Mrs Wells and I are planning to go to Japan in their autumn.
A week in Tokyo. Maybe Kanazawa instead of Kyoto. Perhaps somewhere more rural.
That said, a bit wary of massive tourist hot spots. A few temples will be more than enough.
Very keen to check out the jazz. There is a big festival in Yokohama. Has anyone been.
All feedback much appreciated.
One of our favourite destinations – we seem to have been every year for the past few years (that said it’s relatively near from Singapore).
Whilst Kyoto / Osaka are tourist hotspots, if you have not been before they are still worth visiting – especially in Autumn when you get all the colours in the temple gardens. One positive at the moment is the significant reduction in tourists from mainland China. Even though we have been to Kyoto / Osaka many times, we were back there in January (as our elder boy was back over from the UK and he hasn’t been before). We did notice the reduction in tourists – but that may have partly due to it being off season.
Kanazawa is well worth a visit and yes it is the quieter cousin of Kyoto. We did the trip before last when we hired a car and drove up from Kyoto along Lake Biwa, stopping at Hikone, Kanazawa, Toyama and Fukui. Toyama is also well worth a visit – backdrop of the Japanese Alps. There’s a street of old dock buildings (Iwase??)that has been converted to restaurants, craft shops and a nice Sake bar where you can drink as much as you want from the fridge within a certain time ! I believe that both Toyama and Kanazawa are connected to Tokyo via the Shinkansen.
One tip if you decide to drive – get a small car – some of the streets are very very narrow !
If you do hit Kyoto / Osaka, worthwhile side trips (all accessible easily by train) are Kobe (good beef and a really nice Botanic Gardens), Uji (famous for matcha) and Nara (large part with deer).
We love Japan and are quite happy just wondering around with no set plan. Great food, great people.
A good websites that is worth checking….
https://thenavigatio.com/
And on Kanazawa…
https://preparetravelplans.com/kanazawa-guide/
Great advice Chris and just what I have been looking for.
Feel free to message me if any specific questions
Others will give better specific advice, but I just wanted to say I’m sure you’ll have a fantastic time. Hands down one of the best places I’ve ever been.
Echo the above about having a wander. Transport is so simple and safe that you really can make it up as you go. Loved it.
The transport system is excellent. Here’s a tip – if you’re at a metro or train station and don’t know how to get somewhere, just stand in front of a system map and look confused. I guarantee someone will come up to you and offer to help.
Just as an observation. Back in the day we thought we were really adventurous Interrailing around Europe with no money, sleeping on beaches, getting arrested for begging on the streets of Rome, having sex with multiple beautiful foreign beauties (fact check needed) etc. Some brave souls even set off for Katmandu and were never heard of again.
Nowadays every young person I know jets off to Japan for a “short break”. Then every six months after that, it’s back to Japan. Bastards.
Mrs W spent two years making paper in Japan and loved every second. But that was 40 years ago. We both think we should restart long-haul flights to places like Japan but right now prefer driving/training around Europe. I’d love to go to Japan and know you two will have a really great time. Bastards.
Everywhere is a long haul flight for Aussies.
Spent two weeks in winter birding around Japan about 20 years ago, a fantastic experience marred by just one thing; I have quite a severe seafood allergy, I was travelling with a well-known bird tour company and let them know of said allergy. I was assured I’d be ok as most meals were 10+ courses so I’d have plenty of choice, thing is the “courses” were tiny pots of food, a couple of mushrooms, a piece of meat, and invariably more than half were seafood. I lived for two weeks almost exclusively on sausage and chips from 7eleven shops, couldn’t find any fresh fruit or veg and I’m sure I was borderline scurvy when I got home. Cool birds though and saw the famous snow monkeys.
We went last year, what an amazing experience.
From a musical perspective worth visiting one of the vinyl playing music bars. When in Tokyo went to Grandfathers in Shibuya which was fantastic although there are many more. Also in Shibuya , most of the top floor of Tower Records houses the most incredible selection of second hand vinyl I’ve ever seen.
