5 days - Nikko to Takayama - Oct / Nov

This is our 3rd trip to Japan. Below is part of a 21 day itinerary. The first week will be in the Tohoku region. The last week Takayama and Tokyo. It痴 the bit in the middle that's causing problems. We want to drive the Romantic Road ・but there does not seem to be as much information that I would like . Please see rough plan below and questions ・all suggestions welcome.

29/10 (Fri) ・Nikko (Arrive approx. 3pm from Ginzan Onsen or Yamagata)
30/10 (Sat) ・Kusatsu Onsen
31/10 (Sun) - ?? Karuizawa ??
1/11 (Mon) ・Nagano / Yamanouchi
2/11 (Tues) - ?? Matusumoto ??
3/11 (Wed) ・Takayama (to meet friends)

1. As we arrive in Nikko so late would it be better to stay 2 nights? We will arrive by train, and will need to arrange a hire car as well as see the sights, then supposedly drive on to Kusatsu all in one day (Saturday).

2. How long would it take to drive to Kusatsu? We don稚 want to rush, and I知 concerned it may be slow on the roads and crowded at sighteseeing areas since it痴 a weekend and may be autumn leaves??? Yes?

3. Is there somewhere to stay between Nikko and Kusatsu if it takes a long time to drive? Or if we stay extra night in Nikko and got an early start on Sunday would it be OK?

4. Should we stay 2 nights in Kusatsu as well? Are there nice drives we could do in a day around here?

5. Where to from Ueda? Should we drop car in Ueda and catch train to Nagano, then on to Yamanouchi? Or drive on to Nagano? Or keep car longer and continue driving to Takayama from Nagano instead of getting the bus?

6. We are not wedded to staying in either Karuizawa or Matsumoto, but would like to see both places - perhaps on the way to somewhere else.

As far as I can see we have quite a bit of flexibility at this point. But I壇 like to book accommodation in advance as we would prefer Western style rooms, if possible, so don稚 want to arrive in a town and try to work it out as we go.
Thanks in advance.

1. → If you visit only Toshogu in Nikko, one night might be OK. But if you visit Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Waterfall, I recommend your staying one more night at Chuzenji or Nikkoyumoto hotsprings.

2. →It takes 4 to 5 hours to drive from Nikko to Kusatsu both by expessway and by through Konseitoge Pass (in case of traffic conjestion, it takes more)

+ Yamanouchi (famous for monkey hotsprings) is very close to Kusatsu (about 2 hours by car). And Shirane volcano(worth to visit) is between these two hotsprings. Why don't you go directly from KUsatsu to Yamanouchi?

+ Your plan is possible but seems too tight and too busy to enjoy the sightseeing spots.

+ Forgive my poor English and enjoy Japan, please.

As we arrive in Nikko so late would it be better to stay 2 nights?

Yes, I recommend to do so.

How long would it take to drive to Kusatsu?

3-4 hours via the Romantic Road without stops along the way.

We don稚 want to rush, and I知 concerned it may be slow on the roads and crowded at sighteseeing areas since it痴 a weekend and may be autumn leaves???

The autumn color season is usually reaching its end in the Okunikko region by the end of October. But if it is nice weather and there is still some remaining color around the Irohazaka street, you might experience some delays there.

Is there somewhere to stay between Nikko and Kusatsu if it takes a long time to drive?

I recommend to stay a second night in Nikko. I would spend the first night down in the town and see the shrines and temples on the afternoon of the first day and morning of the second day and then proceed to the Okunikko region for some sightseeing and hiking and stay around Chuzenjiko or Yumoto, from where Kusatsu can be reached in a three hour drive on the following day.

Should we stay 2 nights in Kusatsu as well?

I think that one night is enough, but if you can afford it time wise, two nights would be a great way to relax some more.

Are there nice drives we could do in a day around here?

The drive from Kusatsu via Mount Shirane to Shiga Kogen and on to Shibu Onsen and the Jigokudani monkey park is spectacular. Like the poster before me, I recommend to move between the two locations via that direct road.

Where to from Ueda? Should we drop car in Ueda and catch train to Nagano, then on to Yamanouchi? Or drive on to Nagano? Or keep car longer and continue driving to Takayama from Nagano instead of getting the bus?

I would compare the fee for a drop off in Matsumoto and a drop off in Takayama and compare the difference to the fare for Matsumoto-Takayama bus.

