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Hello everyone,
I'm currently planning my Golden Week trip to Kansai. I came up with two itineraries, but I have a hard time deciding which one would be better (considering available time, weather, sights, etc.). I have to reserve the accommodation in the next 1-2 days; I hope there are still some available places to stay at. So I would be grateful for your suggestions!
The first 3 days are fixed: I will be in Kobe, Osaka and Nara, 1 day each. After that I will have 7.5 days and I'm thinking, whether I should rather do
Option 1: Sights south of Nara (Horyu-ji, Toshodai-ji, Yakushi-ji, Kashihara, Asukai, Sakurai), Koya-san, 4.5 days Kyoto, incl. 1-day trip to e.g. Uji, Ishiyama-dera, Koka, or Hikone, Nagahama.
or Option 2: Koya-san (or maybe skip it in this itinerary), Kumano Kodo: Nakahechi route from Tanabe/Takijiri-oji to Hongu in 2 days, spend second night in Yunomine onsen, on the 3rd day do boat trip down to Shingu, see Hayatama Taisha, travel down to Nachi. On the 4th day see Kushimoto/Kii-Oshima and get back to Kyoto in the evening. If I go to Koya-san, I would have 1.5 days in Kyoto, if I skip it, around 3.
Option 1 is more relaxed and I would have time to explore the Kyoto/Nara area, incl. Koya-san. But Kumano Kodo sounds very exciting and I definitely want to do it once.
When is the best time to hike the Kumano Kodo? What do you think about the itineraries? Which one is better in terms of sights and experience? Any other ideas?
Thank you very much!
PS: I'm in Japan for 1 year, so I will surely return to Kyoto when family/friends are visiting me (i.e. I can see the things I miss now), but they probably will not want to hike for 3-4 days in the mountains. On the other hand, I could try to take another holiday and return to the area just for doing the Kumano Kodo in the late summer or fall.
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