I am pulling this trip together at the last minute, and as I am doing the planning now I am jet lagged, having just arrived back in the US 24 hours ago from a 2 week trip to Austria with a little bit of Germany. I mention the tired and jet lagged because that is influencing my thinking about how much to try to see and do in Japan. This will be my second trip to Japan, and I am trying to plan itineraries for several days before and several days after an 8 night cycling trip that starts in Himeji and ends in Hiroshima. During the cycling tour we will be moving to a different hotel location every one of those 8 nights. Changing hotels every night is certainly not my favorite way to travel, but that's the trade off for taking what I think will be a good (leisurely level and pacing) cycling trip.

Now that I have filled in the background, does what I am planning make sense to you? In my time before the cycling trip I want to be in an interesting (and charming) place where I can recover from jet lag, be on my own schedule, visit interesting sites, and have lots of opportunities to do as much or as little as I want. So, I am thinking of beginning the trip in Kanazawa for 3 or 4 nights. For the sake of simplicity, I am thinking I will just book a flight from the US direct to Komatsu airport outside of Kanazawa rather than booking to Tokyo Haneda (where Delta flies) and then figuring out train transport to get to Kanazawa.

At the end of my visit to Kanazawa, I will take a train to Himeji to meet up with the cycling tour group.

The cycling tour ends with a morning exploring Onomichi, followed by a train trip to Hiroshima (arriving around lunch time) with an afternoon visit to the Peace Memorial Park and the Museum. The next morning we go to Miyajima, and after lunch go back to Hiroshima where the tour ends in early to mid-afternoon. Should I spend another night in Hiroshima, or should I immediately move on?

Now comes the part I am having difficulty planning. I am thinking about re-visiting Kyoto for maybe 3 or so days after the cycling tour. (My first trip to Japan I spent 4 nights in Kyoto and visited all of the usual tourist biggies.) To do this, I would just take the train from Hiroshima to Kyoto. But, I know Kyoto will be crazy busy and packed with tourists in mid-November. And, I know I will be tired from the combo of the physical exertion of the cycling tour and the fact that I will have been packing up my suitcase to move on every day for 8 days. The fatigue and jet lag I have right now are currently impacting my thinking and planning.

So, should I add in Kyoto at the end of the trip where I would once again primarily be focusing on winding down and doing what I want when I want rather than running around like a crazy tourist trying to see everything? If I avoid all of those biggie tourist sights I saw on my first trip, will Kyoto be a manageable and somewhat relaxing place to visit? (If I do add in Kyoto, to end my trip I would just take the limousine bus to Itami airport and book a flight from Itami, through Haneda, to the US.) Or, should I just call it a day and head home after my cycling tour ends in Hiroshima?

So my questions:

1. Does Kanazawa meet my criteria for a couple days? How many nights would be good? Is just flying directly to the nearest airport there my best bet?
2. Is 24 hours (one night) sufficient for Hiroshima/Miyajima?
3. Should I add in maybe 3 nights in Kyoto, or will it just be an exercise in frustration for someone who doesn't want to run around doing non-stop sightseeing since it will be so packed with tourists?
4. If I do add in Kyoto, does it make sense to just take the limousine bus to Itami as a first leg of a journey home to the US rather than making my way from Kyoto to Haneda to begin the trip home from Tokyo?

I really appreciate your thoughts. And, if you have suggestions for other places to base in for a few days pre and post tour, I am interested in hearing them. (I enjoy historical places, shrines, gardens, temples and dislike super urban, neon Japan.)

I’m not sure why you started a new thread, but of course, that's your right.
https://www.fodors.com/community/asi...oshima-1732568

1. Yes, Kanazawa meets your criteria, as affirmed on your other thread. Depending on your interests, 3 or 4 nights there would probably suit ... BUT you should be able to decide on the number of nights by deciding what you want to see and do and laying those things out on a calendar. As for flights, I'm not sure why you wouldn't consider flying into the nearest airport, but I could be missing something.

2. Again, depends! For me, 2 full days – VERY full days – worked for the combination of Hiroshima and Miyajima – but I was there before there were hordes of tourists, which could affect the timing. Some people find a day trip enough; others want much more than that. Again, I would think you should be able to figure it out if you decide what you want to see and experience.

3. Why would you not be able to spend your time in Kyoto as you choose to spend it? You can see as much or as little as you wish, at whatever pace you prefer. If you want to spend all your time in a ryokan you can; if you want to spend your days seeing some of the many Kyoto treasures you missed the first time around, or even revisiting some, you can, etc. And BTW, if you “visited all of the usual tourist biggies” while in Kyoto in 3 days, you must have been extraordinarily busy for those days. Good on you!

