13 Day Trip in Kansai

Hi everyone,

I need some advice on the best places to visit during my 13 day trip to Kansai, here's a little bit of background on me and brother and the situation (who is also travelling with me)

- We will be going in July on the 11th and staying for 13 days in Osaka, Kyoto and Nara.

- I have been to Japan before twice, my brother only once and we stayed in Kansai and the second time I visited Tokyo on my own, however, it was only for a short time (4 to 5 days). This is why we want to know more and take out time with this trip and not rush this year. However, we have a good idea of culture, what to expect, how to use trains (I can read, write and speak Japanese but not fluently).

- We are Muslim and have already made a Google Map list of all of the best halal places, however, my brother also want's to try more sushi places around Kyoto and Osaka.

- I am a gap year masters student from the UK studying Japanese media, history and politics so half of this trip will be focused more on research collected for my dissertation etc. I would like to visit mainly museums which information that can be used for this purpose.

- My brother, on the other hand, wants more of a city / modern experience and not really into the traditional sides (although he doesn't mind visiting shrines, temples etc.) - this is where out travel plans contradict since I prefer tradition to modern.

- Our main hotel is in Kyoto, however, my brother keeps wanting to book in Osaka, again it is becoming a bit of a pain to plan this trip now lol.

I would just like small recommendations for the best places and advice for the 13 days (scenery, food etc.) to visit so that it can be something for him to remember as well, even if they are just small website links.

Thank you for comments in advance!

- Aisha

Hi Aisha,

Excuse me for my assumption, but is it for cultural reasons that you "must" travel with your brother being a female? I would have otherwise advised you to ditch him and travel on your own like you did on your trip alone to Tokyo. Lol!

So I understand from your post that you will solely focus on Kansai during this 2 week trip, and you will commute from Kyoto to other cities in Kansai including Osaka?

I think there would be no harm if you book 2- 3 days in Osaka before you head home to please your brother. Besides, he can commute to Osaka easily from Kyoto if he wishes to spend more days there while you explore the cultural and historical sites that you so desire.

I also understood that you're not planning a visit to Tokyo for a few days to check its historical museums and political institutions if possible and applicable?

Anyway, if you're in Kansai and after a nice day trip for you and your brother try visiting Amanonhashidate and Hikone. If your google map includes halal restaurants in Kobe, you may wish to go there for a day and try their world famous beef.

Kibune, a small town not far from Kyoto, is a great place to visit in Summer. It's a pretty town with interesting restaurants on the river bank, I saw a video on youtube of one serving cold noodles coming of bamboo tubes. It also has a shrine and a hiking trail.

good luck with your planning, and enjoy your trip.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3967.html

My brother, on the other hand, wants more of a city / modern experience and not really into the traditional sides

Not sure what �gmodern experience �g includes , as I am more like you. But if it includes modern architecture and art you might include a side trip to Naoshima, Teshima and/or Inujima. 3 small islands in the Seto Inland Sea that are full of modern art and architecture and are very nice by themselves as well. It�fs not strictly speaking Kansai but close enough.
An other modern experience might be Hiroshima and much closer to your place the famous church of the light inOsaka. Prebooking needed.
There is also a modern art museum somewhere close to Lake Biwa (this webpage will tell you more). I haven�ft been but it sounded very interesting but also hard to reach.

If �g modern experience �g include theme parks there is one in Osaka including British Harry Potter:-)

I�fd agree with PP to split you accommodation maybe between Kyoto, Inner Nara Prefecture (eg Yamatoyagi) and Osaka. So you can explore more and can take advantage of cheaper rooms in Osaka/Yamatoyagi as compared to Kyoto. But this obviously depends on your exact plan.

Enjoy your trip to Kansai

Hello Cana!

Thank you so much for the reply! I love how you wrote "I would have otherwise advised you to ditch him and travel on your own like you did on your trip alone to Tokyo. Lol!" since this is EXACTLY what I plan on doing this time! Also luckily for me, there is no restriction for me to travel alone! I had done so in Tokyo last December and my parents were perfectly ok with this as they aren't strict like other Muslim families and a lot more open to ideas as well.

Yes, I will be travelling to Osaka from Kyoto for about 6 days and then the following days will be in Nara. I let my brother see your reply and he even said that he would be doing his own travelling to Osaka while I gather my research in Kyoto and also Tokyo as you mentioned, so yes, we will be going our separate ways (I will be buying a Japan Rail Pass, Thank God!). I'm glad that you said commute from Kyoto to Osaka is easy since he doesn't understand a word of Japanese and not having me there to translate might be a big worry for him lol!

