A colleague wants to extend her business trip to Japan for a week and was looking for advice as to what to do.
She's unfamiliar with the country, doesn't speak the language, and won't have the time to put in much research before she goes... frankly she's a little intimidated by the whole prospect.

She's fit, eats fish and vegetarian food but no other meat (something I can help her with), and her last foreign holiday was to retreat in Almeria, Spain, where she did lots of Yoga. She just had a great weekend camping in unglorious British weather... so she's obviously not too 'precious'.

My instinct is to advise her to visit onsen resorts and perhaps stay a night or two in temple lodging... but where?

Her 'tour' would start on Sunday 29th October and she'd need to leave Narita on Sunday 5th November,

The following Matsuri are on at the time:

Karatsu Kunchi
November 2-4
Karatsu, Saga Prefecture
Famous in Japan for its hikiyama floats. These are carried on the shoulder like ordinary mikoshi (i.e. floats) but are topped with outlandishly decorated fish, lions, samurai helmets and other paraphernalia. They lead a boisterous, saké-fuelled parade around the town.

Ohara Festival
November 2-3
Kagoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture
At this, the largest autumn festival in Southern Kyushu, you will be treated to a street parade of no less than 22,000 dancers. Attracts crowds of over 600,000.

Betchya Festival
November 3
Kibitsu-hiko Shrine, Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture
Men wearing striking masks or dressed as lions, run around the crowded streets looking for children to 'thrash' with bamboo whisks. Legend has it that children 'beaten' in this way will be safe from illness for the coming year.

Matsue Do-Gyoretsu
November 3
Matsue, Shimane Prefecture
A drumming festival in which 30 neighbourhood teams compete to outplay each other on huge taiko drums mounted on floats.

Awa Puppet Theatre
November 3
Kisawa, Tokushima Prefecture
Though still an amateur art after, the rural puppet drama of the Awa region is just as famous in Japan as the bunraku puppet drama of Osaka. At this annual event, classic plays are performed on an outdoor stage.

....enno-ji Wasso
November 3
....enno-ji Temple, Osaka
A parade of thousands of people dressed as heroes and historical figures takes to the streets of Osaka. Colourful boat-shaped floats join the procession and add to the magnificent spectacle.

Hakone Daimyo Gyoretsu
November 3
Hakone-machi, Kanagawa
A parade of 150 in full period-dress recreating the crossings that the daimyo (feudal lords) had to make in order to present themselves to the Shogun during the Edo-period (1603-1867)
---------------

By November it will have started to feel quite chilly, and I'm wondering if anybody thinks sending her to Kyushu would be appropriate. I'm sure she'd enjoy the hot sand baths, and the weather should be a little balmier than on Honshu. But I'm riddled with prejeudices, and I'm wondering if my own desire to visit Nagasaki is clouding my judgement.

Because MrLapLap and Onsen just don't get along, I've not really visited any Onsen resorts... which is why I tend to haunt neighbourhood sento in Tokyo instead.

Any suggestions are very welcome!

Good grief LapLap - you hardly seem to need suggestions.

FWIW - Early November in Tokyo usually feels great to me. Cool, but fine. I imagine that anyone else from England would feel the same.

Some things that came to mind -

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/indepth/seasonal/seasons.html

Foliage is beautiful - but you probably don't want to do that for a whole week. So she might want to spend time in a "normal" hotel in a city - Hiroshima / Kyoto / whatever

The idea of going to Kyushu sounds good - with that length of time she could fly to the South (maybe even visit Yakushima) then work her way Nortwards. Take a direct flight from Fukuoka to Narita on the morning of her last day - should be a good connection for her flight to LHR.

