Hello folks!
My fiancée and I had been planning a trip to Japan. I’m currently in Ireland, she’s in Thailand (yay long distance relationships), and we have usually met in person twice a year (video chat does wonders to curtail loneliness). We had initially planned something like 8ish days to visit Osaka, Kyoto and Nara, but that trip is being pushed back to next year if travelling is safe.
Currently we have a Switzerland trip planned if it ends around July, or an October trip to Japan if the former is not open by then, this is for 2021.
We’re looking to go by end October/start november.
First part: we plan to land in Tokyo and explore from there. The only thing planned at the moment is Akihabara (because of anime, duh. She’s loved Inuyasha for a long time, I also got her into AoT, and I’ve been a long time anime fan) and me surprising her with a trip to a department store so I can get some Mikagi-Ichigo strawberries (actually, does anyone know what time of year they are available? Would they be there Octoberish?).
Other than that, we’re looking at stuff like shrines, temples and gardens, possibly castles if there are any in or close to Tokyo. Not too too interested in museums or anything of the sort. Food’s definitely a target for us too, naturally. What are some good shrines to visit? I researched online but I don’t really recognize any of the names.
Next: a night stay in Hakone at a Ryokan for a private Onsen. We want to check out the national park too for some activities or hiking. (Possibly a second night? Unsure). Our plan is already set for there.
Third part: Osaka and Kyoto. We already have plans for temple and shrine visits (Fushimi Inari, Kiyomizu-Dera, bamboo forest… yes, I know, the tourist traps!), as well as Universal Studios. Possibly a trip to the Kaiyukan aquarium in Osaka too. We’d leave the country from Osaka as well.
My question is: How long to spend in each region? I think a night or two in Hakone is set in stone, and we’re leaning towards spending more time in Kansai region than in Tokyo. We’re thinking maybe 4 nights for Tokyo, and 6 for the Kansai region.
If it gives you an idea, our previous Switzerland trip was Interlaken, Grindelwald, Zurich and Lucerne. We like the landscapes, a bit of hiking, and the old towns in cities. In Switzerland at least I can speak the language, that’s not the case in Japan though so we probably wouldn’t go to more remote places.
Thank you for any suggestions!
18 comments
Tokyo is definitely not known for shrine. You can’t go wrong with the standard though: Meiji Shrine, Yasukuni Shrine, Kanda Myoujin, Nogizaka Shrine, Ueno Toshogu, etc.
I’ll never understand how people can plan holidays during the current pandemic.
Edit: Ireland and Thailand, from what I just searched on immigration website is on the banned list. Entry only under “exceptional circumstances”.
Last updated today.
So unless you’ve been in country within the last 14 days or are returning to family who already live here I think your holiday may have difficulties entering.
You can find small shrines and Temples around Tokyo. Most of the time they’re hidden down little alleys but sometimes they’re more prominent. If you’re not hunting for anything in particular I don’t think there’s much in the way of going out of your way to view shrines or temples in Tokyo if you’re not already planning to be in the area of a major one.
Kyoto will fill that part of your trip needs well. Hakone can too.
There’s a big shrine in Hakone you can go to.
On The way to Hakone you’ll need to make a stop in Odawara. If you’re coming from Shinjuku on the romancecar then you may end up stopping in Hakone-Yumoto instead. But on your way to Kyoto/Osaka you’ll need to get on the Shinkansen from Odawara station. Odawara has a castle within a short walking distance. You can see the tip from the station.
Tokyo is not that well known for temples, shrines or castle. For shrine/temple, you still have many options, the most famous being Senso-ji and Meiji Jingu. When you go to Akihabara, make sure to stop by Kanda Myojin, that is a nice shrine and it’s close to Akihabara. Nezu-jinja and Hie-jinja can also be interesting. For sure there is much more, but you have to keep in mind that Tokyo was widely destroyed by the 1923 earthquake and Fire bombing during WWII, so a lot of the temples and shrines have been destroyed, so there is much more old and/or famous temples/shrines in Kyoto.
For castle, Odawara is the closest to Tokyo, but you have more choice in Kansai. Nijo castle in Kyoto (that do not have a keep, but original palace) or Osaka castle (that is a concrete reconstruction) are the easiest in your itinerary, but Himeji and Hikone are relatively easy to access and are original construction. Otherwise, technically, the imperial palace is the ground of old Edo castle, that have no keep or palace to visit.
For garden, that is much easier to find in Tokyo. I would say Koishikawa korakuen, Hama rikyu, Rikugi-en and Shinjuku gyoen are good choices.
I do not know what is a tourist trap for you, but the 3 places you named have existed for at least 1200 years and are visited be local too. Those are not places that have been built for foreign tourist and they are not overpriced to rip off unaware tourist eithers. They are just really popular spot. I don’t know, I might just have a different definition of a tourist trap.
Your split between the regions is ok, but at the end it depend on what you want to do for real.
