Hi,

My friend and I are traveling to Japan in a couple of weeks. We have two days to travel from Hiroshima back to Tokyo by train. Does anyone have suggestions on places to see on our way back? By then we would have already been to Hakone, Nagoya, Kyoto, Nara, Himeji, Miyajima Island and Hiroshima.

Has anyone been to Naruto? I've heard that there are gigantic whirlpools in the Naruto bay. Is it even on the way back to Tokyo?

Thanks!!

Osaka for the canals, shopping opportunities and the food, Kobe for the Japanese take on Venice Beach ( made of concrete ) and the seaview from Mt.Rokko, the Lake Biwa(-Ko) area north of Kyoto including some architectural gems in nearby mountains, or maybe just staying at an Onsen to rewind after all that sight-seeing.

Detour west from Nagoya to Tsumago-Magome, maybe?

The picturesque old town of Kurashiki, near Okayama, is worth a day in my opinion. Coming from Hiroshima toward Tokyo, it is roughly half-way and you would get off the shinkansen at Shin-Kurashiki station. There is a short local train ride into town from there. The whole town is one big postcard.

JR

Any hot springs on your itinerary? If not, I would definitely head out to the Japan Alps, eg. the Oku-Hida Onsen Villages are a good (if pricy) choice. If you want to see the evil twin of Himeji's White Egret Castle, then you could stop by Okayama and see the pitch black Crow Castle. Onomichi is also interesting in a quiet sort of way if you aren't tired of temple-tramping yet.

And then, of course, there's Expo 2005 just outside Nagoya! Right now this would probably be my top pick, if you're going in a few weeks the weather should also be pretty optimal.

Been there and seen 'em (which requires some luck with tide timing). They're rather underwhelming and no, they're not on the way to Tokyo, they've between Shikoku and Awaji Island an hour or so south of Kobe.

Osaka is terribly underrated. The food is fabulous, nice hotels, and the bay view. Almost no tourists.

Here's another vote for Osaka. Although everytime I think of that city, I think of it as "whoa-saka", since that's the way it sounded to me whenever they made the announcement for it on the shinkansen trains. I especially enjoyed walking around in the Namba section of Osaka. There were many interesting shops and restaurants. It was very busy, but alive and vibrant, with almost a "Times Square" feel to it.

Another suggestion would be Odawara. The Hilton there has a world-class spa. It could make for a very relaxing stopover. The scenery there is gorgeous and the town is quaint and interesting.

Have a great trip.

The city landscapes in "Blade Runner" were modeled after and filmed in Osaka. Now, try to top that for urban cool... ^ Add some Fugu and trendy Osaka night spots to the mix and you have a definite winner.

And I always thought Shinjuku was the inspiration.

[QUOTE=i2fantsiz4]Hi,

Contact Japan Travel Bureau. They are great. I booked my Japan trip with them but this was 30 years ago. They must be on the web.