Hey all,
Slightly outside of the norm since I’m still forming my itinerary, but have a gap in between two stops and was curious if any of you more knowledgeable folk may have some suggestions.
Rough overview to give some sort of framing for suggestions, wife and I are planning a 3 week vacation roughly in the April time frame (though that is negotiable as we are either going the 3 weeks before GW or the 3 weeks after) for our first trip to Japan. Big on food, drink, history, and new experiences (said literally 99% of people who like to travel); but can easily find entertainment in big or small towns. We have an N3 level of Japanese (maybe improved by the time 2023 rolls around, but planning around what we have now), so we can survive and perform rudimentary basic communication off the beaten path, just no debate clubs or poetry readings for us.
Current plan:
6 days in Tokyo (realistically 4-5 since we’re using the city to acclimate/reset internal clocks)
3 days in Sendai, daytrip to Matsushima (grew up fascinated by Date Masamune in books/games, would be remiss to not stop by the dragon’s lair since I’m apparently a fanboy of a centuries-old feudal lord \[ha, quite sad when I type it out\])
2 days in Shuzenji (midpoint onsen reset)
2 days in ????
2 days in Kyoto (~~I can already hear the shouts about adding time to Kyoto. I hate ‘theme park towns’ with the fire of 1000 suns; Florence is my definition of hell. Everything I am reading makes Kyoto sound essentially like the poster-child of theme park town and I’d prefer to pick a handful of items to see while in town and bounce than follow the herds from sight to sight until I despise the place.~~ It appears as though my research may have led me astray based on comments below, and my choice of words here was a lot more hostile than intended. The initial statement was based around myriad news articles bemoaning the death of Kyoto to overtourism; but from comments below it seems news of its death was greatly exaggerated.)
5 days Osaka, daytrip to Nara/daytrip to Kobe
So to the point, looking for an interesting stop between Shuzenji and Kyoto that isn’t going to waste most of a day on travel (originally had Kanazawa slotted, but that is a large time block on both the way up and back down). Everything I’ve seen doesn’t really paint Nagoya as the most fun if you rely on public transit (most entertaining items appear to be on fringes). Hamamatsu is a possibility, but honestly not finding too much there either that is grabbing my imagination. More than willing to transit off the main line to some of the smaller towns surrounding the shikansen line, but just don’t want to wander too far astray to lose precious hours in travel time. So I toss it to you all in an attempt to find inspiration, anything pique your interest in a stop between Hamamatsu/Kyoto? Quaint sleepy town? Picturesque landscape to bask in? Shockingly good meal/specialty?
Sincerely appreciate any time spent passing on your experiences so we can possibly follow in your footsteps!
9 comments
I wouldn’t go as far as saying Kyoto is a “Theme Park Town”. There is a very rich culture there and I’ve never felt like locals we’re hamming it up or putting on fake shows to attract tourists. Everyone is just going about their daily lives. That being said, it is very much a popular tourist destination and there will be tourists in many if not all of the major temples, shines and landmarks. Honestly, I would say its less theme park like than some of the smaller towns ~~like Kanazawa~~ that are more dependent on tourism.
As for where you can fill in that two day gap. I assume you are planning on staying at a Ryokan in Shuzenji. If not, you can probably make that one of your empty days. You can also head to Mie and and visit Ise Jingu. However, that is a big tourist spot too so I am not sure how you would feel about that. You could also head north and go to Karuizawa for a day then head on over to Kanazawa the following then. Also Fuji, and Hakone are options as well.
Like you, I hate theme-park towns. For me, Venice Italy was like that. I was not fond of Kyoto. The sites were too crowded.
I loved Hakone. Google pictures of the Hakone Open Air Museum. We stayed in Gora Hanaougi Sounkaku and it was super.
UPDATE: this is getting downvoted. Here’s a picture of the dumpling place we ate at one block from the Open Air Museum. Also linking to the hotel I mentioned.
What is theme-park about this?
https://goo.gl/maps/hymQREWDBGu5rtBX8
https://goo.gl/maps/n7EQhyKBjxnDgjby7
> Everything I am reading makes Kyoto sound essentially like the poster-child of theme park town
If you think that Kyoto is a theme park town than virtually every historically significant town that’s not a centre of major metropolitan area would be a theme town.
No, Kyoto is not like Florence or other major Italian towns with exception of Milan, Turin and Rome. Yes, Arashiyama and Higashiyama/Gion may have some of that vibe, but Teramachi, Nishiki Market and Ponto-cho still cater primarily to residents.
Even, if you hate temples, it’s still a good hub to visit Hikone, other towns in Lake Biwa area, Amanohashidate, hike (Mt. Hiei, Kurama to Kibune) etc.
As far as recommendations for something that will you occupy you for two days: Shizuoka can be a nice distraction. Nagoya for most visitors is just a hub for day trips (Kiso Valley, Ise Grand Shrines, Inuyama, Gujo Hachiman).
>I can already hear the shouts about adding time to Kyoto. I hate ‘theme park towns’ with the fire of 1000 suns;
Firstly it isn’t that. There are parts of Tokyo that are way more like that than anything in Kyoto. The only reason some people come away with the impression that it is that is because most tourist rush through it a probably only go to about a half-dozen of the most famous sights.
Secondly, that’s all the more reason to spend at least 3 days there (even 3 is short TBH). What happens when people give themselves too little time for Kyoto is they tend to congregate at only the most famous of the most famous sights (and therefore most crowded/touristy), but the city has literally hundreds of amazing things that virtually nobody every visits. What makes Kyoto truly special is how much stuff there is besides the most famous sights–and that includes things like cultural events and activities. For a bit more elaboration on this: [read this comment chain.](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/mjt5yf/kyoto_autumn_night_illuminations_at_temples_and/gth1kn9/). Take time and walk around–or better yet, rent a bike–go to the really famous things at unusual times (e.g., Fushimi Inari at night, Arashiyama in the early morning) and read up on some of the history before you go.
I loved Shuzenji! I highly recommend it over Hakone. It’s smaller, more intimate, and the town is adorable and not completely overrun with Westerners
My husband and I loved walking about town in our yukatas, getting wasabi ice cream and walking through the bamboo forest before stopping to play some traditional Japanese games for prizes
From Shuzenji, I would recommend going up to Fuji Yoshida or another of the nearby towns. Gorgeous temples and hiking, and if you can be there during the Fire Festival, it’s AMAZING to witness
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I know that Kyoto has an image as a well preserved historic Japanese town, but it’s actually mainly a rather unlovely sprawling city with not-great public transport. Apparently most of the buildings which survived World War II were bulldozed and replaced with blah modern Japanese buildings during the 1980s. Nara is a lot closer to the popular image of Kyoto.
This is kind of in the wrong direction transit-wise, but Dogashima is in the same peninsula as Shuzenji. It’s a small place near the coast, and you might already have an onsen overload from Shuzenji, but the coastal views are spectacular.
It’s been brought up in passing by another commenter but I do think Kiso Valley is a strong contender for places to check out during that 2 day gap. I’ve never been but it’s part of my next Japan trip intinerary. The hikes along those paths look stunning in both sun and when raining plus there are some very nice ryokans in the villages along it.