Hello folks, I’m going to be in Kyoto in late March for a while, and then in April I’m thinking of heading north from there to the prefectures of Gifu, Ishakawa and Nagano. I’m thinking of picking from the following cities:
• Nagano, Matsumoto, Kiso Valley
• Kanazawa, Takayama and Shirakawa-go
• Nagoya as well
I have about 15 days to spend and then I gotta make my way back to Tokyo for my flight back on 4/17. I’m keen on Kisu valley but in all my google mapping I’ve realized it’s tricky to get to with a lot of connecting trains needed. I also don’t want to hop around accommodations too much, so I’d rather pick 3 cities to setup base in (5 days in each) and do day trips. Since nagoya is a transport hub, I don’t mind spending 2 days there and check it out.
By this point in my trip, I’d have already explored Kyoto extensively, so I’m looking to do a more lowkey trip, which is why I’m heading up north to Gifu and the neighboring prefectures 🙂 I’d love to explore the countryside and spend som time away from the hustle-bustle of cities.
One option I’ve considered is:
**Day 1 Apr 1 – Day 3 Apr 3**
Nagoya – Check out the amusement park, explore for a couple days.
**Day 4 Apr 4 – Day 8 Apr 8**
Setup base in Nagano city (or matsumoto), do day trips to Kisu valley and others within Nagano. Check out the Snow Monkey Park(Jigokudani Yaen Koen) and the Matsumoto Castle.
**Day 9 Apr 9 – Day 14 Apr 14**
Setup base in Takayama, do day trips to shirakawago and kanazawa, and a satoyama experience or biking around the countryside (would love tips around this!). Maybe stay in a traditional *gassho-zukuri* farmhouse if possible. Do the Shinhotaka Ropeway.
**Day 15 Apr 15**
Take train back to Tokyo from Takayama. However this is tricky, since this train takes a long roundabout route of 5 hours – https://i.imgur.com/gkgyVLH.png
It’s not a dealbreaker since the trains are so nice, but if I can plan this better I’d love to hear some advice!
1 comment
I’d suggest going your days in Nagoya and Takayama first after Kyoto. From Takayama, you can take the bus across the mountain to Matsumoto. Do your days there and then take the limited express train right into Tokyo.
– [Takayama Access from Nagoya](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5908.html?aFROM=2155_5900)
– [Matsumoto Access from Takayama](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6053.html?aFROM=5900_6050)