2 weeks in Japan - looking for ideas

[CaptainCurtis]

Hello brains trust!

I'm planning to head up to Japan for the F1, which is on in Suzuka from September 22nd to 24th. Looking for some recommendations on where to go from those who have been, as finding the range of options quite intimidating.

Requirements as follows:

• Will be flying in to Tokyo on either the 15th or 16th of September.
• Struggling to decide whether to break up the trip from Tokyo to Nagoya with smaller stops along the way (inspiration from @rbjhan here, or just take a train straight to one of the bigger cities and spend a longer period of time there with a few day trips).
• Would like to arrive in Nagoya on the 22nd, and leave on the 25th. I probably won't attend all 3 days of the F1, so keen to hear any ideas on day trips from Nagoya.
• After Nagoya, tossing up between Kyoto/Osaka/Kobe, or heading up towards Kanazawa.
• Flight out isn't finalised, but likely out of Tokyo on the 30th (flexible if needed). Or could fly out of Osaka if needed.

First time in Japan for me, so everything will be new!

 

[drron]

Well for one the Tokyo September Sumo Tournament is on. We are just going to miss it as arriving late September.

Official Sumo tickets | Tokyo July Tournament | Ticket Oosumo

Ticket Oosumo

sumo.pia.jp

 

[rbjhan]

Hello brains trust!

I'm planning to head up to Japan for the F1, which is on in Suzuka from September 22nd to 24th. Looking for some recommendations on where to go from those who have been, as finding the range of options quite intimidating.

Requirements as follows:

• Will be flying in to Tokyo on either the 15th or 16th of September.
• Struggling to decide whether to break up the trip from Tokyo to Nagoya with smaller stops along the way (inspiration from @rbjhan here, or just take a train straight to one of the bigger cities and spend a longer period of time there with a few day trips).
• Would like to arrive in Nagoya on the 22nd, and leave on the 25th. I probably won't attend all 3 days of the F1, so keen to hear any ideas on day trips from Nagoya.
• After Nagoya, tossing up between Kyoto/Osaka/Kobe, or heading up towards Kanazawa.
• Flight out isn't finalised, but likely out of Tokyo on the 30th (flexible if needed). Or could fly out of Osaka if needed.

First time in Japan for me, so everything will be new!

There are many stops between Tokyo and Nagoya. Depends on your interest really.
Want to see Mt Fuji? Well Kawaguchiko is handy, or Hakone.
Like shopping? Gotemba, you can also see Fuji from here.
Onsen and ryokan? From Atami to Ito to Shuzenji, the whole peninsula is famous for it.

Day trips from Nagoya. Well see my last TR...
Note: Ise Jingu is very Japanese...might not be the best for foreigners.
If you like history then Inuyama & Gifu castles are great.

After Nagoya, personally it would be a tossup, but it's your first time then definitely Kyoto.

 

[CaptainCurtis]

There are many stops between Tokyo and Nagoya. Depends on your interest really.
Want to see Mt Fuji? Well Kawaguchiko is handy, or Hakone.
Like shopping? Gotemba, you can also see Fuji from here.
Onsen and ryokan? From Atami to Ito to Shuzenji, the whole peninsula is famous for it.

Day trips from Nagoya. Well see my last TR...
Note: Ise Jingu is very Japanese...might not be the best for foreigners.
If you like history then Inuyama & Gifu castles are great.

After Nagoya, personally it would be a tossup, but it's your first time then definitely Kyoto.

Would it be best to base myself in one place on the way from Tokyo to Nagoya and run day trips from that place, or better to pick a couple of spots for a few nights each?

