The Plan

[Wagamama]

Sup everyone?i finally decided and booked my trip to Japan from the 17 December 2009 to the 6 of January 2010.i'll be visiting Kyoto,Nara,Kobe,Himeji and Osaka.Is there any place i am missing out in the Kansai region,please do tell.

Also i am looking for a very scenic place for a retemburo in the kansai region,any suggestions?

cheers,Wagamama

[CrystalDoll]

Oh~sounds quite nice! I feel jealous. Hehe~

Wish you a good trip ahead.

[Wagamama]

haha thanks hopefully i will,Its my first solo trip=)

[kyo_9]

how about Shiga?
although, I don't think you have enough time..
have a great time in Japan~

[Wagamama]

Originally Posted by kyo_9

how about Shiga?
although, I don't think you have enough time..
have a great time in Japan~

Shiga?i do know that place is a famous for a museum,other than that whats there in Shiga?.Oh yes i would definitely take lots of pictures and share them=)

[Shohane]

I have the same question as the OP's: What are some destinations (specifically) that I should not miss ?

[sdbri]

Originally Posted by Wagamama

Sup everyone?i finally decided and booked my trip to Japan from the 17 December 2009 to the 6 of January 2010.i'll be visiting Kyoto,Nara,Kobe,Himeji and Osaka.Is there any place i am missing out in the Kansai region,please do tell.

Also i am looking for a very scenic place for a retemburo in the kansai region,any suggestions?

cheers,Wagamama

You're going all the right cities, but you should think about where you go within each city you're visiting. Nara and Kyoto are definitely the top two for unique places. Things are straightforward when you visit Nara (stop by the tourist info desk and they'll give you a map of everything), but Kyoto has a good 2-3 days of stuff. How many days do you have?

2 days in Kyoto are probably better than splitting the days with a place like Kobe. Right in front of the station is a map with several dozen destinations you can reach by local bus. Kiyomizudera is a good choice since it's surrounded by lots of other sites.

Osaka's the biggest city by far in Kansai, do stop by downtown at Umeda for a little of everything.

[godwine]

Originally Posted by sdbri

You're going all the right cities, but you should think about where you go within each city you're visiting. Nara and Kyoto are definitely the top two for unique places. Things are straightforward when you visit Nara (stop by the tourist info desk and they'll give you a map of everything), but Kyoto has a good 2-3 days of stuff. How many days do you have?

2 days in Kyoto are probably better than splitting the days with a place like Kobe. Right in front of the station is a map with several dozen destinations you can reach by local bus. Kiyomizudera is a good choice since it's surrounded by lots of other sites.

Osaka's the biggest city by far in Kansai, do stop by downtown at Umeda for a little of everything.

You can also buy the kyoto sightseeing bus pass, which takes you directly to different temples

I would suggest that you group Nara with your Kyoto stay, 3-4 days will probably be enough as long as you are willing to start your day earlier, you should be able to cover 3-4 temples/shrines one day. I would suggest to do Nara AND Fushimi Inari on the same day, since you need to go south from Kyoto

Osaka is just another big city, it has some pretty decent night life, and a lot of shopping. Stay in osaka for another 3 days or so, and make Kobe a half day side trip from there

If you have time, which, base on your schedule, I think you do, you can probably go to Miyajima. Try to make it such that you are in Kyoto around new years, there are a lot of things to see at temples and shrines

Good luck, be safe, and HAVE FUN

[Wagamama]

Wow thanks for the great response!
i'll be in,
Osaka-4 days
Kobe-1 day
Himeji-1 day
Mt Koya-1 day
Kyoto-4-5 days
Nara-1 day

theres still days in my trip(21 days) i havent filled in..i plan to hit Shiga & kibune as well.I did consider hiroshima/miyajima but man transportation time and costs just kills=(

[godwine]

Originally Posted by Wagamama

Wow thanks for the great response!
i'll be in,
Osaka-4 days
Kobe-1 day
Himeji-1 day
Mt Koya-1 day
Kyoto-4-5 days
Nara-1 day

theres still days in my trip(21 days) i havent filled in..i plan to hit Shiga & kibune as well.I did consider hiroshima/miyajima but man transportation time and costs just kills=(

You really should get a JR pass, that should ease the transportation cost a little