Replanning Cancelled Trips

Hi All,

Last year like many I had a trip to Japan which was cancelled due to covid. I'm slowly putting together two trips which I'll be able to travel to depending on the covid situation and my work commitments (I'm a teacher so can only travel at specific times).

I've travelled around Japan more than most but am looking for suggestions for extensions for my second trip as I've visited what I thought was the main locations in Japan (see my profile - which does not cover all locations visited!)

First trip (September 18 - October 2nd)

4/5 night loop of central Miyagi/Iwate and areas affected by Tsunami via hire car
2 night drive around Sano (Tochigi) visiting small towns
2 nights around Utsunomiya (1 day driving to Tobu Wonderland + Edo Wonderland around Nikko, 1 day around Oya and Utsunomiya)
2 nights Chichibu

I'm expecting the times to bleed into the extra 3/4 nights I have

Second Trip (later December - mid Jan around 3 weeks)

5'ish nights in Tokyo
3/4 nights in Nagoya
1/2 nights in Gujo-Hachiman and Mino (via train and no car due to snow)
4'ish nights in Kyoto
1 night Enoshima (used to live close to here but never visited even though visited Kamakura around 10 times!)

I am looking for new stuff to do in the following prefectures

Chiba Prefecture (have visited Narita, Sawara and Nokogiriyama)
Ibaraki (visited Mito and Fukuroda falls)
Yamanashi (visited Fuji Five Lakes and Kofu)
Potential Stuff in Mie (visited Ise and Matsusaka along with main Kumono Taisha sites)
Major Art Instillations around Seto Sea (already been to Naoshima, Teshima and Inujima)

To put it simply, I'm looking at putting together two trips in which the year visited can be changed depending on Covid and other things. I'm also looking for places which I have not visited in detail which is not that easy to find.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

mfedley - I really don't have any ideas for you but I am glad you are planning more trips to Japan. The last I remember reading you were saying it was your last trip....I can't seem to find the link to trip reports anymore.

I did visit Gujo Hachiman but it was in the spring time not the winter. I had found a walking tour in English on their or someone's website so I did that the full day I spent there - it was quite extensive.

Good luck!

Hi!

Have you been to Akame 48 Falls, I don't remember seeing it on your list. I thought Nabari looked like it might have some interesting older buildings to see but my kid was cranky and we were both pretty soaked post ninja training.

I saw Hojuyama Daikannon Temple from the Kintetsu line and it looked like an interesting place to visit. The Gozaisho area also looked interesting to me, but again we didn't make it.

If I were going to Gujo Hachiman, I would probably also want to visit the Sugihara Chiune Memorial Hall. I also went to Terezin though when I was in the Czech Republic so....

I visited Gujo-Hachiman as a daytrip from Nagoya, taking the bus to and from there directly. It was well-priced and easy (apart from the fact that it was festival day, which meant the bus stop got moved - fortunately I worked this out about an hour before the bus left and got help from the tourist information office!). Consider a bus instead of the train.

Yamanashi:
* Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba
* Aokigahara
* Itchiku Kubota Art Museum
* Shosenkyo
* Kanazakura Shrine
* (and of course a lot of onsen)

Ibaraki:
* Fukuroda Falls
* Hitachi Seaside Park
* Satoumitei Kinparo residence
* Kairakuen (almost Ibaraki :-)

Chiba:
* Mount Nokogiri
* Katsuura Morning Market
* Naritasan Shinshoji Temple

ps: i agree to the above poster, that the bus to gujo is more convenient and faster from nagoya, since it almost never stops, but you should defiantly take the train on your way back. the reason is, that the train is very picturesque and cute, but which is more important: it will stop in Umeyama , where you can see marvelous old houses related to washi paper. this part of mino is one of my most favourite spots of japan, and barely known by most tourists. it impressed me way more than gujo hachiman.
i dont know how it will be in winter though...

my recommendations for the Nagoya area i posted already many times, but if you need them again or dont find them, write me.

