Japan Planning Thread 3

[Takoneko]

Hi!

This is a new Japan Planning Thread for when our last one is full.

Feel free to ask any questions here related to travel in Japan, regardless of budget or style of trip.

@Pusspot I’m on a train on my way to Hiroshima right now and completely agree with you. It’s one of my favourite places in Japan. We stayed 5 nights last time and used it as a base with a rail pass. This time we are staying for 8 nights. The city itself isn’t huge but I honestly think this region is one of Japan’s most beautiful. The scenery from our train window is just amazing.

@Pusspot Safe travels! I’ve just realised that you’ll be on your way in a matter of hours. Hope you have a fantastic time.

How are the autumn colours doing in your area? (anyone that is in Japan now) Yesterday nothing today the leaves are changing.

Nothing much down here in Hiroshima. I believe that yellow leaves have been declared in Kanazawa, but I think we’re at least a couple of weeks away from full on yellow foliage and probably at least another month away from the red leaves down where we’re going to be for the rest of our trip.

https://n-kishou.com/corp/news-contents/autumn/?lang=en

@Takoneko thanks that’s useful and makes sense as I’ve gone higher and closer to the central orange blob. There is a teeny bit of colour coming out.

@Japan3 Whereabouts are you now?

Kiso valley

@Takoneko thank you - we’re going on the evening flight today. Very excited!
I’m hoping to catch foliage in Nikko on Thursday on lower ground, although I think it’s peaked already? We will be in Kanazawa from the 18th, but maybe too early for that area. We booked tickets on the Kurobe Gorge railway, and it sounds like we will be seeing a lot of leafless trees up there! Oh well. We have seen beautiful autumn colour in England over the past weeks, so it’s not essential, but would be lovely to see it in Japan.

Oh, I bet that will be lovely at this time of year.

@Takoneko I’m finding the Nakasendo trail very beautiful. Cobbled trails and lots of waterfalls and streams. 17-22 degrees tomorrow so it’s great hiking weather.

@Pusspot have a good flight. Look forward to reading your news.

@Japan3 thank you - enjoy your trip too.

We had a fabulous trip to Nikko today. We went to Kegan Falls first, as it’s the furthest away from Nikko town. The waterfall is spectacular, and we took the lift down to the base to see it closer up. Had a hour long boat cruise around Chuzenji Lake which was a good way to see the foliage. It’s past its peak up there, but still looking wonderful. We got the bus back to Nikko to visit Toshogu Shrine, which was incredible. The colours in Nikko itself are still vibrant, with plenty of red trees dotted around. Shinkyo bridge is closed for repair, but it looks wonderful with the autumn leaves. It’s been a long day, and In hindsight Nikko would make a good overnight trip. We had a quick dinner at Utsonomiya station, on the way back to Tokyo.

How was your flight over @Pusspot ?

@Georgieporgie29 It was good, maybe not quite as good as JAL for food and service, but it was a fair bit cheaper. We landed at Haneda T2, which was really quiet. Not sure if that’s unusual, but we sailed through security and got on the monorail quickly.

@Pusspot Oh that’s good that it was quick to get through security, especially after a long flight.

Did you travel out to Nikko from Tokyo and are you staying in Tokyo for a few days now?

I think I may live vicariously through you in this trip if that’s ok and get lots of ideas for next year. Your trip out sounded amazing.

@Georgieporgie29 Nikko was a trip from Tokyo. You can either get the Shinkansen from Tokyo or Ueno, with a change at Utsonomiya, or go on the Spacia X train direct (non JR) from Asukusa (Tokyo). There are lots of nice looking hotels in Nikko, but it’s very doable as a day trip.
We have only stayed for three nights in Tokyo this time. We’re heading down to Fukuoka this morning - currently waiting for DH to choose his Ekiben and snacks at the station.
Enjoy your planning. This is only my second trip, so by no means knowledgeable. Others here have lots of experience, and this thread has been so helpful to understand travelling around Japan. If you can, the Japan Travel Centre in London is a good place to get inspiration, physical maps and brochures. I know they aren’t popular nowadays, but seeing the country laid out on a paper map definitely helps me to see the distances and geography more easily.

@Pusspot I love a physical visual.

I flew out from Tokyo this morning. Third time and I have only just got my first Eki stamp. There is a lot to see and do.

I want to recommend the Aniu restaurant, Harukor, in Tokyo. Only four tables so book in advance. The food is so good and very reasonable.

If anyone is interested in Ainu culture Kayano Shigeru is the leader. Anyone wanting info on Kiso Valley I’m happy to share details. I know this thread will be read for a long time.

@Takoneko Thank you so much for staring this thread. I’ve benefitted from thread 1 and wave goodbye until next year. Brilliant job 👏

Did you fly ANA? As far as I know ANA are the only international airline using terminal 2. T3 has been getting very busy so arriving at T2 is a bonus. Also T1/2 is the first station on the Keikyu line so you can always get a seat.

@Japan3 So glad you’ve found it useful! I know I get a lot out of the things people share.

For anyone else wondering about autumn foliage… We’ve now started encountering autumn colours even way down here in Hiroshima prefecture. It’s a long way from peak but there’s an autumnal feel and leaves on the ground. In places with ornamental gardens it seems like they deliberately have wide varieties of trees that change colour at different times to prolong the autumn colours.

We went to Yamaguchi yesterday and there’s some beautiful temples there. The weather was dire, which was a shame and we ended up bailing out early rather than stopping at Yuda Onsen on the way home like we’d planned. I really would recommend it though. Even in the pouring rain it was a beautiful place. We have a rail pass so might try again another day before we leave Hiroshima on Tuesday.

@Remoter33 yes it was an ANA direct flight. It was really calm in the arrivals hall. We got the monorail but that’s a very good point about the Keikyu line.

@Takoneko the weather in Tokyo and then Nikko wasn’t great either, so it was nice to see blue skies today. I noticed some signs of autumn on the trees travelling down from Tokyo today. I’m very much hoping that we get to see some more foliage in Kanazawa in a couple of weeks.
First impressions of Fukuoka are positive. We’ve just had a very good meal , and it’s got a nice bustle in the streets.

@Takoneko where are you staying in Hiroshima?

We’re staying near Hatchobori at the Mercure Tokyu Stay.
Last time in Hiroshima we stayed at the Randor Prestige near the station on the recommendation of another mumsnetter and really liked it, but this is also very nice. The rooms here are a lot smaller and there’s no bathtub but it’s more full service with full housekeeping every day, a small gym and a free lounge with snacks and soft drinks. This was a fair bit cheaper than the Randor and closer to the centre.