One month in March/early Apr 2012

Hi,

A bit of an open-ended question but in any case...

I will be arriving in Tokyo Haneda on Sunday 4th March & leaving on the 7th April.

Where to go? :)

I've always been very interested in visiting Japan so have pretty wide range of things I'd like to see, from Shirakawa-go to Tokyo Anime Fair, from watching a baseball match to gliding(*) - this is not to say I necessarily want to do all these things but this is just to illustrate that I'm happy with all kinds of suggestions! (Well, apart from the expensive ones!)

A vague itinerary I was thinking of has me starting from somewhere south, say around Hiroshima, and travelling northwards, and ending up in Tokyo/Kyoto towards the end of March/April where I can catch the cherry blossoms if I'm lucky, as well as travel with the warmer weather. But I stress strongly the vagueness of this trip at this early stage.

One con of this is that this would mean I perhaps wouldn't be able to go skiing for a day (just a day - Japan's expensive enough as it is! I'm on a tight budget given the length of the trip!) somewhere around Nagoya...or can I?

But frankly, I'm happy to take any and all suggestions on board.

(*) I'll handle the gliding bit myself - I'll probably contact a few gliding clubs such as the one at Tachikawa & see what they say.

Many thanks in advance!

It is a nice time to travel and you have a long time so you can pretty much see whatever you want. I'd start by writing down the places that interest me and then work out an itinerary from there.

For skiing you could consider Hakuba which was open until may last year. You can access from Tokyo, Matsumoto or Nagoya fairly easily.

If you are on a budget you may wish to consider something like the Willer Express bus passes.

If you are happy to allocate the cost of a rail pass in your budget then I'd probably spend the first few days in Tokyo and then activate a 21-day JR Pass (or maybe a 14-day JR Pass), and then spend the last day or two in Tokyo.

I'd try and spend the last few days before Tokyo in Kyoto due to the Cherry blossoms. You may find it easier to stay in Osaka and commute to Kyoto each day.

With the rail pass you can either move around or pick somewhere as a base and do day trips from there.

I'd look through some of the suggested national itineraries on Japan-guide if you need some ideas.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2400.html

I'd probably at a minimum include Hakuba for your skiing, Matsumoto, Takayama, Shirakawago, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Hiroshima, Miyajima.

I'd consider Fukuoka too, but realistically the world is your oyster, so pick and choose places of interest. I'd just be aware of the cherry blossom timing for Kyoto and Kanazawa at least.

If you are on a tight budget you can consider fewer places but see them in more depth, you can also consider various hostels or even something like couchsurfing if you are trying to keep costs down.

Enjoy your trip!

Thanks for the ideas - gives me a bit to chew over.

The problem for me is that its a bit like being a kid in a sweet shop! :) So much I want to do, that it's hard to narrow down what I'd like to do to something resembling an itinerary.

Also, it's a bit hard to decide where I'd like to be geographically with regards to timing....

On one hand, do I want to visit Hakuba (i.e. more northerly) early on so that I could try to go skiing, and see the Alps in their glory? Or dash down south as early as I can on the Moonlight Nagara using the Seishun 18 Kippu and make my way leisurely back up, not to mention I'd be "following" the warm weather (I think!).

Given the practicalities of packing (Lugging around thick bulky winter clothes? No thanks!), I think I might just forego the skiing, and zip down south a few days after arriving in Tokyo & getting my bearings first.

Regarding the train passes, given I will be there for almost the entire period the Seishun 18 Kippu is valid, I'll probably go with buying one or two instead of the JR Pass. Only regret is that it means probably not getting to try the Shinkansen on the basic pass. (i.e. if I want to go on them, I'll have to pay. Well, I'll wait until I've figured out the route before I can do the sums for the tickets).

at it's hard to narrow down what I'd like to do to something resembling an itinerary.

Indeed, lots of time makes it harder for sure.

Also, it's a bit hard to decide where I'd like to be geographically with regards to timing....

I think you just have to pick places of interest and go from there. You don't have to try and see everything at once.

Regarding the train passes, given I will be there for almost the entire period the Seishun 18 Kippu is valid, I'll probably go with buying one or two instead of the JR Pass.

Once you have your list planned out I'd either fly to one end and work your way back to Tokyo, or work your way there and then fly back to Tokyo.

If you plan on using the 18 Kippu the whole way I'd probably try and overlap/skip towns going each way to break up the journey on the way back a bit. Unless you travel in more of a loop. Also, don't underestimate the travel times involved in moving between cities, or the number of train changes you will have to make, or the times where you won't get a seat on at least one of the trains.

Only regret is that it means probably not getting to try the Shinkansen on the basic pass. (i.e. if I want to go on them, I'll have to pay. Well, I'll wait until I've figured out the route before I can do the sums for the tickets).

You can always consider paying for the Shinkansen ticket for a shorter journey. View it the same as visiting an attraction or having a nice dinner. Something like Hiroshima to Fukuoka. Osaka to Nagoya. A journey which is about an hour long should give you enough of an experience.

Also, don't underestimate the travel times involved in moving between cities, or the number of train changes you will have to make, or the times where you won't get a seat on at least one of the trains.

Was playing with Hyperdia, & deselecting all options but ordinary trains.

800 minutes from Kyoto to Tokyo, while it's only 140 minutes by Shinkansen. *coughs* I think I'll rethink how much I'll choose to rely on the Seishun 18 Kippu versus a JR Pass :) The JR Pass may be worth it after all!

Well, an itinerary awaits me! Thanks for the advice!

I'll rethink how much I'll choose to rely on the Seishun 18 Kippu versus a JR Pass :) The JR Pass may be worth it after all!

Agreed :) Of course everything depends on budget and obviously you should only spend what you are comfortable spending, but this chart might be handy:-
7-day JR Pass 28,300yen (4042 yen per day)
14-day JR Pass 45,100yen (3221 yen per day)
21-day JR Pass 57,700yen (2747 yen per day)

Also, if you are someone who likes flexible travel the railpass will be excellent. If you want everything planned out to the day/hour before you leave then you can probably economise a little.

The flexibility of being able to say, "I liked xyz city a lot, I think I'll head back there at the end of my trip" can be very valuable. Being able to do a day trip from Tokyo to Kyoto just to see the Cherry Blossoms on one of your last days, being able to head up into the mountains if you decide to do that, etc. etc.

You are there for five weeks though, so you can either consider combining a 18 Kippu with a JR Pass, or combining two JR Passes, or just spending a fair amount of time in Tokyo and surrounds at the start and end.

I'd probably consider spending a week or so in Tokyo at the start, and do a few day trips (Hakone, Kawaguchiko, Kamakura,Nikko) then start a 21 day JR pass and just end up back in Tokyo.

Alternatively, you might want to consider one of the (Willer Express) Bus Passes, which save you a night of accommodation and get you between a number of cities very economically. Might pay to use the bus pass for the long haul stretches and the 18 Kippu for some of the shorter hops.

Good luck with your decision!