Osaka or Tokyo?

[samurai007]

Originally Posted by godwine

On top of that, there are also other surroundings that is similar to Nikko and Hakone in Osaka... Hakone gives you access to Fuji, which Osaka doesn't have, but then, people like me who go to Hakone just for the Onsen resort, there are other alternatives around Osaka. While Nikko, well, just say the historic sites are different.

For Party, Osaka still ahve a few good spots, or he can always hop over to Kobe...

maybe if he is staying for more than 10 days, then he can just do both...

If I was staying for 10 days+, I'd still spend all of them in Kansai.

[godwine]

Originally Posted by samurai007

If I was staying for 10 days+, I'd still spend all of them in Kansai.

i don't disagree, there probably are enough things to do in Kansai for 10 days, i am just saying that if he has 10 days, then he doesn't have to debate and just go to both..... i would spend like 6 days in kansai region and another 4 in tokyo... thats just me...... I mean, I am going to be there for 3 weeks this year, and i am going to travel across from Hakata to Tokyo... I wasn't saying that he should, I am just saying that its an option that will allow him to cover both areas..

[Wagamama]

hey all thanks for the fantastic replies...i am gonna be there for 18 days...and the aim of the trip would be to indulge ourselves with the more cultural side(parks,castle etc)....and we dont really
wanna shop,Also if i may ask...if i wanted more scenic nature views wouldnt okinawa be a good choice?or is it too 'couples only go there' kind thing?because i am planning to go with 2 other guys,and we would very much like to have a 'adventure' is this kind of sub urban places...Oh yes we are planning to hit japan in the early December...Does the weather at that time make it impossible to go places Okinawa to hike mountains for example.
if possible i would like to know if there's any major festival happening around that time in japan?

Sorry if i went off topic,and thanks in advance for answering my questions

[samurai007]

Originally Posted by Wagamama

hey all thanks for the fantastic replies...i am gonna be there for 18 days...and the aim of the trip would be to indulge ourselves with the more cultural side(parks,castle etc)....and we dont really
wanna shop,Also if i may ask...if i wanted more scenic nature views wouldnt okinawa be a good choice?or is it too 'couples only go there' kind thing?because i am planning to go with 2 other guys,and we would very much like to have a 'adventure' is this kind of sub urban places...Oh yes we are planning to hit japan in the early December...Does the weather at that time make it impossible to go places Okinawa to hike mountains for example.
if possible i would like to know if there's any major festival happening around that time in japan?

Sorry if i went off topic,and thanks in advance for answering my questions

You can see beaches, mountains, and all the rest in Kansai too, along with many other things you can't see in Okinawa. Shirahama beach is down the Wakayama coast a ways, for instance, and there are tons of mountains nearby to hike in or visit. (Koya-san, for example, or near Nachi waterfall, or you could go hiking in the Japan Alps a little ways to the east of Takayama.)

The weather will probably be pretty cold, but there have been mild winters that were quite comfortable at that time too. You might consider traveling west and visiting Miyajima, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, and other parts of Kyushu. It's warmer down south in winter, and Kyushu has some very nice sites to see... I went there at the end of December when I was living there and had a great trip. Nagasaki is an especially interesting city! What I then did is take a ferry over to Matsuyama, and looped back to Osaka across the top of Shikoku so as to see new things both coming and going.

[Wagamama]

thanks for the advice...i 'll check them out
By the way isn't Hiroshima and Osaka ways apart?is it still worth traveling that much,even if 18 days is all we got?

[godwine]

Originally Posted by Wagamama

thanks for the advice...i 'll check them out
By the way isn't Hiroshima and Osaka ways apart?is it still worth traveling that much,even if 18 days is all we got?

If you are not into shopping then you can shorten your stay in Osaka and do Hiroshima. 18 days is a lot, i was able to cover more than just a few places when I had 14 days 2 years ago

You should pay a visit to Miyajima

[samurai007]

Originally Posted by Wagamama

thanks for the advice...i 'll check them out
By the way isn't Hiroshima and Osaka ways apart?is it still worth traveling that much,even if 18 days is all we got?

Using ju-hachi kippus, I took a 9 day trip through western Japan:

Day 1: Travel to Himeji and visit castle, then go on to Hiroshima, see peace park and shopping area.

Day 2: Visit Miyajima Island all day.

Day 3: Travel to Fukuoka, see some of that city, have real Hakata Ramen dinner.

Day 4: Explore historical sites near Fukuoka.

Day 5: Travel to Nagasaki, see some sights there and the city of Saga on the way.

Day 6: Spend whole day looking around Nagasaki.

Day 7: Spend another whole day looking around Nagasaki

Day 8: Travel to Matsuyama by train and ferry, visit Dogo Onsen that evening.

Day 9: See more of Matsuyama, then travel back to Kansai area.


