pretty standard: Tokyo; Matsumoto; Takayama; Kanazawa; Kyoto. I’m considering day trips to Hakone and to Nara (vs staying over). I’m looking at the Nakesendo trail for a possible day trip or 1 night stay. At this stage of our lives, I’d prefer to have longer stays and do day trips, but it’s always a trade off since I love the feeling after the crowds leave. I also wonder if a place like Takayama has become overtouristed and we’re better off skipping it.

So that’s the current thinking. I really enjoy following your trips and love your planning process.

progol, I recommend keeping Takayama. A night or two, avoiding the weekend (there is/was an outdoor market, Sat. morning I think, that is not worthwhile at all, imo, but some like it), and avoiding the October festival. I've visited Takayama 3 times, once during the spring matsuri (all before the J-tourism boom) which was busy but fun. It ended on a Saturday. When I went out on Sunday I looked around and and wondered "where did everybody go?

Your rough plan is a good one. It goes straight across the Japan Alps: Matsumoto - Kamikochi - Okuhida - Takayama - Shirakawago - Kanazawa. I think your timing would be good for fall colors on that route <- that is based on the fact that Takayama holds their fall festival at that time. Thar route would be by bus, and you do want to reserve seats in advance.

Or, you could skip that, and just take the train around from Matsumoto to Takayama via Toyama (with a stop in Nagano on the way to visit the awesome Zenko-ji - I did this going from Matsumoto to Tokyo and there were some nice views from the train as it was getting to Nagano). You could base in Matsumoto for the Nakasendo, Kamikochi, Nagano or that place with the snow monkeys. You could probably extend the day trip to Kamikochi by taking the bus from Matsumoto to Okuhida, ropeway up the mountain, and then ropeway or walk/hike down to Kamikochi (I have not done this) and then back to Matsumoto (I suppose you could go to Kamikochi first, then Okuhida and end the day in Takayama . There is some serious hiking around Kamikochi. The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine route would also be an option if you go around, instead of through, the J-Alps. And you could easily visit Shirakawago from Kanazawa (yes, S-go is touristed, for good reason, but the overnight stay there one January was one of the best ever experiences I have had in 11 trips to Japan).

Maybe you knew all this but I am just enthusiastic about this part of your plan and enjoy reminiscing. But if you got to the point of wondering if you should visit Kamikochi, the answer is yes.you should. I had one more thing to mention ...

Thank you, mrwunrfl! Wonderful suggestions! I’m not yet at the point where I’m refining my itinerary but I love the many possibilities you suggest. I appreciate the recommendation to keep Takayama, as it does look lovely, even if a bit overtouristed. I’ve read how other people have loved it as well, so it’ll stay in the plan as of now!

It’ll be a while before I fine tune so now I’ll just step back and enjoy watching tripplanner refine his plan!😉

Planning is part of the fun, isn't it, progol? I would suggest overnighting if you're going to include Hakone given the distance. It's been a decade now, but I recall lots of logistics on different trains, trams, boats, etc. The transportation through scenery is part of the appeal. Nara was easy to do as a day trip, but we wouldn't mind staying over.

Planning is fun but narrowing things down is so tough! I always want to do it all😉 but I have plenty of time. Still want to find the return flight and then I’ll start making decisions. Thanks for the suggestion about Hakone - I’ll definitely keep that in mind.

YES, this!
I just returned from 4 weeks in South Korea and that's a longer time than most have for their first visit and yet I still couldn't fit loads of places and things in to the itinerary... it was hard to narrow down!
But I too find such enjoyment in the whole researching, planning, refining, booking and tweaking process!

>> I had one more thing to mention ...

I see that I duplicated some suggestions that I offered in that post and in a reply to the OP. The one more thing might have been to suggest (to both of you) that you will (should) use the luggage delivery service to send bags ahead and travel light through the J-Alps. Well, that advice applies to any travel in Japan.

Progol, I agree about narrowing down. I struggle with it every time. But I always assume I would return.

Mrwunrfl, thank you for the reminder about the luggage delivery service.

tripplanner and Kavey,

The research is lots of fun, though I wish I was 40 years younger (and significantly wealthier!) and could look forward to many return trips! Not so much anymore, though who knows? Maybe we, too, will fall in love with Japan and return multiple times like so many others I keep reading about. Still, I'm glad I can make plans to go at all; not everyone can, so for that, I'm very grateful.

Thus far all the friends that I've helped with their first trips have fallen hard for Japan and some have already planned and made return visits. I'm not sure why so many of us fall so hard but for me it's en enduring love affair.

I am glad to read you're still enjoying the planning and travelling – long may it continue! 🥰

>> fallen hard for Japan
I remember the moment. I've told this story from my first trip before.

