Two Weeks in Japan - Suggestions?
 

I have tried to search this but haven't found that much which tackles the particularities of my question.

We are travelling to Japan for the first time for two weeks, starting June 7, flying into Nagoya. It is our first time to Japan, although we have been to Asia before (China, Hong Kong, Thailand), so we have seen stuff like budhist temples before.

We are more after seeing the Japanese culture. Friends have told me Nagoya offers little which has me pretty much just putting a day there. I've also decided that 6-7 days in Tokyo seems reasonable (anyone here think otherwise?).

However, the rest of the time is undetermined. Obviously Kyoto is on the menu as is Osaka (whether we sleep the whole time in Osaka or split between Osaka and Kyoto is another decision).

I have some other undecided aspects. For example, heading to Hiroshima or somewhere in Hokkaido (or anywhere else). Another problem, is where to start the trip out with (eg. do we head from Nagoya to Tokyo then back down,...?)

All of these factors are making it hard for me to plan the trip and I would greatly appreciate any help or feedback any of you may have.

Thanks :):D

I'm still having trouble getting my head around the idea that you have searched but not found any information. These questions have been answered many, many times in this forum.

I am assuming that you are both arriving and departing to/from NGO. A better choice would be to arrive at either KIX or NGO and depart from NRT outside of Tokyo. Since time is pretty short, I am guessing that your travel plans are locked and "it is what it is."

To start, there are many threads about the Chubu International Airport (Centrair) or NGO, outside of Nagoya. Here is a link to one which has other links: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...light=centrair . There are others.

For a 2 week visit, starting in the "middle" of the country, I think 7+ days in Tokyo is too much, unless you are trying to cover all of your long distance travel with a 7-day Japan Rail Pass. There is a 14-day Pass that would cover your time in Japan but it is more expensive. You should do some cost analysis to determine if it is worth it. You could also just pay for your train tickets and forget about the Pass.

With a 14-day Rail Pass, or just paying as you go, I'd suggest going east to Tokyo first for 4 days, working back west all the way to Hakata (Fukuoka) for a couple of days, run up to Hiroshima/Miyajima for a couple of days, stop at Himeji on the way back to Kyoto for a half-day, then 3 or 4 days in Kyoto/Osaka/Nara, then back to Nagoya for departure. If your flight out is in the afternoon, you could even leave that morning from Kyoto.

If you are doing the 7-day Pass, you could still activate it the next day after arrival, travel down to Hiroshima and Miyajima on day 2, return to Kyoto with a stop in Himeji on day 4, see Kyoto/Nara/Osaka on day 5-7 and travel up to Tokyo late on day 8 (7th day of Pass validity) with the balance of your time in and around Tokyo/Kamakura and perhaps Nikko. In that case, you would have to pay for your return to Nagoya.

Note that you must purchase Japan Rail Pass exchange vouchers before you travel to Japan. See the "sticky" post at the top of the forum.

Note also that June is the rainy season in Japan. It will likely be warm but wet many of the days you will be there.

JR

How about something like ....

-- Arrive NGO & immediately connect to a domestic flight to the North of Japan.

-- During the first 4 or 5 days of your trip, explore North Japan, working your way down to Tokyo. (If you stay on Honshu, you could use a flexible 4-day JR East pass).

-- Spend 2 or 3 days in Tokyo

-- Activate a 7 day JR pass and go West. Stop in Kyoto for a few days, continue on to Hiroshima, maybe continue on to Fukuoka.

-- Fly from Hiroshima or Fukuoka to NGO and connect to your international flight.

This would be the most "efficient" way to see places that are to the North and places to the West of Nagoya. But it's really a lot of territory to cover in two weeks.

If you were willing to limit yourself to seeing only places West of Nagoya, you would probably have a more enjoyable holiday. (Kick off with a flight to Kagoshima and then work your way back up Kyushu, through Hiroshima to Kyoto and then to NGO)

Because of my size, I avoid domestic Japanese air travel in coach. As a result, I tend to forget about that option. Jib71's suggestion is probably far better than mine for many people. Using air for the first, longer parts of a 2-week itinerary might still leave the 7-day Japan Rail Pass as a good alternative while still permitting reasonable long-distance travel outside the 7-day period. I still think 7+ days in Tokyo is too much out of a 2-week visit. A couple of days in Kyushu, a couple in Hiroshima/Miyajima, 4+ in Kyoto/Osaka area, a day or two someplace else and whatever is left in Tokyo sounds about right.

JR

Thanks for the suggestions guys they are really useful!

As far as I see it you suggest skipping out on Naggoya all together? Our flight leaves in the morning from there so I suppose one night there is needed though.

You mention the North of Japan, any pointers in where to go either in Hokkaido or Nothern Honshu? Sapporo seems interesting during the winter, but is it worthwhile during June?

I think his suggestion was kind of an either-or. My thought is that if you want to go southwest to Kyushu, followed by Hiroshima and the more traditional areas of Kyoto/Osaka/Tokyo, then Hokkaido might be better saved for another trip. If you decide to do the "north" option, then you should probably drop Kyushu. It would be easy to cram too much into your stay by trying to see everything.

Hokkaido in summer would be rather like parts of Alaska in summer. Beautiful nature areas with smaller cities. It will be a lot cooler than the areas further south.