But really it's not that cold on the Pacific side of Honshu. If she wants to see the foliage, then she'll have to stay in Honshu I think....

a ladyfriend and I did Kinugawa Onsen (up in Tochigi) and surrounding areas in late October. While it was chilly, it wasn't uncomfortable. Bring a sweater or jacket and you should be fine. IIRC we did a boat trip down the river and a day hike up it. As far as it being too cold, I kinda liked the hot water and cool air :-)

_m

... By November it will have started to feel quite chilly...
I'm not sure where you got this idea, but I have always found Tokyo in early November to be very comfortable - even short-sleeve conditions. Plus, it was in early November that I stumbled across the Tokyo version of the Jidai Matsuri in Asakusa. That one doesn't seem to be advertised in tourist publications, but was very enjoyable - all the more for being a completely serendipitous surprise. I think it was the first Saturday in November along the main avenues near Asakusa station. Also, early November is Shichi-go-san all over Japan, with tons of great photo opportunities of cute kids in kimono. Any big temple will be crawling with them, particularly on Sunday. My best photos were at and around Senso-ji.

If your friend is going to be alone, does not speak the language and has never been to Japan, are you sure you want to send her traipsing around the countryside? It might be great, but I wonder if she might be more comfortable in some more tourist-friendly areas. Just a suggestion. ;)

JR

If your friend is going to be alone, does not speak the language and has never been to Japan, are you sure you want to send her traipsing around the countryside? It might be great, but I wonder if she might be more comfortable in some more tourist-friendly areas. Just a suggestion. ;)

JR

That's the problem I have - my colleague isn't me, and much as I'd like the opportunity to go galavanting around Japan on my own armed with a JR pass, or hand her the 1 week 'getting to know Japan' itinerary I organised for my parents, I need to remind myself that what we want from Japan is very different.

It's because I don't want to send her traipsing around the country that I was thinking Kyushu might be a more compact friendly place to visit. A return flight taking the place of hours on the shinkansen.

I'm pretty sure she'll be wanting to get away from big cities after her week in Yokohama, and that she'd want to experience a matsuri.

But that's just it, trying to decide which region she'd like. There's thread on this forum with ryokan/onsen recommendations in the Shizuoka region (just south of Atami) which I'm sure she'd love (hanofukubi.co.jp in the fall looks like it would be magnificent)

I can't imagine what Kyoto is like when you don't know anything at all about what's there. I kind of did, and still found it hard to even make any kind of dent on the sights I hoped to see in my two/three day trip there. I'm wondering if Nara is easier to mooch around in.
If she were to decide on Kansai, then that might make things a bit easier:
A few nights in Kyoto &/or Nara, a night at Kurama Onsen, perhaps some time here: http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/regional/hyogo/rokko_arimaonsen.html (maybe this inn (http://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/db/arima/taketoritei.htm) ), and a trip to Koya San if she's feeling up to it.

Or try to arrange something similar around Shizuoka which she could combine with a trip to Hakone.

Or in Kyushu - which I still know so little about.

---------------------------------
I found this festival in Asakusa on the 3rd Nov
The Festival Of The History Of Tokyo
This is the new festival started in the first year of Heisei.
The costume parade playing the historical picturescroll reproduce the history from the beginning to today of Tokyo.

There's another on the 9th, but that will be too late (source (http://www.asakusa-e.com/maturi/maturi_e.htm) )

I forgot about shichi-go-san, I'll be sure to let her know!

And I think I got my memory of the temperature warped - I remember it feeling chilly in the central mountains, but then I got eaten alive in Yokohama by the mosquitoes as I wore a vest... didn't seem very long until I was back in Tokyo for Christmas and the snow started (it was pretty bad in the North).

...I found this festival in Asakusa on the 3rd Nov
The Festival Of The History Of Tokyo
This is the new festival started in the first year of Heisei.
The costume parade playing the historical picturescroll reproduce the history from the beginning to today of Tokyo...
That's the one I found by accident.

LapLap, you are going to drive yourself crazy, coming up with all those wonderful alternatives. There are just too many great weeklong visits we would all love to try. Take a deep breath and simplify, my friend! :p

JR

That's the one I found by accident.