I was leaving Matsuyama, Shikoku, taking the bus to the port for the hydrofoil to Hiroshima. It was going down the main street when I noticed a boy walking in the same direction. He was maybe 9 or 10 years old, wearing his school uniform - shorts, boxy backpack, cap. Was just walking along and looking around a bit, but on a mission to get to wherever. He stopped and spoke to a shopkeeper who was sweeping the sidewalk in front of his shop. And then he continued heading home? as the bus drew away. I had an intense feeling of relief. It just added on to the understanding that I had gained during the previous few days that Japan was safe and people were kind, no BS or pickpockets or anything to stress about. It was a glimple daily life and I loved it.

Wonderful views at sunset from that hydrofoil. I will mention that the train ride across the Seto Ohashi Bridge at sunset is stunning. Going across that bridge is good reason enough to go to Shikoku (from Okayama). It was dark from the bridge to Matsuyama so I might have to do that again in daylight. And stop in Kojima (denim capital of Japan!) to get the view of the bridge and Seto Nai Kai.

I too will follow along as we are going back to Japan in October. I recommend Kanazawa. We used a Goodwill Guide there and really enjoyed our day with her. The Noto Peninsula is beautiful, but you may need a car or driver to explore it. Check out the Kurobe Gorge its a lovely trip.

I visited Kurobe Gorge three years ago and spent the night at a ryokan hotel in Unazuki Onsen. It was quite cold on the train ride, but that was Nov 19, so October wouild be better. The previous couple of nights I spent at the APA Kanazawa Chuo where I had stayed on a previous trip. Tiny room, quite inexpensive, good location (chuo = central) and a nice bonus: an outdoor bath on the roof.

Also need guidance
 

I could also benefit from some guidance in planning our spring trip to Japan. We are first time visitors. I have already reserved our first 4 nights and last night in Tokyo followed by 3 nights in Kyoto. We then have 8 nights and want to spend 1 night on Naoshima and several visiting Hiroshima and Miyajima.

One of my questions is sequence. Should we go straight to Hiroshima and from there go to Naoshima or vice versa? Any other 'must visit' places we should visit? I've been told Osaka is worthwhile, but I'm concerned that it's a lot of big city time and considering skipping it.

any and all suggestions are much appreciated.

Do you already have Nara on your list? Many visit as a day trip from Kyoto but we did an overnight there, staying in a gorgeous historical ryokan right by Todaiji Temple’s Nandaimon (Great Southern Gate). It was lovely to be able to take a walk in the park in the quieter hours.

We only did one night on Miyajima (after a morning in Hiroshima) and I wish we'd had two nights on the island, to give us more time there.

Not been to Naoshima, is on my list for a future visit.

I'm one of the few who didn't love Osaka. We stayed a couple of nights on our first visit and I gave it another try on the second, but it's just not for me. I did get to try local food specialities, but other than that, didn't fall for it like so many seem to do. Shrug, just personal tastes!

Do you already have Nara on your list? Many visit as a day trip from Kyoto but we did an overnight there, staying in a gorgeous historical ryokan right by Todaiji Temple’s Nandaimon (Great Southern Gate). It was lovely to be able to take a walk in the park in the quieter hours.

We only did one night on Miyajima (after a morning in Hiroshima) and I wish we'd had two nights on the island, to give us more time there.

Not been to Naoshima, is on my list for a future visit.

I'm one of the few who didn't love Osaka. We stayed a couple of nights on our first visit and I gave it another try on the second, but it's just not for me. I did get to try local food specialities, but other than that, didn't fall for it like so many seem to do. Shrug, just personal tastes!

thank you Kavey, so maybe an overnight in Nara after our 3 nights in Kyoto? and from there to Hiroshima....and we thought Miyajima was a day trip, but perhaps a night or two there....

part of what I find challenging, never having been to Japan, is deciding how to sequence the different stops to minimize travel time...

your reply is helpful

Maybe start ypur own thread. I think you will get more responses with a thread specific to your questions.

Yes good idea!

Coming back to this after time for additional research, contemplation, and discussion. We're now looking at reluctantly dropping Matsue but adding a slice of Kyushu. However we slice it, we could use more time but are limited by what we have available. A working itinerary is as follows:

Fly into Tokyo, 4 nights
Train to Kanazawa, 2 nights
Bus to Takayama, 3 nights, stopping in Shirakawa-go along the way and day trip to Kamikochi weather permitting
Train to Kyoto, 4 nights
Train to Kurashiki, 2 nights, day trip to Okayama and Himeji
Train to Hagi, 2 nights
Train to Nagasaki, 3 nights
Train to Kagoshima, 2 nights

We could eliminate Kagoshima and redistribute the 2 nights to reduce some of the moving around.

What do you think of this allocation? We've previously visited Tokyo and Kyoto and are happy with 4 nights in each but all the other places will be new to us.

