Originally Posted by
abmj-jr
Let me suggest another alternative. Shikoku. Fly into Kansai International (KIX) and train from there via Shin-Osaka and Okayama.
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I toured Shikoku in June 2012 and loved it.
Takamatsu and the Ritsurin garden, Kotohira and the mountaintop shrine, Kochi and its castle, Matsuyama and Dogo Onsen were all worth seeing, and as abmj-jr said, the scenery between Takamatsu and Kochi is spectacular.
You will see very few other Westerners.