3 weeks Japan - Hokkaido or not?

Hello everyone.

My wife and me are considering taking a trip to Japan next year in may.
For me it would the second time in Japan (2013 was my first trip), for my wife it would be the first time. When it comes to travel we are quite opposites to one another, so it's always a bit of a balancing act (I like cities, she likes nature for example ^^), so I need to take this into account when planning the trip.

I was thinking on the following as a solid base for the trip
4 days of Tokyo.
(I can spend more, but 4 are enough to get a good first impression of the city for her if I recall correctly)

1 or 2 days in Hakone.
(Is Hakone only Onsens/View of Mount Fuji? Or is it also good for hiking etcetera? I'm not sure how long to spend here)

2 days Hiroshima
(1 day for Hiroshima itself, 1 for Miyajima)

2 days Kyoto
(most people will say to take more time here, I wasn't really a fan of Kyoto, I already saw sooo many temples before arriving here it really didn't do it for me).

2 days Osaka.
(Didn't visit Osaka last time round, I assume 2 days are plenty?)

This would be 14 days, which would give us between 7 and 9 additional days more to plan.

Now I was wondering: to include some more nature in the trip I was considering going to Hokkaido for 4 or so days. Taking the Shinkansen it would "only" be around 4 hours to Sapporo from Tokyo so getting to Hokkaido isn't really an issue, but it seems you would need to go a lot further north for the national parks, and I'm not sure about accessibility with the train? Or are there other parts of Japan I should be heading to have more nature in the trip and perhaps get back to Hokkaido on a later trip when the misses has fallen in love with Japan? :)

Thanks for any advice!

Taking the Shinkansen it would "only" be around 4 hours to Sapporo from Tokyo
lol - nope. Four and a bit hours to Hokkaido (Hakodate) and then almost another four hours on the express. 8+ hours.

Hi Martin

A couple of random thoughts:

*you could consider going to Kanazawa, which has a beautiful huge garden, some old parts of town, and a modern art museum. From there, you could choose either the Noto Peninsula for some ocean/beach style nature or go back towards Matsumoto via Nagano to see some mountains and nature.

*It seems like a shame to put Kyoto on the 'should' list, particularly if you weren't wowed the first time and your partner prefers nature. It's a holiday, let go of 'should'!

*Kyushuu is wild and lovely.

*Sapporo takes closer to 8 hours on the train from Tokyo, as you shinkansen to Hakodate and go on the slower train after that. That said, it is a very different side of Japan. We've only been as far north as Asahikawa, but really enjoyed the experience. Saw way more volcanoes than I ever thought I would, and the mountain scenery is something. Hakodate and Sapporo are small cities, but pleasant and we had a lot of very good food.

Ultimately it will depend how much time you want to spend travelling-it's good to sit with a map and really understand how far apart things are and how long it takes to get to places. Japan is a bigger country than I ever understood and while the trains etc are amazing (and often quite the tourist experience on their own) distances take time to cover.

Whatever you decide, enjoy your trip!

7 and 9 additional days more to plan.
Fly from either Tokyo or Osaka to Sapporo with budget airlines. Hire a car, and enjoy Hokkaido!

Going to Hokkaido is a possibility, but I would fly, eg from Hiroshima. Hokkaido itself I�fd large, so choose the airport to arrive wisely. It also depends what kind of nature experience you want to do. Hiking? Cycling? Just walking a bit?

But you seem to neglect that there are a lot of nature spots between Hiroshima and Tokyo already. Just to list a few:
- cycling Shimanami Kaido
- hiking Kii
- cultural sightseeing on Teshima, Inujima...
- Japanese Alps
- hiking in Shikoku
- cycling on Shimantogawa
- just being in the countryside in inner Nara Prefecture
- Magome and Tsumago
- Koyasan
- many places in Tohoku (Nyuto onsen, Yamadera...)

This list could go on endlessly.

Maybe ask your wife to plan these 7 days. If she wants Hokkaido if you have a week it�fs perfectly fine. But consider flying and renting a car.

Enjoy your trip to Japan!

Just as an additional "up vote" for Hokkaido, I actually have enjoyed my trips there the past few times - it is an interesting part of the country (most places are), but it does take time and effort to get there and then get around.

Just on Kanazawa, I do find the city pretty compact in terms of sightseeing given I don't go there for some of the features that I get elsewhere in the country, but I do like the countryside around Kaga-Onsen that I have been to a few times in the last year. It certainly gets away from a town/city landscape int something much more rural.

Thanks for the feedback guys.
I'm still puzzeling a bit on the itinerary but I'm happy with the feedback and will take it into account!

Hokkaido is in the far north. Two months colder. May is a good season for Tokyo and the west. That means Hokkaido is in the best now. I may consider staying in the south in May. The list by LikeBike would be valuable. I think of Kyushu. Even Kagoshima is close by Shinkansen. Yakushima is in season in May. Okinawa is in a rainy season.

The snow prevents hiking in Hokkaido mountains. There are many hiking courses around Lake Toya. But still in a brownish landscape in May. It takes time the greenery comes to the land of Hokkaido.