4. If you add time in Kyoto at the end of your trip, look at options for flying home from either Itami or Kansai. Train options are, IME, quite easy. Your options are fully outlined on Japan-guide.com

Also -- will you not be using Japan’s wonderful luggage forwarding option, takuhaibin? https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2278.html

P.S. I know you're an experienced traveler, julies -- I'm sure you can decide what will work for you!

Easy shinkansen from Tokyo to Kanazawa

Komatsu KMQ is ok but also check Toyama TOY

4) you would use OSA for departure search for Itami ITM or Kansai KIX
OSA is’for all Osaka airports

3)Same question as kja. It’s up to you to run around or not. Maybe your jetlag was talking to you on that

Okayama would work for a couple of days before the tour. Castle, It is close to Himeji, half hour train iirc,

Hiroshima for after.

Both have Hamada flights

Thanks, both of you!

And, yes, it was the jet lag and fatigue at the end of a trip speaking. When I posted yesterday, I was so tired that I couldn't imagine cramming in more sightseeing. But, I think making decisions in that frame of mind and body was good for me because it reminded me of how I normally have a list of potential must-sees that quickly gets whittled down when I start to figure out logistics and realize that my body can only take so much more activity.

For the start of my trip I have definitely decided that I will fly to the most convenient airport to Kanazawa rather than hassling trains and transfers. I did take a look at TOY airport, but it's easier to get into town from KMQ.

It's the ending of the trip I am still confused about how long to stay after my cycling tour and how to start the first leg of my journey back to the US. I am at the age where ease and convenience have definitely won out over price. Plus, I will be traveling with a slightly larger than carry-on size suitcase and a day pack. I have never managed to be a light packer for a multi-week trip, especially one where I need specialized gear and clothing for portions of the trip.

I also just had another potential variation. I am wondering about taking a day or two from Kyoto and going to Kamakura on my way to Tokyo. The town/area seems to get rave reviews from many. But, this may also just be adding in an extra layer of confusion and hassle.

Again, please look into luggage forwarding -- it's easy, inexpensive, and fast.

Kamakura is an easy day trip from Tokyo.

Yokohama then for the end. Spend three or four nights there, Very close for a day trip to Kamakura,much closer than Tokyo.

Easy day trip to Hakone, Yokohama to Hakone for an onsen visit and to see great views of Mount Fuji

You could go from Yokohama to overnight in Hakone and return to your hotel in Yokohama for the last night or two

Bus access to either Tokyo airport from the YCAT or by train. Maybe a bus from your hotel to Haneda.

I have used both airports to get to Kanazawa. Komatsu would mean connecting at Haneda. That is best. I used Toyama when connecting in.Seoul (excellent fares)

The tourist sites of Yokohama are in a fairly compact area. It would be easy enough to see some Yokohama sites and visit Kamakura. On the same day.

Hakone is almost as easy to get to from Yokohama and is well worth the trip

Agree 100% about luggage delivery. You will need it.

Tokyo is definitely good for a day trip to Kamakura or Hakone. Likely go via Yokohama on the way to Kamakura. Better hotel rates in Yokohama.

I started one trip in Yokohama because of hotel prices and could see baseball there

It's a good thing that I hadn't yet purchased plane tickets. Now some family scheduling things just popped up that will affect my trip. The only dates I have that are set in stone are for my cycling tour. Everything else can flex.

Now I am contemplating completely rearranging the order of my trip and front loading all my extra alone time in Japan.

I am thinking about flying to KMQ (coming through Haneda from the US). I would spend 3 nights in Kanazawa. Then take the train to Kyoto for 4 nights.

Then it's a short and easy train trip to meet my tour in Himeji. The tour ends mid-afternoon in Hiroshima. I would spend the rest of that day in Hiroshima and then fly home to the US the next day.

Do you see any flaws in this tentative schedule? In some ways it seems to me to be more logical than my original plan, but I could definitely be missing something too.

I appreciate your helpfulness.

That will work. Time to look for airfares. Be sure to check the connection times.
Fukuoka (FUK) would be a good alternative to Hiroshima HIJ.

Will 3 nights in Kanazawa, with jet lag to start, give you time for what you want to see there? If so, go for it!

I don't know where your trip originates, but I doubt you can get a direct flight to Komatsu. You will need to go through Tokyo and take a commuter flight to Komatsu, which is a very small airport. From there you can take a short bus ride to Kanazawa (the bus stops right outside the terminal). The bus will take you to the main train station in Kanazawa.

Kanazawa does have an active "Goodwill Guide" group that you may find helpful. We made arrangements on line for a guide, who spoke English well and corresponded with us to find out what we wanted to see. She met us at our hotel, which was right next to the train station, and taught us to catch the city bus (there is a tourist bus, which makes a circuit of the main sights). There is a lot to see in Kanazawa, and it is much less crowded than Kyoto.