Previously our trips were as follows:
1: Osaka/Kyoto (1 Week)
2: Okinawa/Miyakojima/IshigakiJima/Osaka/Kinosaki Onsen/Takayama/Kanazawa/Himeji/Tokyo (4 Weeks)
3: Hokkaido (Shiretoko/Kushiro/Lake Akan/Obihiro/Sapporo/Otaru/Asahikawa/Tokyo (2.5 Weeks)
4: Kyushu (Fukuoka/Kumamoto/Nagasaki/Karatsu/Kagoshima/Mount Aso/Miyazaki/Yakushima/Amamioshima (5 Weeks)
Food is really important, we also love exploring cities, going out and meeting people, hiking, onsens, nature, museums etc. We have enjoyed everywhere we’ve been apart from maybe Kushiro.
For this trip, we’ve decided mostly on Tohoku, seems beautiful and will be perfect Koyo time but I’m having trouble putting it all together, it makes sense to go from North to South but there’s so much zig-zagging unless I don’t do the Sanriku Coast which looks stunning..
I’ve also considered doing a circle route.
e.g. Clockwise
Flying to Aomori City (21st October) then rent car
Start:
21.10.22 Aomori City
22.10.22 Lake Towada/Oirase Stream
23-24.10.22 Shiriyazaki Peninsula
25.10.22 Hachinohe
26.10.22 Drive via Kuji -to Miyako
27.10.22 Hiraizumi
28.10.22 Matsushima
29-30.10.22 Sendai
31.10.22 Ginzan Onsen
01.11.22 Dewasanzan
02.11.22 Kakunodate
03.11.22 Shirakami Sanchi
04.11.22 End:Aomori City
This could be anti-clockwise, start and end in Sendai.
I’d be very happy (happier) to use a Rail Pass and only hire cars in specific areas if it could work out.
I have 2-3 weeks, could use the full 3 weeks but I like the idea of having the last week for Tokyo-> Nagoya-Kiso Valley
I’m also happy to miss some places, e.g. could skip Demasanzan or Shiriyazaki Peninsula, we like to have a nice mix between city/coast/nature/onsen/mountains.
Any help would be appreciated.
5 comments
There are a lot of resources here for trip planning, but I would not put too much mental energy into it just yet since it it’s a longshot Japan will even be open by then.
A common comment for the sort of trip is that you’re doing way too much and don’t have any time off. But some people do travel like that so disregard if that’s you…
Landing in Aomori, renting a car, then doing Oirase and then Shiriyazaki Penninsula would be a day of almost exclusively driving. I would Fly to Hakodate, enjoy there for a day and evening, take the Oma ferry south to Shimokita in the AM, rent a car in Oma at Orix Rent-a-car. drive south, stopping at Kazamaura Kaikyo no yu hotspring for a bath, then make your way to Shiriyazaki. After seeing the horses there you can head towards Oirase Keiryuu and Towada-Ko. I’d stay overnight there at Towada-sou hotel and enjoy the gorge in the morning. After that, you can head off to Kuji and Miyako.
With regard to Shimokita Peninsula and Dewa Sanzan – I think you should skip them on this trip.
Dewa Sanzan requires a multiday commitment (and realistically 3 days) even when visiting with a car during the summer. It’s somewhat possible to visit Yudono-san and Haguro-san within a single day, but this would be rushed and would actually miss the point of a visit.
Shimokita Peninsula in late October/early November is somewhat depressing. If you are visiting Lake Towada or driving through Hachimantai, then even autumn foliage is not that impressive – it’s getting somewhat chilly and damp, and seasonal activities are more of a spring (fishing tours)/summer (hiking/camping) thing.
Personally, I would split the trip into two phases: one is driving loop around northern Tohoku, the second is using JR East Tohoku pass with Sendai as a primary hub.
Thus said, my plan would be to take a bus to Hirosaki, spend a single day there (nice castle/historical district), rent a car – visit Shirakama Sanchi, Lake Towada, Hachinohe, Kuji and Miyako, then loop towards Kakunodate and Nyuto Onsen.
Then I would drop off car in Morioka and activate JR East Tohoku pass and visit Matsushima Bay, Yamadera and Hiraizumi/Geibkei Gorge as day trips from Sendai with some flexibility according to weather. You may also visit Nikko on your way back to Tokyo (even spend two days there – getting in via shinkansen/JR Nikko line and getting out via Tobu),
how are you gonna get in to Japan in October when its closed to tourism?
I’m already planning to reschedule my October trip for December.