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+--- Thread: Planning Return Trip to Japan (/thread-12245.html)
Planning Return Trip to Japan - TheVinster - 2014-10-04
The first time I went to Japan was in 2011 for a month. Now that I have a job I'm thinking of waiting until I can use vacation time, I'm hoping early 2015, and going back to Japan for as much time as I can (at max I imagine 2 weeks, if that). In potentially getting an idea for where I might go, I was curious what others did when they returned to Japan. I was primarily in Osaka for my first trip, with a few day trips to surrounding areas such as Nara, Kobe, and Kyoto. I love Osaka, Kansai dialect, and the people. Do you think it'd be wise to explore more of Japan and make the most of my next trip, or is it possible to achieve a fulfilling trip returning to the same general area? How do I make the most of a second trip with a more limited time frame?
Planning Return Trip to Japan - rich_f - 2014-10-04
Tough call. I've gone over there twice, and went to some of the same places, and some different ones, too. I'd say mix up a few familiar places with some new experiences.
One way to make the most of your time would be sleeper buses or the Hokutosei, which I think is the last sleeper train over there. It runs from Tokyo to Sapporo. That might be a fun experience. (Might not-- it's hard to say!) But sleeping while you go from A->B could save a lot of time, and Sapporo has a great Winter Carnival in late Jan/early Feb. (It books up well in advance, though!) You could always train up and fly out, though.
I'd probably go back to some of my favorite places, too, like Nagoya, Okazaki, and Toyohashi in Aichi-ken, because I lived there. And I'd go to Kyoto, because I love Kyoto... and maybe Nara and Osaka... ugh. There goes two weeks, and no time for Tokyo! Tokyo has a lot of great sights to see, too. So does Nagano-- the whole prefecture is amazing. Ride the Shinano from Nagoya to Nagano, and you can get some sightseeing in while you go from A->B. (The mountains are really pretty in fall, when they're not covered with volcanic ash-- dunno how that's going to affect things.)
Other than "Yeah, it's a tough call. Why not try mixing up a little old and new?" I don't know what else to say.
Planning Return Trip to Japan - Tzadeck - 2014-10-05
Hmm, maybe make the main trip western Honshu and Kyushu? Hiroshima (+Miyajima and Onomichi), Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Mt. Aso, Beppu, Kagoshima, with trips to Sakura-jima and Yakushima. Kyushu is also famous for having great people, not to mention pretty girls (in Fukuoka anyway).
These days you can also fly around within Japan for very cheap. You could get flights to Okinawa or Sapporo round trip for less than 200 dollars if you use Peach, a ridiculously cheap airline.
Some of my favorite places in Japan are Kagoshima/Sakurajima/Yakushima, Hiroshima/Miyajima, Okinawa/Zamami-jima/Ishigaki-Jima/Iriomote-Jima, Naoshima, Sapporo. I have a strange love for Kumamoto too, haha.
Always worth a trip back to Kansai though--there's always more to do, especially in Kyoto.
Planning Return Trip to Japan - rich_f - 2014-10-05
If you do go to Fukuoka, go to the Hakata folk museum, and listen to the phones that have people speaking to you in authentic Hakata-ben. It was one of the more disorienting things I've done in Japan, but it's a neat little museum if you like Meiji/Taisho/Showa era stuff. They have some neat displays there.
Fukuoka is a fun place. I spent a couple of days there knocking around. I need to check out the rest of the island at some point. Shikoku, too... but I don't think you could hit all 88 temples on Shikoku in two weeks.
(I hear it's really pretty there, too.)I'll also second Hiroshima/Miyajima. Miyajima is beautiful. Take the ropeway to the top of Mt. Takao. Totally worth it, especially around sunset. You can see over to the Seto Inland Sea, IIRC. Either way, it's pretty, so is the Kasuga Taisha Shrine. And of course Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki!
Planning Return Trip to Japan - Zarxrax - 2014-10-05
Well if you have primarily only been around the Osaka area, I would definitely recommend using this trip to visit the area around tokyo and fuji. There's definitely enough stuff to keep you busy for 2 weeks. Unless you just don't have an interest in that part of Japan.