travel in winter

Also, i was wondering wondering if the hiking trail from Kurama to Kibune would be ok in winter.

I think it depends on whether there is snow or not. Usually, I don't think there is much or any snow. But I have never been there in winter.

I will skip if it is but what's making me hope it isn't is that afterwards i want to eat, kawadoko style. Eating seated on platforms above the Kibune river in one of the village's ryokan.

I think the platforms over the river are not there during winter. Only during the warmer months of the year. And somen noodles are a summer specialty.

the Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto and the Taikodani Inari Shrine in Tsuwano are similar?

Yes, they are similar, but the torii covered path in Fushimi Inari is much much longer than the one in Tsuwano.

the Fushimi Inari Shrine takes 2hrs...

You can hike as far as you want. You can hike for just 10 minutes. Or one hour or three hours. It is up to you.

how long does the Taikodani Inari Shrine take?

Unless I missed another path at Taikodani Inari Shrine, I think it is just a 5 minute ascent from the valley floor to the shrine on the valley slope.

And since both are on wooded mountains... which mountain is easier to access and less likely to be difficult and dangerous to hike through?

Neither is dangerous. Fushimi Inari is in central Kyoto. Very easy to access. Tsuwano is in the countryside of western Honshu. Much more time consuming to access (assuming your itinerary is centered around Tokyo/Kyoto).

If you are asking about the garden of this name in Takamatsu, we went there over Xmas 2007/08. It was lovely. The lotus beds are brown and withered, which surely isn't as lovely as in Summer, but has a spare beauty of its own. There are some grass areas, which are brown and withered, but the borrowed lanscape is still pretty leafy, and the evergreens and water in the park is lovely.

If you're going that way, you're probably going to change trains in Okayama. If you can spare two or three hours, you can see Korakuen, which is also lovely in Winter, even though there's much more in the way of grass lawns there, which is brown and wilted in Winter. The garden is still stunning though, so I wouldn't let the season put you off. Our last two trips to Japan were in Winter, and we went to some fantastic gardens. Kenrokuen (Kanazawa) in the snow is awesome.

I think i will visit Kenrokuen if in snow then. Thank you Winter Visitor.

I also want to ask for advice on Aso Senomoto Youth Hostel. My Japanese is only the survival phrases and they don't have online bookings, if i ask an information centre in Kyushu they would book for me?

I would risk not being able to get a room, but i will be travelling winter/late February... it is it less busy then? Has anyone stayed at the hostel or heard reviews of it? I would love to stay at a ryokan in Kurokawa but i cannot easily afford it. Would i be able to walk from there to some nice rontemburos?

your answers are always of help!

I can't seem to find the answer to this... will women have issues/problems from bathing in mud?

It is about 4 kilometers (one hour walk) from the youth hostel into central Kurokawa. Some of the more remote onsen are closer.

I think i will visit Kenrokuen if in snow then. Thank you Winter Visitor.

Here are contact details for advance reservations:
http://www.jyh.or.jp/english/kyushu/asoseno/index.html

I can't seem to find the answer to this... will women have issues/problems from bathing in mud?

It should pose no problems to either gender. You should imagine it more like muddy water (water with some mud on the bath's floor) than mud.

Uji, thank you so much. There's only so much winter condition info i could get from LP and websites, its helpful to ask people.

Would Ebino kogen lake circuit in winter be easy to stroll around? I have no equipment for snowy conditions.

I have never been to Ebino Kogen in winter, but I imagine that it does not get much snow, at all.

thank you Uji. I'll have to think whether i'd still like to hike there. Does it become all barren in winter?

Another question if could be answered, please, is the outdoor bath for women at Kurama onsen smaller or inferior to the men's? I can't find an image for it... and the website only has a picture of the mens, both views.

Does it become all barren in winter?

I am afraid I have never been there in winter. But even a barren landscape can be nice.

is the outdoor bath for women at Kurama onsen smaller or inferior to the men's?

I don't know. But I know that both are enjoyable.

Though some parts of the world can be bleak in the winter, if your interpretation of the word "barren" includes the word "bleak", then most of Japan is not at all barren in winter.

Winter is one of the best times to be outdoors in Japan. If you are anywhere near mountains, the contrast of color is surprisingly, equally as nice in the winter as any other season. The snow can be very scenic. The old snow covered, farmhouses at Shirakawago near Takayama are a favorite winter destination. The snow covered trees, "snow monsters" or "juhyo" around Zao in Northern Japan are a world famous travel destination.

Thank you

Another question. Since its winter unless it is snow related, is accommodation going to be hard to secure? Oh will i be able to book accommodation without a credit card?