Hello. My boyfriend and I will be in Japan in early May for about 3 - 4 days before we head off to S'pore. We would like to find out which of these cities ; Osaka, Tokyo or Nagoya should be our destination for such a short period of time. Natural beauty of Japan & day trips are what we're most interested in. Any help is appreciated. Thanks !

You won't find any "natural beauty" in Nagoya or Osaka itself. Paradoxically, Tokyo is much better than those two cities and would allow for daytrips to Nikko, Kamakura, Fuji 5 lakes area, Boso peninsula ... <BR> <BR>The best would be Kyoto or Nara. Have a look at JNTO site (www.jnto.go.jp), then come back for more precise information if you need.

Another vote for Kyoto and Nara, i do know that it is not inclusive in your short lists. <BR>What's about Fukuoka, the best city to live in Asia? What you think Florence? <BR> <BR>Welcome to asia.

Hi Pat, sorry, no opinion about Fukuoka since I have yet to go there, but since it is the location for Sumo Kyushu Basho, it must be a great place indeed.

Have lived in Tokyo for almost one year, and not much natural beauty to see here, and none in Osaka. Kyoto is great - definitely go. If you are up in Tokyo, Nikko is easy trip. Haven't been, but heard great things.

Hi Anita <BR>Just got back from Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe 2 weeks ago. My vote goes to Kyoto. More to see and easy to get around. Don't forget to stop by the tourist info at the train station. Get all the maps and ask for free pass for the bus ride. The bus annouce stops both in Japanese and English. My favourite is the old Kyoto area (can't remember the name). There's a temple up the hill and you walk thru narrow street full of little shops. Plan on spending at least 1/2 day there. Osaka, one day is plenty. Just a huge city. Have a nice trip.

I don't normally do hotel 'tours', but did take a one day pkg. trip in Tokyo to Nikko, as it was convenient. My mother and I really enjoyed it. We saw a lot of beautiful scenery and the cherry blossoms were just ending their bloom in the mountains. It wasn't that bad being in a tour bus.

Paul, <BR>the old Kyoto area you refer to is called Higashiyama, the temple is Kiyomizu-dera. From there, you can walk all the way to Yasaka-Jinja in Gion through the shop lined streets. A very nice walk, especially in the Spring.

Thanks everyone for the great replies. They are extremely helpful !! Looks like Kyoto & Nara gets the best votes. Should we stay in these places or should we keep them as day trips and stay in the bigger cities ? How far away are they from Osaka & Tokyo ? <BR> <BR>

Hi Anita, <BR> <BR>Kyoto is a big city (about 2 mios), but easy to navigate, contrary to Tokyo. Nara is smaller. You should consider staying in Kyoto and going to Nara as a daytrip. <BR> <BR>Kyoto is 3 hours away from Tokyo by bullet train, 1 hour from Osaka. <BR> <BR>You'll find more details about travelling in Japan in the database of www.jnto.go.jp

Hi Florence. Once again you've been a great help. I've been to the website and learned a lot about the different accommodations available to tourist in Japan. Although, accommodations seemed very expensive, I am very interested in staying in a Ryokan. Have you been to any in Kyoto/ Nara / Tokyo that you can suggest.

I only stay in small family-run ryokan, members of the Welcome Inns or Japanese inn Group ( http://members,aol.com/jinngroup ). My favorite in Kyoto is Ryokan Hiraiwa, then Ryokan Kyoka, but there are many more, all good IMO. In Nara, Ryokan Seikan-so. Of course, for that price (around yen 4500-5000/person/night), don't expect any room service or private bath, but they are clean, friendly, well located in traditional areas, and used to foreign visitors.

If you decide to go to Kyoto, so the best airport you should fly into is Kansai (Osaka).

You're right on the money, Pat.

We will be in Japan last half of Aug-early Sept. for first time. Will spend a few days in Hakone region, thinking of Fujiya Hotel. Any of you climbed Fuji-San and is it "worth" it?

Well, climbing Fuji-san is not the mystical experience some people claim, unless your definition of "mystical" encompases coaches full of (mostly Japanese) tourists up to the 5th station, paths full of litter, empty soda and beer cans, cramped and rather unconfortable lodges for the few hours of sleep until the last walk to the summit before sunrise ... On the other hand, the view from there at sunrise is really stunning on a clear day. Beware since August has very few of them because of the heat and humidity (and pollution).

Carol--I've never climbed Fuji-san but my friends who have say it's not for amateur climbers. It's a rough climb and might not be worth it. But I do recommend the Fuji-ya hotel and even if you don't climb all the way, you can go up part-way. There are other sights to see in the area such as Hakone and many onsens, also. Have fun! Erin