How long is best to stay in japan?

Hi,

me and my partner are looking at visiting japan next september for three weeks is this long enough?

It depends on how much you want to see and on how much time and money you have available.

but I know my American husband was ready to come home after 2 weeks. He was frustrated by his lack of Japanese language skills and he was affected by the heat (we went during August to be in Japan during Obon).

It depends on whether you like to travel. There is enough to see in Japan for someone to stays for months, even years, but you can get a decent feel for the country and the people in 3 weeks if you plan well. But if you have the money and interest, stay longer to see a new season. Fall to winter, or winter to spring :)

We went for 2 weeks in spring this year for the blossoms and got to see some of Kyoto, Tokyo, Nara, Nikko, Kamakura and Himeji.

Next winter we are going back for 3 weeks, that still won't be long enough for me but we are limited by the time we are able to get away from work in a year.

Everyone is different, we like to see places in detail so it felt a bit rushed for us only having day trips to many places - other people I see on here do in a day what we would do in three days. It will depend on your own travel style and how many parts of Japan you want to see.

It really depends on your travel style. So you may need to judge how long is good for you based on other trips you have done.

We love Japan and have been planning our 3rd trip with 3 week duration later this year. 3 weeks is about as long as we can get off work, and about as much as we can afford - we'd certainly go for longer if we could. Having said that, 3 weeks is a good amount of time to see a variety of things in Japan.

I would suggest you decide what you would really like to see, then look at how to travel between these places. You'd be surprised how long it can take to travel between destinations. For example during our last trip (just over 3 weeks) we travelled to a number of destinations between Tokyo and Beppu, but there was no way to fit in travel anywhere north of Tokyo without extending our trip. That's why we're headed back this time - to see all the bits we couldn't fit into the last trip. (And we still haven't managed to fit in Hokkaido yet!)

Many people have proposed 3 week itineraries on this website and from the responses you will see what works best. There are often comments about the itinerary being too fast paced, and sometimes almost impossible. I'm sure this will help you to decide if 3 weeks is a good amount of time to see the things you are interested in. I will try to post our last itinerary on this site soon as it worked really well for us and is one I would recommend to first timers (with possibly a couple of alterations).

I have taken several 3 week trips and one 4 week trip. The 4 week trip was long enough to include 5 or 6 days in Hokkaido. We also stayed in Sendai, Nikko, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Beppu, Kagoshima, back to Kyoto and several days at the end in Tokyo. That's a lot of traveling in 4 weeks but my partner and I enjoyed it immensely and it was made even better by our stays in ryokans in or near hot springs. It was one of the most relaxing trips I've ever taken.

I don't like to hop all over a country, changing hotels ever day or every 2 days. It is too tiring and eventually, months later, it is all a big blur in one's mind.
I prefer to stay about 5 days in a town, seeing it well and also doing a couple of day trips from there.

I have been to Japan 8 times. I stayed there for 2 weeks several times but have also gone there--from North America--just for a long weekend. I have no intention of seeing most of the country (the average person, be they Japanese, Americans, French, German etc.,etc. has never seen, and never will see, most of HIS/HER own country).

I prefer to explore a few areas well enough that after a few trips I no longer need a map to walk around and am able to use local transit as a local.

Any one area will teach you all there is to know about the culture of Japan. While temples and shrines and castles etc. may differ a bit from one place to another, they are all share the same basic characteristics..

I find it really nice when I go back a couple of years in a coffee shop and the staff remember me and me them.

Thank you all for your advice,

we are the type of travelers that like to see different parts of the country taking in different things, we are going to learn japanesse before travel there.

we know we want to Tokyo and Kyoto (traveling by bullet train) but are unsure were else to go.

we are able to take of a maximum 5 weeks at a time from work (each) but we were wondering if we could possible fit in the best parts of japan in that three weeks.

thanks again every one

The best parts of japan are the ones that YOU really want to see, based on what you read in several guidebooks, saw on the internet (don't forget using Google earth then street views..to see actual photos of all sorts of streets etc.).

