Rural areas for relaxing/walking in April

Hello!

My wife and I will be travelling to Japan for the first time this April. We are beyond excited!

We will arrive in Japan (Tokyo Haneda) 4th April and fly home ( from Osaka) 23rd April.

We want to have a good amount of time exploring Tokyo and Kyoto with a day or two in Osaka at the end of our trip. I'm trying to schedule our days in Kyoto to avoid weekends as I've heard this can make for a more relaxing visit.

My rough outline is: Tokyo (5th-8th), Kyoto (9th-12th or 15th-18th), Osaka (21st-22nd).

My question is: which rural areas would you recommend for relaxing trips in between these urban sights (in April!)? We would like to relax in beautiful scenery, do some walks and enjoy some Japanese nature and wildlife. I have forests, streams and mountains in mind! (and maybe an Onsen too)

We'll be travelling by train and don't want to rush. We have time to visit two areas for 2-3 nights each.

I'm aware there are probably countless areas that fit this description...but I've spent hours reading this website and the guidebook I have (Lonely Planet) and honestly I'm feeling overwhelmed!

Some of the ideas I've found include: Matsumoto, Takayama, Nakasendo valley, Koyasan, Kumano Kodo...

Your help is hugely appreciated!

Since it's your first time to Japan. I would add more time to Kyoto and Tokyo. 2-3 full days will leave you disappointed.

As for rural locations. All you suggested rural locations are far and time consuming from Tokyo and Kyoto.

Depending on which direction you head out of these cities. Rural can be as little as 30 minutes away.

Kyoto for example, north to Kurama or east to Otsu/Hikone/Nagahama. The whole Shiga prefecture is classic rural mix between farms and mountains.

Side note on Osaka. It's only 25 minutes from Kyoto, and unless you have a specific reason for more than one day. One day would be enough for first timers.

An easy route is Tokyo->Matsumoto (transit)->Takayama (stay)->Kanazawa(stay)->Kyoto(stay->Hiroshima(stay)->Osaka(stay). If you love nature, you could swap out Matsumoto and include Nagano with a visit to the snow monkeys - some people loke that. There are also options for ryokan stays (with onsen) in that.

I would also suggest something closer to Kyoto.
My personal favorite would be inner Nara prefecture. Ie the are roughly around Yamato Yagu / Sakurai / Asuka.
- you have multiple great cultural places (such as Asuka itself the region of the first capital of Japan) but also many other temples, shrines, kofun, museums
- nice villages such as Imaicho
- mountains for hiking (eg you can hike from Asuka to Tanzan shrine)
- paths for hiking such as Yamanobe no michi
- sacred mountains (Omiwa)
- nature such as Akame waterfalls, Murou art Forrest (havnt been yet myself)

Regarding onsen you could add 1-2 days in Dorogawa onsen.

I have been multiple times in this area and just sent again in early January and still there are so many things to discover, so already planning to go again.
If you scroll through my blog you�fll see both Nara city but also mainly the area that I described above

http://bicycletraveljapan.blogspot.com/search/label/Nara?m=1

Shiga Prefecture is an other good option.
http://bicycletraveljapan.blogspot.com/search/label/Shiga?m=1

You can potentially do even both. They are both very easily reachable from Kyoto but I would suggest to stay there for a few days.

I�fd also suggest to remove Osaka completely. You can easily get from the Sakurai/YamatoYagi area to KIX or Itami for your departure flight.

As a day trip from Kyoto, I recommend making a day of walking the Yamanobe no Michi trail. It's a relatively easy 5-7 hour walk through the Japanese countryside, with plenty of temples, shrines and small villages to stop off at along the way.

https://www.awalkandalark.com/yamanobe-no-michi-japans-oldest-road/

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4189.html

+1 for Nara, it is fantastic even if you are limited to the town (the area around Wakakusayama is my favorite).

Otherwise I'm quite fond of the Kiso Valley although it does tend to be quiet during the week, the Tsumago to Magome section of the Nakansendo trail has forests, a pair of waterfalls, a bamboo grove, historical paths, a tea house, views (including a nice pass essentially mid way), and a nice cafe that serves chestnut rice (surprisingly great) and horsemeat sashimi (no thanks). I've walked it a few times and only seen a handful of other people along the way even on a weekend (as in you might see less than 10 people in the 2 - 3 hour walk), I tend to think most people probably bus between the townships. There are other sections of the Nakasendo way as well, eg starting from Narai.

On our more recent trip we based ourselves at Kiso Fukushima (giving easy access to the various sections) which was very pleasant, some nice ryokans there with a nice countryside feel to it. I'd definitely do it again.

Yoshino doesn�ft get mentioned much in this esteemed forum. I have been twice during sakura season, glorious!

However my Yoshino trips were a long time ago - 1997 and 2004. Maybe the crowds are crazy these days?

Hello again!

Thank you so much for your tips and suggestions so far. This is exactly the kind of advice I was hoping for!

I�fm going to dive into reading about these areas around Nara and Kyoto. They sound idyllic! Nara was definitely on my list of sightseeing areas so to combine this with some hikes and nature sounds ideal.

Kiso valley also looks good. Thank you for the tip. We have time to visit two areas so this might make a nice contrast.

I have to say, the Kumano Kodo has also really caught my imagination. The idea of hiking through the forest to reach different temples and shrines sounds fascinating. I realise the area is a little tricky and time consuming to reach though. But I�fd make time for this if it�fs as interesting and beautiful as it looks. Would appreciate your thoughts!

I did a short day hike on the Kumano Kodo in 2015, and kinda wished I had spent more than 2 nights in the area to make the detour from Osaka worthwhile.

It was a very serene walk (except for the giant spiders hanging above our heads) on a well maintained trail, surrounded by giant trees. And yes, the little shrines (and probably most importantly, the silence) gave me the feeling of doing a pilgrimage, even though that wasn't my intention at all. I don't think you would regret making the trip, but if you are planning to visit Japan again, maybe it would be best to keep it for later.


Around Kyoto, the Kurama-Kibune hike is nice too, with shrines along the way. It is more accessible and therefore more popular, so unfortunately, you won't get the feeling of being lost in the woods. But to my profane eyes, the trees looked the same, and the paved roads as well.

From Osaka, you can visit Amanohashidate + Ine Bay.
Amanohashidate:
https://visitjapan-vegetarian.com/amanohashidate-one-of-the-three-view...

Ine Bay:
https://visitjapan-vegetarian.com/ine-bay-an-amazing-fishing-town-nort...


From less-crowded destinations, you can visit Shiga Prefecture, next to Kyoto.
https://visitjapan-vegetarian.com/the-best-attractions-to-visit-in-shi...

Since you'll be there in April, highly recommended visiting Mt. Yoshino in Nara, albeit it might be crowded. It's the best cherry blossom spots in the Kansai region!
https://visitjapan-vegetarian.com/mt-yoshino-the-destination-for-cherr...

Hakone is a classic for first-timers traveling between Tokyo and Kyoto/Osaka. You can enjoy onsen, view of Mt. Fuji, walking, nature, lake and mountain.

April is a great time to visit Japan. I will be also there with my wife mainly to attend the Japanese GP. I will be keeping an eye on this thread to get more ideas to make our trip even for memorable.