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Originally Posted by ChisaChi
These are all day trips my group will be doing on our trip to Japan, which is in just over a week. Just a few more last minute questions! All of these trips will be from our base in Osaka and then Kyoto.
Koya-san
I'm trying to convince the rest of my group to make a day trip out to Koya-san, because it looks fantastically magical. I'm just a little bit concerned about going in winter, because I've heard it involves a bit of hiking. Has anyone made the trip up there in winter? Or is it relatively easy (for people who are reasonably fit but aren't hikers) to get up to the temples and cemeteries? Does it look as beautiful in the winter as it does in warmer seasons?
Nara
How long does it take to see the main sites in Nara? The daibutsu is obviously on the list of things to see, but I'm not sure what else there is and if it can be done in half a day.
Koka/Koga
Anyone been to the ninja village/museum? Again trying to figure out if it's a whole day or a half day trip.
Himeji, Hiroshima, Miyajima
At the moment we have all three of these planned for the same day from Osaka, and because we need to get back to our hotel in Osaka before the trains shut down and the trips are pretty far. Our group isn't reeeeally interested in seeing a lot of Hiroshima since we have such a short trip (although I have heard it's a very interesting city and plan to check it out properly eventually), so we'll be doing our main sightseeing at Himeji castle and Miyajima. Is it possible to do this in a day, or is it a bit too ambitious?
Thanks!
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You can do several Nara sites in a day, and it is only about 45 minutes from JR Osaka station.
Himeji, Hiroshima and Miyajima all in one day? As a day trip? Only if you have wings. You can do Himeji as a day trip and make it back to Osaka, but any attempt to spend more than a photo-op in those other places will require spending the night.
May I give a little advice? It sounds like you are trying to see many of the beautiful places Japan has to offer. I went to Kansai with a guy who majored in Buddhism, and we made a trip similar to the one you are making. Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, Tokyo. This guy had Eastern religions coming out his ears and could go on for hours about Shinto and Buddhism. Even he was sick of temples by the end of our trip.
It sounds to me your are going to be spending more time going places than being places. Japan is a small country, but not so small that it can be seen in its entirety in a week. Enjoy Osaka and Kyoto...there is plenty to do in both these cities...and don't waste all your time riding trains all day to see a temple here or a castle there when there are beautiful ones closer. Himeji castle is very beautiful, and I only visited it because I lived outside of Osaka. If I was going on a short trip, though, Osaka Castle is more than enough of a Castle to see.