As you can see, there's quite a bit of travel time involved, since I was using local trains. But I was able to do that schedule in 9 days, which means even if you wanted to take an extended trip like this you'd still have another 9 days to see Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Koya-san, etc.

A shorter excursion you might take would be 1 day to Kanazawa, see the park there, then 1 day to Takayama, spend the rest of the day plus 1 whole day seeing the town and Hida Folk village, then 1 day hiking in the Japan Alps, and return the following day. That'd take 5 days total.

Or you could take a trip around the Kii peninsula, visiting Nagoya, Ise shrine, Nachi, Shirahama, etc.

Personally, I believe you should think about a short trip like this that lets you visit some other places and see the countryside. With 18 days, I think you have enough time to fit 1 such trip into your schedule, if you want. But on the other hand, if you consider spending quite a bit of time on trains to be wasted time rather than sightseeing, and would rather spend more days walking around Kyoto or Osaka or something, that's fine too. I just figured I'd offer some realistic itineraries if you're interested.

[Barone1551]

Originally Posted by samurai007

Using ju-hachi kippus, I took a 9 day trip through western Japan:

Day 1: Travel to Himeji and visit castle, then go on to Hiroshima, see peace park and shopping area.

Day 2: Visit Miyajima Island all day.

Day 3: Travel to Fukuoka, see some of that city, have real Hakata Ramen dinner.

Day 4: Explore historical sites near Fukuoka.

Day 5: Travel to Nagasaki, see some sights there and the city of Saga on the way.

Day 6: Spend whole day looking around Nagasaki.

Day 7: Spend another whole day looking around Nagasaki

Day 8: Travel to Matsuyama by train and ferry, visit Dogo Onsen that evening.

Day 9: See more of Matsuyama, then travel back to Kansai area.


As you can see, there's quite a bit of travel time involved, since I was using local trains. But I was able to do that schedule in 9 days, which means even if you wanted to take an extended trip like this you'd still have another 9 days to see Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Koya-san, etc.

A shorter excursion you might take would be 1 day to Kanazawa, see the park there, then 1 day to Takayama, spend the rest of the day plus 1 whole day seeing the town and Hida Folk village, then 1 day hiking in the Japan Alps, and return the following day. That'd take 5 days total.

Or you could take a trip around the Kii peninsula, visiting Nagoya, Ise shrine, Nachi, Shirahama, etc.

Personally, I believe you should think about a short trip like this that lets you visit some other places and see the countryside. With 18 days, I think you have enough time to fit 1 such trip into your schedule, if you want. But on the other hand, if you consider spending quite a bit of time on trains to be wasted time rather than sightseeing, and would rather spend more days walking around Kyoto or Osaka or something, that's fine too. I just figured I'd offer some realistic itineraries if you're interested.

I definitely agree with this poster on the first two. Mostly becuase I haven't been to the other places. But Himeji is very nice, has some shopping, and is pretty compact. The castle is fantastic. Miyajima is also amazing, and the hike up to the top is beautiful. Im sure the others they recommended are awesome too. I would also recommend Nara to visit. It has two very awesome temples. Todaiji temple is my favorite, it has the big buddah in it. Plus thier are deer outside the temple that are fun. And for the historical side, there is horyoji which has some of the oldest wooden building in Japan.

[samurai007]

Originally Posted by Barone1551

I definitely agree with this poster on the first two. Mostly becuase I haven't been to the other places. But Himeji is very nice, has some shopping, and is pretty compact. The castle is fantastic. Miyajima is also amazing, and the hike up to the top is beautiful. Im sure the others they recommended are awesome too. I would also recommend Nara to visit. It has two very awesome temples. Todaiji temple is my favorite, it has the big buddah in it. Plus thier are deer outside the temple that are fun. And for the historical side, there is horyoji which has some of the oldest wooden building in Japan.

Yes, at least half his time (or more) should be spent in the Kansai area itself... Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Koya-san, etc There is a lot to see and do around there. I wouldn't cut the Kansai time below 9 days or so (Osaka 2-3 days, Kyoto 2-4 days, Nara 1-2 days, Koya-san 1-2 days, and any other places of personal interest on top of that.

But that still leaves quite a few days. He could simply spend more time in these same places, or get out a bit and visit some other places. If he wanted to, he could even do 3 days to Himeji, Hiroshima, and Miyajima, and then 5 days to Lake Biwa, Kanazawa, Takayama, and the Japan Alps. Or spend 3 or 4 days in a leisurely trip around the Kii peninsula seeing all the sights.

[Wagamama]

Wow these are very good answers,Thank you=),by the way what would u guys say about renting a car and just driving around the countryside(areas that were mentioned above)?...Also coming from a place where there is only 1 season(summer) i've virtually seen no snow and was really considering skiing however i hear that its really expensive not only that if it isnt worth it i will be wasting precious time....so the question is,is it worth it?
Thanks in advance

Cheers