Amanonhashidate and Hikone sound perfect! I had actually never thought of those areas and to be honest I was wondering what I would do in Kyoto for 6 days with no idea where to go! I will be adding these to my plan thank you very much! Also, I had no idea that Kobe had any Halal restaurants?!?! In fact, I thought there were only Halal in Tokyo and Osaka after doing little research, thank you so much for this! I will be linking my Google Maps list to show you what I have saved so far after doing more research below:

I love Japanese shrines and hiking so I will for SURE be visiting Kibune to pay my respects, my brother also loves sports and walking a lot so he is excited to visit this place as well.

Thank you very much for your advice and links, I will update you on what our plan will look like in 2 weeks (after Ramadan, when I'm not tired from fasting :D)

Hello LikeBike!

Yes, I too was very confused when my brother mentioned "modern experience" lol since he doesn't really know that much about Japan other than his first experience last year (this was short).

I see that you have mentioned side trips, this would be perfect as my brother loves travelling to Islands that are different and we will now add this to the plan. Also, we also visited Hiroshima last time, however, did not know of the "the famous church of the light"? I would most definitely love to visit this place. Will this be ok us as Muslims to visit? I will be asking in advance so that I do disrespect any religious services that may be going on.

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2253.html - My brother also mentioned the hidden Christian sites in Nagasaki he would like to visit, would this be ideal as well? or would it be too far? either way, we will be adding all of what you said to my plan! Also, theme parks are definitely for my brother and not myself, we both agreed he will be going by himself to these and I will be spending time on my own in Kyoto lol.

I will take on your advice and split the plan between the prefectures while also taking advantage of hotel prices (something I did not think of before).

Thanks again for the posts, they have truly helped me to shape around our plan more to fit both of our needs!

For CANA:

I have linked my Google Map Food list below, I found so much more Halal Places I had not known of lol, thanks again! -

https://goo.gl/maps/mwWv6L93zUu

The church of the light is in Osaka. Sorry my post wasn�ft very well written. In Hiroshima I was thinking of the peace park area as a �gmodern �g experience.

I don�ft think that visiting the church not being catholic(not really sure if the church is catholic or some Protestant denomination) is a problem. Most Japanese visitors won�ft be Christian either.

Nagasaki is doable but far away. I have to admit that I did not visit any of these churches, but looking at pictures of them and as a European I wasn�ft very impressed. My take on it is that unless you are interested in this part of Japanese history ( or are in the region anyway) I would stick with temples and shrines in Japan as they are unique to Japan.

You say you love hiking. Getting back to Kansai, did you consider Koyasan or Kii mountains? Both in remote parts of Japan.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Sites_and_Pilgrimage_Routes_in_...

Hi LikeBike thank you so much for the quick reply!!!!

Yes wow, I only just realised on Google Maps that Nagasaki was far when you just mentioned that I thought it was next to Hiroshima (not sure why lol) so I don't think we will be doing that trip. We will be visiting the Chruch of Light in Osaka in Osaka which will be a lot more near thank you for clarifying that for me.

Yes, my brother and I would like to stick to actual Japanese temples and shrines, this for research and for an experience that we don't have in the UK. Thank you so much for this link : https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Sites_and_Pilgrimage_Routes_in_...

I have also linked this for you to check :

https://goo.gl/maps/NPAUGL7WTxp - It is the list I made on Google for Key Places that I have yet to update, please let me know of what you think, I will be adding your suggestions once I get time after Ramadan.

"You say you love hiking. Getting back to Kansai, did you consider Koyasan or Kii mountains? Both in remote parts of Japan" - very funny that you mentioned this part since Koyasan is ALWAYS where I had wanted to go but I just had NO IDEA to how to get there from Kyoto and Osaka lol (and scared I would get lost!). My brother (100 percent sports person) and I would love to hike these remote parts and it would be an amazing experience to document! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niukansh%C5%8Dfu_Shrine this shrine that you linked is in Koyasan so I will check and see ways to get there.

Here is also the link to my brother's hotel in Osaka: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Hotel+Lore+Shinsaibashi/@34.674832... - he said that he wants an easier way of travelling to Dotonbori where he just eat.

This is mines in Kyoto, I got a cheap guest house since I am not too fussed about price or quality as long as I can sleep and pray by myself lol:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Guesthouse+Kabuki/@34.9934902,135....

Finally, we will be meeting each other on the 18th at Nara and staying together here:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Nara+Visitor+Center+%26+Inn/@34.68...

