IMOA

If you're ever there again head from the station towards the washington hotel, at the washington turn left and walk down that street for about 5 minutes and you'll land in the middle of an izakaya/bar/karaoke area next to nishinakajima-minamigata station. There's a great takoyaki restaurant down there next to the tracks and one of my favourite yakitori izakaya's in Japan.

reverted

Well I don't know exactly how to answer that question. It will be my first time traveling internationally for leisure. All my other travels have been within the US for school.

I just want to experience Japan, simply put, both old and new which is what I hope to get out of this trip. I want to eat good food and take pictures of good food and post pictures of good-looking food to make friends jealous hahah (but kind of serious.. ) I know it's a very generic answer, but I'm not sure what to expect yet! hah

Kallio

Based on that your itinerary looks well balanced. It is not really of the beaten track but in case of Japan, I think it is better to see the beaten track first. And for most people Japan as a whole is off the beaten track and any picture from there will make some of your friends jealous. You don't have time to see everything so I suggest you read what is in or near the places you are visiting and make final decisions when you are there. In your final six days in Tokyo you probably have pretty good idea what you want to see more but I wouldn't make any commitments about that time before. Very often "First time visiting..." plans posted in FT or some other travel forum include way too many places in given timeframe. Yours does not and it is built nicely in the way that you can easily add or drop day trips.

There are details in your plan that you could fine tune one way or another but in the end probably nobody, including yourself can really know the absolutely best plan for you beforehand. I've done quite a bit leisure traveling with itineraries that include multiple destinations and always I can say with 20/20 hindsight that I should have spent day more in one place and day less one place even though I try to make my plans at least somewhat flexible and sometimes even change them on the fly. In the end I just try not to worry about it too much and accept that given limited time, it is usually not possible to see everything.

5khours

abm - Have you traveled along the coast. I've been to most of the big cities on the that side of Japan, but I've been thinking about a leisurely trip up the Japan Sea Coast Shimonoseki to Aomori (or maybe some part of it). Looking for advice on where /how to go. Only guidelines are that I don't want to book anything in advance and I don't want to see anything "famous."

abmj-jr

I haven't done that but it sounds like an itinerary I would love to do. My visits to that coast were pretty short and simple - Kanazawa, Echizen, Matsue and Izumo-shi/Izumo-Taisha - and not as far north as you are looking. I really wanted to go to Tottori, Amanohashidate and Obama (just because of the name) but ran myself out of time in other places. Except for the famous attractions like Kanazawa, most of that coast is much less visited by foreigners. I saw very few other westerners during my visits.

I know you will probably want to drive on such a trip but one resource I have found helpful for some information on the smaller towns is "Japan By Rail" by Ramsey Zarifeh. It is a little out-dated now with some rail routes and stations having been changed but the city information is still pretty relevant.

I haven't seen him on here much recently but I would hazard a guess that jpatokal has been up that way.

evergrn

I'm mostly only familiar with the part of the coast from Kinosaki Onsen up to Kanazawa. There's a lot of fun stuff to do around there, although I'm never sure how Westerners would enjoy the types of places that we like. Anyways, if you like onsen and crabs, I think you'll like this area. I've done this area by train, but I do think it's useful to have a car.

Kinosaki Onsen is an underrated onsen town. There's a nice marine life park there, too. Some might say there's not much to see at Amanohashidate, but I think it's great. It's best to visit during warmer months, though. I've never actually stopped to check out Obama, but it is supposed to be an interesting old fishing town set on the coast.

The area around Awara Onsen has tons of stuff to see/do and the coastal area is beautiful. Tozinbo is a place with stunning rock formation. There's a seaside park nearby that's blooming with flowers if you go at the right time of the year, and it's simply a great spot. If you have kids, they'll love Angel Land. This whole area is best visited during warmer months. But Tozinbo can be eerily stunning during bleak weather. Awara Onsen isn't necessarily like the best in terms of the hot spring quality, but it's not bad at all. Reason we stay there is there's a place with a room that comes complete with en-suite onsen + ping pong table + karaoke. (http://awara-seiryu.jp) Only such place I know in Jpn, and we always have a blast.

5khours

Evergrn, abmj,
Tks for the info. I'm thinking of a slow paced trip. Car would be easy, but it kind of defeats the purpose. Rail coverage seems a little spotty. I used to hitchhike a lot but I have no idea how easy that is anymore.

I have this idea of just hopping on a train, getting off when it looks interesting, looking for a place to stay, and then moving on when it seems time. Kind of anti-travel...or something like that.

