April 2022 Trip - Weather Info + Ideas

So I've basically booked 3 nights in Utsunomiya (1 day around Utsunomiya Station (with Oya) and 1 day hiring a car to visit Edo Wonderland and Tobu Square (Hey - I like tacky things).

Based on what you said Likebike - I'll squash by Tochigi Trips into 2 full days (1 day doing Tochigi + travel), 1 day Ashikaga Town (with Kurita Museum + Ashikaga Flower Park).

Now I'm onto my next problem - a nice onsen town (with good water!) and some stuff to do nearby for 1 or 2 nights. I've already visited Kusatsu and Manza Onsen, so Ikaho onsen looks like a possibility.

Ebaychuchy - so it looks as though Chichubu is a couple of days worth of stuff. Thanks for that update. I'm not really a completist of walking all of the temples so I might keep it to another future trip. Your suggestions seem to make it look as though it's worth 2/3 nights potentially with a car to see the main sites in the area (with how fast I travel and not visiting all temples).

rkold - it does seem as though we watch very similar videos. I think we have watch the same ones (including the Sweet Potato one - or at least I think I've watched it).

1) onsen towns:

Do you know Shuzenji on Izu peninsula? Would tick the box of nice town and a lot of things to do around. It�fs reachable by train, but from there onwards a car might be more convenient.


2) Chichibu

2-3 nights sound right. I haven�ft seen all the temples myself. But from the ones I saw I enjoyed most the ones around Urayamaguchi. There are 4 or 5 all quite close to each other, so no real hiking required and (!) they are quite different from each other.
Then there are the ones in town, or if you have a car (or maybe doable by bus) more far flungs. I remember some posts a few years ago on JG that gave a lot of good ideas in / around Chichibu.
What I visited myself and can highly recommend is a Shrines in Kumagaya

http://bicycletraveljapan.blogspot.com/2016/11/from-chichibu-down-into...

Plus there is a shrine close to NAGATORO station.

And a steam train on some days making the journey to Chichibu. But actually even the normal train was a small experience. Not because of the train, but the ticket. IC cards can�ft be used and instead you are given a thick cardboard ticket which feels like right from tge 1950s that you then give back eg in Kumagaya. A station where also Shinkansen stop. So from the 1950s to the future in an hour by train.

Thanks on the info for around Chichubu.

On Shuzenji - I've been there a couple of times and had visited the Izu Peninsula countless times when I lived in Japan. Shuzenji is nice - but I don't think much of the water there. Call me a onsen water snob.

It's a sad thing to say - but the type of water available determines where I stay. I don't believe in the ### onsen water cures #### ailments, but I do feel the difference on the skin.

So what are onsen with water you like? It could be a very personal preference.

Eg I like the black and smooth waters or very extreme waters like the pH 1 in Hachimantai, but that might not be your idea of perfect water for onsening.

But ultimately I am all for rotenburo and don�ft mind the water itself that much as long as I have a rotenburo area preferably with several different options.

Since you are already in the Nasu region have you considered Nasu onsen or Shiobara onsen? I've been thinking about adding Nasu in for my next trip since I plan to go to Koriyama anyway. Also I'd love to hear what you think of Nikko Edomura because I like theme parks and a return to Nikko is high on my potential list.

You could always go on full on over the top cheezy and do Spa Hawaiians Resort in Iwaki, assuming the Iwaki area doesn't get cut.

Likebike - I basically like onsen water that is

(1) Further away from a pH of 7
AND/OR (2) Has something in it which makes it cloudy

RKOLD - I might end up going to Iwaki as I'm currently planning my Eastern Tohoku loop. I have 7 nights to plan and doubt that the area I've chosen will have enough stuff to see for that time (without doubling up on things I've already seen).

There does seem to be quite a bit to see around Iwaki - if you have a car.

At the moment as I only have 2 weeks this time - I don't want to spend hours traveling to one location so it was faster to travel from Ashikaga - Sendai (a bit under 3 hours) than Ikaho or Chichubu which both take the same amount of time and are not near other locations I want to visit.

Currently - I'll pick up a car in Sendai (a bit before midday), drive to Ichinoseki (stay a night), drive to Morioka area (stay a night), then spend 2/3 night driving down the east coast.

the weather is no problem in seto inlandsea but visit to small islands like megishima nekoshima in weekday is not a good option because everything is closed you must bring your own food.

when i visited tochigi i was going to rent a bicycle or use a community bus to visit abuden miso for coffee after the boat tour but went to a samurai house where a movie gintama was filmed with tacao language exchange circle.

Yes, in Tochigi, coffee brake in front of a fire place at Abuden miso is nice but I think timetable of community busses are not so convenient, walking from Shin Tochigi station is better. Tacao is a program that you can meet Japanese people but not a language exchange club.