2 weeks in Japan

We have a few weeks in Japan at the beginning of June. We are going to spend time in Tokyo and Kyoto and one night on Mount Koya. I can't decide where else to go. A lot of the guide books say Takayama for the small mountain town experience. Of course we would like to experience a really nice onsen in the mountains, or is Hakone better? Beppu also sounds fun with the sand and mud baths, but that seems pretty far South. Is it worth the travel time? I can't get a feel for what these areas are like from my internet searching. Does anyone have any opinons? We want to have as many sterotypical "Japanese experiences" as possible, but we don't want to be unrealistic with the short amount of time we have. We would also like to see Hiroshima if there's enough time.

Thank you so much!

The shinkansen makes Japan a very small country and riding it is a lot of fun. Thus distance should not be a big worry. For example I believe (don't trust my memory though) that Hiroshima is on the shinkansen line and all the sights are very close to the station. Thus even if you only have a few hours you could visit Hiroshima.

Bye the way, I'm assuming you are buying a JR pass, if you were not planning, you should reconsider. It is a real bargain and real convienent as well.

Go to Toba in Mie prefecture and visit the Mikimoto Pearl Island. There you can see traditional pearl divers on display and visit the museum (maybe even buy a trinket).

Go all the way south to the end of the JR line and stop at Kashikijima. Phone Ishiyama-so Ryokan to come get you with a boat! The ryokan is not fancy, but you get great food, and a great view of the Ago Bay with its pearl rafts.

En route to Hiroshima, stop off at Kurashiki, Okayama, and Himeji. Don't forget to spend an afternoon on Miyajima while in Hiroshima.

Wow, thanks for the quick responses! We are planning on buying a JR pass, and I think we even figured out the time table! I was wondering if there was any way to upgrade a JR pass to include the nozomi trains. Are they the same trains, only nonstop? My husband loves trains and would love the to ride the fastest one available.

I haven't heard about Mikimoto Pearl Island or Kashikijima but they sound fantastic!

Cocodrilo, can you stop off at each of the locations you mentioned in one day? We would like to see the castle in Himeji.

Sorry for more questions. This website is great.

Someone posted a similar kind of itinerary the other day which might<BR>be worth looking at.<BR><BR>When I travel I guess I tend to combine spending leisurly time in some<BR>places with quick sightseeing in other places. Usually the leisurely time<BR>is more rewarding. If you are happy to chill, which from your post<BR>it sounds you are, I think Tokyo, Kyoto, perhaps Nara, Koyasan, Takayama,<BR>Hiroshima Beppu are all doable - but you won't be able to chill and<BR>take a leisurely time in all places.<BR><BR>The rainy season starts in Tokyo around the 10th of June. It's a bit earlier<BR>in western Japan. Rainy season, at least in Tokyo, just means humid<BR>drizzle, not like proper tropical rainy season. <BR><BR>I expect Takayama doesn't really have a rainy season- but the weather is somethng<BR>to think about. the end of May, first week of June, for me is easily the<BR>best weather in the whole year in Tokyo.<BR><BR>BTW If you don't have a nice umbrella, IMHO Japan is the best place in the world for umbrella selection!!!<BR>

Takayama is worth visiting to see the old buildings, plus it's a short bus ride from there to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Gokayama and Shirakawa-go. Hakone is interesting too, but it's more of a weekend trip from Tokyo than a must-see sight destination in its own right.
Himeji is an easy day trip on the way from Kyoto to Hiroshima. I once traveled by shinkansen from Hakata to Kyoto, and had plenty of time on the way to stop off and see the castle in Himeji. Okayama and Kurashiki are close enough that you can stay in one and easily visit the other as a day trip. Also, if you have the time and the weather is nice, you can rent a bicycle and do the Kibi Plain bike trail mentioned in the LP Japan guide. The route is about halfway between Okayama and Kurashiki.
Unless you have a very strong interest in pearls, I'd give Mikimoto Pearl Island a miss. If you were planning on visting the Ise Shrines, you could work in a visit to Toba along the way, but otherwise I wouldn't bother. One thing to keep in mind is that Toba and Kashikojima are best accessed on the Kintetsu Line, so a JR Pass could not be used.

The places I mentioned are convenient because they are all within walking distance of the train station (Okayama, Himeji). Himeji is doable in a few hours, if you're just going to see the castle. It is amazing, and totally worht the stop. Kurashiki, where I live, has an Edo era part of town known as the Bikan-chiku, which is totally lovely surrounded by old buildings (rice granaries) and a small canal runs through it. There are heaps of museums and great restaurants and handicraft shops in town. Kurashiki is 15 minutes form Okayama. Okayama is a nice medium-sized city (pop. 650,000) which has a very cool looking black castle and one of the 3 most famous traditional Japanese gardens in Japan. The garden is called Korakuen and is a 20-minute walk from Okayama station. The castle is nearby. I wopuld definitely opt for one night in Kurashiki or Okayama to break up the trip, otherwise it would be too tiring to try and see all this in a day. Kurashiki is worth at least one day! You can have a look at my website where there are links to the "What's Up in Kurashiki" newsletter and the Okayama City website to get more info. Cheers!