Let me know if you have any other better hotel suggestions or any other advice to give, I am very happy for you suggesting splitting up accommodation between the prefectures since this is what I and brother get arguing about, now it's becoming a little easier to plan!

Thanks!

Hi!

It's pretty easy to get to Koya-san from Osaka. You just take the Nankai line from Namba Station until it pretty much ends and then transfer to the ropeway up to Koya-san. You can read about it on this website: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4904.html

If you're looking for a more historical sight in Osaka, I would highly recommend the Osaka City History Museum.

Good luck!

Hi Aisha,

I'm glad my post of that much help to you, I just hope that I didn't offend your brother by my comment but it is the logical thing to suggest given your different interests.

you have certainly compiled a great list of halal restaurants. well done!

In regards the Church of Lights, as mentioned earlier there is no restriction for any ethnic or religious backgrounds but you need to reserve your visit before hand. Here is their website link

http://ibaraki-kasugaoka-church.jp/e-forvisitors.html

Personally I didn't visit it, I wasn't keen besides my time in Osaka was short.
Saying that, I felt that Osaka is overrated, even Dotonborri wasn't up to my expectations but different people like different things. Universal Studios was awesome though. I think your brother would greatly enjoy it but long queues is the expected norm especially during school holidays (which I think what July would be). And tell him not to worry about using trains and train stations, the signs are also written in English. I don't know much Japanese and had no issues navigating my way through. the once or twice I got confused and lost, the station attendants near the gates were very helpful.

Like you, I just loved Kyoto! I wish I had more days there, but couldn't be off work for long.

I also found the Hyperdia app very useful. I used it to plan my travel between and within the cities using trains, trams and Shinkansens. You can use it free for a month. (so I downloaded a week before travelling to Japan and used it to finalise my routes and train times; of course I used it more while in Japan to refine and change things as the days unfolded).

Have a blessed Ramadan (or whatever is left of it) and a happy Eid afterwards. Good luck with your trip planning and hopefully both you and your brother will enjoy your visit to Japan.

Hi rkold!

Thank you so much for those directions to Koyasan! Also yes I would love to visit a lot more Museums in Osaka this time since we missed the chance to do so last year. The Osaka City History Museum sounds perfect I just Googled it and will be adding it to my list.

Thank you so much again for your contribution to the thread!

- Aisha

Hi again Cana!!

This is why I am glad you replied first because it made it easier for me to make changes quickly now rather than later. There were a lot of big arguments I and my brother had since we have A LOT of difference regarding what we like. Also, I forgot to mention he is younger than me (I am 21 and he is 18) and it's always the younger ones that get a bit bored with tradition, there is also no need to worry about your comment since he actually agreed and understood what you meant so I want to thank you again for that!

"I felt that Osaka is overrated, even Dotonborri wasn't up to my expectations but different people like different things. Universal Studios was awesome though." - I think we may be secret twins lol since we both love Kyoto and I also thought that Dontonbori and Osaka were a bit too over "hyped" once I visited (let's say I found it...meh). I'm glad to get a second thought on this since it clears up my doubts and I can focus on looking for more things in Kyoto and research at the same time!

I have also just checked the http://www.hyperdia.com/en/ website and app and I never knew it existed until now, this is why forums are useful for me to take into account! I would prefer to use this than Google as sometimes Google Maps lags for me and takes up wayyy too much data.

Also if you have any other places or advice you want to send me you can message me on https://www.instagram.com/iyeeshakim/ or my blog https://iyeeshaakim.tumblr.com/ - I would happy to take up other suggestions and advice from experienced people like you (you don't need to or just whenever you have time!!!)

I'm glad I came to this forum since I was able to find out from you about more Halal places which are, of course, important for us Muslims to remember. Thank you for taking my religious preferences into consideration honestly I really appreciate the respect of the replies in this thread and thank you so much for the Ramadan and Eid wishes! (this year was quite touch due to the summer weather lol) I wish you all the best and safer travels to Japan as well! (also sorry if you I took time out of your work to disturb you with this question lol)

Thanks a bunch!!! :)

Hi again Aisha,

You're very welcome my dear. I guess we could "soul twins" lol!
I exactly thought that Osaka was a "meh" especially after visiting Tokyo.LOL!
Surely Osaka is a foodie destination for those who like street foods, but I prefer to experience traditional things.

And don't apologise, you're not taking me from work, it's probably the time difference between where we live is responsible for my delay in replying. I live in Australia and that's 9 hours difference from the UK.

Certainly if I find more interesting things and/or tips I will let you know either via your blog or instagram .

Good luck with everything!