Places to go other than the big 3 (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto)

[nfpgasmask]

Hi folks, just wondering, my wife and I are planning our second trip to Japan, we hope to stay for 3 weeks, likely in October/November 2012.

We went in 2010 and had the best vacation of our lives. We visited Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto . This next time around we plan to spend at least a week or more in Tokyo, probably 4 days at least in Osaka, and we would like to take some trips to some other, off the beaten path, cities that can be accessed via train from both Tokyo and Osaka.

I've done some reading on Nara and Nikko and both sound splendid. Any other suggestions?

We both enjoy Japanese food, subculture, Otaku culture and shopping, as well as sightseeing and taking in nature.

Thanks!

Bart

 

[Glenski]

Well, how about telling us what you saw before and what interests/doesn't interest you?

I did a 3-week trip in October some years ago. Depending on how weather is around the country, you may or may not be able to see fall foliage. Go to Kanazawa for the Kenroku-en garden & gold leaf factories. Yes, definitely go to Nikko for the Toshogu Shrine festival and parade! Other stuff will depend on what you want to see and do. "Subculture" is meaningless without some definition, as is "otaku culture".

 

[nfpgasmask]

Well, the wife loves the shopping, specifically she is all about Japanese punk rock, lolita and goth styles. She is also way into Japanese ball jointed and anime dolls, so anything related to all that is a plus.

As for me, I enjoy Japanese cars and motorcycles, and otaku culture in general. I wouldn't say I am a hardcore nerd, but Mandarake is just about the coolest chain of stores ever!

We also enjoy the picturesque side of Japan, as we are both avid hobbyist photographers. This time around I really want to spend less time running from place to place and more time soaking it in and taking pictures.

We also both love the food, just about all of it aside from Basashi, Uni and a few other choice things. LOL.
Let me put it this way. We got lost trying to find the Meguro Parasite Museum when we were there. It was hot and pouring rain. We walked around a neighborhood for a while until we got the GPS to pinpoint us. And even though we were soaked and lost, it was a blast. So I will pretty much be happy seeing ANYTHING new and different, I am just looking for some seasoned suggestions so I have a springboard to get the plan going.

Thanks so much!
Bart

 

[TaraTennyo]

Hey Bart,

I'm currently a student here in Japan, and in the middle planning my own trip for my winter break, so I'm not speaking from experience, but I definitely think Nara might be a great place to stop for a couple of days. It is one of the more historical districts in Japan with a lot of history and culture. If you want a more scenic destination, however, I would recommend spending 2-3 days in Sendai a city north of tokyo, sendai is a nice place from what I've seen but it is located near Mtsushima, a gorgeous scenic bay area which is considered one of Japan's top 3 scenic cities from what I read, also near Sendai is Yamadera a moutain that overlooks the city and bay area and who's fall foilage during that time of year is supposedly breath taking, there are many historical temples at yamadera as well that are very beautifully constructed and so you should have lots to take pictures of!

Kanazawa is another great city to visit as some districts are seemingly untouched by time. There if you are lucky you might find geisha about. Unfortunately, from what I read and heard many places where the modern geisha work are closed to foreigners. However Kanazawa is nestled in the mountains and so it's also a very pretty looking place to stay.

Nagoya and Hiroshima are also great cities to look into. Nagaoya is a large historical city with an abundance of sight seeing places you and your wife might enjoy. Hiroshima as you probably know, is most famous for its Peace Park created after the bombing during WWII. However Hiroshima also has a hidden jem known as Miyjima. Miyajima Island is a short train ride from the center of hiroshima. It is a small beautiful Island most famous for its 'floating shrine' a shrine built in the water so that iit looks like it's floating on the water, there is also a well known shrine that was also built over the water. Miyajima is also a gorgeous mostly untouched island. It has many shrines and temples and small streets to walk up and down and enjoy. There is a moutain on Miyajima and a gorgeous park. To reach the summit of the moutain you can either take the ropeway, or climb up youself through one of three trails. It's a perfect place to relax for a day or two and enjoy the scenery.