If you do go to Beppu on the rail pass, the easiest way to a good sand bath is to take the local JR train one stop in the Hakata direction (Nippo line) and get of at Beppu Daigaku station. ( a 3 minute ride from Beppu). From the station exit turn left and walk one block to the sea, cross at the lights, and head 30 metres south, (back towards Beppu). The Sand Bath building has unmissable signage, you go in and pay Y1000, they give you a yukata to change into in the change rooms, you can put your valuables in a locker for Y100 in there, then you go outside to the sea shore to be buried in special sand pits. Take your own towel. Afterwards, you shower off the sand and can sit in the onsen (hot spring), in the change rooms. Separate facilities for ladies and gents.
My daughter did this, while I took photos outside: there's a nice place to sit and watch the action and passing parade, and you can soak your feet in a natural hot pool on the foreshore.
The information office in Beppu station was very helpful, they have train timetables, and will direct you to the right platform even. The sand bath has a timetable on the wall for services through the Daigaku station, ask the attendant if you can't read it. There were about 4 trains an hour. My daughter stayed in the sand for about 15 minutes and enjoyed it, but the water in the onsen was too much and she only managed a little soak.

From Beppu station there are frequent buses up to the Jigoku areas, the best ones are the Umi jigoku (Y320 on the bus), it has blue pools and a red pool plus other stuff, and right next door (up the same driveway)is one of 2 Bozu Jigoku (which has the big mud bubbles and steam roaring out of the ground.) Entry is Y400 per person to each jigoku, or you can get a ticket for the lot. The Yama jigoku is also in the same spot. If you only intend to see this much and return to the station area on the bus for Y320, the all day My Beppu Free Bus Pass for Y900 is not worth it. However, if you want to see other jigoku, or try to get to the sand bath by bus, the pass is a good idea.

If you are coming from Honshu down to Beppu on the rail pass, don't go to the end of the Shinkansen line at Hakata (Fukuoka) - get off at Kokura. The train from Hakata to Beppu goes up to Kokura, where everybody has to get out of their seats to turn them around, then the train takes off in the opposite direction for Beppu. You'd need a full day for this.

If you are relying on ATMs for cash, there's a good one for foreigners on the outside of Beppu station, the info office has a floor plan and will show you exactly how to find it.

Beppu is definitely worth the time, but it's way the heck down there. If you're going to spend 3-5 days there, it's worth it. Otherwise, it would be just too tiring going there for a night or two.

There is no way you can upgrade your JR pass to include "Nozomi" trains so don't even think about it. Just make do with the Hikari services, even though sometimes the connections are not so good between Tokaido-line and Sanyo-line.
I would agree with the suggestions: Himeji Castle and Korakuen Gardens in Okayama are both really amazing sights and very convenient to the Shinkansen.
If you were going to Kyushu then Nagasaki is highly recommended. Just a 2-hr train ride beyond the Shinkansen terminus at Hakata. Beautiful city with heaps of history including the time when the Dutch traders were the only link with the outside world. I stayed there 2 full days. Definitely one of my favourite places in Japan.
Also, catch the train from Okayama across the Seto-Ohashi bridge across the Inland Sea: you could go to Takamatsu and see the lovely "Ritsurinkoen" garden, or Matsuyama with the famous Dogo Onsen bathhouse.

By the way, I always found the Post Office Bank's ATMs the most reliable for accepting my foreign card.

Thank you to everyone who posted. I love this forum! I only have two more questions.
1. We would like to go from Tokyo to our Koyasan temple. We would like to get to the temple around 2:00. The JR schedule says it's doable, but I think we have to buy tickets in Osaka to ride the Nankai Line. Is that going to be confusing and time consuming for first-timers?
2. Can Takamatsu be a day trip from Kyoto?

Thanks again!

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<hr>Can Takamatsu be a day trip from Kyoto?<hr></blockquote>

Unless you have a HUGE interest in crossing the bridge to Shikoku, I would pass on Takamatsu. Ritsurin Koen is nice, but there are other beautiful gardens in Japan. There are plenty of good places to go closer to Kyoto - Ohara, Katsura Rikyu, even Arashiyama/Tenruyji temple & garden/bamboo forest if you weren't already planning on including that in your itinerary.

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<hr>Japan is the best place in the world for umbrella selection!!!<hr></blockquote>

I had a rainy day in Hiroshima, bad enough so that I decided I needed an umbrella even though I hate them. I go into the nearest convenience store and basically they have these huge clear ones or compact ones for twice the price. I decide since I'm buying the damn thing I might as well buy the small one so at least I can throw it in my small suitcase I'm travelling around Japan with. By the end of the day on my way back to the hotel, the stupid piece of junk already breaks. To top it off, I see as I return to the hotel they're lending out the big clear ones to guests free of charge.

I HATE umbrellas...

Go to a department store for the umbrellas - of course you're<BR>not going to get a huge selection in a convenience store....

Most hotels will lend you umbrellas. My cheapie hotel in Kyoto lent us umbrellas just last week when it rained. Or you could opt of bringing your own little folding umbrella with you from home. I hate having to buy umbrellas (and never use them unless it it really pouring out!) as I have about 50 at home!!!

A) I would've been soaked by the time I got to a dept store

B) I don't want a big umbrella that's annoying to carry around

C) The compact ones break too easily

D) Good dept store umbrellas cost more, which means I'll lose/forget them somewhere that much faster

But yes, I get your general point, I still HATE the things...