Japan in Dec/Jan- Itinerary advice

[DJjapan]

Hello everyone!

I will be in Japan from December 29, 2007 until January 12th, 2008.
This is my second trip to Japan and have made some travel plans but have a few spare days and some questions.

So far:
Day 1, Dec 29 Arrive Tokyo
Day 2 Tokyo
Day 3 Tokyo
Day 4, Jan 1 Nikko
Day 5 Kyoto area
Day 6 Ise
Day 7 Kyoto Area
Day 8 Kyoto
Day 9 To Hiroshima
Day 10 Miyajima
Day 11 To beppu
Day 12 Beppu
Day 13 Aso-san
Day 14 ??
Day 15 Flight to Tokyo from Oita

So, my questions:

1. Will I be able to visit the temples at Nikko on January 1st?
2. What will likely be open- shops, tourist attractions on January 1st?
3. Will most shops be open between December 29th and January 1st in Tokyo, e.g. in the Akihabara area) and elsewhere?
4. Whilst in Tokyo I would liek to visit some art galleries, etc. I have heard Ueono is quiet good. Any suggestions? A while ago an exhibition of Zen art visited Australia and I woudl liek to see more.
5. What about purchasing art- are there any good areas in Tokyo or somewhere on my travel route above that would be good? I had a look around Kyoto but was not able to find any, although I was not looking very hard.
6. Are there any contemporary Zen art galleries, that also sell artworks?
7. I believe there is a temple in Tokyo that is open for New Years Eve night? Would anyone know where that is?
8. What else is there to do on new Years Eve night- i am traveling alone and am over 35 so heading out to bars (especially for under 25's) is probably not my thing, unless they are Jazz or Blues venues, i guess.


My itin:
1. Is one day enough in Hiroshima? Obviously, I will visit the Peace memorials.
2. is one day enough in Miyajima or too much and I can make both Hiroshima and Miyajima a single day?
3. Beppu in one day? or best to have two in Beppu?
4. Is Aso-san a full day?
5. What about Yufuin? Is that worth visiting?
6. As you can see I have one spare day, especially if I fly from Oita to Tokyo. Any suggestions on how to fill that day up, even if it means diverting off the track or adding another day in Kyoto or heading to Osaka.


Thanks in advance for any thoughts and comments.
DJjapan

 

[kenasto]

>1. Will I be able to visit the temples at Nikko on January 1st?
Yes, but typically Japanese visit shrines on January 1st and the following days. But of course, you can visit temples anytime.

>3. Will most shops be open between December 29th and January 1st in Tokyo, e.g. in the Akihabara area) and elsewhere?
Not sure about Jan 1st, but definetely everything is open before that. January 1st - 3rd are national holidays and many places are closed.

>7. I believe there is a temple in Tokyo that is open for New Years Eve night? Would anyone know where that is?
Probably all of them are open. The most impressive one might be the one in Asakusa.

>8. What else is there to do on new Years Eve night
Japanese like to see the first sunrise of the year. Good places to do that are mountains or the coast.

>2. is one day enough in Miyajima or too much and I can make both Hiroshima and Miyajima a single day?
It's possible to do it in one day. But if you like to take it a little easier, especially on Miyajima, 1.5 - 2 days is better. On Miyajima there is a small mountain, a cable car or 1-2 hour walk takes you to the top. I thought the view from up there was wonderful. You can see hundreds of little islands in the area.

Another nice half-day trip while staying in Kyoto is Amano-Hashidate:
Amanohashidate

 

[DJjapan]

Thanks for your reply, kenasto.
With respect to temples/shrines and closing over Jan 1-3- great info. Luckily, all i want to do in Kyoto is visit some temples, so...
Temple at Asakusa- thanks, i think that is the one I had heard about.
Miyajima- I do enjoy hiking so doing Hiroshima and Miyajima in .5 days (2 nights) will be perfect.
I will look into Amano-Hashidate, thanks for the link.
cheers,
DJjapan

 

[kenasto]

If you like hiking you will enjoy the little mountain on Miyajima. Don't take the cable car, just hike up there. On the way down look out for the path which goes through the monkey area, it's slightly off the original path. If you find it you can see monkeys living in nature by themselves.

Kyoto is surrounded by mountains, there are also some nice day trips and half day trips, some leading you to world heritage sights or to spots with great views of Kyoto. Maybe you can find infos about it on the internet or check out the Hiking in Japan Lonely Planet.

 

[DJjapan]

thanks, kenasto.
I have Hiking in Japan so will look at that.
Looking forward to the trip.

DJjapan.

 

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

Advice
If you board an airplane,
Than you use Ooita Airport,
It is convenient to use Fukuoka Airport.
From Fukuoka to Tokyo,
There is much airmail, and you can use slow airmail at night.

 

[DJjapan]

Advice
If you board an airplane,
Than you use Ooita Airport,
It is convenient to use Fukuoka Airport.
From Fukuoka to Tokyo,
There is much airmail, and you can use slow airmail at night.

Thanks for the reply.
I will look at Fukuoka and Tokyo air routes, as well.

thanks,
DJjapan