Hi Everyone. Traveling to Japan in May. So far, Tokyo, Kyoto & a train pass planned. Must sees? Great hikes? Best airbnb's? What/where made your trip most memorable? All advice welcome - thanks!

How much time do you have? First time I went 8 years ago(been 10 times since) we did Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Osaka in two weeks and seemed reasonable.

Darlene Whelan Lee. Thats exactly what we are doingbin 2 weeks.

Linda my suggestion would be Tokyo 5 full days Kyoto 4 full days(one being Nara, one Arashiyama and monkey mountain and train, gold and silver temple, even if templed out go to these quickly, they are close to each other by bus or cab) Hiroshima two fulls days(peace park and Miyajim) and Osaka 3 days. I think Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima are a must for those days and for any first time to Japan. There are other suggestions for other places as well as Osaka that are great as well like a day in and around Mt Fuji(you really only need a few hours here but most time is in the travel).
Can pre purchase skyline ticket from airport.
http://www.keisei.co.jp/.../skyliner/us/ae_outline/index.php
Tokyo look up theme restaurants Tokyo, my favourite is ghost restaurant. Loved bike tour and food tour. Tokyo Hands store and Loft in Shibuya. Take exit 8 out of Shibuya train.

what about Yokahama?

Linda lol was there last week! Good but Osaka is better. But still would be good choice.

Recommendations where to stay
.2 of us women travelling

Linda airbnb’s are very common and very safe. Tokyo I like Shibuya area. Kyoto make sure on bus line, Hiroshima we stayed at Ryokan but it was a futon and uncomfortable. If your staying in a hotel they are all good and clean, no need to spend too much. For breakfast we usually grab something from family mart or coffee house.

Thanks for your help

Have u done Monkey Mountain

Linda yes twice. It is quite a hike upwards. Make sure you have water. Well worth it!

Linda The Harbour area of Yokohama is a great place to stroll around.

So many great Kyoto temples/shrines. Pretty much all of them I saw were different and beautiful. Can't miss I'd say are Kiromizu-Deza, Ryoan-Ji (Zen temple), Golden Temple and Fushimi Inari shrines. Nijo Castle was pretty cool too. Would have liked to go to Nara as well but didn't have time.

I'm following this thread because I'm planning a trip for June/July.

You’re always planning something!

Amy, you know it!

Shyla Kang

If you are planning to visit Hiroshima and enjoy hiking I’d recommend nearby Miyajima Island. It’s a nice break from the busy cities. http://visit-miyajima-japan.com/en/

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Following. Going there in two weeks!!

Marina me too!

Kiyomizu temple in Kyoto is a must. The Higashiyama district below the temple is really interesting to walk through as well.

1 day trip to nara if possible!

I would recommend using the google maps to plan out your train trips. It gives you the cost of each leg in yen.
On our last trip with my family it worked out cheaper with out the rail pass.
It doesn’t work every where. We traveled from, Tokyo,Nagoya,Kyoto,Nara,and Osaka and back Shizuoka then Tokyo to leave.
So we did use the trains a lot.
airbnb was a great option in Kyoto.
Give yourself at least a couple of days there. Nara is a great day trip from there as well.

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Nara deer park

For sure the train pass is recommended to purchase before you travel did and I did it last year . The train pass was fantastic

Going to sumo wrestling and taking in a baseball game.

I highly recommend Koyasan and staying in one of the Ryokan Temple guest houses. I stayed at Sojiin. The area is magical and not busy at all. Byodoin in the town of Uji (just outside of Kyoto) is also pretty cool.. Also, if you're going to Kyoto and you want to capture the Fushimi Inari Taisha without crowds,(like you see on Insta ) you'll need to venture there for 7am and hike it early. By 9am the student and chinese tour buses arrive and any sense of serenity is obliterated.

Head off the beaten path in Kyoto for memorable food experiences. I ducked into a few alleys and had amazing meals. Check out airbnb experiences with locals, I did a photo shoot with one in Kyoto and it was the best part of my last trip. Grab an airbnb with bikes and cycle around the city especially the bamboo forest! Try a tea ceremony, sounds touristy but it was FASCINATING.

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One thing I wish I had known... get your international drivers license before you go... then you can do the Mario Kart tour in Tokyo. You dress up as characters and drive around the streets in little go carts. Totally wish I could have done this!

Bring an international license!

Universal Studio's Osaka, must see..

