Hi Guys
I posted my itinerary already a year ago but unfortunately I couldn’t go then (thanks covid). But this year I’m gonna do my trip. The thing is last year I planned for May/early June, but due to me starting to study now I can only go July. And since Japan gets extremely hot in those month I got a bit worried. I’m still going to do the trip I just want to have some ideas or a backup plan in case I can’t stand the heat.
What I had in mind for my original trip:
**Tokyo 5 days**
Fly from Zurich to Tokyo
Hotel or Airbnb in Shinjuku
Shopping, Food etc.
Day trip to Nikko and start of my 14 days JR Pass
Exploring the temples in Nikko
**Fuji Five Lakes / Kawaguchi 3 days**
Take loads of photos and maybe even climb mt Fuji
**Kyoto 4 days**
Just explore the city and visit some temples. Visit the imperial castle and maybe visiting the manga museum, Nishiki Market etc. Like I said, most things to do I will chose spontaneously.
**Osaka 3 days**
The food will definitely be a highlight here. Universal Studios, Market, temples etc.
**Nara daytrip**
Rent a bike and explore the city. Visit some temples and see some deers…
**Hiroshima 2 days**
Visit the Peace Park.
**Miyajima Island daytrip**
Just explore the Island
**Back to Tokyo for 1 night**
Flight back to Zurich
I am extremely flexible (except for the 5 days in Tokyo since I’ve already booked those.) and my trip is actually gonna be a bit longer so I can add some days to wherever I want.
Heat related Backup plans:
I had some ideas for example changing my second part of the trip to visit the Japanese Alps since the weather there should be a little milder.
An other idea was to visit one of the tropical islands to get some beach days which will make the heat a lot more bearable.
I could also go to Hokkaido since it should be way less hot there and the flower season makes this also attractive. Of course I would have to change most of my plan than which wouldn’t be a big problem. The only downside is, I’m not planning to rent a car and I’ve read that the public transport isn’t great on Hokkaido.
What do you guys think? Do you have any recommendations or secret tips on what to do during the hot summers in Japan?
4 comments
You can do Hiroshima and Myajima in one night.
What I did was get the shinkansen from Osaka early in the morning.
Visited the Atomic Bomb releted things (all very close to each other), Himeji castle and garden, got Okonomiaky in Okonomimura, and leaved to Miajyima with the Tour Boat (near peace memorial).
Then spended the rest of the day, and slept in miajyma (although the island is beautiful at night, there is nothing to do outside just walking), but it as a cool experience nevertheless.
The next day, we woke 6am, got into the train to himeji, left our backpacks in the locker, spended the day there (Himeji Castle, Garden and Mt. Shosha), and left for Kyoto around 6pm.
Maybe you can spend an extra night in hiroshima if you wanna take things slow, or do Mt Misen trails.
The other thing I would suggest is leaving Tokyo for last, because it’s where the bulk of your shopping is going to be made.
I’ve travelled around Hokkaido by public transport and it’s fine. It’s true that it’s not as good as a lot of other parts of Japan, but if you just want to go to the main tourist spots like Hakodate, Biei, Furano, Sapporo, Noboribetsu, etc. it’s easily doable.
If you like hiking, that’s a good way to avoid the heat too. Much more pleasant at 2000m altitude in the summer!
Mid-late July is a MASSIVE festival season in Kansai–Including the Gion Festival (all of July, with the biggest events from the 15th-17th, with other large events from the 22nd-24th), Tenjin Festival (24th-25th–especially the 25th) Motomiya Festival (21st-22nd), and Mitarashi Festival (last 10 or so days of July). I also highly recommend Kobo-san at Toji on the 21st and/or Tenjin-san at Kitanotenmangu on the 25th, though I wouldn’t sacrifice going to the Tenjin Festival just to go to Tenjin-san Market. These festivals are among the only good reasons I can think of to suffer through the heat of summer if going at another time of year is feasible. Given the sweltering heat of outdoor sightseeing in summer and the extra time needed for festivals, I would consider giving Kansai even more time.
You could also consider the Japanese alps in addition to Hokkaido.