Which ones to visit?

Already did or have planned the most commonly visited places in Japan... I was looking for other places to go, since I'll be in Japan for 6 months and going on trips mostly in the weekend.

What do you think of this places: would you go there, why and for how many days:
- Kanazawa
- Shirakawago
- Takayama

- Hiroshima
- Miyajima
- Onomichi
- Okayama

- Kiso Valley
- Nagoya

- Kurashiki
- Matsue
- Kinosaki Onsen
- Takamatsu
- Kumano Kodo
- Karuizawa
- Noto Hanto

My thoughts...

- Kanazawa - nice, good food, maybe 2 days, Garden is good.
- Shirakawago - very pretty in snow (but slippery) 3 hours if day trip, or overnight
- Takayama - I really like this town and have spent several days there but other pwople arent so keen. I think 2 days is nice if you want a relax. Good beef and milk products, the squirrel park is awesome.

- Hiroshima - smoggy and industrial. Not very nice but Peace Park is a "must see". Day trip.
- Miyajima - fun for an overnight stay. The hikes are good. The Tori is overrated but it is worth going.
- Onomichi
- Okayama

- Kiso Valley - nice if you arent expecting much. Consider it more a bushwalk experience than a historical one and it will be more fun.
- Nagoya - I wouldnt, though the castle is pretty.

- Kurashiki
- Matsue
- Kinosaki Onsen - nice for an overnight stay. Probably more worthwhile if you are up for the public onsen. Not much to do otherwise, though the town is pretty enough.
- Takamatsu
- Kumano Kodo
- Karuizawa - shopping street is fun. The shopping centre is like a shopping centre. Food is awesome. The walk from the top of town to the lookout (part of the Nakasendo way) is fun, and the temple near the lookout is nice. The dango from the shop near it is the best I've had.
- Noto Hanto - on my list, unfortunately public transport looks challenging.

Consider also Hikone (nice castle, pretty town and good food) and Bessho Onsen (cheap accomodation, good food, some interesting sights).

Well you have 25 weekends , so your purse is the limit.
Here my view on your list:

- Kanazawa: 2 days, garden , castle , town...
- Shirakawago: haven�ft been in winter. I liked Ainokura best. If you can stay overnight there it should be a great weekend trip
- Takayama: in contrast to previous poster I found Takayama totally overrated, at least if we are talking about the �gold town�h. It�fs only one touristy Street. If you can go during the festival or if you are into onsen and can combine it with Hirayu onsen, then it�fs okay. It obviously also combines well with Shirakawa.

- Hiroshima
- Miyajima: I liked the torii in the water.
- Onomichi: if you are even only a little bit into cycling do the Shimanami Kaido. It�fs a great experience.
http://bicycletraveljapan.blogspot.nl/2017/11/part-10-day-48-49-riding...
I don�ft know about Onomichi itself.

- Kiso Valley: I found Magome and Tsumago more enjoyable than Takayama.
- Nagoya: would not be high on my list of priorities

- Kurashiki. Yes, liked it. Half a day would be sufficient for me. You can combine with Takahashi or Okayama
- Matsue
- Kinosaki Onsen
- Okayama: I liked Kurashiki and The castle in Takahashi as well as the cycling in Kibi plain. I was not so enthusiastic about the garden, but this may depend on the time of the year you visit.
http://bicycletraveljapan.blogspot.nl/2017/11/part-9-day-44-47-okayama...

- Kumano Kodo
- Karuizawa
- Noto Hanto : nice but you need a car. Depending on your visa you might need a Japanese driving license for that. Which if you are from certain countries you can obtain without any exam, but it took me about 6 h of waiting to get it.

I think you are missing out on your list on Tohoku (Yamadera, Hiraizumi, Tono, Ginzan onsen...), Hokkaido (specially advisable for summer), Kyushu (Dazaifu, Sakurajima, Nagasaki...), the Inland sea with so nice places as Teshima and Naoshima as well as onsen destinations all over Japan.

I assumed that you did not list places such as Kyoto and Nara because you either already visited or they are too obvious.

As previous poster said, I would add also Hikone and once I am adding, the inner parts of Nara prefecture

http://bicycletraveljapan.blogspot.nl/2017/11/day-42-roundtrip-through...
http://bicycletraveljapan.blogspot.nl/2017/11/day-38-tokyo-to-maibara-...