We also want to stay in a ryokan. We are looking for the cultural and gastronomic experience, but don't want the restrictions that go with it, so we're only looking at doing this once. Do you have a favorite to recommend?

Anything glaring that I'm missing or a fine detail that will enhance the trip?

Thanks again.

I don't think it looks too bad. You might consider Fukuoka instead of Kagoshima. It's a lot closer to Nagasaki and you end up going through Fukuoka to get to Kagoshima (so it lessens your travel time). From Fukuoka you can visit Nanzoin Temple and Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine. You could side trip to Arita as well if the pottery interests you (we enjoyed the little town and picked up some sake cups).
Or, you could take the Kagoshima time and add Onomichi. You can do it as a day trip from Kurashiki. It doesn't have any major sites but it's a lovely little town.
And to be clear I have nothing against Kagoshima- we have an entire Kyushu road trip planned out that was delayed by covid so we hope to see it next year (it's Kyushu minus Fukuoka & Nagasaki which we say on a previous trip). It just seems a bit like a far outlier.
In Takayama we had our one and only ryokan experience. We stayed at Oyado Koto no Yume. Someone on another board scoffed at it as not being a "real" ryokan but it did the trick for us. We wanted a place were we didn't have to eat dinner and when we booked (this was in 2017) they gave the option of doing a half board with either breakfast or dinner. We did breakfast and it was great. And it wasn't too expensive.
We liked the curry at Jakson and the tonkatsu at Masakatsu and tasting sake at the Funasaka Shuzo Brewery in Takayama. They have a nice little courtyard area to sit in.
In Nagasaki we enjoyed dinners at Tarafuku Asa (izakaya) and Osakaya Hamamachiten (yakiniku). Sadly the lovely little sushi place we went to closed.

>> day trip to Kamikochi

How are you going to do this? Just bus to there and back to Takayama? Drive? It looks like I brought up Kamikochi on this thread, and mentioned going one-way, Matsumoto to Kanazwa, across the J-Alps. I might have also mentioned Kamikochi as a good day trip from Matsumoto, but I would not want to do that from Takayama. Maybe you can find a day trip spot\ closer to Takayama. There is a shrine/temple walk/hike just outside the eastern edge of Takayama, maybe still in city limits, quite close, close enough to walk to, but might not be what you want. For all the bus travel in that region I would be looking at schedules now and probably have the bus tickets before I left for Japan.

Sumiyoshi Ryokan is nice, get a room by the river. (would be Best Western for me for the other night(s))
Overnight in Shirakawago is quite worthwhile (rec: Koemon)

>> Train to Kurashiki, 2 nights, day trip to Okayama and Himeji
A bit ambitious, I think to have Himeji as part of this 2-night period, but to do it you would be a bit better off by staying in Okayama. There is some unique loding in Kurashiki and Okayama would be a part-day trip if you keep that to the castle and garden.

>> dropping Matsue but adding a slice of Kyushu.
>> Train to Nagasaki, 3 nights
>> Train to Kagoshima, 2 nights

umm, uhh, okaay

>> >> day trip to Kamikochi
iow, check the bus schedule to see if the travel time makes sense for you. For me, the trip fromTak to Kam was kind of interesting but got a bit tedious, so i would not want to do it both ways on the same day. but maybe worth it to you.

valgalchi and mrwunrfl, thank you both. I will take a look at your ryokan suggestions as well as some modifications to our itinerary.

Perhaps including Kyushu is too much with the amount of time we have considering the other places we are visiting. Just have to come back.

Will take a closer look at Kamikochi. Not looking to overnight as I’m trying to avoid one-nighters. Perhaps visiting the Japanese Alps does not make sense for this itinerary.

As far as Kurashiki, Okayama, and Himeji, we could add an additional night, especially if we’re shifting elsewhere. Does it make more sense to visit Himeji as a day trip from Okayama or Kurashiki or en route from Kyoto?

If we eliminated Kyushu and one night from Takayama (the 3rd night was for a day trip to Kamikochi), we will have 6 nights to play with.

I personally see no issue with your including Kyushu. Perhaps going all the way to Kagoshima, yes, but Nagasaki or Fukuoka I don't see as an issue. We did a trip where we flew to to Fukuoka (through Tokyo) and then headed back to Tokyo with stops in Nagasaki, Hiroshima, Onomichi, Kurashiki, Matsue, and even Sendai (flew from Matsue to Tokyo then train to Sendai for two nights then to Tokyo to fly out). With plenty of day trips as well.
We did do Okayama as a day trip from Kurashiki (seeing only the castle & garden- personally not my favorite garden or castle). And we did Himeji as a day trip from Osaka. You could do it as a day trip from Kyoto but I think seeing it on the way from Kyoto to Kurashiki could work as well (though you'd want to send your luggage ahead & only carry a smaller bag with you).
I would look at Hagi and how you plan to get from there & to your next destination. We left it off our trip because it wasn't well connected and seemed like it would take a lot of our time. Perhaps the connections have gotten better (our trip in that area was in 2017).
If you did want to drop Kyushu you could look at adding Hiroshima & Miyajima since you'll be in that area. We did Miyajima as a day trip but many people love it as an overnight. You could probably do a ryokan there. And we did a day trip to Matsuyama from Hiroshima which was fun.
Have you thought about Matsumoto? We stopped to see the castle there on our way from Tokyo to Takayama (train to Matsumoto then bus to Takayama). We spent 2 nights in Takayama and then went to Kanazawa for two nights (via bus from Takayama to Kanazawa). And then from Kanazawa to Kyoto. So you might think about switching the order for Takayama & Kanazawa and fitting that in. Being able to see two of the three "best" original castles would be nice (considered by many to be the best at least). But depends on your interest in castles.

