Which city as a base for one month?

12 comments

1. I have heard good things about Fukuoka. I attended a lecture in my city (Toronto) to hear a professor speak about conservation and what was going on in Fukuoka. It sounded like a very progressive city. There is a very lively food scene there I have read.

2. Your employer is sponsoring your work visa to be in Japan; what are they suggesting?

3. Takasaki is a bit of a wasteland but fairly close to/gateway for lots of stuff you’re into. I’d personally go for Matsumoto. It’ll still be quite cool in June. Great hiking and cycling and mountains all around. City is not huge but is cool. Nagano would also be on my list. If you wanted warmer and more coastal I don’t think Shizuoka is a bad choice at all. Izu can be great for cycling and onsen.

   You might want to take a look at Kanazawa too.

4. Just keep in mind June is the rainy season pretty much everywhere on Honshu. Truthfully, if you want the best likelihood of sunny/pleasant weather for outdoor exploring, you should head up to Sapporo. [Hokkaido doesn’t have a rainy season so June is a great time to be there.](https://livejapan.com/en/in-hokkaido/in-pref-hokkaido/in-sapporo_chitose/article-a1000285/#table_of_contents_anchor1)

   There’s so much great outdoor stuff you can do in Hokkaido that I don’t think you’ll get tired of heading out to explore a different part of it on the weekends.

   Regardless of where you go it’d probably be helpful to have your international drivers permit so you can rent a car to get to some if the more rural-remote areas that’d be best for cycling/hiking.

5. I loved living in Kyoto, the nature and the surrounding mountains and lakes are amazing. Other than that, Hokkaido is really nice for all things nature, so Sapporo or Hakodate might be nice also

6. I think any of those would be great choices except Takasaki. It’s an ok place, I’ve been there. But I think it’s too urban for what you’re after.

   I’d personally go for Matsumoto, I really like the feel of the city.

7. Nagano or Matsumoto would be my picks. I don’t think Nagano is any more boring than Matsumoto to be honest. I think that’s with a touristic mindset where people are looking to tick off specific attractions like Matsumoto Castle, which trumps Zenkoji Temple. However, I am quite partial to Togakushi Shrine myself.

   Matsumoto does have proximity to Kiso Valley and has some preserved areas that Nagano doesn’t have in spades. Both have great areas to hike – Nagano is closer to the Togakushi national park area and Togakushi Shrine, and Matsumoto is a bit closer to the Moss Forest in Kita-Yatsugatake and Lake Suwa. If you’re looking to hike or drive up any mountains, my understanding is that Nagano is probably a better place to be, especially in June. The mountains to the west of Matsumoto are the tallest in Japan bar Fuji while the ones south-east of Nagano (Mt Azumaya) are lower altitude and very accessible.

   Nagano is close to Karuizawa while Matsumoto is close to Kamikochi.

   Nagano is close to Kusatsu Onsen and Nozawa Onsen, but Matsumoto is still close to Okuhida Onsen near the Shin-Hotaka ropeway.

   If accessibility is at all necessary, the one benefit of Nagano is that it’s connected via the Hokuriku Shinkansen. It doesn’t take long to get into Tokyo, or to visit Toyama or Kanazawa. From Matsumoto, Nagoya is more accessible via Kiso Valley, and you can easily visit Takayama by bus or car.

8. The Tadami Line in in Aizu-Wakamatsu is a beautiful route. The route parallel to the Tadami River would probably be a great cycling area. I’ve only done it by car but I’ve come back to that location many times and have never been disappointed. I could say the only downside is it’s much smaller than a lot of the other locations you are deciding on. You’d also be relatively close(northeast of Aizu-Wakamatsu) to the Bandai-Azuma lake line(scenic road around the lake) and the Bandai-Azuma Skyline(scenic route up into the mountains and into some hiking trails). I vote Aizu-wakamatsu.

9. Personally, I love Matsumoto every time I visit. It’s a smaller town, but it just had so much charm. Plus that castle is just beyond gorgeous and *original* which is very rare. I enjoyed it so much, I have a full detail tattoo of the castle on my leg as part of a Japan leg sleeve. I’d live there if I could.

10. I will be in Japan for a month in June too! Maybe we’ll run into each other 🙂

11. Have a look at Karuizawa! My personal favourite town in Japan. Specifically the part near Karuizawa Station, not the part near Nakakaruizawa station, again that’s just my personal preference.

    It’s a small town, completely surrounded by gorgeous forests, some amazing hikes, beautiful mountains, plus it has some great restaurants and stuff to do on rainy days. And it’s less than 1.5 hours from Tokyo!

12. I’d like to recommend Sapporo. There are great ryokan onsen near Lake Shikotsu (I’ll recommend Marukoma Onsen, they are tattoo friendly). Lots of Meiji-era historic places to see like Asahikawa and Otaru. Night life is very pleasant at Susukino without feeling too crowded. Hakodate and Abashiri are both day trips and interesting locations. Sapporo also has the Toyohira River you can bike along for days. Just watch out for bears and Hokkaido’s foxes, both can be notoriously dangerous (and adorable but w/e, just don’t touch them)