Enjoy your life in Japan!

Kanazawa

Absolutely yes, I've been 3 times to Japan and twice at Kanazawa, it's like a little Kyoto, specially the tea district, if you go during fall or spring you can go to a geisha show in teahouse Kaikaro (see below), one of Japan's most famous gardens KENROKUEN, a castle (is so so but not bad), Omicho market to eat fresh seafood and the samurai district which is small. If you do a good timing you can see in a full day starting early, I'd recommend overnight and do it in 1 day or 1 day half at most.

http://geishaevenings.jp/

- Shirakawago
- Takayama

Recommended, also doable in 1 day and half or even 1 day if you do a good timing. I'd recommend coming early to Takayama to see the Old town and the shrine. Then go to Shirakawago by bus and see the village (it takes 2 hours at most to visit the whole place) and overnight in one of those houses there. If you like old traditiona houses and stuff it's a must, Shirakawa-go is special because the houses are unique in Japan although some other villages in the area also have the same style of houses.

- Hiroshima
- Miyajima

Doable in 1 full day if you start early, it's a must. Better overnight there or start early.

- Onomichi
- Okayama

Never did tourism in Onomichi, I just went there to pick a bike for the Shimanami Kaido, all I can recall is there was the sea right close to the station. Okayama city, never been there, but I went to Kurashiki where there's like an old district with canals, was nice for a 2 hour walk but for me not a must if you don't have time.

- Kiso Valley
- Nagoya

Went to Kiso in 2013, it's very very rural place, many shops close early, the atmosphere was nice but just the 2 towns of Magome and Tsumago which are very small, once you have seen them if you are not into hiking I would not do that, otherwise you will enjoy it.

Nagoya from my point of view is boring, not much to do, besides a castle which is not original and the shopping districts of Sakae and Ozu I don't recall having anything memorable. There's a train museum which I still have to go some day. I think Nagoya's main highlight is food: hitsumabushi, misonikomi, misokatsu, tebasaki, anka spaggheti, etc

Matsue

On my list, going there in August, specially the castle and the sunset in Lake Shinji are maybe what I'm looking forward more.

Noto Hanto

Wanna do that, but transportation is bad so you better rent a car or a motorbike (when I went in 2013 to Kanazawa I met some young guys who went by bike and told me it was great by motorbike).

I think you are missing out on your list on Tohoku (Yamadera, Hiraizumi, Tono, Ginzan onsen...), Hokkaido (specially advisable for summer), Kyushu (Dazaifu, Sakurajima, Nagasaki...), the Inland sea with so nice places as Teshima and Naoshima as well as onsen destinations all over Japan.

Totally agree with LikeBike,

I went to Yamadera and Hiraizumi in 2016, if you like temples it's a must, different from what you might find in Nara or Kyoto or Kanazawa which are quite crowded, Hiraizumi is so calm for example and the atmosphere in the temples is so different.

Dazaifu is a nice daytrip from Fukuoka and on your way back you can go to nearby Yanagawa to go by boat to the canals and eat some eel "unagi" and soak into onsen.

I also recommend you to do the Shimanami Kaido takes around 1 day and half at medium pace, overnight in Ikuchijima island for example, I assure you that the scenery of the Seto Inland Sea from any of the islands is totally worth.

Finally Nagasaki it's a must, better do it in 2 days, I really loved the Glover Garden and specially the night view from Mount Inasa was astonishing.

I assumed this post was connected to OP's other post where they talked about being a student working on their thesis in Osaka so they're looking for places to travel from Osaka. They've been to Kyoto and Nara, but have not made clear their budget or how they might be traveling , since I am pretty sure if you're in Japan for 6 months you're not going to be able to get a rail pass or any of the other passes tourists frequently use. Their other post is entitled "Japan Trip"

Going back to the list:

Kanazawa:

Would love to go back to, the town is fun as is the garden. Hopefully we make it there in 2019 or 2020.

Shirakawa Go:

I went in the snow, it was OK. The snow is attractive and I even hate snow since I live somewhere where snow is common in the Winter. The town seemed mostly to be shopping, restaurants and exhibits. It's a pain to get to and I am not in a rush to go back I went to Onimachi and I forget the other town. Honestly, I mostly remember my morning sickness.