Thanks for the info everyone. Responses are below.....

@ Maranyc & /

Thanks for the suggestion of catching the bus to Gujo-Hachiman.

@ rkold

I'll look at what else there is to do around Nabari and the like. The Miho Museum located a couple of hours away is also of interest.

@ Glimpigumpi

Thankfully I've still got your info on Nagoya. I also had an original planned stop at Minoshi & Umeyama. The washi lantern museums looks right up my alley. It also looks as though there is not too much in Ibaraki and Chiba that I have not done - but I guess this will take time and more research

Hi!

I've not been but there was an interesting looking sweet potato museum in Ibaraki-ken that looked fun, but I really like sweet potatoes and I like small more unusual museums. I remember seeing a few other things in Ibaraki-ken.

For Chiba, there is a huge hydrangea park I would like to go to, but I don't know if you are particularly into flowers and of course the hydrangeas are a Summer thing.

I thought you had already made it to the Miho Museum, or I would have included that. Next time I am in Kansai, I am going to drag my child to Sekigahara Battlefield for a history lesson. I'd like to climb Mt. Ibuki since it looks relatively easy. Koka also has a ninja museum and ninja park, or did pre-Pandemic.

I don't remember all of the places you went, but these are some that are not on japan-guide

Chiba Prefecture:
-In Tateyama: Daifukuji's Gake no Kannon is a scenic temple built into a cliff, a castle, and a large reclining Buddha (I think said to be the largest)
-Yoro Valley is considered to be an easy scenic place to walk and see nature

Ibaraki:
- Oarai's famous torii in the ocean (Isosaki Shrine) is a bit iconic. There is also a well-known aquarium nearby.
-Tskukuba has famous science and space museums, as well as Tsukuba-san, a popular hiking place
-Ushiku Daibutsu
-Kashima Jingu is a famous "power spot" shrine

Mie:
-Akagi Castle ruins and Maruyama rice terraces are popular
-Seki-juku is one of the Tokaido's nicest post towns
- Kitabatake Garden

I think the other art islands are listed on japan-guide, but Shodoshima, Megijima, and Ogijima are the main art islands that you did not list.
If you are just interested in other islands, Kitagi Island is known for its quarry (used to get granite for famous places like Osaka Castle). It requires a reservation to tour:
https://setouchifinder.com/en/detail/515
Manabe Island is known for its small historic area and as a "cat island", Shiraishi Island is popular for its nature and international villa,

If you like art, while you are in Iwate, try to visit the Miyazawa Kenji Dowa-mura Museum. It's a walkthrough art experience.

In Yamanashi, I really enjoyed Minobusan. Nice temple and walking/hiking opportunities, ropeway, good mountain views. You can see the top part of Mt. Fuji; it's impressive in the winter. (I went in during the last week in December and there wasn't any snow on the ground when I went, so good walking conditions but the mountains were all snow-capped.)

Have you ever taken the Iida line? I really enjoyed a relaxing three-day trip with overnight stays in Komagane (Futari Shizuka is a lovely ryokan with great food) and Iida-shi (Hotel Yayoi is the most charming business hotel I've ever stayed in, with great (homestyle) food, baths, and decor). Komagatake Ropeway, Tenryuko... This area is actually Nagano Prefecture and not Yamanashi, but easily accessible by train as long as you aren't in a big hurry.

Neither of these excursions would be particularly easy for foreign tourists without a lot of Japan experience, but you shouldn't have any trouble. Hotel Yayoi might possibly be hard to book in English. (I booked through Rakuten's Japanese site, or you can phone the hotel directly.) Such a wonderful place. I was there in June and the Komagatake Ropeway views were lovely but the Senjojiki Cirque was still too snowy to hike. The futari shizuka were in peak bloom at the ryokan and I fell in love with this precious flower (namesake of the ryokan).