Hi all! ; I’m planning on returning to Japan March 2024 and could really use some help. I’ve seen much of Japan and my son lived there for 3 years; So we want to explore some new cities/prefectures. Most information online focuses on the main tourist locations, so I’m looking for some help with lesser visited areas. Any hanami suggestions would also be great!
I haven’t yet visited Kamakura, Hakone, Kusatsu Onsen and Takaragawa Onsen and my son wants to see Yokohama and Nikko. Will probably spend 5 days in Tokyo first but have been before. I am really struggling with whether to rent a car (after Tokyo) or try to rely on trains/buses and with how many days I should allocate for each destination. Would really appreciate some input!
Here’s a first draft of a potential itinerary.
**Day 1-5 Tokyo** \- stay in Shinjuku; visit with friends, Hanami at various parks; Akihabara and Harajuku
**Day 6 – A.M.** **Train from Tokyo to Kamakura** via Yokohama
Spend day in Yokohama;
**continue to kamakura**
3 nights in Kamakura exploring the city; the great buddha, temple walk and the beach
**Day 9** **Kamakura to Hakone**
Spend 3 nights in Hakone; Visit ropeway, lake, shrine, open air museum
**Day 12- Hakone to Nikko ;**
**Spend One week in Nikko**
This is where I really need help. I’d Like to see a few areas while in this general region, but it looks to be difficult for public transit. Would it be best to rent a car?
Areas I’d like to see: Kusatsu Onsen, Shibu Onsen (and monkey park), Takaragawa Onsen
Would it be easier to visit one onsen town on the way up to Nikko, and one on the way back, or better to do day trips from Nikko? I would much rather base myself in one location and do day trips if it could be done logistically. I have plenty of room to add a night for each onsen town if necessary.
That would bring us to day 21 or 22
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**Day 21-26 or 22-27**; I plan to look into hiking some postal town routes; possibly the Nakasendo Trail? Anyone done that? I’ve seen tour companies that offer it as a 4, 5 or 6 day tour but I think I can plan it out on my own. We walked the Kumano kodo and biked the Shimanami Kaido and can’t imagine it’s much more difficult to plan.
Return to Tokyo for departing flight back home
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Thanks for your help. I know its still a rough itinerary but trying to get this down and then can get into more detail for each destination. Please don’t ban my post for lack of effort. It’s really much harder to plan 2nd time around 🙂
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1 comment
I would definitely recommend a car for Kusatsu (and probably the other onsens as well). For more context, we rented ours in Karuizawa and then drove up to Kusatsu. We also drove from Kusatsu to the Iiyama area (this route goes past Shibu Onsen), which was a stunning trek up and over a mountain/volcano. Be aware: this road is closed during the winter so check before you go to make sure you don’t have to change your route.
Kusatsu is small, but quite charming. We really loved it, but it was also one of our first stops in all of Japan. The scenery is gorgeous, and there is a great public park with hot springs running through it that you can dip your feet into as well.
Have fun on you trip!