Countryside is not as much a challenge as you might think. If you do have a plan to follow, like places to see, it’s doable. Train is easy to use and all sign in English. Make sure to have Google map to know where to go and find restaurant, and something to translate just in case. To be honest, even if you are in big cities, not all restaurant have English menu, and most people do not speak that much English. For Hiking, the known spots I can name include Mount Takao in Tokyo and from Kifune-jinja to Kurama in Kyoto and I would not even say that those are really countryside.
zozoji temple is a nice contrast against tokyo tower, hie shrine is another favorite of mine.
Check out Tamagawa Daishi Temple, there’s an underground walk which is quite serene.
If you’re into cats, Gotokuji Temple is a tribute to the Maneki Neko.
I think it’s worth making it out to Kawaguchiko on a clear or partly cloudy day to see Mt Fuji. I was in Tokyo for five nights and kept my itinerary flexible. I waited until the forecast for the next day to be clear before booking my bus ticket to Kawaguchiko. I was lucky that it happened on my third day in Tokyo. Mt Fuji was fully visible until 2/3 pm and partially visible after. It is quite an experience to bike around town and take Mt Fuji in from different view points. I think the bus ride was around 2 hours and 2,000 yen each way. I took an early morning bus (~ 6:00) to Kawaguchiko and a late bus (~17:00) back to Tokyo.
Yanaka is a small old area in Tokyo lots of old temples, wooden houses and mom and pop shops. Yanaka ginza is the main shopping street here. It’s definitely my favorite area of Tokyo especially because I love shrines and temples. There’s even an old pilgrimage route there hitting all the temples based off of the seven lucky gods ending at Nezu shrine. Here are some links about the area:
[One ](https://tokyocheapo.com/entertainment/yanaka-guide)
[Two](http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3068.html)
[Three](https://www.tofugu.com/travel/yanaka-tokyo/)
Good lord there are so many. I mean all the major ones but I love small hidden shrines.
You can make a day trip to Kamakura. There are many temples and shrines in Kamakura, of which the most famous is the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu (site of assasination of a shogun). Multiple other temples and shrines worthy of vist there too, e.g. Kencho-Ji (many statues of tengu), Zeniarai Benzaiten Ugafuku Jinga (mini-shrine where people wash money, literally). Of course, there is also the big bronze buddha in Kotoku-in.
Kamakura is very quaint, definitely worth a visit.
If you are able to travel by car between Tokyo and Osaka, and you have already done a side trip to Fuji/Hakone, I recommend a trip up to Lake Suwa where there are a host of nice little shrines. You then go down through Iida to Nagoya.
If you’re planning to visit a lot of shrines/temples, you should pick up a goshuin-cho (a stamp book) to collect goshuin during your trip. Adds a fun element to visiting various shrines and temples, and is a great souvenir.
Apart from all the classic ones, my favorite shrine i came across in Tokyo was called Koto Tenso Jinja.
I’ve just found it now on google maps, as I remember it was by the river and had a lovely view of the Tokyo Skytree.
I spent about an hour at this shrine, just observing locals coming and going after their day at work, doing their prayers, ringing the bell. Beautiful moment. Reading the reviews of it on google maps also echo what i’ve just said about it being hidden and off the path.
As others have said, Tokyo is a bit “poor” on notable castles and temples. But Kansai has lots of variety here.
While your particular schedule might not stretch for it, I cannot help recommending Koyasan. It can be done as a day trip from Osaka (although it will be a _full_ day, and I’d recommend one night there). The location is gorgeous, there are several temples, shrines and mausoleums to see, and the Okunoin graveyard is an incredible experience.
A quick Google search will tell you that strawberry season is May to June (from outdoor farms) and December to April (greenhouse grown).
Anime fans you say?
* going to Hakone? That’s the setting for Evangelion. Granted the place was bombed to hell in the series so you won’t really recognize it except for the station and the surrounding mountains. Maybe the Evangelion-themed onsen (where you soak in LCL-colored water) is still there when you go.
* Kamakura (1hr away from Tokyo) has a bunch of good temples and gardens, and is the setting for Slam Dunk.
* Oarai up in Ibakari (3hrs away from Tokyo) is the setting for Girls und Panzer.
* lotsa anime locations in Tokyo alone. Heck, Tokyo Tower is iconic and is in a lot of anime. Magic Knight Rayearth. Gantz. Sailormoon. X/1999.
Since you’re planning to visit Akihabara, then visiting Kanda myoujin makes sense. It’s a short walk from Akihabara electric town, and has been used as a setting for some anime, eg Lovelive
If you find yourself in Shibuya, there’s an Inuyasha cafe in Shibuya Parco. I haven’t been, so I don’t know if it’s worth going out of your way to visit.
[https://jw-webmagazine.com/inuyasha-cafe-japan/](https://jw-webmagazine.com/inuyasha-cafe-japan/)
If you liked Switzerland, then you will like the mountainous areas of Japan as well. I am partial to Hyogo prefecture, which is just West of Kyoto.
And if you are in Kansai, Nara is a must. That and Kyoto were spared in WW2 so the old stuff is actually *old*.
If I was ever to get back to Japan again, I would go direct from Narita to Kansai, giving Tokyo a complete miss.