Hey! I have a few weeks left to my first trip to Japan and I’m working on my itinerary. I will spend 20 days in the country, starting in Tokyo and going through various places, including Tokyo, Nagano area, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Osaka.
I’d like to spend 2-3 days in a nature setting, and I don’t have enough days for both so I have to choose – either fly or take Shinkansen to Yakushima island, or go to Wakayama and stay in a Koyasan shukubo and have a couple of road trips around the Nara area.
Whichever of the two I’ll choose, I plan to rent a car and explore the area. Or perhaps I should sacrifice some Osaka or Kyoto time and do both?
FWIW, in the first leg of my holiday I’m going to have some nature time – I’m planning 3 days in Nagano/Snow Monkey Park/Jigokudani Yaen Koen area and Hida mountains.
Koyasan seems to be logistically easier, since it’s just a couple of hours away from Osaka. However Yakushima looks extremely tempting, however involves either a shinkansen to Kagoshima and a ferry/flight from there, or a flight from Osaka.
Is it worth it?
Any feedback is appreciated. Thank you.
15 comments
yukishimas better man thats where i died
actually. its betteer than koyasan. theres like some kinda a-holes there
Koyasan you could do in a day – stay one night – certainly don’t need a car unless you want to do some bigger hikes – could travel there from Osaka
I loved Yakushima and wish I had longer there (only had a day) – it’s sub tropical though so depending on the time you go could be weather limiting. I took the train, stayed in Kagoshima then took the fast ferry, a flight would certainly be better but the travelling aspect was fun.
Another nature option is to stay at a ryokan in tsumago or magome and do the nakasendo trail walk between them
Kamikochi is another option
In terms of pros for each
Koyasan the cemetary walk was very cool – especially at night and the general mountain feel – didn’t do any nature hikes though beyond the cemetary
Yakushima -beach and deep mouantinous forest neither of which I had experienced elsewhere in japan – would be different perhaps if you were also going to Okinawa or something for the beach aspect.
Never been to Yakushima. I did do a road trip of about a week around Wakayama – drove from Osaka down to the west and then up the east coast of the peninsula. It’s beautiful with lots of hiking etc. Then ended the trip at Koyasan. Worth a trip
I’ve twice gone to a rural train station with access to walking trails that bring you to Koyasan, and walked 5-8 hours up to the top. You can choose how far you start. It’s rewarding, especially the shrine that greets you at the end of the trail.
Yakushima deserves at least three days, it’s incredible
If you’re already going to be in Osaka, then flying direct to Yakushima would be easier than train + plane/ferry. You could also do Fukuoka for a nite instead of Kagoshima, by the way. There are direct flights to Yakushima from there.
I would recommend at least 3 nites in Yakushima, 4 if you can swing it.
We’ve been there in both October and November. Outside of a rain shower while we were motorbiking, we were blessed with really great weather. Love Yakushima and going back there with a small group this fall.
Putting my vote in for Yakushima. It’s a truly incredible place and you’ll have so many wonderful experiences there. There’s no place like it. The forests are awe-inspiring and I’ve never seen a night sky as clear as in Yakushima – you could see the milkyway vividly, and there were so many shooting stars it looked like the sky was alive.
I haven’t been to Yakushima so I can’t compare the two but Koyasan is one of my favorite places in Japan. The various temples and shrines are fascinating, the views are breathtaking, it has an especially peaceful and calm atmosphere, and Okunoin Cemetary is a unique experience.
I’ve been to Koyasan. It’s a cool place but I wouldn’t spend 2 nights there. Arrive early and you will have plenty of time to do the main sights, temple activities without any rush.
Koya village/temple complex itself is IMO a long daytrip or single overnight trip – but there’s plenty of nice hiking routes in and out of Koya you should ideally partake in.
Yakushima is IMO a 3 day minimum due to the remoteness. Arrive early, hike the forrests over two days or so, and spend one day touring the coast/onsens/etc.
Both are nice, but between the two I’d pick Yakuahima – There’s really no other place remotely like it scenery-wise in Japan. The Wakayama area hikes are nice, but not that different in feel from other regions of Honshu.
I chose Yakushima as the nature destination for my upcoming trip! I’ll be there for 72 hours, and am renting a car. Super stoked.
I’ll be in Osaka visiting Universal with friends and after considering the length of time I had available for my solo expedition (not a ton) I decided to fly – I didn’t get the hard figures on shinkansen/ferry but it is certainly more expensive than my flight was. If time weren’t an issue or I wanted something more scenic, I would have explored non-shinkansen rail or bus options.
How come when I posted something like this it got removed and directed to r/japantraveltips 🤔
I know it’s not of any real help, but I’m literally planning the same trip and have been advised to visit Koyasan.
If you’re ok with it, I would love to see your itinerary to learn from.
I haven’t done Koyasan but I did do Yakushima. Really enjoyed my time there. Spent 3 days/2 nights.
Took the high speed boat from Kagoshima. Rented a car in Yakushima. Got lucky and had great weather the whole time. Drove a loop around the island, visited a couple beaches and waterfalls, did the Shiratani Unsuikyo…it was a lot of fun and the nature is beautiful. Yakushima is like a blend of tropics and the rest of Japan.