2 weeks in Japan - Tokyo and Kyoto?

Hi there,

I've never been to Japan, but I'm planning my first trip there in April 2011. At first, I had planned a whole itinerary through Japan (including Takayama, Kiso Valley and Miyajima), but a friend of mine who spent a month in Japan told me that iy was too much and that for only 2 weeks, I should only stick to Tokyo and Kyoto (and maybe take a few day-trips from there). What do you think?

Should I really stick to Tokyo and Kyoto? And if I do, will I miss out on a lot of nice places? What would you recommend? I love pretty much everything, from big city feel to nature, villages, temples, gardens. :) Is there another city/town/place I should not miss and maybe include in my trip?

And if I only stay in Kyoto and Tokyo, I have no idea how many days I should spend in each city. Would a week in each city be ok?

Thanks in advance for your help!

but a friend of mine who spent a month in Japan told me that iy was too much and that for only 2 weeks, I should only stick to Tokyo and Kyoto (and maybe take a few day-trips from there). What do you think?

It depends on the person! Different people have completely different preferences in terms of travel pace. Some want to see as many different cities as possible, and only spending one or two days in each city. Others prefer to see just a small number of cities but in great detail. And everything in between.

Your friend in Japan seems to belong to the latter group.

Combining Tokyo, Kyoto, Takayama, Kiso Valley and Miyajima into two weeks is not too much! It can be easily done and is enjoyable for travelers who prefer a medium to fast travel pace. Only for people who really want to see Tokyo and Kyoto in great detail at a slow pace, will it be too much.

Ask yourself what kind of travel pace you prefer. It is not the first time that you are traveling, is it?

Do you like to mainly sightsee and touch the surface of many places, or do you prefer to slow down and enjoy choice locations for awhile? There is so much to see and do in each of those cities, in particular, Kyoto where you can make day trips to places like Fushimi Inari Shrine and Nara.

I agree-you can see all those places in 2 weeks. And once you think about where you will be sleeping each night and how much time you'll be on trains -you can always adjust your schedule to where you feel like you are doing the right amount of activities to make your first trip enjoyable.

Day trips from Kyoto: Nara, Osaka, Kobe, Arashimaya and more (all these towns have "countryside" easily accessible nearby..)

Day trips from Tokyo: Yokohama, Kamakura, Nikko, Narita (yes there is an interesting town there) and much more, including Mt Fuji area...

Staying in the same hotel for 6 days is bliss when you are in a foreign country for the first time and everything is a visual and cultural shock!.

I agree with Uji - it is definitely possible to cover the locations you have listed, and I'm assuming you chose them for a reason.

So if you are OK changing hotels every few days, then I can't see why you shouldn't think about your original plan. I personally prefer 2 nights per city, with some variation depending on travel time between cities, and what I like to see in a city. So sometimes 1 night, sometimes 5 if there is a big list of things I want to see / do. But I enjoy the travel experience between cities as well and find the changing countryside really interesting.

Tokyo and Kyoto are big cities. In contrast you can walk both Takayama and Miyajima (I haven't been to Kiso to comment) So perhaps that is something to consider.

I think you should post your original itinerary noting anything in particular you wanted to see and then see what comments you get.

In 2 weeks last year we did the following
3days/3 nights Tokyo: Tsukiji, Asaskusa,Ueno,Roppongi,Ginza, Meiji Shrine,Harajuku,Shibuya, Tokyo Edo Museum, Sengakuji, many gardens and local walking, loads of eating and drinking
2 days/2 nights Kanazawa: all the most famous areas
7 days/7 nights Osaka, with 4 day trips to Kyoto, 1 to Nara, 1 to Hiroshima/Miyajima, and 1 full day in Osaka.
This year we plan the same time, same destinations, with day trips to Nikko, Kamakura, Noto Peninsula, Okayama+Bizen, Mt Koya: so it is possible to see and do heaps of Japan in 2 weeks.
We are lucky that we can travel to Japan more than once, so can plan accordingly: most travellers with one trip should not be put off from trying to see and do as much as possible: you may never return, so research your interests, and have no regrets