 

[nfpgasmask]

Thanks for that info. Honestly, Sendai was on our list, but didn't it suffer pretty badly from the earthquake/tsunami/Fukushima leak? Or do I need to do some more research on the current state of Sendai before we decide not to go?

Thanks for your time.

Bart

 

[TaraTennyo]

I know it was hit hard but from what I heard most of the attractions have opened since then. You should definitely research it though as I may be wrong but aside from one bridge that was destroyed I think sendai has more or less recovered. as for the leak howver I'm not 100% sure how sendai was affected so like I said do a bit of browsing. hope you enjoy your trip!

 

[Half-n-Half]

Nara is definitely my favorite spot in all of Japan. I may be a little biased, but it is awesome if you are into temples, museums, parks, etc. I was an exchange student at Sendai during the earthquake. The city was not severely damaged. For the most part it was just cracks or broken windows. I've been in contact with people I know in Sendai and they say it is back to normal. Tohoku University keeps a record of the radiation and it has returned to background levels, meaning it is completely safe.

So, I would definitely recommend Sendai. It's not much in the way of sightseeing, but it is close to great places like Yamagata and Matsushima. If you are only there until November I doubt you'll get to see snow, but there's nothing like the snow covered mountains of Yamagata.

 

[nfpgasmask]

Again, thanks for taking the time to reply and give info. Much appreciated.

Bart

 

[Davey]

Although planning might be a bit more difficult and communicating might be a bit harder, traveling in western Japan would be great as well.

1.Start out in Osaka were you can eat Kushikatsu and see Osaka's red light district etc.
2.Enjoy the Sake breweries and the Earthquake museum in Kobe with a romantic dinner at the top of Mt. Rokko.
3. Go over the longest suspension bridge in the world by High-way bus towards Shikoku , enjoy the naruto whirlpools, eat Udon in Shikoku (kagawa prefecture), visit Kochi to learn more about Sakamoto Ryomo and Iwasaki Yataro (the founder of Mitsubishi), and visit one of the many temples and shrines Shikoku has.
4. Eat lots of mandarins on the other side of Shikoku in Ehime to take the ferry from there to Hiroshima. Here you could eat at the Hiroshima yaki building, visit the Hiroshima Peace memorial museum and see monkeys and deer on Miyajima island.
5. Learn more about the history about the trading between the Japanese and the Portugese/Dutch/Chinese in Nagasaki, and enjoy the hot springs down in Kyushu (beppu onsen).
6. Travel back to Kansai or go further east towards Tokyo.

 

[zoomingjapan]

You didn't mention where exactly you've already been to, so it's hard to give any good suggestions.

Why do you want to stick to the very same places again?
Why not explore other regions of Japan? Kyushu and Tohoku are both great, too! Or how about Shikoku?
If you want to stay in the Kansai region, how about having a closer look at Amanohashidate, Iga-Ueno, Mt. Koya, Himeji, Kobe, Awaji Island, Hikone, Nagahama etc.??

 

[nfpgasmask]

You didn't mention where exactly you've already been to, so it's hard to give any good suggestions.

Well, like I said, last time we went, we were in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. I am looking for places outside of that.

Why do you want to stick to the very same places again?

I don't! That's why I am asking for suggestions on new places. That said, there are some things in Tokyo we missed and a few places we would like to revisit. As for Osaka, we only spent 2 days there and I know there is more to see.

Why not explore other regions of Japan? Kyushu and Tohoku are both great, too! Or how about Shikoku? If you want to stay in the Kansai region, how about having a closer look at Amanohashidate, Iga-Ueno, Mt. Koya, Himeji, Kobe, Awaji Island, Hikone, Nagahama etc.??

Cool, I will look into some of those places.
Thanks - Bart

 

[zoomingjapan]

I see.

