Hi folks,
I’m heading to Japan in a week and trying to finalize one last item on my itinerary. I’m running the Osaka Marathon on Feb. 25 (yikes) and need to be in Tokyo by the night of Friday, March 1.
On Feb. 26, I’m taking the train to Kanazawa and staying two nights. After that, I’m taking the bus to Takayama via Shirakawa-go. I’ve booked a night at the Sumiyoshi Ryokan, which looks and sounds delightful. I plan to get to Takayama early so I can visit the major sites and enjoy some Hida beef and copious amounts of sake. I also might scrap Shirakawa-go and just visit the Hida Folk Village instead.
I’m wondering: should I spend another night in Takayama or one of the onsen towns, like Shinhotaka or Hirayu? Would it be better to visit the onsen as a day trip, including a ride up the Shinhotaka Ropeway? I’m traveling solo, for what it’s worth. I’m not sure if that changes the equation.
I’m also not entirely sure the best or most convenient way to reach Tokyo from there. It appears to be via Matsumoto (Nagano and Nagoya both require some backtracking, and different rail passes). Would it be better to visit Hirayu or Shinhotaka as a daytrip and then spend the night in Matsumoto?
So many options. Traveling in Japan with limited time reminds me of that Pepe Silvia scene from Always Sunny. (For the record, this is my fourth trip to Japan. I’ve been to Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo, and Nagano / Yamanouchi on previous trips.)
Thanks for any tips you all can provide!
by Shattered_Runner