LapLap, you are going to drive yourself crazy, coming up with all those wonderful alternatives. There are just too many great weeklong visits we would all love to try. Take a deep breath and simplify, my friend! :p

JR

I was kind of hoping someone could say something like...
"naah, you don't want to suggest that.. too much hassle"
or
"how about this onsen, in this area?" - like michaelcoyote has ^ !

And you've reminded me that it's not that cold at the start of Nov, and jib71 has pointed out that the foliage won't have rusted in Nagasaki.

I'm also hoping to get some insights on 'Spa' experiences - whether it's a couple of ladies with a heavy local accent burying you in sand and ash... Calcifer! Or one of our AC moderators to egg me on with pushing Kyushu.

I haven't known this colleague for long, so the responsibility seems very heavy (and I'm irrationality proud of a country I kind of think of as my own now).

a ladyfriend and I did Kinugawa Onsen (up in Tochigi) and surrounding areas in late October.
YMMV, but Kinugawa is probably the most depressing town I've been to in Japan (and I've done a fair bit of poking about in the boonies). Once-beautiful valley covered in concrete, tons of rotting hotel corpses and rusty restaurant shells, the few remaining hotels eking out a living by offering karaoke girls to go along with your bath. Some pics you won't find in tourist brochures:

http://jpatokal.iki.fi/photo/travel/Japan/Kanto/Kinugawa/

I'm also hoping to get some insights on 'Spa' experiences - whether it's a couple of ladies with a heavy local accent burying you in sand and ash... Calcifer! Or one of our AC moderators to egg me on with pushing Kyushu.



Ah, it's been so many years since I (and my beautiful sakuranbo!) was buried in sand in Kyushu, I'm afraid I don't really remember much of it.... but even then (almost 20 years ago) I thought Beppu was really sleazy. Don't think I'd recommend it for a solo woman first-time traveller.

In Kyushu, I always wanted to check out Yufuin, but never made it there. It looks much classier but may also be on the pricey side.

YMMV, but Kinugawa is probably the most depressing town I've been to in Japan (and I've done a fair bit of poking about in the boonies). Once-beautiful valley covered in concrete, tons of rotting hotel corpses and rusty restaurant shells, the few remaining hotels eking out a living by offering karaoke girls to go along with your bath. Some pics you won't find in tourist brochures:

http://jpatokal.iki.fi/photo/travel/Japan/Kanto/Kinugawa/

Interesting... I just figured the few closed hotels and empty buildings i saw were the usual leftover 90's bubble burst junk.. There was none of it visible in our hike and only a little of it in the river trip. I recall now that both the hike and the river trip were downriver from Kinugawa Onsen which might be a bit better than Kinugawa Onsen itself. Personally I didn't find it too obtrusive, of course I didnt really spend much time exploring the town. Generally when I'm at an onsen i spend much of my time in hot water :-) I did a bit of wandering around one old hotel that was near ours (just the outside though), as i'm a bit weird and like exploring old buildings.

The hotel we stayed at was actually pretty nice and clean though obviously not "new" (it was much better than the one i stayed at in Kyoto though).. The baths areas were clean and well kept. I also recall the dinner was incredible. The food was good and just kept coming and coming.. by the time the rice (with local mushrooms!! YUM!) came I was too full to have more than a little bit.. We ended up saving it for onigiri the next day.. :-) I can't recall the name of our hotel, but i can check with my friend to see if she can recall.

According to this (http://www.tochigiji.or.jp/language/English/kinugawa.html) page, at least part of the hike we took was Ryuokyo Ravine, which was very nice and not too taxing. It was also not completely "railed off" or "paved over" like many places i've been to in japan.

