Hi,
I’ve been to Japan two times so far (once 2019 and once 2024), both times in spring during cherry blossom season. I would like to visit Japan again in autumn (probably November), however I’ve now visited most of the places I wanted to visit and would be grateful for recommendations of what others have done and liked.
In general, I like hiking through nature. For example, I enjoyed going up Mount Kurama in the north of Kyoto and walking along the Yamanobe no Michi hiking trail in Nara, but would prefer hikes to be not too long or too difficult (i.e., no 8 hour hikes a day). In general I am not really a fan of night life. However, I like learning about Japanese culture and like visiting shrines and temples, but by now I have seen so many of them that I have got tired of visiting them (though there are nice outliers like Kousanji on Ikuchi Island, which felt fresh thanks to their thousand Buddhas cave). I also like going up obervation points like towers and mountains to witness the landscape, and am open to other special things in cities like experimental arts museums (e.g., I enjoyed the TeamLabs museums in Tokyo) or parks. In general, I would prefer going by public transport, which unfortunately rules out some rural places only accessible by car.
Places I’ve been to:
– Tokyo (Hamarikyu Garden, Zojoji Temple, Imperial Palace Gardens, Korakuen Garden, Ueno Park, Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, Meiji Shrine, Yoyogi Park, Rikugien Garden, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Observation Platform, Ginza, Akihabara, Asakusa, Sensoji, TeamLab Planets+Borderless, Odaiba, …)
– Nikko (Rinnoji, Toshogu Shrine, Futarasan Shrine)
– Kamakura (Kenchoji, Ennoji, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, Hasedera)
– Hakone (Komagatake Ropeway, Owakudani)
– Gifu Castle, Shihoji Temple
– Kyoto (Arashiyama, Kinkakuji, Nijo-jo, Kyoto Imperial Palace + Gyoen National Garden, Kodaiji, Fushimi Inari Taisha, Mount Daimonji, Mount Kurama, Philosopher’s Path)
– Nara (Kofukuji, Todaiji, Kasuga Taisha, Mount Wakakusa, Yamanobe no Michi)
– Osaka (Osaka Castle, Dotonbori, Nintendo Store, Pokemon Center, Minoh Falls, Kaiyukan Aquarium)
– Kobe (basically everything worth visiting, as I additionally lived there for two months for work)
– Himeji (Himeji-jo, Kokoen)
– Hiroshima (Atomic Bomb Dome, Peace Memorial Museum, Shukkeien Garden, Itsukushima)
– Onomichi (Senkoji Park, going to Ikuchi Island by bike and visiting Kousanji, Hirayama Ikuo Museum of art)
– Fukuoka (Dazaifu, Canal City, Fukuoka Tower)
– Kumamoto
– Nagasaki
– Sendai (Matsushima, Zuihoden Mausoleum, Yamadera, Omoshiroyama Kogen hike to Yamadera)
by realchrismile