2 weeks in Japan over Christmas / New Year

Need some help with an itinerary. Ive been to Japan many times but the couple i am with have never been, so its a balance for it to be something new for me and interesting for them.
I was thinking the following:

Tokyo
Tokyo
Kanazawa
Kanazawa (Shirakawa Day Trip? worth it?)
Kanazawa Region (Takayama?)
Kanazawa Region (Takayama?)
Tokyo
Tokyo (NYE)
Tokyo
Somewhere not far (but off the beaten path) - was thinking maybe Kobe / Wakayama or somewhere near Kyoto with hot springs? need help here
Somewhere not far (but off the beaten path) - need help here
Friends have to be in Kyoto Day 1
Friends have to be in Kyoto Day 2
Tokyo
Tokyo Departure

Guys any assistance is much appreciated!!

4 days in Kanazawa and 1 in Kyoto? Those other first timers won't be happy.

Kanazawa is a nice city,capital of ishikawa prefecture.you can buy
hokutetsu bus 1 day free pass=600 yen
Hokuriku railway 1 day =3000 yen and 2 day =4000 yen
Kaga- canbus 1 day =1100 yen, 2Day=1300yen
Komatsu bus 1 day=1000 yen
Noto railway 1 day=1000 yen

I've been to Takayama and Kanazawa over Christmas and new year, though this was back when the Emperor's birthday was in that period, didnt that change?

Anyway, look Takayama was lovely as always though the squirrel park is closed (dammit, I missed those beautiful guys) and of course the beef was very welcome, Shirakawa-go (26 December) was beautiful but very icy and slushy, people were falling over all over the place and it is a bit of a PITA taking your boots off to get into the historic houses. Also my wife tells me she was nearly killed by ice falling off a roof, actually I cant remember that happening which doesnt say much for me, I hope she doesnt read this. Anyway, as beautiful as it was, I'd actually like to go back in spring, it was all a bit grimy for me, and minus 17 celsius was mighty cold.

We went on to Kanazawa which was snowy, rainy, hailing, with lightning all at the same time. Very slushy, if you go, take gum boots. Kenrokuen was fantastic, but the closer we got to new years the more places were closed, it got hard to find somewhere decent to eat that wasnt packed.

So really, I dont know that it is such a fantastic time to visit Kanazawa. Thought about a few days in Nara? I never get tired of that.

Is there an error in your list? Do you mean Kyoto the second time you wrote Tokyo?

They will be in Kyoto regardless for 2 days near the end so thats for sure.
we are open to other suggestions as well :) region wise. Hokkaido is definitely on the want list, but feels like it might be too rushed.

Sorry I still don�ft understand this itinerary:
Tokyo - Kanazawa - Tokyo??? - Kobe/Wakayama - Kyoto -Tokyo

Why would you return from Kanazawa to Tokyo? Only explanation I can see is that PP expects some great NY celebration in Tokyo. But that�fs not the case. I would agree that either a city (Eg Kyoto) or a ryokan WITH ALL FOOD OPTIONS is the way to go for NY (and the days around NY) as many things just close. Including restaurants and shops.

@Lazy Pious, yes the Emperor's Birthday is now celebrated February 23rd for Naruhito, it started in February 2020 as I was there at the time.

Hi! Original Poster,

I just thought I would ask, do you Christmas and New Years this year as in like under 2 months away or do you mean for next year? I'm asking because New Years Eve (December 31) already has quite limited hotel availability as does January 1st and you might be limited with where you want to be by that.

If you're willing to fly Hokkaido, is an option, it just depends on what you think the people you are traveling with would like to see in Japan and what you want to do there. Since it's December, I'm going to say most hiking is going to be out. If you're looking to ski, then it might be a great time to go.

There is nothing wrong with Kobe, but as someone in the US who has lived in cities with Chinatowns and you know, is already foreign, Kobe is not quite as interesting to me. I am planning to go to Kobe this year around Christmas because it has a shop I want to visit. I also wouldn't say it's really off the beaten bath. If you mean specifically Arima onsen, just make sure to check availability if you are going soon.

Wakayama can be very cold in December. I've been there for Christmas visiting friends many years ago. If you are thinking of hiking the Kumano Kudo, there can be snow. I was just using the local train between Kainan and Tanabe and there was a dusting of snow. A lot of the onsen places outside of Shirahama are a ways from the train, so will be a further trip from Kyoto than you would think.

By the time you are traveling 2 hours from Kyoto for an onsen, you could just look at Kinosaki. Though if you do decide to Takayama or Hokkaido, they would be better for an onsen experience, since Hokkaido has a lot of onsen and the mountains right outside of Takayama have a lot of onsen (or just stay in the Associa and have a western hotel with insane amounts of onsen.