Nagoya can be worth a day or two but is really more of a gateway than a tourist destination. There is a restored castle that is not as nice as Himeji, a pretty good art museum (the Tokugawa), a decent ceramic manufactory and museum, a good aquarium and lots of good food amid a bustling commercial city. If your flight into NGO arrives relatively early in the day, you can eliminate a first night and go on to more interesting areas - or if it is later, just spend a night and get a fresh start in the morning. Likewise, if your flight home is early in the day, you might want to spend a night there and have a stress free departure. It all depends on how much time you have. During my first trip via NGO, I blew straight through by train to spend my first night in Kyoto but then, on the reurn, chose to spend an award stay at the Nagoya Hilton my last night to get an easy start out to NGO in the morning. YMMV.

JR

Since it's your first time to Japan, I'd recommend go to Tokyo first, to get your feet on the ground. I think that 2-3 days in Tokyo is plenty. From there, I'd say go all the way to Nagasaki and then head back up through Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Kurashiki, Okayama, Kobe (Himeji), Osaka, Kyoto, and finally out through Nagoya. I think that you will enjoy Kyushu, more than just Fukuoka, for real taste of Japan.

IMHO -- While there are some worthwhile attractions around Nagoya, the center of Nagoya city is not terribly interesting.

Try searching for keywords such as - Nagoya, Aichi, Inuyama, Meiji mura, Ise.
(for best results I recommend using Google's search within a site function)

Or spend the night somewhere with good access to NGO. For example, it's quite feasible to get from Kyoto to NGO in the early morning. The earliest domestic flights arrive at NGO around 8.45am.
I guess it depends quite how early your flight is...

Lots of spectacular scenery up North, some terrific hot spring resorts, top quality seafood. I hear that Hakodate, Sapporo and Otaru are pleasant cities - but I believe that the main atttractions of Hokkaido are natural. Same for the North of Honshu really.

Try a search for Sendai, Hiraizumi, Matsushima, Sapporo, Otaru, Hakodate.

(And for the extreme North of Hokkaido, search for Shiretoko)

Hmm. If you're into cars, Toyota has a factory tour in Nagoya. My personal favourite thing in Nagoya is the Sento (public bath) in the public area of NGO. From there you can watch planes land and take off and recover from the 10+ hours of plane ick that you'll have once you arrive.

Nothing like a shower, a soak and a bath with live electricity!

I'm not a Japan expert, but we had a spectacular time in Kyoto (places to visit include the Moss garden and a number of out of the way places that were pretty stunning), Nara (had a fabulous tour guide from an organization that takes people around for free -- you pay their transportation and meals), and Mount Koya (stayed in a Buddhist monastery which is one of something like 68 on top of a mountain thought to be holy). Tokyo was OK. We didn't get a chance to go to the northen or Southern parts of Japan. We traveled with our kids and stayed in a Western style hotel, an expensive ryokan in Nara, a youth hostel in Kyoto, a Buddhist monastery, and an inexpensive ryokan in Kyoto. The variety was also good.

Travel by the bullet train is fun, especially if one's idea of high speed rail travel is Amtrak.

All these itineraries sound great. However, I could spend 3 weeks in Tokyo or Osaka alone.

I think Nara is one of the coolest places and a must not miss, but get off the beaten tourist path as well and take the route that goes up the big hill in the back of the map. Its got that classic Japan feel with much less people (not referring to the wooden temple area).

I only comment on this point as other posts had great recommendations. Most casual tourists tend to ignore Nagoya. I used to have the same attitude without ever being there. That attitudewas changed since my recent visit to Nagoya for 2 days. Nagoya has plenty of unique sights to occupy 2 or more days. Since you land there, why not stay one or two nights.
I strongly recommend that you try the Nagoya Marriott Hotel at the main train station (therefore very convenient as your transport to/from the airport will likely end here); and from here you can see the sights by subway and/or bus.
What's unique:
The Robot Museum
The Nagoya Castle
Atsusta Jingu Shrine
The Bansho Ji - Temple
Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium

You can do a day-trip from here to visit the Toyota factory and its museum.
Whatever you decide to do, you will enjoy Japan.

Thanks again for all the tips guys.

Here is a brief overview of my trip plan (feedback on it would be appreciated)

Day 1 - Nagoya
Days 2-6 - Tokyo
Days 7-9 - Kyoto
Days 10-12 - Fukuoka
Days 13-14 - Osaka
Day 15 - Leaving Nagoya mid-AM.

Now, I'm really wondering if I should add some time onto the Kansai region and perhaps just cut Fukuoka short and instead do daytrips from Osaka to Hiroshima. I'm also kind of weary about how much time that would leave me to go and see Nara or Himeji.

Obviously I'm trying to strike the right balance here. Any advice would be most appreciated.

Bump... Anyone have suggestions about this?

Nara is an easy local train ride from Osaka - about 45 minutes, depending on the train and line. It is also only about an hour from Kyoto. Himeji is a bit further from Osaka but still an easy day trip. I think I would deduct 1 day from Tokyo and maybe 1 from Fukuoka and add the time to the rest of the trip, perhaps stopping in Hiroshima on the way through. If you spent a night and 1-1/2 or 2 days in Hiroshima and Miyajima, you could even do Himeji on the way back to Osaka. That is assuming you can fit your luggage in a train station coin locker while you do the half-day tour at Himeji. Otherwise, it is an easy backtrack from Shin-Osaka.

For a good place to have lunch in Himeji, keep your eye peeled on the right side of the main street as you walk to the castle for a tonkatsu place about half-way from the station. Obviously, it will be on the left if you are coming back from the castle. The tonkatsu special is quite good and so is the katsudon but whatever they have for the daily special ("kyo no ranchi") will undoubtedly be good. It will be very busy between 12:00 and 1:00 pm with sararimen and OLs on their lunch break.

JR