Phoenician Aviator

I'm planning a trip with my girlfriend in a couple of months to either China or Japan. We currently have refundable tickets to Beijing, but switching to Tokyo or Osaka would not be an issue. I'm not sure where we should go.

Here's the basics:

-I've been to Beijing before and loved it. She's been to Tokyo before and loved it.
-Cost is not really a huge consideration. If we go to China, we'll stay in nicer places, but that's a tradeoff we can deal with.
-We'll have a week on the ground in either place.

In China, we'd be looking to:

-See the major tourist sites of Beijing, plus the Great Wall
-Visit the terra cotta soldiers in Xian
-Experience beautiful countryside (where would be recommended for near Beijing?)

In Japan, we'd be looking to:

-Enjoy the peace and quiet of Kyoto, and stay in a ryokan
-Experience the hustle and bustle of Tokyo (mainly in Ginza and Ikebukuro)
-Visit the parks and temples in Tokyo and Asakusa

On a personal note:

-I'm really into the historical aspects of places I visit.
-She's interested in natural beauty.

I know the whole "China vs. Japan" thing is a difficult issue to decide. And frankly, I think they're both worth visiting - on separate trips!

So, considering that we only have a week to accomplish our "goals" on the trip, which would be your pick, and why?

Gorrack

If you can get to Japan during the cherry blossom season (starts end of March), I would definitely recommend it. I heard that around April Beijing has some disgusting air pollution (well, when I was in Beijing last Oct., I found breathing quite difficult there...) They're both good choices, with many things to do, but unless I'm mistaken March/April weather is better for Tokyo, whereas Beijing would be better May/June. But that's my opinion. And FWIW I lived in Tokyo for a year and half and I'm Chinese.

Speaking of, I'll be going to Shanghai end of April and might throw in an Osaka trip in early April as well.

Phoenician Aviator

Anyone else have any input??

abmj-jr

If neither of you has been to Kyoto, I recommend it highly. It is my favorite city in the world and an absolute must-see. For the "early-April" time period, Kyoto is the most magical place I have ever been, with the sakura blossoms just covering the city. If your time is late-April, early-May, you would be dealing with Golden Week in Japan - not a good thing. China might be better.

If you decide on Japan, drop by over at the "Destinations: Tokyo/Japan" forum for lots of info and suggestions.

JR

cardesigner2000

Am living in Tokyo at the moment, and went to Beijing last Golden Week (early May.) The two countries are very different, and I'm hard pressed to recommend one over the other. China and Japan are almost polar opposites. Your dollar will go so much farther in China, unless you stay in Western oriented areas, so it gives you a certain freedom to do things. Even getting to Kyoto from Tokyo is quite expensive. I really enjoyed the Great Wall, which is more impressive than even the shrines in Japan I must admit. Since you'll only have a week you won't really be able to visit the more isolated parts of either country. The people in Japan are super-polite and you don't have to worry about getting ripped off. I'm sure I paid more than the locals in China, but I didn't mind since it was so cheap anyway. As you can see I can't choose either, but would lean towards China because it is such a dynamic place right now, especially Beijing with the Olympics in 2008. I would try to visit the hutongs before they're all destroyed. However if your gf is at all squeamish you'll know that Chinese toilets are not for the faint hearted

Torsten71

I've been to China many times, but never to Japan. So any advice from me comparing those two would be pretty useless. Nevertheless, the general answer to the question is very simple.
Tell your girlfriend all about your experiences in China (the good and - even more important - the bad things) and let her decide.
Well, that's what I'd do if I were you....

Cheers,
Torsten

Scifience

I'd pick Japan. The sakura season is wonderful, and Kyoto is a beautiful place to be. A lot of history and natural beauty to explore.

abmj-jr

If you do choose Japan, you can save a bundle by scheduling your flights into/out of different airports. Fly into NRT and spend a couple of days around Tokyo, then take the shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto/Nara/Osaka and depart the country via KIX - or vice versa. It saves the cost of the train back to NRT.

JR

Jenbel

Been to both about 3-5 times... and find them both equally fascinating. If i had to chose one myself to go to, I'd probably pick Japan, as it's a bit less bureaucratic to get to. I'd also note that the scenery is rather better in Japan, as a) the inner mountain area is less developed and b) the communists didn't really care about destroying nature in the name of progress - so despite having been to several provinces, I've yet to see anything I could actually look at and go "that's pretty". As a birdwatcher, the long scale effects of various agricultural schemes is still working it's way through the system too, and in much of the east, heavily populated areas of China, the ecosystems are pretty badly messed up, with agricultural production, hunting, over fishing and pollution. There are exceptions obviously, and some really great birding spots, particularly in the south....but way off the usual tourist tracks.

runningshoes

I would go for China but make sure you leave time for a day or two in Shanghai. I was there in May/June and my guess is within 10 years it will rival NYC/London as business and tourism centers for the world.

Japan is also a great place, but the rate of change in China is so great, that you could miss out on a lot of things if you put off a trip to China.

PTravel

I'd pick China. It's changing so fast that you'll want to see it before "old China" is completely gone. One week isn't an awful lot of time -- we just spent 10 days in Xi'an (there's a lot more to see than just the Terracotta Warriors). Xi'an is a quick and easy 90 minute flight from Beijing. I'm not quite sure what Jenbel meant about China being bureaucratic to get to -- you'll need a visa, but otherwise you'll have no contact with the government whatsoever during your visit, unless you ask a policeman for directions (they're very helpful).

Jenbel

I actually meant having to get a visa... my nearest Chinese consulate is a 200 mile round-trip away. And here, we have no same day service - so having travelled 200 miles, you then have to go back three days later to collect... it's a lot of extra hassle. And generally, China just struck me as being more bureacratic... forms and receipts for everything!

yevlesh2

decide to post as a new thread instead

PTravel

I thought, if you were 200 miles away, you could get your visa by mail. Fortunately, since I've been travelling to China, I've always wound up living in a city with a Chinese Consulate, so it's been easy for me.

mush

Go to China, as it's changing very rapidly and you can see a culture in transition, plus amazing hustle and concentration of activity; Japan is not changing at all and will be just as beautiful and the people just as nice a decade from now. Japan is for the long term and any time, while you should visit China often.

English is better in much of China, in urban areas, but the service almost uniformly bad, so Japan will pamper you if you are comfortable with it and can get around on your own without stress (though harder to travel in China, neither is easy for the newcomer).