There are also some more theme parky type onsen options. From Spa World in Osaka to Tenzan no Yu in Arashiyama (Kyoto) https://www.ndg.jp/tenzan/en/ It's really about what you want in the experience.

I think... it would help to have some idea of what you mean or want in off the beaten path. Are you thinking somewhere with hiking? Are you thinking just someplace smaller? Nara and Uji are always good if you're looking for smaller and traditional.

Hikone Castle is an underrated gem and super easy to reach from Kyoto. I went in January and while the garden was not at its best, it was still interesting. There wasn't snow when I went, but it was cold.

I went to Takayama and Shirakawa Go in February so it was quite snowy. I then went up to Hirayu onsen as a day tripper. I had specifically brought pull over boots with me, so I didn't have an issue with snow or slush. I liked Hida no Sato much more than Shirakawa Go (though I visited Hida no Sato in the Summer) and I don't remember taking off my shoes inside any of the buildings I visited in Hida no Sato.

Good luck!

@rkold - thank you for the reply! very informative

we are looking to do a mix of small town/big town. skiing is out, and i think hiking as its so cold is most likely out.. we are looking to just walk around / explore / definitely onsen as much as possible. So a little bit of big city/small city mix.. I agree Arima Onsen is great :)

@IL1982,

Sorry about all the typos, I was trying to get my child out the door for school.

As we are both from the US, in terms of cold it sort of depends on where you are in the US and what you consider cold. The US has such varied climates. (As do many other countries, but I think people don't always realize how varied the US can be.) So for me, Kainan and Tanabe were partially really cold because I stayed with friends and their apartments had little to no insulation. I personally find 50F/10C much colder inside a home than when I am out sightseeing, in which case 50F/10C is lovely. It also just depends on how you dress.

I don't know where you are booked to stay, but it is something to be aware of if you are booking an AirBnB.

If you're coming from Southern CA, the Bay Area or HI, then most of Japan in the Winter is just going to be very cold. If you're coming from New England or like Chicago, it won't seem that bad at all depending on where you go.

This is not hardcore hiking, but if you want to do a nice walk, I would think this one talked about here should be mostly snow free:
https://www.japan-guide.com/ad/takenouchikaido/

I did part of the Yamanobe no Michi in June 2019
https://www.japan-guide.com/ad/yamanobenomichi/

Just make sure if you are going this year, to book accommodation soon if you've not already! I thought about going to Echigo Yuzawa to sled and onsen, and both places I was considering booked up, right about when I decided to go elsewhere. I had to use Japanican to get a few reservations at harder to book places because their room allotment with Booking, Agoda, and English Rakuten were gone. I've also noticed a definite rise in hotel prices in the last few weeks (at least in Tokyo and Kyoto) and it is not because of the dollar to yen!

It also might be handy to know where you've been or at least where you've liked on your solo trips. I know I personally always try to do something new each trip, even if the something new is small.

Good luck!

One thing to keep in mind is that the New Year�fs holiday (especially the first three days of the year but starting before then and lasting maybe a couple more days) is probably the worst time of year to try to book an onsen ryokan. Even though prices skyrocket during this time, vacancy rates are low and even if you find a place, the baths and other common areas are likely to be crowded, and the service possibly less than optimal. I wouldn�ft even think of trying to stay at an onsen ryokan during the first few days of the New Year. Possibly you should try to book something right after your initial 2-day stay in Tokyo. Kanazawa itself doesn�ft really have much in that regard, although there are onsens in that region that would be nice (just not right in the city itself). I probably wouldn�ft try to go to Shirakawago myself at that time of year, although if you manage to have a day with good weather it would be fine. Likewise, Takayama. I�fd say nothing wrong with a 4-day trip in that area as long as you are prepared to not have your expectations fully met. Probably it will be fine; most days in late December it doesn�ft rain or snow. Another option might be Nagano. You can easily do Kanazawa as a day trip from there (pick a day with good weather to enjoy Kenrokuen), and the monkey park is very popular (do a little research so you know what you might face in late December). There are numerous onsens in Nagano prefecture, or you could stop between Tokyo and Nagano or Kanazawa. Kusatsu and Bessho are two good possibilities. A nice thing about Nagano city is that if you have cold rainy weather (probably more likely than snow in late December) you can actually get back to Tokyo or various other places as a practical day trip to do things indoors (shopping, possibly museum hopping�c) Of course such trips are not �gpractical�h unless you have a rail pass (and are able to find seats on the shinkansen). You didn�ft mention your plans on that, but unfortunately the 14-day national pass is not a very good buy, but a 7-day pass won�ft work for you. There are a few other possibilities. Remember that long-distance trains will be packed solid on some of the days around the New Year�fs holiday (although New Year�fs day itself is usually not bad at all). Thing about how you will manage reservations, ideally not waiting until you get to Tokyo.