Takayama:

I liked Hida no Sato village more than Shirakawa Go. I liked the onsen in Hirayu more than the onsen in Takayama. I am not sure either makes it worthwhile to travel there as it is quite far.

Hiroshima: Easy to navigate city with an important message. If you're obviously foreign looking and school trips are there, you might be expected to answer simplistic questions about war. (Happened to me 2x)

Miyajima: I enjoyed climbing down Mt. Misen and my now 7 year old loved the tori and beach. We don't make it to the beach often so it was something she enjoyed. She liked the shopping arcade too.

Onomichi: On my list once I am sure my 7 year old can handle the distance.

Okayama: Fun bicycling in Kibi and I like the garden a lot. It's gorgeous in early may when the azalea are in bloom.

Kiso Valley:

Nagoya: Big city? If you like big cities it's a big city?

Kurashiki: haven't been and not all that interested

Matsue: I've not been but hope to go in the future, I'd also like to try Tottori to see the dunes.

Kinosaki: I've not been, my friends who live in Osaka went and liked it a lot.

Takamatsu: Great garden, we're going back on our upcoming trip.

Kumano Kodo: This is another goal of mine

Karuizawa: This is nowhere near Osaka, this is near Tokyo. You might as well say Nagano or Kamikochi orso many other places. Personally, it looks like a lot of shopping. I like to shop but for weird things and cheap clothes. I'd rather go to Bessho, Ueda, or Nagano. I really enjoyed walking around Kawanakajima.

Noto: Again, see above.

Since you like hiking I would think Kamikochi should be on the list.

- Kanazawa

Mainly known for it's garden. I did not think much of the town - but others think differently. 2 nights but is also a good base to make your way up to Noto Hanto. Hint - Noto Hanto is best done through car

- Shirakawago

Pretty place. Agree that it's either a half day or staying overnight in one of the Gassho huts can be nice.

- Takayama

Takayama is quite nice and is often included as a 'more traditional town' when people do the Tokyo - Osaka - Kyoto route. 2/3 nights is a good amount of time if you like this type of location.

- Hiroshima

Some people love Hiroshima - but it did not do much for me. My posts are below:

https://www.japan-guide.com/community/mfedley/report-1416

- Miyajima

Miyajima is nice but seems to be a full day trip for me. There are also plenty of short walks here worth doing...

https://www.japan-guide.com/community/mfedley/report-1418

- Onomichi

I have not done the bike ride to Shikoku, but have completed the temple walk. It's not bad and is worth a day, but can be easily travelled to from other locations nearby

https://www.japan-guide.com/community/mfedley/report-1415

- Okayama

Okayama has a smattering of good museums, along with a reasonable castle and a good garden. It's main strength is using the city as a base for different day trips

https://www.japan-guide.com/community/mfedley/report-1407
https://www.japan-guide.com/community/mfedley/report-1410
https://www.japan-guide.com/community/mfedley/report-1411
https://www.japan-guide.com/community/mfedley/report-1413
https://www.japan-guide.com/community/mfedley/report-2516

- Kiso Valley

It's a good night staying at the Fujioto. As others said, think of it as a nice easy hike with some pretty towns on either side

https://www.japan-guide.com/community/mfedley/report-1399

- Nagoya

The castle is nice, but it's just a big city. Others will know better.

- Kurashiki

A pretty waterway worth half a days explore

https://www.japan-guide.com/community/mfedley/report-1414


- Matsue

Not a bad town known mainly for it's castle. Hagi and Izumo Taishi nearby are better destinations

https://www.japan-guide.com/community/mfedley/report-1423
https://www.japan-guide.com/community/mfedley/report-1422
https://www.japan-guide.com/community/mfedley/report-1424

- Kinosaki Onsen

Pretty touristy town worth a night. Note that it may have plenty of onsen water - but it's basically the same quality as the stuff that comes out of a normal hot water tap...

https://www.japan-guide.com/community/mfedley/report-2241

- Takamatsu

I quite like Takamatsu, specifically the garden. It's worth 2 nights

https://www.japan-guide.com/community/mfedley/report-2484


- Kumano Kodo

It's beautiful but is difficult to get here. A couple of nights would make it worth it.

https://www.japan-guide.com/community/mfedley/report-2251
https://www.japan-guide.com/community/mfedley/report-2248
- Karuizawa

I've only ever passed through this town. It looks pretty enough and has some minor attractions (a temple in a volcanic landscape rings a bell). It's also an onsen town which gets plenty of snow from memory

- Noto Hanto

Noto Hanto is really pretty, but I would not bother coming here without a car. 3 nights should do the trick

https://www.japan-guide.com/community/mfedley/report-2236
https://www.japan-guide.com/community/mfedley/report-2237
https://www.japan-guide.com/community/mfedley/report-2238

I've also just realized how much of Japan I have travelled and not blogged about...