Karuizawa is difficult to include into the itinerary. Driving back from Yamanouchi via Kusatsu to Karuizawa is probably the best route, i.e. Nikko - Kusatsu - (via Shirane) - Yamanouchi - (via Shirane and Kusatsu) - Karuizawa - Nagano - Matsumoto - Takayama

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I have been changing some of our itinerary and have fine tuned this based on your comments.

28/10 (Thurs) Nikko (Arrive about 12.00)
29/10 (Fri) Chuzenji
30/10 (Sat) Kusatsu
31/10 (Sun) Yamanouchi
1/11 (Mon) Matsumoto
2/11 (Tues) Takayama

We now arrive in Nikko earlier in the day, so will have a little more time to see things the afternoon we arrive. I have dropped Karuizawa - perhaps another trip.

I have read the road between Kusatsu and Yamanouchi closes in November, and I assume this is due to snow / bad weather. As we are planning on driving through on October 31st can I assume it will be OK or should we check with someone first?

How long will it take to drive from Yamanouchi to Matsumoto?

I believe it will take about 2 hours from Matsumoto to Takayama.

So we thinking of stopping off at Shinhotaka on the way, and maybe Kamikochi. Would this work for a leisurely trip to Takayama with arriavl late afternoon?

Again - thanks in advance.

Hi traceyk ,

If you are visiting Yamagata, I highly recommend Yamadera if it is not yet in your itinerary.

I have read the road between Kusatsu and Yamanouchi closes in November, and I assume this is due to snow / bad weather. As we are planning on driving through on October 31st can I assume it will be OK or should we check with someone first?

It does not usually close before mid November. But there are cases of early snow which can shut the road down temporarily before the official start of the winter closure. It happened last year. But most of the time you should be okay. If, during your stay you hear of early snow, you might want to check the road's status. Otherwise, you should be okay.

How long will it take to drive from Yamanouchi to Matsumoto?

About 90 minutes.

I believe it will take about 2 hours from Matsumoto to Takayama.

Yes.

So we thinking of stopping off at Shinhotaka on the way, and maybe Kamikochi. Would this work for a leisurely trip to Takayama with arriavl late afternoon?

Neither Shin-Hotaka nor Kamikochi are directly along the way. Shin-Hotaka requires another hour of driving, while access to Kamikochi requires you to take a taxi forth and back.

So, I think that it would be too much to add both, but one can be added.

If you are visiting Yamagata, I highly recommend Yamadera if it is not yet in your itinerary.

Where do you get the idea from that traceyk visits Yamagata? Yamagata is nowhere near the destinations traceyk is asking about. A "side trip" to Yamadera would involve a whole day of driving.

Thanks for advice Uji really helps fine tune our plans.

I think we will go to Shinhotaka, and leave Kamikochi for another visit.

BTW Iiem was correct, we are going to Yamagata. I mentioned it in my first question as we are coming from Yamagata to Nikko.

Iiem - Thanks we do have Yamadera on our itineray.

I will post our entire itinerary in a new thread soon for everyone's input. I just wanted to get a better idea of this leg of the trip first to see if we would actually do it or not. So far, it all sounds doable, and will be a really lovely part of our trip.

Just a small note. We are from Australia, and driving long distances is something we do all the time. The difference is our roads are mainly flat so we can cover a lot more distance in a shorter period of time. We are certainly not used to winding roads through the mountains like the route we have chosen in Japan. So all this info has been really helpful in consolidating our plans.

So a big thank you again!

''If you are visiting Yamagata, I highly recommend Yamadera if it is not yet in your itinerary. ''

''Where do you get the idea from that traceyk visits Yamagata? Yamagata is nowhere near the destinations traceyk is asking about. A ''side trip'' to Yamadera would involve a whole day of driving.''


''29/10 (Fri) ・Nikko (Arrive approx. 3pm from Ginzan Onsen or Yamagata)''

The above itinerary gave me the impression that TraceyK would be in Yamagata area.

Hi Liem,

Please note, I addressed this in the post just before your last comment. And acknowledged your suggestion re Yamadera.

Also note in the forum posting titled 21 Day Itinerary - Oct/ Nov 2010 is my full itinerary which includes Yamagata. I have now dropped Ginzan Onsen off the list. But Yamadera is still there. So any further suggestions you may have re Yamagata, could you please post to that thread.

Thanks

Tracey

i think you may traveling without any rest,you need more time to spend or else you feel difficult make your journey happy and useful...