help on 13 days itinary

Hi,

I've already got some good advices from the readers of this site, so I'm trying again ;-)

We'll be coming from France for 13 days in Japan, first trip, early November.

I had a carefull look at the suggested itineries for such duration on this web site. Very well documented.


The site itinary suggests Tokyo Nikko Kamakura Takayama, Kyoto Miyajima Himej and Mont Koya.

I saw it was a great itinary, then I digged a bit and I read people telling you have to stay 2 days in Nikko, the I've seen articles about Hakone, etc ...

So, to make it brief, I wonder if I should not go to Takayama and Miyajima to save some time and spend more time to visit the surroundings of Tokyo as I will have to make some trade-offs.

Any strong opinions like Miyajima is a MUST seen, etc... ? Or better to stay around Tokyo/kyoto and around ?
I have no idea of distances, so be interested by your opinions

I understand it's a very personal opinion, but it's always good to get advices from experienced people.

Thnks,
Marc.

Marc..mon cher ami--check www.hyperdia.com (a train schedule)for distances between towns..and/or check a guidebook on Japan for free in a bookstore. I have been to Nikko for 1 day only (day trip from Tokyo with JR pass) and really loved it. I went there especially for the amazing shrines and really loved it. I don't have that much interest in nature as a lake is a lake is a lake, regardless of the country, so a second day had no appeal. Miyajima? I went to Hiroshima for various reasons and had no interest going to Miyajima. After visiting the Peace Park in the morning (very moving) we took a tramway (I am a fan of trains and trams)to the end of the line. Turned out to be near the quay for the Miyajima ferry, free with out JR pass. So we went. After visiting the shrine and the floating torii we walked away from the tourists in quiet streets, followed by hungry deers, came back the back way towards the shrine..etc. It was truly MAJIC (and I am not a romantic guy!)Do go there. Don't spend too much time in Tokyo. It isn't a very pretty town though I like old areas like Asakusa, Yanaka, Zoshigaya. Have a look at Kamakura, Yokohama etc. my favorite area is the Kansai as there is SO MUCH TO SEE!!

I would advise to take Kyoto as a base for at least a week and make daytrips from there.
There are many sights in and around Kyoto, the ones mentioned above, Nara (don't miss Fushimi Inari Shrine when you are on the way there, it it was my favorite shrin), Osaka, etc.
This way you don't have to carry your luggage around.
You are also a little less weather dependend as you can decide on short notice if you want to do a hike or a museum.

Marc, I found Miyajima to be somewhat overrated. You are from Europe and have ample opportunity to see spectacular scenery, especially in la belle France and that is why I think you will find Miyajima a little ordinary. Nikko is beautiful but Koyasan is better. They are very different and I'm certain many will think differently to me. As I said, subjective. The atomic bomb memorial in the AM, Miyajima in the afternoon and back to the memorial for the evening light is a good day out. Koyasan is at least an all day event. As is Nikko. Do try to plan as much as possible from a base camp to save dragging cases etc. I find Shin Osaka a good base for the Kansai area as it is only about 15' by shinkansen to Kyoto easy to get to Koyasan and obviously close to Osaka. It is also easy to do a side trip to Himeji castle.
bon voyage

I'd omit Kamakura 1st, then Hakone, then Takayama. Here is the reason.

* Kamakura *
Kamakura visit is justified only when you have no time to visit Kansai(Kyoto/Nara) from Tokyo. The temples in Kamakura are acutually not the most historic of Japan's cultual monuments.
Roughly speaking, there are 220 architectures in Japan listed as "National Treasures", 70 of which are in Nara, 50 of which in Kyoto, while only 1 of which is in Kamakura but it's NOT open to public.

* Hakone *
There are actually lots of onsen towns all around Japan and Hakone is just one of them. Onsen Ryokans in Hakone will be very used to dealing with foreign visitors, but I doubt if you can experiece authcentic onsen culture of Japan there.
At the same time, there are several onsen towns around Nikko and you are considering to stay in the region. Why dont you stay in a Onsen Ryokan and visit Nikko there?