>> Okayama or Kurashiki or en route from Kyoto?
Okayama makes more zsense than Kurahiki because it is a major stop on the shinkansen line, you wquld take JR local from there to Kurashiki. baaically Okayama is between Himeji and Kurashiki, so it would be a good base. But it is nbd if you want to stay at a particular place in Kurashiki
enroute makes sense, sure. easy enough

valgalchi, thank you. We love castles and will take a look at Matsumoto. We're intentionally avoiding Hiroshima and Miyajima for this trip as we would be there around the time of the upcoming G7 summit and expect security zone restrictions, etc.

mrwunrfl, the only reason why we're leaning towards Kurashiki is that it is a smaller place as we're looking for a mix of landscapes given that we're already staying in large urban areas. Will definitely take a look at staying in Okayama as opposed to Kurashiki.

I'd stick to Kurashiki for your overnight. Walking along the canal at night was lovely. Not something you'll get other places.

I second the upthread suggestion to re-order your first part of the itinerary by traveling in the direction of Tokyo>Takayama>Kanazawa>Kyoto. I'd also recommand adding Matsumoto to your overnight stays.

Step 1) take a limited express train from Tokyo -> Matsumoto. In Matsumoto, visit the famous castle (ask for an English Goodwill tour guide near the castle entrance). Then, if you like miso, take a taxi to the Ishii Miso (石井味噌) factory, and have a miso-themed lunch in their shop/cafateria. You may aslo ask for an English tour of the miso factory if you like.

Step 2) Take a Takayama-Matsumoto Line bus from Matsumoto->Hirayu Onsen->Takayama. Either buy a through ticket to Takayama, or buy two separate tickets to break-off the ride in Hirayu Onsen. In Hirayu Onsen, you may store your luggage in a locker, then buy r/t bus tickets on the kamikochi-line to take a detour from Hirayu Onsen to Kamikochi and back, then continue on to Takayama.

The scenery along the Matsumoto<->Takayam line is very pretty.
Takayama-Matsumoto Line: https://www.nouhibus.co.jp/highwaybus/matsumoto_en/
Kamikochi Line: https://www.nouhibus.co.jp/route_bus/kamikochi-line-en/

3) Take a bus from Takayama ->shirakawago-> Kanazawa. Either a through ticket or two separate tickets, depending on if you want to break off in Shirkawago to spend a few hours there for a quick look or spend a night there. The bus seats on this route are reserved, therefore you'll need to purchase these tickets as soon as you arrive in Takayama. Otherwise the seats may be sold out on the day you want to travel.

The scenery along this route is not as pretty as the segment between Takayama-Matsumoto, because there are many tunnels, and you cannot see any scenery from inside a tunnel.
Takayam-Kanazawa Line: https://www.nouhibus.co.jp/highwaybus/kanazawa_en/

valgalchi gave a good enough reason to stay in Kurashiki. You would want to visit Himeji enroute in that case.You can ignore my advice abouit staying in Okayama.
You wanted to avoid one-night stays then you could stop in Matsumoto for a couple nights with a day trip to Kamikochi. Then go around by train via Toyama to Takayama or Kanazawa. There are lots of ways to navigate J-Alps, including from west to eatt, given your next stoo is Kyot

I love Kyushu, but it seemed to appear at random on your itin and I am a big fan Matsue. The G7 thing explains what I was wondering about. Hagi is kind of out there geo-wise, making Kurashiki= Hagi- Nagasaki a bit complicagted or time consuming. Or maybe not, but your time/route options for getting to Hagi and away are not as obvious as, say, Tokyo to Kanazawa.

I'm not the OP, but thank you for posting this. We will be traveling from Matsumoto to Kamikochi (1 night) then on to Takayama. I haven't started looking at transportation yet, but that is on my agenda.

tripplanner001, we are also going in May, just after Golden Week. We just used some info from your recent Thailand trip report while in Bangkok week before last!

There is/was a rail to bus option from Matsumoto to Kamikochi.