Hey all, I’m planning a trip to Japan (April 1st to April 13th 2023) and had a few questions about certain aspects of my itinerary, which although is very basic, is as follows:
4/1: Arrive in Tokyo, take train to Kamakura Airbnb, and rest for most of the day.
4/2: Explore Kamakura (visit temples such as Hasedera, Hokokuji, etc.)
4/3: Travel to Magome, explore town and stay in Ryokan.
4/4: Hike the Nakasendo tail to Tsumago, then travel to Airbnb in Gujo.
4/5: Explore Gujo, then travel to Takayama
4/6-4/7: Stay in Takayama Ryokan
4/8: Travel to Koyasan, do a temple stay.
4/9-4/12: Travel to Airbnb in Kyoto, spend several days exploring city and surroundings. (day trip to Nara and Uji on 4/11)
4/13: Travel to Tokyo and depart.
Apologies for the itinerary’s simplicity, but I’m still in the early planning stages and am trying to figure out where to go before I fully decide the specifics.
My primary question is the title: do you think it’s worth visiting Tsumago/Magome, Gujo, and Takayama back-to-back? Obviously they’re different in many ways, but seem quite similar in some.
Especially since I’m going to be visiting Koyasan afterwards, do you think it’s visiting all three places is worth it, or might I get burnt out front seeing so many old towns? Based on your experiences and knowledge, might it be wiser to replace 1 or 2 of those towns with something different?
Any help would be greatly appreciated! I’ve been dreaming of going to Japan for years and want to make this trip truly special 🙂
2 comments
Is it worth it? Depends on how many days you have It’s for you to decide wherever you like hiking and visiting older towns or not. I find it worth it and have it in my itinerary as well, but if I got my must do covered.
I wholeheartedly recommend a trip to the Kiso valley and the Tsumago-Magome part of the Nakasendo. It was one of the highlights of my first trip to Japan and I’d like to do it again.
When I hiked the trail – it was just a day trip from Nagoya – I wished I had planned for more time in Tsumago. Both Tsumago and Magome are amazing but if I had to choose a place to stay the night I’d pick Tsumago which looks splendid at night. And it’s near Nagiso train station which can take you to Nagoya.
Gujo sounds nice but I haven’t visited it. You may also want to consider Gero Onsen on your way to Takayama. Also bear in mind that travelling from Tsumago to Gujo isn’t straightforward. I believe you would need to ride a train down to o Nagoya then go back north and the whole journey takes about 4 hours and involves changing trains/buses 3 or 4 times. Gujo-Takayama isn’t straightforward either. It would involve several bus or train rides and would take 3-4 hours whereas Gero-Takayama is a direct 1h+ train ride. I don’t mean to discourage you from checking Gujo which seems great but be prepared for the transit.
Also note that Takayama-Koyasan is a 7 hour journey.
It’s a great itinerary but I would plan for stops at more central cities such as Nagoya between Kiso and Gujo/Takayama section of your trip in order to spend less time per day in transit. And after Takayama I’d either go straight to Kyoto or have a stopover in Kanazawa before Kyoto and I would visit Koyasan from Kyoto.
Also make sure you visit Shirakawa-Go when in Takayama. It’s a short bus ride.