Hi all! re. Tohoku region in the first 3 weeks of December, I have the following itinerary (still in the works). Would love some feedback/suggestions please, and thanks in advance!
Happy to include or leave out destinations if you think they are worth going to or not. Keeping in mind this will be in early-mid December – are some sights not worth going to then? I have some questions:
- Is this itinerary feasible and have we given enough days for each destination?
- Should I skip Akita and Aomori altogether – are those places in listed easily accessible by public transport? I am thinking of renting car for a couple days within one city, and thought there would probably be more to do within Fukushima, so will likely rent a car there.
- Should I keep or swap out Appi Kogen for somewhere closer to Tokyo? Was thinking Nozawa onsen, or if there’s anywhere else you guys could suggest that’s en route for a few days of snowboarding. Although not sure if there will even be snow for snowboarding in the first 3 weeks of December.
- Should I give Zao a miss, it seems like a beautiful place but the highlights really depend on whether there is enough snowfall (eg. the snow monsters).
- Is Geibikei Gorge worth looping round just for one day?
- Which route is more efficient in terms of travel duration and cost?
- Tokyo -> Sendai -> Fukushima -> Yagamata -> Tokyo, OR
- Tokyo -> Yamagata -> Sendai -> Fukushima -> Tokyo
Itinerary as follows:
Tokyo
Sendai 2 days
D1: Zuihoden mausoleum, Sendai castle
D2: Matsushima bay
Geibikei Gorge 1 day
- Boat ride
Fukushima 3 days (?car rental)
- Local train from Ichinoseki -> FukushimaÂ
- Stay in Fukushima city
- D1: Hanamiyama park (?not much to see in Dec), Iizaka Onsen
- Local bus from Fukushima stn -> Hanamiya park
- Alternative: Mt Shinobu
- Other things in Fukushima city
- Return bus to Fukushima stn -> Izaka onsen
- Cafe Hiranaga – near Sabakoyu bathhouse
- Local bus from Fukushima stn -> Hanamiya park
- D2: Lake Inawashiro, Goshiki-numa ponds
- Car for convenience
- 1hr drive to Lake Inawashiro
- 1hr drive from there to Goshiki-numa ponds
- 1.5hr drive back to Fukushima
- D3: Tsuchiyu onsen, Aizu-Miyashita
- Car for convenience
- 30min drive to Tsuchiyu Onsen (nice resort area at base of mountains – might snow)
- 1.5hr drive to Aizu-Miyashita
- 2hr drive back to Fukushima
Yamagata 2/3 days
- Local train from Fukushima 1.5hr
- Stay in Yamagata city
- D1: Yamadera temple
- D2: Zao onsen and Zao fox village, ?snow monsters and snowshoeing
- Car for convenience
- 30min drive to Zao Onsen
- 1hr 15min drive to Zao Fox Village
- 1hr drive back to Yamagata city, or stay the night in Zao
- Takasagoya ryokan
- (D3: Ginzan onsen – worth a day trip?)
- Car for convenience
- 1.5hr drive to Ginzan onsen
- Stay in Ginzan onsen!!! Likely booked out now.
Tendo (hotspring town – after Yamagata?)
Akita 2 days
- Local train 3.5hr, $30
- D1: Kakunodate Samurai district, Senshu park
- Farm stay?
- D2: Nyuto onsen, Lake Tazawa
Aomori 2 days
- Local train 3.5hr
- D1: Nebuta museum, Hakkoda mountains
- D2: Oirase Gorge
Appi Kogen – snowboarding
- Local train from Aomori -> Morioka 2hr, then bus to Appi Kogen 1hr
Back to Tokyo
by sugakick