December is a fine time to visit Japan. Mr. Megatop and I spent five days in Japan, staying in Tokyo, in December 2005. In 2006 we did Beijing, but I'm already planning our return to Japan for December 2007.

In 2005, we stayed in Ginza, covering Tokyo from there. With four full days in Tokyo, we saw quite a good bit of ground and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. On Christmas Day, we took the Nozomi Shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto for a day of sightseeing, then took the train back that night. We were not attempting to "do Kyoto" in a single day; the purpose was to take the train, and having Kyoto as the destination was a (huge) value added. Well, we loved Japan in general and were very much charmed by Kyoto. While the weather presented no issues in Tokyo, Kyoto was particularly beautiful in the crisp and clear December air. We didn't see any snow in Tokyo, and Kyoto had only a few remants of snowpiles on the ground, but the shinkansen did pass through some beautiful snow-covered fields en route. Though I don't have another time of year to compare it to (e.g., springtime), I consider December the perfect time to visit Japan.

This year, I'm tentatively planning on flying in to Narita, staying two days/one night in Tokyo, then going down to Kyoto by shinkansen; five days or so in Kyoto, with time for a side day-trip to Nara; followed by two days in Osaka, with a flight out of KIX.