- Kanazawa: A really nice city with good historic districts, the iconic Kenrokuen Garden, and the fun 21st Century Art Museum. The sites are a bit spread out. There are buses that circle around the main tourist areas, though.
- Shirakawago: A nice town of unique preserved farmhouses. A bit out-of-the-way and expensive to reach. I also like Ainokura, a similar village that in my opinion has better-placed buildings.
- Takayama: Has a decent historic district with Hida beef.

- Hiroshima: The Peace Park and related sites are excellent. Don't plan a lot to do after visiting them, because you'll likely be feeling more contemplative. Delicious okonomiyaki.
- Miyajima: Itsukushima Shrine is very beautiful and iconic. If the tide is low, collecting shells is fun. Other sites and Mount Misen are also great.
- Onomichi: The temple walk is a fun pilgrimage that is easily doable in a half-day. The Shimanami Kaido is a fun challenge if you like biking.
- Okayama: One of my favorite cities in Japan. Korakuen Garden is beautiful and highly seasonal. There's something different to see in every season. Okayama Castle is nice and particularly picturesque from the outside. The Kibi Region has interesting lore and worthwhile shrines and other sites along it. The Ashimori area has a nice garden and small historic district. The museums in the city are also often good, although many have special exhibits that may change your interest level. If it's summer, the fruits (especially peaches) are amazing.

- Kiso Valley: Very well-preserved historic districts in nice settings and a good place to walk one of the old pilgrimage/travel routes if you want to get a feel for it.
- Nagoya: A city that is actually much better than people seem to be willing to admit. The Tokugawa Museum has an impressive collection, the Railway Museum is excellent, the aquarium is fun, and Atsuta Shrine has a lot of history. There are lots of other museums and decent local food options.

- Kurashiki: A very large and well-preserved historic district centered around a scenic and romantic canal. Lots of little museums that are fun to browse and the Ohara Museum is a world-class art museum.
- Matsue: A very nice castle town with an original castle and decent samurai district. There are also famous onsen and Yuushien Garden is quite a gem.
- Kinosaki Onsen: An onsen town best experienced as an overnight guest. Really nice onsen and good setting. Also, the crab is delicious if you are there in the right season.
- Takamatsu: Ritsurin Garden is gorgeous. Yashima is an interesting historic area.
- Kumano Kodo: Lots of nice hiking trails. The Kumano Shrines are great.
- Karuizawa: Never been here.
- Noto Hanto: Never been here.

Thoughts:

Shirakawago - Nice place to see the grass houses. You can do a day trip from Takayama or even join this tour http://tour.j-hoppers.com/shirakawago_tour.html

Takayama - Pretty town in the mountains. Morning markets are very nice and relaxing. At least 2 night here with the day trip to Shirakawago

Hiroshima - A-Dome and Peace park. Good Hiroshima Style food as well. At least 2 nights here with the day trip to Miyajima

Miyajima - Nice island with Shrines and Deer. Day trip from Hiroshima.

Kinosaki Onsen - I loved the onsens here. Pretty town. At least 1 night or 2 to try all the onsens.

Hope this helps!

My bad, should have specified more�c I�fll be studying in Osaka, so I�fll obviously visit places like Kyoto, Nara, Kobe and other day trips. The plane from where I live always lands first in Tokyo, so I can stop there and do day trips like Nikko and Hakone (since I�fve already been to Tokyo before) and some places in the way to Osaka.

I�fll be comfortable with money, but not so much as to travel by train too often (or to long distances), so I was considering highway buses (especially at night).