I just love to be in Tokyo before or on Christmas day. The decorations and lighting displays are really great. (I like to stroll around Ginza and look at the displays in store windows.) There are some really lavish illumination displays, such as at Caretta Shiodome. Anyway, consider leaving some time in your schedule for those things, if they appeal to you. The store displays come down immediately after Christmas, replaced by New Year�fs displays, which are also nice but some of the traditional imagery is very cultural and probably won�ft be so familiar to you. Some of the fancy illumination events last well into the new year.

Besides there being a lot of foreign tourists around, a lot of Japanese people like to go out to dinner and/or stay in a city hotel on Christmas, so don�ft wait to book your hotels, and if you have anything specific and fancy in mind for dining, see if you can get reservations in advance. It�fs already getting kind of late. Expect hotels to spike in price for those nights, but there isn�ft much you can do about it.

so much awesome info!! thank you both..

im starting to wrap my head around the different areas a bit.. Would this be too much of a stretch.. Tochigi (Nikko) and surrounding areas for 2 days, then Nagano + surrounding areas for another 2 days? then Tokyo for 3 days for NYE, after which we hit the road and check Kyoto (2 days) and possibly Osaka/Kobe/Nara (1 of these for 2 days just for options).

For reference many of the spots including Sapporo and Kyushu i want to save until better weather.. and thank you for the heads up on the smaller towns and many things being closed around the holidays so its making me think more along the lines of being closer to bigger cities.

Ive been in Kobe during the winter and loved it tbh.. It felt more cosy than say an Osaka. As far as the reservations for hotels in Tokyo, these are being handled by my local japanese friend, thankfully they see completely different inventory so thats a load off the shoulders.

12/23 Me Arrival Tokyo
12/24 Couple Tokyo Arrival
12/25 Tokyo
12/26 Takayama or Nagano
12/27 Takayama or Nagano
12/28 Nikko (Tochigi)?
12/29 Tochigi?
12/30 Tokyo
12/31 Tokyo
1/1 Tokyo
1/2 Kobe / Osaka?
1/3 Kobe / Osaka?
1/4 Kyoto (Couple stay)
1/5 Kyoto (Couple stay)
1/6 Tokyo
1/7 Tokyo Departure

This is the current itin plan.. Needing a bit more help :) Is this a stretch?

The problem with Nikko is that it takes hours to get there from Takayama. Even from Nagano it�fs a bit of a nuisance. And trains will be pretty busy around this time. I�fd be inclined to do either nagano/takayama/kanazawa on a 4-day excursion, or else add something else in Tohoku (possibly Sendai/Matsushima? I dunno�c) to your Nikko plans. Jumping from Hokuriku to Nikko is really disruptive. I�fd be inclined to keep those 4 days all in the same approximate region, even if you change cities once or twice.

You�fll get this eventually�c It always takes me hours and hours and lots of iterations to nail down a multi-week itinerary.

With regard to Kobe/Osaka, bear in mind that a lot of places (restaurants and to a lesser extent stores, but to a greater extent museums) will be closed January 1-3. There might be more to do in Osaka than in Kobe. But of course, it�fs easy to get to Osaka from Kobe, so if you prefer to stay there, then it�fs okay. Kobe positions you a little better to take day trips to the west. The area near the shinkansen station is not particularly interesting to stay in, but if you�fre not using the shinkansen a lot then that doesn�ft matter.

@IL1982, I think even with Japanese websites some hotels are just full. I've tried looking at a few hotels on both their English and Japanese sites. It's just a popular time to travel. Christmas isn't a holiday, but it's a romantic time of the year and this year it is on a week end.

I agree with @Kim about Takayama to Nikko not being a good idea but outside of train crowds, I think Nagano to Nikko is completely doable depending on if you are staying in Nagano proper. You change trains in Omiya for Utsunomiya. I've done Nagano to Koriyama in the past and Koriyama is further north than Utsunomiya.

I'm actually booked in two onsen ryokan right now, one on 12/27-12/28 and one on 1/1-1/2 The former I am actually doing for location, and since the resort is completely booked, yes, I know it will be crowded. We're going to the Nabana no Sato light up, and rather than going back to Nagoya for the night, we're going to stay on property at Nagashima Spa Land. (We're also going to the theme park and we're going to use the onsen) I don't expect there to be anything we can eat for the dinner, and I'm not even sure if we will be at the dinner, we're there for the location. On 1/1 we're going back to an onsen ryokan/hotel we loved in June 2019 in Shin Namai onsen, the Airinkan. Since it's fully booked, I expect it to be busy, but it has a LOT of onsen and they're all pretty spectacular. I just need to make sure the train shuttle is running, otherwise I will need to cancel as I don't want to risk driving in snow.

