Hi guys!
My boyfriend and I are going to Japan in April for two weeks and would LOVE all your ideas! We don't want to do all the typical touristy things and are really looking to experience the culture. We haven't figured out where we are going to go within Japan or anything! We are super open to any suggestions!!
Thank you!!!

The official Japan travel website does a wonderful job of splitting up your travel by interests and has excellent planning tools. Suggest you try that first http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e623.htmlI I was in Japan for two weeks last April. Landed in Tokyo and departed from Osaka. Stops in Hiroshima, Kyoto and Myajima plus surrounding areas. Two weeks is good.
JAPAN-GUIDE.COM
japan-guide.com - site map

First two weeks of April are golden weeks. Very busy everywhere.
Get the 2 week JR pass for sure (paying for trains when you are there is probably the biggest cost without the JR pass).

Golden week is at the end of April!

When I was there in April we went to Naoshima (an art Island near Takamatsu) total highlight

Ohh! That sounds right up our alley! Thank you!

Did you stay on the island?

Naoshima is incredible! We stayed in Uno Port, which is just a 20m ferry ride away.

We stayed at an airbnb in takamatsu. By the time we decided to go everything on the island was fully booked. We took the ferry over and rented electric bikes. So fun!

Loved Japan - went to Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Mt Koyasan and Okinawa back in 2014 with my hubby. If u go to Osaka, make your way to Mount Koyasan for a night to experience a traditional stay. Here's a blog post I've written about my experience: http://www.desiglobetrotter.com/japan-travel-part-two.../
DESIGLOBETROTTER.COM
Japan Travel Part Two: Koyasan – Spending the Night in an 800 Year Old Buddhist Temple

My partner and I are going to Japan in April too! We have booked air bnbs in Hiroshima, kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo. Plan is to take the train down to Hiroshima and make our way back up to Tokyo.

Following

Kyoto is really beautiful. I would say go for tea at a local ryokan (traditional Japanese Inn). I also highly recommend the experience at a local baths. The one I went to (the name Of which I sadly do not remember!) had pools with of different temperatures some with floating fruit or flowers, and even ones outside built into the base of a mountain. I did not see any tourists there

Traditional culture or modern culture?

following - great tips -thanks...

You will do all the touristy things. Trust me.

Following

One of the great things about Japan is that the "tourist sites" are not all that touristy, they are mostly subtle and modest and you will see more Japanese tourists than foreigners. The massive souvenir stalls and annoying hawkers are virtually non-existent with perhaps more tasteful stands. It depends on what you like - technology, food, history, health and wellness, karaoke, weird Japanese-onlu quirks like Manga. first decide what u like then plan around that.

That was the most refreshing part of Japan. I had no problems walking into any stall/store, being greeted and left alone to browse. We walked around a quiet part of Kyoto and found tons of shrines, temples, and gardens hidden among residential houses!

Nicola Przeczek

Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima a must, Kyoto.
So much to experience, see and do. Try to eat sometimes from small outdoor street restaurants, awesome!

Go check out himeji castle and take the English tour. They will let you in on the secrets of this castle built for war but never attacked. After my visit, I now want to visit other UNESCO sites.

My Aunt took us to Gujo Haichiman (about 3 hours outside of Kyoto by bus), which was a gorgeous quiet town with a river running through it! There we went to Sample Village Iwasaki where they make the wax foods you see on display all over Japan and made our own nigiri sushi. One of the ladies was so kind, she actually took us in the company van to the local castle and dropped us off near the center of town. There we ate at a burger place where I saw YouTube stars Rachel & Jun (check out their Japan YouTube travel videos!). Amazing, unforgettable place. I would also suggest staying a night in Miyajima. We stayed at the Miyajima Guest House Mikuniya and it was perfect. At night the ferry stops running so its just a handful of locals, tourists, and sleeping deer. So peaceful, so quiet but not unsettling. My sister and I hiked up Mt. Misen just like
departures and that was well worth the view!

You know about the JR Rail pass right? You must purchase in advance. It's so worth the money!!!

Download Japanese for Google Translate and make use of the JR Rail pass! We used it to go to Kyoto and Amanohashidate (one of the "3 great views of Japan" if you're interested). The trains can get tricky so Google Translate is a life saver in rural areas.

Following for Tokyo tips

Also you want an experience? Go to a baseball game! Caught a Giants game in Tokyo and it was electric. The chants and synchronized dances, the beer girls running up stairs with giant backpacks, the bento boxes. Well worth the $20 we paid!

That sounds so fun! Thank you!

Definitely Gion in Kyoto

Gion in Kyoto is truly amazing, however I don't think they are going at that time. My advice is to NOT go to big cities. Kyoto is not too big. But only spend a short time there. You can bicycle around Kyoto. It's great. Then get way off the beaten path by going to any one of the hundreds of smaller islands all around the main islands. Any island. Then hunker down and enjoy anything local. Onsens ( baths) are always amazing everywhere in Japan. Where ever you are, go for a walk and find a tiny little bar. Go in there, have what others are having.

Following going in April as well!

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I went in mid April and did the Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Miyajima, Hiroshima (and surrounding areas) for two weeks. Let me know if you have questions!

Ohh! We are spending 5 days in Tokyo, 3 in naoshima, and 5 in Kyoto!! What were your favourite things to do in Tokyo and Kyoto? Thanks

Do a few day trips from Kyoto (Nara, Hiroshima, Himeji Castle for cherry blossom viewing, etc). You can cover most of Kyoto's highlights in 3 days. Make sure to do the Fushimi Inari hike - it's well worth it and breathtaking the whole way up.

Yeah we stayed 7 days in Kyoto and it was way too long. Ran into a lot of tour buses so duck them when you can. I really liked the Arashiyama area even though the main areas can be really busy. Nara was OK, one of the more forgettable areas of the trip for me so don't bank too much time. We went to Ryoan-ji and that was a beautiful temple to walk around with the rock garden as the main feature. We also did Nanzen-ji and that whole area is beautiful.

If you go early April, we also did the Philosopher's Walk and saw the last of the cherry blossom's. It's supposed to be one of the most spectacular walks when the blossoms are out! As for Tokyo, I just wished I spent more time in the city. 3 days wasn't enough to walk around and soak in all the districts (we did the national museum, baseball game, Akihabara, the palace, senso-ji, and Sengaku-ji (the resting place of the 47 Ronin).

What is the best spot to see Mt Fuji with overnight stay? Not planning to rent a car, but it doesn't seem like we can get there by public transport

Did you check Kawaguchiko area? There are many traditional ryokan and some hotels and many of them offer mt fuji view! There are bus from Tokyo station to Kawaguchiko eki aroun 1800yen! Good luck

Hakone is a great place to visit and see Fuji-san!

Few things to know if you're planning an onsen visit (tradition bath houses):
1. It's a full monty sort of experience.
2. Wash yourself thoroughly (even down there) before entering. It's shared water so it's considered common courtesy.
3. Cover your tattoos!! This is a big one. There's still quite the taboo against tattoos due to its association with Yakuza traditions so be respectful and cover them up with flesh coloured sleeves or some kind of waterproof band-aid (which is what I did, works well!)
Hope that's helpful!

Do you have any co-ed/private ones you'd suggest Angela? I'd like to go with my girlfriend and she'll only go if I'm there

I'm sorry, I went to a ryuken (tradition all inclusive place) out in the countryside. Annie, perhaps you know?

Sara Wong