Everyone: thanks so much! All your information was really helpful!!! =D ^ ^

No one seems to like Nagoya v.v I must confess that what caught my attention was the legoland�c =S

Lazy Pious: Thanks, I�fll search for both ^ ^

LikeBike & Peter1986:
I�fll search the places in Tohoku you�fve recommended ^ ^
I did consider Naoshima for a while�c but it seems to be a lot about art and not much more�c
I considered Hokkaido, Kyushu and Okinawa, but would have to explore the transports way more to see not only if the costs are doable but also if it is worth it to go for only a weekend (since they are so far away). But if I decide to go, I�fll definitely take a look at the places you recommended!

rkold: My bad, I thought I deleted that post before the �greviewing before it�fs posted�h was done. Maybe it didn�ft work because I did it on my smartphone? This was supposed to replace that one, since I thought the other one was a little vague and made it seem like I did no research effort�c. Yeah, I can�ft use the japan rail pass, I think I�fll be using highway bused mostly (and when possible) v.v As for the budget, I have a 600€ scholarship and my dorm is only 120€ (rent). I also saved quite a good amount of money working part-time and my parents will send me some more monthly, so I won�ft only have the scholarship money. The food in the canteen is cheap and I have a small kitchen in my room. So most of the remaining money will be spent in trips, looooots of trips =D

The first post had more information on your interests.

Honestly, Itadine, I wouldn't count out places you need to fly to. I know my friends who live/lived in Osaka thought it was cheaper and easier to go to say Nagasaki than to Hiroshima. My JET friend who lived in Shirahama flew back from Tokyo because it was faster and easier than taking the train. Why pay 6000 yen to sit on a bus to Takayama for 6 hours when you can pay 6000-7000 yen to fly to Nagasaki? My friends who actually live in Japan have the ability to check out low cost carriers and to go where there is a good deal on short notice. You can get recommendations from all of us, but I would also wait to see and compare train/bus fares and discount plane fares. I know my friends in Osaka often flew to Tokyo because they could get 5000 yen fares which were cheaper than the train and faster and more comfortable than the bus. Okinawa might be a bit far for just a week end, but I would think Nagasaki would be as easy to do as Takayama if you're flying and far easier than Noto Hanto.

I think Nagoya is less interesting to a lot of people here because it's a big city and not all that different from Tokyo and Osaka unless you have specific interests to take you there like the Toyota tour. I imagine Nagoya will get more tourists when the new Ghibli Theme Park opens there. I also only visit Osaka to visit friends and shop and the same goes for Tokyo.

Hikone is an easy trip from Osaka. It's on the Special Rapid between Osaka and Maibara. Bessho is near Nagano and Ueda, so you would need to take a bus or train to get near Nagano to get there. It might be best to do during a longer break.

Good luck!

Kanazawa, Shirakawago, Takayama

I only planned a day for Kanazawa, but ended up leaving early because it didn't interest me much. The garden is really nice and the Prefectural History Museum was also really good. But the castle museum was, sorry to be blunt, a waste of money (looks great from outside though) and the historical districts I felt they didn't offer anythign that I hadn't seen elsewhere in Japan. Shirakawago was packed full of people and the bus tickets were expensive, but it was beautiful. I've been to maybe 5-10 open air museums in Japan though.

Hiroshima
One of my favourite cities in Japan! I was there for four days and then did a few daytrips nearby for the rest of the week. Kagura shows, the castle museum is great, Mitakidera, the temple walk and Peace Pagoda and an entire day to visit the numerous Peace museums and memorials. It's a very green city with loads of bikes, I considered moving to Hiroshima when I was there.

Miyajima
Nice enough, but very touristy. I was there on a slow day so there weren't many crowds, but it still seems like everything requires an entry fee and the stores all sell the same souvenirs. The deer aren't well treated. Do try momiji manju while there though, and the Folklore Museum is one of the best museums in Japan, in my opinion.

Onomichi
I feel like I'm being very negative, but it seems like you've chosen cities that didn't really call to me... Onomichi was fine, I only did the temple walk. I was there mid-summer on a Monday, so most temples were closed and it was too hot to enjoy them properly. There were a few nice ones though and I hear the Shimanami Kaido is worth doing. I have a trip report written about Onomichi, click on my profile.

Okayama
Amazing city, garden was great, lots of Momotaro goods, statues and manhole covers.