I'm also thinking no maps, guidebooks or plans.... just ask as I go (or maybe just read a little before I go). Mostly I'm interested in nice scenery, talking to random people, and seeing a bit more of traditional Japan. I'm trying to figure out if the Japan Sea coast is good route for the trip.

ksandness

I enjoyed Kanazawa a lot. It's one of the few major cities that wasn't bombed during World War II (I don't know how it escaped, since places like Utsunomiya and Maebashi were bombed), so it has a lot of the "Old Japan" air about it. Kenrokuen Garden is worth seeing, as are the so-called "Ninja Temple," which is actually a house designed with booby traps for attackers, and the central marketplace. It has a strong handicraft tradition as well.

North of there, Niigata is a ho-hum city, but it is the departure point for Sado Island, which I suppose would be interesting mostly for people who know Japanese history. One disadvantage is that the main form of transportation for those without a car is tour buses.

Unfortunately, I haven't seen much else of the Japan Sea side, but I want to do a trip similar to yours at some point, taking the San'in Line north from Shimonoseki.

abmj-jr

No war industry at all. No need for bombing that would serve no purpose.

evergrn

Very cool idea. Sea of Japan coastal trip may very well be good for that. Beyond Kinosaki Onsen to Kanazawa, I don't know enough to be able to say one way or the other about that route. But I'm sure it'll work out, and I would guess there's a lot of other potential routes within Japan that would work out just as well.

A trip through Kyushu is definitely conducive to what you're looking for. Lots of great scenery, attractions, onsens and other great stop-off points all around, especially Kumamoto and Nagasaki (and presumably Kagoshima although I've never been). When I was in Oita and Kumamoto, I was also struck by just how kind and down-to-earth people are down there when compared to people of Kanto.

5khours

I did a two week circumnavigation of Kyushu by thumb when I much younger. The people were incredibly kind. Many of the people who gave me rides put me up overnight in their homes or invited me for meals. Never spent that much time on the Japan sea coast though so I'm kind of leaning in that direction.

jpatokal

Only bits and pieces, mostly in the north.

Kanazawa is deservedly the top attraction on the Japan Sea coast. I had fairly high expectations for the nearby Noto Peninsula, but found it a bit underwhelming.

Up near Niigata, Sado is indeed nice, but you really need your own wheels to get around and much of the attractions is both historical and kind of grim (penal colony, gold mines worked by slaves, Nichiren's exile etc). The best time to visit is August, when the Earth Celebration is on, but that's not going to work for the OP. Back on the mainland, Dewa Sanzan is a great hike, but May is too early for this as well.

Further up north, Akita's the one Tohoku prefecture I haven't managed to visit yet. But in Aomori, Hirosaki is underrated and well worth a visit. I also have a special spot in my heart for the Shimokita Peninsula, but this is way off the beaten track and you pretty much need your own wheels, and probably a smidgen of Japanese as well. But then again, it is the gateway to Hell...

And I'd also recommend pretty much any place listed here:
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Off_t...track_in_Japan

5khours

Thanks for the great info. I was in Kanazawa and Noto Hanto in December. Liked Kanazawa and thought the drive up the inner coast of Noto was very scenic. Didn't like the tourist spots (Wakura Onsen, Wajima). Shimokita Hanto looks interesting but I'm trying to avoid car transport.

Right now I'm thinking of either going to Tottori and heading south or else Niigata and heading north. Any suggestions on when? April? May?

jib71

Going West from Tottori has more variety - and more touristed sites. But that would be my choice. I've found folks to be friendlier around there than, say, Ishikawa prefecture. Somehow, people there felt a bit snobby (in Kanazawa).

North from Niigata, the landscape is pretty samey IMHO - flat and barren. I think a ride up the coast would be fun. Isn't that where they have the trains with the coal stoves? Good fish, weatherbeaten houses and towns. In the north of Akita / southern end of Aomori you reach the Shirakami sanchi, which, again, is well on the tourist map but very good for hiking around if that's your schtick. You definitely want to go in May rather than April if you're heading that way.

abmj-jr

Oddly, that was my impression as well. I felt really comfortable and welcome in Shimane, not as much in Ishikawa. Might be that they just get fewer westerners the further west you go on that side of the country.

I really wanted to go down the Chugoku region coast toward Hagi and all the little coastal towns to either Shimonoseki or Yamaguchi before heading back up the other coast to KIX. Maybe the next time, if I can summon the energy for one more visit. Age and infirmity continue to take their toll. Plus, I no longer have enough ff miles for F or J so would have to pay with actual money.