The worst part of the whole trip was the "monkey and deer mountain" ropeway. A tourist trap of the worst kind bundled into the river trip for an extra 1000Y. I say skip it... :-)

_m

LapLap,

In rereading your OP, I can't tell if you'll be joining your friend for some or all of the trips. If you woln't be joining her for the whole time and she's at all intimidated by travel in japan, it might be good to take her around for a long weekend if you can.

If you can't join her at all, perhaps we need to take that into consideration.

While I've mentioned Tochigi, there's also Izu which is a quick jaunt from Tokyo. It's supposedly very nice with great onsen and fun outdoor activities. It was the place i didn't get a chance to go to on my last trip to Japan, so maybe my predjudices are showing :-)

_m

I just gave this some more thought:

Kyushu and all that would be very nice... but it may be best to send her to the places you've actually been to, since you can tell her about those with confidence. A lot of people visit the Kansai region on their first Japan trip - and not without reason. So perhaps it's not a bad idea to suggest Kyoto, Nara and one of your favourite rural spots for a bit of contrast.

As far as onsen go - I think Kurama is just great.

Oh... and from Yokohama, don't forget that Kamakura is right on your doorstep. That might be a great start to the relaxing holiday. No need to even move to another hotel...

I just gave this some more thought:

Kyushu and all that would be very nice... but it may be best to send her to the places you've actually been to, since you can tell her about those with confidence. A lot of people visit the Kansai region on their first Japan trip - and not without reason. So perhaps it's not a bad idea to suggest Kyoto, Nara and one of your favourite rural spots for a bit of contrast.

As far as onsen go - I think Kurama is just great.

Oh... and from Yokohama, don't forget that Kamakura is right on your doorstep. That might be a great start to the relaxing holiday. No need to even move to another hotel...

Nope, I haven't forgetten Kamakura! I'm hoping to get the chance to make it there myself - Issa-an, 1-8-24 Yuki no Sh!ta, open til 7pm (closed on many Thursdays) for an introduction to good soba.

But for the rest of the trip, my colleague will be travelling alone... hence my desire to provide the right itinerary for her.

Thank you michaelcoyote (and jpatokal), there are whole swathes of Japan I've only experienced vicariously. Thanks for adding another segment!!! :) I was delighted to read about your experiences in Kinugawa.

Anyway - I need to present ideas tomorrow, and I'm now much happier about the suggestions I can put forward. She can decide between:

Kansai - Kyoto, Kurama, Osaka on the 3rd for Sh!tenno-ji Wasso festival, and she can decide whether to visit Nara, Koya San or Arima Onsen (near Kobe). I've emailed IACE to see if they can fiddle with a shinkansen/2 nights lodging 3 day tour itinerary so that she can return by train on a later date... that might be the most cost effective way to do this. I'll report back with a yes or no.

or

The Shizuoka/Hakone spa visits, which should prove more relaxing. Onsen examples in post 1 and post 15 here (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=542837).

Thank you all for helping me through my anxieties with this. Just 'talking' through this knowing that any idiocies would get pointed out has helped a great deal!

Anyway - I need to present ideas tomorrow, and I'm now much happier about the suggestions I can put forward. She can decide between:

Kansai - Kyoto, Kurama, Osaka on the 3rd for Sh!tenno-ji Wasso festival, and she can decide whether to visit Nara, Koya San or Arima Onsen (near Kobe). I've emailed IACE to see if they can fiddle with a shinkansen/2 nights lodging 3 day tour itinerary so that she can return by train on a later date... that might be the most cost effective way to do this. I'll report back with a yes or no.

or

The Shizuoka/Hakone spa visits, which should prove more relaxing. Onsen examples in post 1 and post 15 here (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=542837).




ok, that's it, you're booking my next Japan trip!

Let us know that she decides.

BTW, what is MrLapLap's aversion to onsen? I can't imagine a trip to japan without several long soaks in extremely hot water ;-o Even as an oversize white guy i've rarely gotten a second glance at onsen (tho they might wonder what the shirokuma is doing in the hot baths).

_m