 

[Matt_01]

Is this your first trip to Japan the reason for asking it is a relatively easy place to get around but is quite easy if you know the train systems. Are you looking to spend time in Tokyo or basing out of Nagoya. From Nagoya Gifu is easy to get to as is Gero and Takayama and if you can stretch for an extra week the 2023 Takayama Autumn festival is usually around the first week of Oct. I have been to this festival but would caution you if you are not familiar with Japanese Festivals prepare yourself for crowds and I mean crowds, the Takayama Spring and Autumn festivals are some of the busiest in Japan. Depending what you are interested in The Tokugawa Museum in Nagoya is not large but quite interesting and if you are interested in Japanese swords there are a few good dealers nearby. Seki is also another small and interesting place from Nagoya mainly a sword town with another good sword museum. Kyoto is around an 30 minutes on the train, there is a lot to see in Kyoto but from there you can venture out to Nara, Nikone, Himeji, Kurashiki Bikan, or Osaka. IMO Osaka is just another large city and could be skipped. If you do decide to head north you get on the same train in Nagoya head up through Gero and Takayama but go through to Toyama and then transfer to Kanazawa. The train ride north is quite good.

My advice is not to try and see everything in one go as it is just not possible.

 

[rbjhan]

Would it be best to base myself in one place on the way from Tokyo to Nagoya and run day trips from that place, or better to pick a couple of spots for a few nights each?

Depends on where you want to go.
Then you can check out transport time, I think you will find it unrealistic, unless you are just running up and down the Shinkansen.
Also note, most ryokans you really are meant to stay for just one night.

 

[JK1964]

We based ourselves in Tokyo for 5 nights and did day trips from there, full day city tour (used to be called Dynamic Tokyo Tour), trip up to Nikko and another to Mt Fuji and Hakone. From Tokyo we then went straight through to Nagoya. Kanazawa is worth a visit for the Kenrokuen Gardens and Samurai houses. Too much in Kyoto / Nara to pack into one day though. Hiroshima is also worth a visit. The Authentic Japan itinerary on JTB will give you some good ideas and you can do this as independent travellers. As others have mentioned, travel is easy and the locals are only too happy to help.

 

[Seat0B]

I agree with @Matt_01 about Takayama - it’s a great day trip from Nagoya. Beautiful old buildings, great street food, pretty river, morning market and the train trip up is also scenic.
In Nagoya itself there is a great train museum - from memory it might be called Maglev Museum - that has a lot of historical trains, plus modern Shinkansen and a maglev prototype. It’s was good fun even for a non-train nerd. And I highly recommend the Toyota Museum. Toyota is much much more than just cars and we went to this museum expecting to stay a couple of hours at most but ended up staying for over 5 hrs.
The other good thing to do is just go for a wander - the street sights can be very interesting and it’s fun to “get lost”.
Kyoto is also a lovely destination. so many good things to do there - temple and nature walks, bamboo grove at Arashiyama, Fushimi Imari with all the magnificent tori gates, the nishiki market in the city, Gion (geisha) district, shops selling old kimonos….
I am about to leave on 24 Jan for a month I. Japan and will visit Kanazawa for the first time, so I will drop by later on to comment on that. I have high expectations that it is also lovely and maybe it‘s less crowded than Kyoto can be.
if you are travelling back to Tokyo from Kyoto via Shinkansen, it’s worth reserving a seat and at the time you do that asking for a seat with view of Fuji-sun. If the weather cooperates, you will get a great view from your seat.

Some photos of Kyoto to inspire you.


Fushimi inari - hint to get a clear photo either go early in the morning or walk right up to the top - most tourists quit waaaaaay to early.



Me taking a photo at Kiomizudera at the request of a group of girls dressed up for New Year



Nishiki market (pre COVID)






Fuji-San from the train

 

[Denali]

Depends on what you like to see, we discovered in Japan that we were temple and garden people and couldnt get enough of them. Kyoto was a great staging point for various places, using their trains.

We also had a private box at the sumo - lots of fun engaging with the people in the other boxes. Personally Hiroshima was on our must do list.

 

[drcam]

My suggestion is to save Kyoto/Osaka/Nara as the finale of your trip. I definitely found those more "traditionally" Japanese than any other. Hiroshima definitely worth a visit, as well as nearby Miyajima - only about one and a half hours away via bullet train.