Just be warned, a lot of places in Nikko are filling up. Originally, my trip was shorter and I was going to onsen in Hakone or Nikko (or Echigo Yuzawa) but I found bookings got full quite early. I got the Airinkan in Shin Namari by trying multiple websites. We also looked at the Senjukaku Hotel near Nagano, and it was full up all the days we checked. (It's near the monkey park in Kanabayashi onsen) I was told on the 28th, that the trains just start to get more crowded, but from Nagano, you can always take one of the slower trains with non reserved seats, vs. Takayama is just a much further trip.

When I was looking in October, Karuizawa had a lot of availability, but everything was quite expensive. It did include meals though. I personally keep cutting Kaurizawa from my itineraries, but I believe @Lazy Pious loves Karuizawa.

We're fully booked for Tokyo and Kyoto, but my first choice hotel in Tokyo was fully booked for some of the days I wanted and I've seen prices in Kyoto go up a lot since October. And yes, even in Tokyo (and Kyoto and Osaka) many shops and restaurants will be closed. I'm flying into Tokyo to help with airfare (vs. an open jaw ticket) but also because one of the shops I want to go to is closed from December 26-January 2. In general, more is open in the Tokyo area than elsewhere. I'm planning to do some fukubukuro shopping.

I believe the Caretta Shiodome light up goes longer than just Christmas, we were planning to visit it when we come back to Tokyo.

Just to give some perspective, we're arriving in Tokyo about the same time as you are, but leaving on the 3rd because my tween has to go back to school. I'm happy to share our current plans, if you would like to know. We are doing some hobby things on top of more more traditional things. It's my daughter's 6th trip and my I don't know what number for me.

I think we might be narrowing down to
2 days in near Nagano
2 days in near Takayama

do you folks know which towns to stay in (so convenient for day trips) in either/or

Hi!

So your itinerary would be something like:
12/23 Me Arrival Tokyo
12/24 Couple Tokyo Arrival
12/25 Tokyo
12/26 (stay near Jigokudani)
12/27 (stay near Matsumoto)
12/28 Takayama
12/29 Takayama
12/30 Tokyo
12/31 Tokyo
1/1 Tokyo
1/2 Kobe / Osaka?
1/3 Kobe / Osaka?
1/4 Kyoto (Couple stay)
1/5 Kyoto (Couple stay)
1/6 Tokyo
1/7 Tokyo Departure

This is all assuming you are bringing some sort of boots because things could be snowy or slushie. When I went to Takayama and Shirakawa Go in February I owned boot pullovers for shoes. We had something like the Graingers, very sturdy and high quality. I don't know which brand ours are or where we got them, because I got them in 2010. Mine no longer fit me, but my husband still uses his and I use his when he is not or I don't want to wear my regular waterproof boots. (My feet got bigger which is the only reason I don't use mine!) They pack super lightweight and are great in snow and slush.

For Nagano I would spend 1 night in either Yudanaka/Shibu/Kanabayashi onsen depending on price range and availability. All will give you a chance to visit an onsen and go to Jigokudani. If you don't want to bring boots II know some of the ryokan have galoshes you can borrow. I wish I had done so because our boots got pretty gross. The next day I would visit Zenkoji in Nagano (unless you already did) and then take the train to Matsumoto. I would see the castle, the small art museum and whatever else interests you. You can either overnight in town or take a bus to another onsen ryokan outside of town, there are a lot and they vary in distance and price, but I remember there were a bunch within 30-40 minutes by bus.

The next day I would take the bus from Matsumoto to Takayama. You can either stop off at Hirayu onsen and possibly also see Shin Hokata Ropeway, it would depend on how much stuff you have with you.
In Takayama, I would stay at the Associa because I like it's alternating two floors of onsen. They have a free shuttle to the train station/bus station, but since you are a group of 3, I might occasionally take a cab rather than waiting for the shuttle. If they're full or more expensive, then just stay somewhere in Takayama. I would then the next day visit Hida no Sato or you can visit Shirakawa Go but only if you have boots or galoshes.

You can then take the train from Takayama to Nagoya and then from Nagoya to Tokyo on the 28th. I would under no circumstances take the train from Takayama to Toyama despite it looking like a shorter distance. There are only 4 express (and 4 local) that do the entire route a day. I am sure Toyama is an awesome city, but having a 2 layover there is really boring and doesn't give you the time to really leave the station, just realize that Toyama Station is super clean but super boring.

You're probably better off just buying individual tickets for trains because I'm not sure a 2 week pass will pay off and that also makes the trip from Nagoya to Tokyo easier since there are a lot more trains connecting them as well.

Good luck!