Please share your best trip stories and any places you recommend visiting! I (and I’m sure some others) could use some vacation inspiration! Or maybe we could just use a fun read as desk-warming season begins.
(Personally, I’m currently looking for some travel ideas for the summer break. Part of me wants to just go home because I’ve been so homesick, but I think that I need to have an amazing trip that reminds me of why I came here instead!)
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I went to Okinawa over spring break and it reinvigorated the travel bug. In the summer I’d personally try to go up to northern Tohoku or Hokkaido. I’ve been to Sapporo in the winter, but would love to visit in the summer.
Tsushima. By far the most countryside place I’ve ever been. 10/10 scenery.
Biked the Shimanami Kaido (Inland Sea of Japan) from Hiroshima to Ehime. I went in the summer and was lucky enough to have two straight days of sunshine. It was the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen in Japan so far (even better than the top of Mt. Fuji) and super rewarding to have biked for so long. Just be sure to bring a swim suit so you can take a dip in the beautiful water!
After that, my friends and I took about a week to see all 4 prefectures on Shikoku, with one of the highlights being the Iya Valley (third best view in Japan). This is also worth doing if you have the time.
Hokkaido in summer. Great weather, and Furano and the village of sunflowers in particular were lovely!
Fuji will be open this year after bing closed for almost 2 years!
Overnight stay in Koyasan at one of the temples was 1000% worth it.
Itsukushima is absolutely worth the trip and you get to go to Hiroshima while you’re at it.
Ferried from Yanai, Yamaguchi to Matsuyama, Ehime, visited Matsuyama Castle and Dogo Onsen, took the train to Imabari and began the Shimanami Kaido cycle from there, heading up to Onomichi, Hiroshima. We broke up the cycle in two days, but I would recommend even longer if you have the time. There was so much I wanted to explore but I was too exhausted and there wasn’t as much time as I’d hoped. All that being said, I had an amazing time.
Spent five days hiking in and around Kamikochi!
As others have mentioned, the Shimanami Kaido cycle route and Koyasan are both incredible as well.
I went with some friends to Yakushima (Kagoshima). It was the inspiration for the movie Princess Mononoke and so if you’re a nature buff, then it’s definitely worth visiting (but hard to get to if you’re coming from anywhere but Kyushu). We went hiking around the island, saw breathtaking views, swam in the ocean (some brought snorkeling gear), and saw sea turtles laying eggs on the beach (you can watch them being born if you go in the summer).
Naoshima, the art island, is wonderful if you like art (especially experimental art). I rented an electric bicycle and cycled around the island. The whole island is full of art— there are abandoned houses made into art exhibits, a funky onsen, more “traditional” art museums, and public art all around the island.
Most of my trips during silver week have been fun. Most of my trips during golden week have been chaotic.
Best I spent were those couch surfing back when the website was free and users were active. Got to meet a bunch of amazing people who showed me the local spots and places. You really can’t go wrong I think in Japan, so don’t worry too much about locations that are a “must”. Pick a few things but going with the flow travel has led to the best experiences for me.
Just before the Fire Nation attacked (a.k.a. the pandemic) I got the chance to see one of my favourite Japanese bands, Boris, play in a tiny small venue in Fukuoka. I went there, stayed one night, and went back the next day.
But that night, as they played, I and about 15 other people witnessed three people sonically create and then destroy the Universe, over and over again. It was the loudest, most hardcore, and most beautiful thing I’ve ever experienced in my life.
And the tempura I ate afterwards with a couple ex-JETs from Beppu I met at the gig was pretty great too 😊
I didn’t get to do much travelling thanks to Covid, which took up about half of my time here plus a lot of extra time wasted trying to psych myself up to go out into the world again between and after vaccinations, but that experience alone will never leave me!
If you ever get the opportunity, go see Boris!
My boyfriend and I did a lot of weekend trips around Kyushu and loved it. Kagoshima was one of our favorites. Also loved going to Sapporo.
Some friends and I went to Himeji and did the castle tour of course. Lovely place, highly recommend. But then we got a wild hair to go to some random park outside of the city. After taking a bus out to the countryside we found ourselves at Taiyou Park at the foot of a giant Bavarian castle full of illusions. The surrounding grounds are covered with replicas of tourist sites from around the world. Some are charming and others are just creepy, especially considering we were among the only visitors. The occasional screams from a nearby facility did not help matters. It was weird as hell but incredibly memorable.
Cycling the Shimanami-Kaido. So epic. Did it three times.
I went to Kishi Station in Wakayama to see the famous cat stationmaster. Beautiful train ride and the station was pretty neat (if tiny)