My wife who currently lives in Niigata wants to take her mother to a new destination that resembles Kyoto, albeit in a smaller package.
They intend to visit during peak foliage in a few weeks and visiting shrines and getting a good cultural experience would be the centerpiece of their trip.
The two places I recommended to her were Nikko (4 hours by car) and Kanazawa (4.5 hours by train).
Nikko is often mentioned as a nice destination from Tokyo but the town center doesn’t seem as robust as Kanazawa’s Old Town district.
Was curious if anyone has been to both and could make a recommendation between the two.
by mt80