Planning a trip October 2024. For context it’s a three week trip doing the usual: Osaka, Kyoto, Hakone, Tokyo.
I wanted to add a trip from Tokyo to a nearby region to experience a bit more rural Japan and see some nature/sights. I’ve been researching either Shizugawa/Sendai, specifically for the tsunami memorial park areas, and Nagano for the walking/foraging tours.
I won’t have time to do both and just looking for peoples opinions. All travel will be by train (and bus more locally).
The itineraries would be:
Shizugawa/Sendai
Day 1: Travel Tokyo to Shizugawa, check-in Minami Sanruki Hotel, chill.
Day 2: Minami-Sanriku Memorial Park, lunch, beach day, hotel and onsen.
Day 3: travel to Sendai early, check in to hotel (undecided) Sight-see/Miyagi Museum of art, back to hotel.
Day 4: Check out and travel back to Tokyo.
OR
Nagano
Day 1: Travel to Kariuizawa Bird Sanctuary, Nature tour, travel to check-in at Lamp guesthouse lake Nojiri, chill.
Day 2: Mushroom foraging tour, Sauna, chill.
Day 3: checkout, travel to Nagano/Matsushiro Underground tour/Palace ruins, travel to Tokyo.
Possibly two days in Nojiri. Undecided.
Which would be worth the travel? Also happy for any other nature/hiking suggestion.
Thanks!
by Bag-N-All