Place to visit in the country - within 2-3hrs outside Tokyo?
 

Hi guys,

I'm planning my trip to Japan in May, and I could use some suggestions for somewhere to visit in the country for a few days. At about 2-3 hours outside Tokyo, and I'd like to take the Shinkansen there (at least part way).

I'd like somewhere with traditional buildings and such, along with onsen, and preferably a cooler climate (or at least not swamps or sea-level). People have suggested Nikko which looks beautiful, but I'm wondering if it is too tourist-centered now and it won't be a 'real' experience? I don't want a bunch of foreigners around and hawkers running up to me and such.

Thanks for any suggestions,
Prizm

How about Nagano?

Shinkansen -> Asama
traditional buildings -> Zenkoji
onsen -> plenty
cooler climate -> Central Highlands

Thanks for the reply Michigan. No thanks to everyone else :rolleyes:
(Seriously, I haven't had much luck with japanese-related forums...maybe they're just full of people who have never been?)

For the sake of others who read this post later, I've decided just to do Nikko anyway. It seems to have everything I had on my checklist - greenery, waterfalls, cool climate, temples, onsen, ryokans. Hopefully there won't be a lot of tourists around as I will be going just after Golden Week. So hopefully most Japanese tourists will be back at work having already taken their holiday.

Prizm

Well you did ask a pretty specific question...
2-3 hours away
take shinkansen
traditional
onsen
cool weather
not too many people

I think it would be hard for anyone to answer who doesn't live there because it's only really touristy places that get promoted to tourists.

Nikko is very nice though and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

As for foreigners... I kinda felt the same way before I went, that I didn't want to see too many other tourists around. But after having no-one to speak English to for a while it's kind of nice to run up to a random tourist and say "omg Japan is great! How long are you here for? What do you think of this and that?!"

Nikko is really amazing. I'd definitely reccomend it. The waterfalls are beautiful and the Tokugawa temple is as well. I'm not sure about onsen but I'd give Nikko a shot. If not, Nagano and such are also very country-ish.

Thanks guys.

Yeah you're probably right Aikochan - might be nice to run into a tourist and 'take a breather'.

I was initially aiming for Nagano, but I will be going just after Golden Week so I was told there'd be no snow left by that time. And hence, not a whole lot to see there without travelling to a temple or onsen. But if for some reason Nikko doesn't work out, then I'd probably look at the Nagano area.

Both Hakone and Nikko are withing 2-3 hours from "Tokyo", Nagano is also nice. Atami is a nice small town too

You really don't have much options for 2-3 hours, nothing really "tourist centric" anyways

How abt Gunma? Abt 2-3hrs Shinkansen from Tokyo right?
They've got the Initial D's mountains!

How about avoiding the Giant Hornets that linger outside Tokyo?

Ever read about those beasts? It's like, the first one won't sting you, but spit some nasty stuff at you that may or may not burn away skin. The stuff that little thing (actually it's about the size of a thumb or something) spat on you contains some other stuff that'll make 30 more of its buddy go after you and sting you until you don't move anymore.

Around 40 people die like that every year, I read. Each one a very painful death, at that. Did you know that when one of those Japanese Giant Hornets enter a bee hive, every single bee has to attack it? That's like tens of thousands of bees. Against one hornet. Why? If that hornet successfully plants that nasty stuff in the hive, 30 of its friends will come along. And they will, one after another, tear the head off the body from the bees to then give as food, or something.

Think about it. 30 hornets. 30,000 bees. One by one, the bees are ripped to death. Would you want to travel outside Tokyo and risk running into these guys? I know I wouldn't.

You are scaring the poor dude... :)

Gunma, hmm.. I guess, if you really want to waste time... Go to Nikko, Irohazaka is walking distance from the station if you want to experieince the crazy downhill pass.... there is also the world site museum there that you can visit, and the Edo Miura....

Where on earth did you read that? Yes they are harmful to humans but it is pretty rare they attack people...

We were warned about them when working in Nagasaki last summer and saw one (they are HUGE!) but it didn't bother us

He is "almost" accurate... you can find an article on Wiki:

Asian giant hornet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Though, i am pretty sure every single country has something that can potentially kill you, so I wouldn't worry about it, as pointed out, I don't think they will just randomly attack people

Nah, not all countries. You don't find anything like that where I live, thank goodness.

But the insect I was referring to is the Vespa Mandarinia Japonica. So specifically, it's the japanese kind, which doesn't inject venoms through stinging, but rather seems to spray or drop the thing from its mouth. I saw a clip once showing how like 30 or so hornets massacred an entire bee colony. It was sick.

And according to that report, forty people died every year from those hornets. Not saying they all died outside Tokyo, but still...

Which is directed to the same site i posted on Wiki :)

I didn't say every country has insects like these, I am saying every country will have "SOMETHING" that can potentially kill you :)

You defintely MUST go to Nikko, no matter what! The Toshugu Shrine there is magnificent, the Kegon Falls is exhilarating, and the Lake Chuzenji is breath-taking! If you do not want to fight with the tourist crowd, just go on a Monday or Tuesday while everyone else is working. Trust me, it's definitely worth it!

I will be updating my blog (3 Really Cool Dudes In Tokyo :-D !!!) on the details of my Nikko trip in Japan, so do stay tuned! :vsign: