July-August Tokyo suggestions and weather

Hi. I'm going to be in Tokyo for two months next summer, probably staying in a gaijin house or monthly mansion. I know it's a long way off but I'm a very busy person so I generally need to have everything set in my mind way ahead of time, so I have some questions.

I've looked through pages and pages of suggested itineraries and covered more or less everything I know I want to do; daytrips to Kamakura, Kawagoe, a week in Kyoto, the usual stuff. I know that for such a long trip I'm going to want some days where I just do nothing but relax, but I'm still finding that I have a lot of days free (21, to be exact), any suggestions for things a little more off the beaten path would be greatly appreciated. I'm not really prepared to move to another part of Japan unless it's for something REALLY special. I'm into all visual and performing arts, also like really long walks (urban and nature routes equally) and views (big hills/mountains/observation decks), weird little museums are nice too. So, anything a little less touristy in the Kanto area you guys would really recommend?

By the way, my Japanese isn't exactly native level, but I'm good enough that I can survive in just about any situation and express more or less anything I want (even if I don't sound very eloquent in doing so), so language isn't an issue, attractions which don't provide English assistance are fine.

Another thing, I've looked into weather and as far as I can tell hot and wet is what I can expect, but as I learnt on my trip to India, the numbers really don't tell the whole story. What might you take in terms of clothes? Would just a bunch of shorts, button up shirts, and a thin raincoat do? Or would you bring some sweaters and jeans too just in case? I'm going to be spending probably upwards of 75% of my time outdoors.

Thanks.

Takaosan - http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3029.html
Just a short hop west of Tokyo, you can take a funicular part way up to the start of some trails. You can look around the Yakuo-in a bit before continuing further.

Chichibu NP - http://www.chichibu.com/CHICHIBU-TAMANATIONALPARK.html
There's a north access and a southern access. Both have some of the longest trails close to Tokyo.

Nagatoro - http://www.secret-japan.com/forum/nagatoro-(chichibu-saitama-ken)-t71....
There are walks along the Arakawa as well as the boat rides. There is also a canoe (kayak) club in town if you get to know them and want to practice on some gates they have set up.

Nokogiriyama and Nihonji - http://www.secret-japan.com/forum/boso-hanto-crossing-tokyo-bay-from-y...
You can hike up the quarry cut mountain or take a cable car and then walk into Nihonji and along the crest of the mountain. If you descend toward Hota, you can follow the rocky coast back up to the ferry.

Sawara to Katori-jingu
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6406.html
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6408.html
I walked from Sawara Station to the canal area, browsed some shops and then walked to the shrine. It was pretty far with only one konbini along the way. I then walked through the countryside to Katori Station. It all took about 4 hours.

I have souvenir pins from places I couldn't find anymore, but here's a short list of other hikes:
http://ridgelineimages.com/hiking/best-day-hikes-around-tokyo/

G-Cans tour
http://www.ktr.mlit.go.jp/edogawa/gaikaku/english/index.html
It might be cool 50m underground.

Ashio Copper Mines
http://travel-around-japan.com/k36-34-ashio-copper-mine.html
An area where vegetation was stripped bare by copper fumes. It's a mining ghost town and a national historic site because the mine started in 1610 and didn't shut down until the 1970s.

You might contact Dan Harris to see if he still runs trips out of Tokyo. Info at:
http://www.tokyoactive.com/HikingGroupDesc.html

It's hot and humid in Tokyo in July and August. It's also taifu season and you may get one of those blowing by. It's hotter in Tokyo than the surrounding areas due to the urban heat island of all that concrete and tar. I left the city every chance I got when I lived there in the summer. I also had uchiwa scattered around and sat in front of my sempuuki to save electricity.

July and August are the rainy months. A getaway trip to Hokkaido may be a good option. Not only would rain be scarce, summer is harvest season so there is great food! Additionally, it is the time for the blooming of flowers and lavenders. The mountainous region of Hokkaido means it feels like 20 degrees even in summer.

Places to relax include the usual resort tows of Karuizawa and hot spring towns of Kusatsu. Though going to an onsen in summer is slightly weird, but places like Kusastsu, Hakone, Nikko are generally cooler compared to the rest of Japan.

I personally favour Nagaoya as it is a major city of Japan yet is not as bustling as Tokyo or Osaka. Meaning I have the benefits of technology but without the hassle of fighting through crowds.

Weather wise, besides Hokkaido, there is usually typhoons coming in. Meaning umbrellas do get blown away. Ponchos and raincoats makes more sense. There may be land slides so using a car is not recommended. Do not take the train to mountainous regions for the same reason. (Though you do have the time so getting stranded is not that big of an issue for you)

Are you not going to other places like Hiroshima? Osaka? Kobe? Kanazawa? Takayama?

Atami, Hakone, and Matsue are places i would recommend for quirky museums.

Please provide a more detailed plan so other forum users can understand where you have not spent your time. Are you going to Nara or Koya san from Kyoto?

@Anaguma
Wow, lots of great suggestions. Takao is on my list already but all the others are new. Some of these seem like gold. Thank you very much.

@jh
Thanks. As far as weather goes, I can handle pretty much anything as long as I'm dressed sensibly. The heat doesn't bother me (in fact I would prefer hot and humid over mild) and I wouldn't mind if it rained for half of the days I'm there, as long is it isn't non-stop can't even leave the house rain. This site has a page on tsuyu which seems to suggest that the worst will be over by the end of July anyway. I'm less concerned about getting away from the weather than I am about what essentials I should be packing in order to prepare.

I have a friend in Osaka I will be meeting but in all likelihood that will happen in Kyoto. With the exception of Osaka Castle it doesn't seem like there is that much there that appeals to me. Stop me if I'm wrong but the way I'm looking at it, a day spent in Osaka is a day lost in Kyoto.

I haven't really planned trips to any of the other places you mentioned. Day trips from Tokyo and Kyoto are fine, but in general I don't enjoy travelling around and staying in different places for short periods, so Kanazawa, Takayama, Hiroshima are out.

I don't really have a detailed plan, only a list of things I want to do around Tokyo with a good idea of which ones will take half a day and which will take a full day. Visits to the most popular temples and shrines, gardens, museums, Kamakura, Enoshima, are all in. They are all things that appear on this site though so I was really just looking for things that maybe shorter-stay visitors might not get to discover. I'll be staying for 64 nights; needless to say I'll be getting comfortable in the country, so going off the beaten path and exploring places that don't necessarily get millions of 'likes' on travel websites is my aim here.

Cheers.

When I'm out for a walk in summer Japan I take a lightweight raincoat with a hood (single layer), a small folding umbrella, some rain chaps that tie onto my belt, and Gore-Tex hiking shoes. I like a non-waterproof nylon hat (running hat?) to keep the sun off and soak up the sweat. I wear some synthetic/cotton blend long cargo pants - jeans are too hot and stay wet. If it starts to rain, the umbrella comes out. If I start getting wet, I add the rest as needed. If I know it's not going to rain, I'll wear shorts and leave the rain chaps and jacket at home but take the umbrella and an emergency plastic pancho. I've carried it a lot but never had to unfold it. In a pinch, a garbage bag works for rain protection by cutting holes for your head and arms and everybody has a gomi-bukuro if you ask for one. In July and August around the Kanto you won't need anything like a sweater unless you're trying to lose weight. Good thing you like it hot.

Well. This is tough.
Kansai and Tokyo are the major metropolitian areas of Japan. They have the most concentration of sights and sounds. If you are not interested in changing your base cities then you'll have some trouble on your hand. I can probably only recommend you Fukuoka as it is in the vicinity of Nagasaki, hiroshima, Kumamoto, beppu and kitakyushu. You can also make day trips to kagoshima.

I was there in August last year and the heat was both great and terrible. The thing is, the weather feels great if you're sitting around on a chair on the beach but walking long distances is not recommended. The main issue is that when it's hot, it's also incredibly humid which causes you to sweat like an otter. If possible, do not wear a backpack because this will cause sweat marks everywhere where the backpack touches you. July is obviously the rainy season but it's also very hot and humid. If you don't mind getting wet, I'd recommend your usual clothes and an umbrella because generally, rain clothes are made to keep water out, unfortunately, it also keeps water in, sweat in this case.

I'd suggest a few daytrips to the beach since a lot of Japanese have summer vacation as well. Aside from that, if you can take the shinkansen, almost any city on Honshu with a shinkansen connected could technically be a day trip from your base in Tokyo. Shinkansen connect you to major Tohoku cities, Kansai cities and even Kanazawa and Niigata on the West coast. This would be kind of expensive if you do not have a JR Pass, though.

@Anaguma
Seems like sound advice. I actually just bought a decent raincoat that packs into a tiny bag, should do the trick when the umbrella fails. Sounds like I'll be able to pack pretty light if sweaters are going to be that redundant. Great news. Thanks again.

@DTryPleX
Thanks, as I said before I don't really see the heat being too much of an issue. I survived India mostly unscathed (going by the numbers, New Delhi is slightly hotter, slightly less humid than Tokyo). Light button up shirts and constant hydration is what I'll be going for. I've found the easiest mistake one can make when it's hot and humid is to wear a regular old t-shirt. GREAT call on not wearing a backpack. I assume it's easy enough to find a place to pick up a small hand fan more or less the day I land in Tokyo?

I checked some train times and it seems you are right, thanks for that. 97 minutes to Niigata is indeed very doable as a day trip, Kanazawa not bad either. I'll be getting a JR pass of course but as I understand it the longest I can buy is 21 days. That's only three weeks out of a nine week stay! Unless I'm missing something it looks like I'll just have to do as much of my travelling as I can within that period. Trains fares within Tokyo seem reasonable enough so I don't need the pass for that.

you can get train passes or bus passes for individual cities. But that is only if you take the bus/train about 5-6 times a day or more. Meaning leaving the hotel to attraction A, then attraction B, then to lunch, then to attraction C, then to attraction D, then to dinner, and then to hotel again.

What you are missing is... JR Pass comes in 7, 14, and 21 days format but no one said you can only get one JR pass. How about two 14 days or three 21 day passes?

:) I have two 21-day passes for my next visit - I'm going a lot of places. You can only buy them three months before exchange, but you could buy them and get them delivered to your address in Japan (that is allowable.

The heat is not a problem - I loved the humid/hot days in July this year - including when I was doing a lot outside in the sun. I don't understand why there are so many negative comments.

For a day trip, Niigata is nice - it has a great/interesting beach. There are probably a lot of other things you can do easily too

(btw, Kawaoge is worth the trip - interesting spot)

Hi,

Be sure to find a few festivals to go to, they give fans away for free most of the time. Especially in August, fireworks festivals are everywhere and most of them are amazing. If you know a little bit of Japanese, just google natsumatsuri dates or hanabi(taikai) dates. I used a Japanese site which listed pretty much all of them by how spectacular they were. Most of them ended up getting canceled because of last year's typhoon, though but Tokyo hosts some of the best ones around. Have fun!