Japan - In search of advice for a trip to Japan in 2019. If you could only visit 2 or 3 cities in Japan, what would they be? Looking for awesome food, hot springs and balance of countryside, urban travel and history too.//Update July 30: Based on all this great feedback, looking to spend more time in the countryside than a large urban city. Maybe 75% countryside and 25% urban - hot springs, great food and some history. THANK YOU for the brilliant feedback thus far.

kyoto is a must. i highly highly recommend hiroshima to reflect on human history... and on the way there i would check out himeji castle. if you insert in tokyo, see tokyo. if osaka, see osaka. but that’s just my take on those two. hiroshima is not as far as it looks btw. no place in japan is with the shinkansen bullet trains. it’s like a subway for the entire country!

Sapporo, Tokyo, Kyoto

Hiroshima and Kyoto/Nara

Kobe

I visited Tokyo, Hakone for hot springs, then to Osaka, Kyoto and Nara, then back to Tokyo and Kustasu for hot spring and then back to Vancouver. Total 13 days and got the 7 days' JR PASS. Shopping at Osaka is cheaper. Hot spring in Kusatsu is better than Hakone

Tokyo and Kyoto

Hannah Gerrard

Hiroshima, to see the atomic bombing museum and the dome left behind! Also it's a nice city and is a day trip to Miyajima, where that iconic red tori in the ocean is located.

Oh and the Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki is really yum!

YAAS! Miyajima was amazing. and so was the okonomiyaki. we went to a famous place in the mall/court in the station. it opened 20mins after the shinkansen arrived and there was already a huge line.. so good

Miyajima is a must when doing a Hiroshima visit. Yes, some must see sights and historic places to visit, if you have the time.
Miyajima usually also means you would be staying the night in the Hiroshima area (or Miyajima), partially due to the ferry and distance from Kansai/Tokyo regions.

Anna Can you tell me how the Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki is different from the Osaka-style Okonomiyaki?

I second that recommendation on “Hiroshima-yaki” It’s much the same but on a base of noodles. If in Hiroshima, go to ‘Okonomi-mura’ for the best selection in town.

Okinawa Island. Please Google for info and photos.

So many good tips here. Personally, I’ve liked Tokyo, Kyoto & Hiroshima the best, but Sapporo, Nagano, Nara & Kanazawa, Osaka are all up there for different reasons. You can cover so much with the JR pass, but trying to do so could mean missing out on some areas worthy of a few more days. I’d not focus so much on both Tokyo & Osaka, but one or the other based on your gateway city. I’d say Tokyo has more variety, whilst Osaka serves as a convenient hub for the best places around the Kansai area: Kyoto, Nara & further afield towards Himeji (the castle) & Hiroshima (the atomic bomb related sights & Miyajima) Planned well & depending on your arrival & departure cities, you’d prob be able to manage on a single week JR pass for the longer journeys, supplemented by a regional pass (..and not just the JR options) for areas like Kansai region.

Brilliant. Thank you!

Please do some research on the radiation in Japan. I'm not sure the extent of it now but worth looking into.

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