@junior-wells
“Very keen to check out the jazz. ”
Lovely book.
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2023/oct/05/one-kissa-is-all-it-takes-tokyos-finest-jazz-haunts-in-pictures
I nearly bought that but couldn’t justify it at the time.
I’ve seen that – might be motivated after the trip. Thanks.
We went to Japan last year. A very last minute decision, so we did the ‘tourist run’, a few days in Tokyo and Kyoto. Had a fantastic time, barely scratched the surface of things to do. We went at the end of April and the millions of tourists there for the cherry blossoms had died down a bit.
In Tokyo we stayed at an APA hotel in Shinjuku, plenty of record shops and great food in easy walking distance. The night we arrived it felt a bit like walking into the set of a new Bladerunner movie, so many people at 10pm on a Wednesday night. Would happily go back tomorrow.
I have lived in Japan, in the countryside surrounded by mountains, for over 35 years. (British). It’s safe to say I love it. Well, it is my home.
I know nothing about jazz, though.
In recent years the number of ‘inbound’ visitors to Japan has greatly increased – probably way too fast – and places like Tokyo/Kyoto feel much less Japan than they used to when I first came here. In fact, to me, they hardly feel like Japan at all now.
May I suggest to anyone wanting to really get to see Japan venturing away from such places. I’m guessing that applies to most places, but perhaps especially so with this country.
That is our intention. Any recommendations Napaj?
A couple of suggestions from me. The second time, I stayed in Japan I went to Kamikochi, which is in the Japan Alps. Train to Matsumoto (nice little city) and then a bus up to Kamikochi, which is a well-preserved small village in the mountains. Very picturesque.
The last time I was there, about 15 years or so now, I walked the Kiso-Ji, which is part of the old postal route and goes between two historic towns, Magome and Tsumago. Easy, scenic hiking (maybe an hour or two). Think the closest train stop is Nakatsugawa.
Getting around by rural buses sounds like an undertaking, but it isn’t really, there are more things posted in Japanese than you think.
thanks Hawkfall. As per below a hire car for the Alps region is looking good.
I might be too close to be of much use, but I’ll try to make a few points.
‘Great food’ is the norm in Japan. I certainly wouldn’t be going out of my way to a certain place just for that. (And I’m pretty sure you can get Kobe beef outside of Kobe).
Kanazawa is nice (and also now a very popular place).
Do you like mountains and amazing autumn scenery, perhaps some old traditional villages, etc?
Most Japanese mountains are covered in trees and the spectacular colours in peak autumn can literally be overwhelming. (In a good way).
There are many places I love, but might suggest having a (small) car and exploring the mountainous regions of northern Gifu Prefecture and Nagano Prefecture. You could tie that in with Kanazawa, making your way through Ishikawa and into Gifu. You could hike up some mountains if you are into that, but don’t need to in order to enjoy the region.
For that region you are probably looking at mid-October to mid-November for peak autumn colours.
Also for anyone considering visiting Japan. I would avoid late June through early September. It is unbearably hot and humid. I spend most of it indoors with my air conditioners (and in a somewhat grumpy mood). Autumn when it comes is such a beautiful relief and then we have our lovely snowy winters to look forward to beyond that.
I’m sure you would but as a general thought: please behave and be respectful. Increasing stories of foreigners ‘misbehaving’ gets noticed and (oh so very predictably) picked up by far-right ghouls wanting to push their points.
Japan has not traditionally had to deal with so many visitors and in some respects is struggling to keep up. Some people – reasonable people included – feel that various changes are being imposed on them a bit too quickly. I can see where that is coming from.
Japanese culture is a very elegant and respectful one, and I recommend soaking that up. It feels good. I recommend other cultures taking note.
thank you.
A small car and some rural motoring sounds good. Hiking unlikely ankle still buggered from the attempted assassination by tree and unlikely to ever be up to hiking.
And I’m a bit lazy.
Remember that to hire a car / drive in Japan, you will need an International Driving Licence.