September is late summer rather than autumn weather - seasons are slightly delayed in Japan due to it being an island country. Expect daytime temperatures in the high twenties and lows in the high teens and low twenties.

 

[Denali]

Oh. When we travelled in Japan, Hyperdia was our life line - it was amazing to navigate the public transport system. I believe Jorudan is now the replacement.

Route Search - Japan Transit Planner | Norikae Annai

You can use English to search for the nation's railways, aircraft routes (train time, fares, time required) as well as to understand the detail information such as the ticket fare, IC card fares, express train costs, etc.

world.jorudan.co.jp

Hyperdia

As of April , 2022, Hyperdia has stopped in updating its timetable details on route search service. The application can still be used routes' search, travel fares and time but it does not list specific connection times.

www.japan-experience.com

 

[craven morehead]

Heading over hopefully in August. Following with interest.

 

[drcam]

When I was in the main cities of Japan in August, I nearly collapsed from heat stroke. The humidity was horrendous. However, the northern island of Hokkaido was lovely and that was where I spent the bulk of my time, it is a very underrated destination, less remote than people think by Australian standards but wonderful scenery, food and people.

 

[Matt_01]

Heading over hopefully in August. Following with interest.

I hope you like heat and humidity, I have been in August once and will not do it again. We prefer the cooler weather and have also been in Jan/Feb, MissM and I love the snow, MrsM not so. For us Autumn and Spring is seems to be always pleasant.

 

[craven morehead]

I hope you like heat and humidity, I have been in August once and will not do it again. We prefer the cooler weather and have also been in Jan/Feb, MissM and I love the snow, MrsM not so. For us Autumn and Spring is seems to be always pleasant.

Thanks @Matt_01, I also prefer the cooler weather even though I'm from Qld. I must admit to not putting much thought into the trip weatherwise. Due to a change in employment, it is now a 2.5-week pared back version of the 5-week Asia/UK trip it started as. Anyway if I'm whining midway throught the TR you will know why

 

[CaptainCurtis]

Looking like there may be a change of plans - likely I'll now be staying in Japan for closer to 4 weeks, from September 14th to October 11th. Only thing booked at the moment is the F1, so will be in Nagoya from September 20th to 25th. Open to all recommendations on itineraries

 

[Quickstatus]

likely I'll now be staying in Japan for closer to 4 weeks

Another change in employment?

 

[CaptainCurtis]

Another change in employment?

Still with the same company - the original plan was to head from Japan to Europe, but it's looking like that will fall through. Luckily just managed to find direct QF J award seats on QF25/26, which is pretty surprising 4 months out.

 

[BCons]

If modern art in extravagant galleries, small ferries and bit less of the big city thing is what blows yr hair back, then hv a look at the Art Islands - a series of ferry-connected museums (think Mona), open-air galleries and quirky settings (Inujima Isl used to be a copper smelter). Here's a place to start :

Art House Project | Art | Benesse Art Site Naoshima

View the list for the Art House Project in Naoshima, plus guides and fees for museums, and information on artists, programs, etc.

benesse-artsite.jp

Benesse consists of 3 places to stay (some pretty fancy) and various art projects/galleries all on Naoshima, with surrounding islands hosting other museums. You could spend a busy 3 days and just about cover the lot. Will be there early July for our 2nd go. Connect thru Okayama which is a mainline Shinkansen intersection. Its 3 hrs from Naoshima Isl to Kyoto for example.

 

[kpc]

I have been to Japan 5x before and been to most parts (but not all) of the country and am going again for ~10 days just b4 Easter next year....we are taking a couple in late 60s/70 with us who have never to Japan b4 and am thinking Tokyo---> Mt Fuji (Kawaguchiko) --> Kanazawa---> Kyoto---> Nagoya (with possible side day trip to Hiroshima). Trying to pick up some ideas from this thread. Have not been to Kanazawa and Nagoya b4.

Note: Takayama (not been b4) may be an interesting side trip from Nagoya