3 weeks can be both too much or nowhere near enough...I never anywhere more than 2 weeks but that's me..
I actually have nearly 8 weeks off a year but we have to split them in several small holidays... quite nice in many ways...

My favorite area is the Kansai. There is so much to see a lifetime wouldn't be enough. The Japanese call it the cradle of their culture.

Hiroshima wasn't a place that I wanted to see.. I went there eventually, and because I am a Caucasian (from Europe), was asked lots of question by Japanese students in their early teens. I ended up in tears in the museum...

I also didn't wanted to go to Miyajima island, fearing the hype..we didn't stay too long by the famous shrine but walked a lot of back streets and roads, away from hordes of tourists, and I fell in love with it. Our planned "2 hrs trip at most" ended up lasting from noon to 8 pm...

Another placed that I liked was Matsue (I read Lafcadio Hearn books about Japan..) and Izumo Taisha.
In Kyoto I usually look for small neighbourhood temples ...but Fushimi Inari is my favorite..but one MUST go all the way to the top then come back by the back of the mountain...an area were few tourists go..

Roofed over shopping streets are another one of my favorites.. There is a couple in Kobe, not far from Sannomiya in the direction of Osaka. They pass under the railway tracks, are old and low key but so charming..

I'd plan based on climate. It was really hot in September last year when we went, we'd been over at end September early October before which was pretty mild, but early to mid September was ferociously hot, so much so it was hard to get around. I live on the Gold Coast, and our heat is nothing on a hot Japan, it is just stifling (though I did get a good tan - all of the reflection from the concrete!). It's still pretty hot there now, I think. I'd start from North (like Hokkaido) and work your way down, depending what time you are arriving, or look to places known to be cool like Nikko etc.

I just spent 6 weeks in Japan between July and August. I am now the type of traveller that prefers quality versus quantity.
I am not talking about hotels and whatnot.
I typically like to spend between 5-7 days in each city. Maybe 4 if it is a really small place.
I purchased the JR Railpass ( this in not a commerial) and it was great. I had the 21 day pass. I think that the 21 day JR Rail Pass would be good for you. You can pretty much get anywhere in Japan using the JR Railpass.
IT can also be used for travel around the cities also, if they have a JR line. Most big cities do.
You could home base yourself in a city for a few days and then take day trips.
I am like you, I started doing my research a year in advance.
I actually made and met some penpals on this sight.
I don't claim to be any kind of expert, I am just a teacher that loves to travel.
Good luck in planning for your trip.

3 weeks sounds awesome and it's probably a week longer than a lot of people spend there. However, there is just so many unique things to do and see in Japan that you could leave wishing you stayed the full 5 weeks.

If you have a strong interest in Japan and have plenty of disposable income, I suggest using all of your free days to explore. I hope you like the food because that's one aspect that seems to bother some travelers when going for extended trips.

This site has all the info you need and it will prepare you for the trip like no other.
I suggest buying a JR pass, like someone mentioned above, before you go so you can board trains without having to worry about buying the right tickets.

Make sure to go through all the hot spots listed:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e623a.html
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e623.html

Check train schedules using: http://www.hypderdia.com

I think 3 weeks would be a good balance. It depends on individuals but I could not stay too long with only a suitcase.

3 weeks would be good to explore the main areas in Japan.

A week in Tokyo, Another week in Kansai region (Osaka, Kyoto and Nara) and the extra week to include areas such as Hakone/Nikko/Hiroshima.

My suggestions would be only to include two to three places in a day for areas in Tokyo. For example - You could combine going to Akihabara and Asakusa in one day.

I would not advise of JR Rail passes unless you plan to many long distance places in a short time. If you plan to travel cheaply - ie. reasonably like combining the transportation mode from Shinkansen to buses to even local trains - you might want to budget the time spent on transportation into your schedule - perhaps extending it to 3.5 or 4 weeks.