I lived in Tokyo for several years, and absolutely loved it. It’s by far and away the best place I’ve ever lived (yes, even better than Basingstoke). You could easily spend three weeks just there and not get bored, but probably a bit wasteful if it’s a once in a lifetime kind of trip!
In Tokyo, the obvious tourist places all have that status for a reason. A good way to do a lot of them in one go is to start in Aoyama Cemetery, especially if it’s cherry blossom season, which you can turn into a walk up the high end shopping street of Omotesando, through the Meiju Jingu shrine complex, back to Harajuku and then on to Shibuya. That’ll take the best part of a day, but you’ll see a load of ace stuff. There are plenty of interesting things that don’t get so much attention. Some of my favourite districts are Nakameguro and Daikanyama, which are quieter than Shinjuku or Shibuya but full of interesting little shops and cafes etc. Also Azabujuban – I’m biased because it was my old district, but it’s honestly lovely, and the Arisugawa park is beautiful, especially in autumn. The Rikugi-en garden near Ikebukero station is a classic Japanese garden, beautiful and quieter than the similar Shinjuku gyoen. Nezu and Yanaka on the east side of town are both very good, quite old fashioned and the closest you will get now to the old shitamachi vibe. The Yamanote Line is your friend – there’ll be something worth seeing on almost every stop. As an aside, there’s no need to rent a car for getting around Tokyo – the public transport is ludicrously good. I could walk that city for years. It’s so full of contrasts – you can be on a super busy thronged neon overload street, and then just a few corners will take you to a quiet backstreet with a small temple and something interesting.
There are also several good day trips you can easily do from Tokyo. The lovely Mt Takao is easily reached from Shinjuku station. Kamakura is a seaside town, where you can ride the charming Enoden railway, visit Enoshima island, and see some fabulous temples and a giant Buddha. Hakone is also a great place to visit. It’s a volcanic valley an hour or so out of Tokyo, and there is an amazing open air sculpture museum there. Plus you can go transport mad – a typical trip would be a train out of Shinjuku, funicular railway up the mountain, then a cable car over the valley and finally a ride on a replica pirate ship over the lake (I don’t know why it’s a pirate ship). It’s also a good place to get views of the elusive Mt Fuji. These are all popular weekend destinations for Tokyoites, so try to go during the week if you can.
Outside of Tokyo, the already mentioned Nara is very good for temples and deer. Personally I’m not too fussed about Kyoto. I mean, it’s amazing but it’s very touristy, much more noticeably so than Tokyo and if you want a chance of seeing any of the sights relatively quietly (and relatively is doing a lot of heavy lifting there) then you need to be getting up at like 6am. The public transport is also much less efficient than Tokyo. If you do go, one thing I would say do is walk up the cliffs and along the river at the Arashiyama gorge, and if you went to the Fushimi Inari shrine, make sure you climb al the way to the top – the insane throngs of tourists will die away and you’ll be left with a gorgeous mountain walk and some spectacular views.
I would also consider Hiroshima. There’s obvious historical interest, but it’s also a good base for a few days exploring Miyajima island and around the Inland Sea and its myriad of islands. You wouldn’t be that far from Fukuoka either, which is worth a visit.
Re: jazz, this book is on my radar, sounds ideal
There are all fine ideas, for sure.
However, be prepared for all of the above places to be extremely busy.
The difference in tourism levels (at the popular spots in Japan in particular) just over the last 5 years – heck, even the last two years – is quite startling.
Yes a weak yen helps.
I do see the irony in being a tourist seeking to avoid tourists.
It’s a growing trend, I believe!
I do feel fortunate that I was never a ‘tourist’ and was able to experience Japan when there were hardly any other foreigners here. I got the full-on experience, especially as I was placed in a small town in the countryside.
I do regret not ticking off more places back then, especially Kyoto. Still never been there, but I’m pretty sure I would not enjoy the experience now!
thanks so much KD. That book looks great.
What were you doing in Japan for those 3 years?
I was working in music retail, the one with the dog (although they don’t use the dog logo in Japan, as someone else has the rights to it there). Great times.