* Takayama *
I think from my heart Takayama is a nice city, but other cities(Kyoto, Nikko, Himeji, Miyajima, Mt.Koya) are the world heritage sites, and more worth a visit. I'd have to omit Takayama if I needed to omit something more.

I have to disagree about Miyajima. I didn't like it because of the scenery. As I noted about Nikko, I am not a great fan of scenery as many countries have a similar vegetation, mountains etc. it is their buildings that make each country unique. I liked Miyajima for the old houses and stores (that only locals know) in back streets where few tourists go and of course the many shrines. I do agree with the poster who mention the Fushimi Inari shrine. I have been there several times always with the same pleasure. I am originally from a region of France where the "new towns" (Villeneuve de..) were built in the 13th-14th century, others being over 2000 years old. This is France to me, not the scenery.

I agree with Ts that Kamakura can be omitted, there are enough temples and shrines for you in Kyoto, Nara and Koya-san.

I would recommend Takayama though. Not only is the town enjoyable, it serves as a good base for 2 more beautiful locations: Shirakawa-go and Kamikochi, both of which are accessible by bus and are good side-trips from Takayama.

For a first-time visitor to Japan, Hakone is worth it. Even if you can't afford to stay a night, a 1-day loop trip there should be nice, esp. in Nov. you stand a better chance of seeing Mt. Fuji in Ashi-ko.

Nikko is another must-see for first-time visitor. Even with Chuzenj-ko and Kegon Falls it can be done as a day-trip from Tokyo, just start early. A tip is after arriving in Nikko, go to Lake Chuzenji-ko/Kegon Falls first in the morning when the bus is less crowded and traffic is less congested. Come back and tour Nikko area on foot in the afternoon, you can't escape the crowd in Tosho-gu anyway.

I agree with RodW that Osaka, though has less to offer itself, is a good base for other side-trips. Himeji Castle is impressive, but a morning visit should be enough. To fill up a day-trip from Osaka, visit Kobe in the afternoon, though Kobe really deserves more time.

Another possible day-trip from Osaka is Hiroshima and Miyajima. Timing for Miyajima may prove a bit tricky. To see Itsukushima Shrine and the O-torii gfloatingh on water, you have to be there during high tide which seems to come in either at 5.00 in the morning or at 20.00 in the evening. Even without staying the night, linker in Miyajima after dusk to see the place lit up will reward you with a memorable sight.

Staying overnight in one of the temples in Koya-san is an experience itself, esp. enjoyable walking at dusk along the lantern-lit path in Okuno-in area. But again if youfre pressed for time, Koya-san can be done as a day-trip from Osaka since therefs direct 90 min rail link from Osaka Namba.

Kyoto needs no introduction. The only suggestion I can make is if you plan to go there in Nov., try to be there during late Nov. for beautiful autumn foliage, esp. around Arashiyama.

My advice would be to spend more time in Kyoto/Kansai than Tokyo. I was bored of Tokyo after two days, yet after a week in Kyoto I did not want to leave. Miyajima is lovely, however if you have no interest in also visiting nearby Hiroshima then it's probably not worth the extra travel for you. I also agree, Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto is a must. I also enjoyed Arashiyama.

Are you going to make a side trip to Himeji castle? It was my favourite sight in Japan.

Unless Japanese tides are TOTALLY different from European ones, they are never at the same time of the day within a cycle of so many days as they are influenced by the phases of the sun and the moon and their relative positions in relation to the earth. Typically the tide goes down, then the water stays at the low level for hours then the tide goes up again and the water stays at the high level for a while again. The high and low levels aren't fixed either. there is a higher high water level and a lower high water level.same thing with the 2 low water levels. In addition the shape of the coastline, the topology of the underwater land near the coast, not to mention the weather, all have an influence on th tides. This is why we need tides tables. see EXAMPLE taken from a post in Japan-guide.Miyajima tides:
July 11, 2006
Low Tide
00:18, 12:41
High Tide
05:45, 19:46

Nov 15, 2006 high tides
4:56 and 17:47
Nov 16, 2006 high tides
6:16 and 18:35

Before going to Miyajima, you can check the latest condition on high and low tides here:

http://tinyurl.com/5nmt47