Hello! My husband and I are going to Japan for 2+ weeks in August. It is literally the only month we will be able to go for a reasonable amount of time for the next 5-7 years (or more) due to his job. It is my first trip to Japan (huge bucket list item for me), and his 3rd, although he hasn’t been there since the early 00’s.
We know about the heat and humidity and we are making as many preparations as we can to deal with it, but I am really starting to worry that we will have a miserable time due to the heat no matter how prepared we are. I’ve read all the horror stories and I’m really getting in my head about the weather (even though we are relatively fit mid-40’s people and I actually teach hot yoga for a living.)
This is our current itinerary (all hotels booked and many plans made already):
4 nights Tokyo
4 nights Kyoto
2 nights Hiroshima/Miyajima
4 more nights Tokyo
Our Tokyo plans are pretty set on both ends of the trip so there isn’t much flexibility there, but I am now considering skipping Kyoto/Hiroshima and replacing those nights with some stops in Hokkaido (Hakodate, Niseko, Sapporo) to get away from the heat and save our sanity.
I’ve done a lot of research on Hokkaido and it looks lovely, but I’m a little heartbroken about missing Kyoto and Hiroshima. This probably isn’t a once in a lifetime trip, but it will likely be several years before we can get back to Japan.
So I would love some advice — do you think Hokkaido is a good choice in August even if it means replacing Kyoto? Everyone says Kyoto is a MUST for a first visit to Japan, but if going to Hokkaido instead means an overall more pleasant first Japan experience, I am willing to mix things up.
Please advise, and thank you so much, oh wise ones. 🙂
by judyhopps29