Well, I think my suggestions might be just right for you then.
To be honest, there aren't many things to see in Osaka.
However, there are many other cool places you can easily access from Osaka.
Apart from the ones I've already mentioned, I'd also suggest Mt. Koya and Wakayama City (nice castle).

It also depends on what you're interested in the most: castles, shrines/temples, museums, gardens etc.?!

 

[nfpgasmask]

Actually, subculture and Otaku culture are probably the most interesting to us. Then I would say food, architechture and history. Osaka is absolutely awesome. I think there is a lot to do there personally. But yeah, I think Iga-Ueno might be good. The castle looks cool and I wouldn't mind visiting the Ninja Museum.

I was also thinking of going to the Monkey hot springs...

Bart

 

[zoomingjapan]

Are you talking about the Snow Monkeys in Nagano?
That's a bit far and during the time you want to visit it won't be cold enough, so they probably won't be bathing in the hot onsen.

There are so many great places in Japan beyond Kansai and Tokyo areas, it's hard to choose where to go! ^^;

 

[Londoner]

Hello,

I only know the south-western part of the country. We went to the Miyajima (=Itsukushima) island, which is located in the Seto Inland Sea. IMO, it's worth going there if you are interested in shrines. There's also the famous Itsukushima shrine with its torii gate. We took the ferry from the coast of Hiroshima which took us about one hour.
I also liked the Himeji castle were we had past by before.
But the highlight was Yakushima island were we landed at the end of our trip. The cedar forests are magnificent. There is a warmer area along the coast and the mountain region which goes up to 2000 meters. If you really like taking in nature this landscape is a must!

 

[zoomingjapan]

Yes, Yakushima is great.
I don't recommend winter. While you'll have almost the whole island for yourself, you might not be able to climb all the way up due to too much snow.
Just like Londoner said, some of the mountains are almost 2000m high.
If you're interested, I went to Yakushima this year and posted about it here:
Shiratani Unsuikyo Ravine in Yakushima

It is a bit far out, though, and only makes sense if you really have a lot of time!

One of the forests of Yakushima was the inspiration for the Hayao Miyazaki anime "Princess Mononoke".

 

[ewww]

zoomingjapan, awesome photos. Thanks! :wavi:

I am so jealous, ewww ... ewww ... eww ...

 

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

Mount Takao is 50 minutes in Shinjuku Station to a train.
Nearest natural area in Tokyo.
Head Temple Takao-san Yakuo-in Official Site


"ACG2012Final" Custom car audio festival
http://jam-zone.net/acg/
Date: Sun., October 28, 2012.
Place: Odaiba rainbow town
Address: 1-chome, Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo

ＡＣＧ2012 in Kansai
ﾃｯﾂｼﾂ｡ﾃｯﾂｼﾂ｣ﾃｯﾂｼﾂｧ2012 in Kansai - YouTube

The festival of a subculture is held near Tachikawa Station on November 10.
"Tachikawa Ani-Can "
Ita-Sya and Cosplay
窶板ｧﾂ静ｬ窶堋?窶堙俄?堋ｫ窶堙｡窶堙ｱ

 

[Londoner]

Hi guys,
Have any of you ever been to Hokkaido ? We're thinking about going there next year.. A friend of mine recommended it and showed me photos of the hot springs on this island.. looked beautiful - Can any of you back his opinion?

 

[Glenski]

I've been living on Hokkaido since 1998. The whole country is full of hot springs, if you didn't know.

 

[zoomingjapan]

Yeah, Hokkaido has great landscapes and is pretty much nice during any season.
However, there are many other great places in Japan, too, and if you're particularly interested in hot springs, Hokkaido wouldn't be my first choice.

 

[akiyamine]

I liked Shimoda but its not for everyone.
Shimonoseki and Kumamoto are beautiful too.

 

[Londoner]

Thank you for your feedback. As we've already seen the southwest this time we might go to the north, but Shimoda does look interesting. Perhaps we could visit here on our first day before we head north.