Kiso Valley
Nice, but can be touristy. I started early in Magome and nobody was there, we did the hike and only saw a couple people, but we arrived to Tsumago and there were many people. Narai-juku I felt was less famous and has some nice restaurants.

Nagoya
I was very excited for Nagoya but... I left disappointed. The castle is very big but has very few displays, and I didn't think the rest of the sites were worth going out to see them especially. Nearby Toyota, Okazaki, Inuyama, etc. were all amazing places though.

Kurashiki
Was great. Nice canal, the boatride was really fun and the houses were really interesting. I also wrote a trip report!

Matsue
Shimane is one of my favourite prefectures, definitely worth the detour. Izumo, Matsue, the Silver Mines, etc. are very nice.

Haven't been to the others yet, sorry. My favourite places in Japan (besides Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane) are Mt.Shosha, Yamagata, Hiraizumi, Mt.Nokogiri, Takasaki and Kagoshima, among others.

rkold, the thing is... the japan bus pass is 15000 yen for 5 trips... which makes 3000 yen for each trip... from the prices I saw on japan-guide for airplanes (not even gonna talk about trains) the prices were always higher, even the low cost ones. Even if in one trip a difference of 3000 yen to 6000 yen may seem small, when you add up lots of trips it makes a lot of difference... But I'll properly check the plane prices and see if it is worth it!
Also, for some reason, when I think of going to Hokkaido or Kyushu, I always think it will take way more time than a weekend and that it would take a longer trip through the island... so I was leaving it for bigger hollydays that I may have or for when I have to go back home (if they let me take the plane a week later or something).

Yeah but it still seems weird to me that a 6+ hour trip to say Takayama at 3000 yen a pop seems reasonable to you, while a 6000 yen 3.5 hour trip including transfer to the airport to Nagasaki seems long. I do understand the price difference, but if you only have a week end, travel times count as well, and depending on location flying can be faster. I have seen discount fares of 2500-3000 yen between Tokyo and Osaka.

Actually, Takayama is not included with the bus pass according to the routes I am seeing on the Willer site:

http://willerexpress.com/st/3/en/pc/bus/route/buspass.php?ft=sc&area=0...

You can get to Toyama, but it's going to cost you more than 3000 yen to probably reach Takayama from there. Karuizawa and Noto Hanto will take even longer and cost even more to reach.

So if your goal is to specifically use this pass to reach places, I would be asking about the destinations you can use this pass for:

Tokyo

Nagoya

Hamamatsu/Shizuoka/Numazu/Mishima

Niigata/Nagaoka/Naoetsu/Toyama

Hiroshima

Hakata/Kokura

Matsuyama/Imbari

Tokyo has a lot more options, but you will be spending a lot of time traveling and very little at your destination if you want to transfer through Tokyo.

I've heard Matsuyama is wonderful and I liked Fukuoka. It's a city, but it's small and compact and quite friendly. The waterfront park looks really lovely. I think there are some cheaper local trains you can take to some interesting places.

It looks like you would be eligible for the SunQ Pass on Kyushu because I am not seeing anything that wouldn't allow you to use one.

Good luck!

If you're studying and taking trips on a budget, be aware of the Seishun 18 ticket seasons.

On Nagoya: In my above post I said it was better than people tend to claim. I think its location is actually its biggest downfall and why most people rate it somewhat low. When it comes to cities, most people will enter Japan through Tokyo or Kansai (Osaka). Tokyo has its own draw as the world's largest city. Osaka is near Kyoto, the number 2 destination in Japan. It's so close to Kyoto that it's not a big deal to visit Osaka so you can enjoy it with low expectations without making it a special trip.

For Nagoya, though, most people actually have to take a trip to visit from Kansai or Tokyo, so it's a bit costly to visit and it's urban draw isn't so different from the other cities. When people leave the cities, I think they tend to seek the more cultural areas than other urban centers.

I think Nagoya's aquarium is actually better than Osaka's (it has more interesting and less common animals), the MAGLEV Railway Museum is top-knotch, the Tokugawa Museum has an excellent collection, and Atsuta Shrine is a very important shrine with a long history. The castle is nice with a recently restored palace. There are a few gardens and a variety of museums, as well.

To be honest, if Nagoya and Osaka switched locations, I would predict Nagoya to be very well-liked and Osaka to be much less popular (maybe even less well-liked than Nagoya in its location).