Two weeks is just about enough time to see the major cities on the largest island, Honshu, but I don’t think you’d be able to get to Hokkaido in that time (especially if you’re going by train as it’s very slow once you cross the water until they extend the new Shinkansen line inland).
There are a bunch of good threads on travelling to and around Japan. I’ll link to them here just in case they slip through the cracks:
Currently planning my trip to Japan. So far its looking like this…
Tokyo
Kobe
Okayama
Hiroshima
Day trip to Kiyajima Island
Kurashiki
Kyoto
Nara
Osaka
Hakone
Kamakura
Tokyo
With a couple of days spent in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka & Hiroshima. (everywhere is just the night).
Input welcome.
Thinking mainly cheap hostels in the big cities then a nice ryokan in the country to relax after walks.
poll
They’re here:
I’ll be adding more as the week goes along.
@Witches
Do you have any recommendations for places to visit outside of Tokyo that aren’t Kyoto/Osaka?
Lucky bugger here is heading there at the end of April, doing a stint in Tokyo and a couple of days in Hiroshima/Miyajima. Have 3 days left to play with, will have the old JR pass to get around and would like to go somewhere I didn’t visit last time. Have been looking at the Nagano area but it looks pretty massive with sites pretty spread out.
Recommendations are most welcome.
Cheers lads.
Recommendations? Your experience of whether things on the list so far are worth going to or not? I will be there in March next year for just over 2 weeks. Might make side trips to Kobe/Hiroshima too (or other places people recommend). Basically we fly out to Osaka, have 5 free days, then 5 days booked in Kyoto, then another five days afterwards. I hadn’t really extensively researched places because I wanted to wait until it was firmly booked.
On the list so far:
Eat large amounts of food (I am…