Trish Black Whitaker

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There's a short hike outside Kyoto up to Monkey Mountain. Real monkeys and a great view! Watch for geishas in Gion district. Definitely do the traditional tea service...so interesting. Enoshima Electric Railway (Enoden), Connects Kamakura and Fujisawa, Kanagawa. Lots of interesting little towns in between. Endoshima had great views and a nice beach. Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. Nagasaki.

Arashiyama bamboo grove is beautiful, we also toured a nice Japanese garden along that path. Leave early from Kyoto (like the earliest train there) for any hope of photos without tons of ppl in it. Fushimi Inari shrine we went later in the day and just hiked up to the very top to get pictures without other tourists in it, also a good view. We stayed in Shinjuku airbnb in Tokyo, noisy but central. Have some Bake cheese tarts! Kyoto airbnb we stayed just North of the train station, we really enjoyed Nishiki market. We were only supposed to spend a few hours there but decided to go back another day because we wanted more time to explore and eat.

Near Shinjuku station there is Tontake for delicious tonkatsu, and Coco Ichibanya for sashimi with ikura on rice, Menya Musashi has delicious tender beef ramen. I would visit all three if I went to Tokyo again.

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Generally speaking, you can't go wrong with any of these places. Tokyo for the modern craziness. Kyoto for the history. Osaka for ramen 3 times a day.
Be aware that there are new rules in Japan regarding airbnb that have reduced the number of units available by over 75% from when I was there last year.

Chris agreed...stick with Homeaway,vrbo etc. Our son lives in Osaka and recommends not staying at airbnbs.

The Tokyo government buildings in Shinjuku have observatory decks on the top floors where you can see the whole city and Mt Fuji on a clear day. And it's free to go up! Skytree is at least $20 or more. Only drawback is it's only open Mon to Fri.

One of the most magical nights for us was spending it on Miyajima near Hiroshima - there was something beautiful about walking near the lanterns of Itsukushima shrine when all the day trippers had gone home. I also loved Takayama and the beautiful old town, and Kanazawa with its fish market, gold leaf obsession and gorgeous garden Kenroku-en. Another place we visited was Matsuyama to eat mikan see Dogo Onsen, the oldest in Japan and supposed inspiration for Spirited Away. Also close to Tokyo, the Great Buddha of Kamakura at Kotoku-en and the lovely gardens in Hase-dera.

Sarah Kanazawa and Takayama are great suggestions, we enjoyed both cities too.

Ian it’s so easy to get to Kanazawa with the shinkansen from Tokyo!

Isumi, Japan is 1 hour outside of Tokyo. I have been meaning to visit this guesthouse for years, but haven't made it out yet. Jon is a chef and rents out multiple units on his beautiful property in the forest. There are optional private dining add-on available. Check out his few listings here:
https://www.airbnb.ca/users/show/19416793
Seems like a nice place to relax for a few days
The Enclave
https://www.facebook.com/enclaverestaurantjapan/

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Omg...have such an amazing time. I haven’t been for about five years (and only to Tokyo that time ) so I’m probably out of date and don’t have much to add that hasn’t already been said!

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Love staying at Kimi Ryoken in Tokyo when visiting there. It includes big, comfy robes and access to their (very) hot bath. Lots to see it nearby. About 20 minute train ride from downtown Tokyo http://kimiryokan.jp/en/

Christine Huang

I'm going in April. I'm going to be watching these recommendations.

Nikko, Kamakura, Kyoto, etc. I got the last of the cherry blossoms in Sapporo in May 2012.

https://www.yelp.ca/collection/l5YbvpjHD4Gp3ARam9a5lw...

Here is a list of 50 amazing and very reasonably priced restaurants in Tokyo. You can look at the list by “distance from me” which works great while you’re there..

excellent!

I’m heading back again in March. This will be #6 for me.
There are so many things to do and see in Japan, you’ll never do it all in one trip. Japan is deceptively large for an island.
I suggest deciding on 5 must see things and 5 if you have time things for each city.
Koyasan is an amazing place, something I would make time for.
I have been using this app since my first trip. Never failed me yet and give lots of other suggestions.

Thanks Rob . I'm taking all your advice!

No worries.
It’s an amazing country. I’m sure you’ll have a great time.
Probably one of my favourite places is Kanazawa. It’s just recently had the Shinkansen line added, so you’re about 3 hours from Tokyo. When I took my sister to Japan with me two years ago, she said Kanazawa is a place that she would gladly move to if she could.

Rob Funny, I thought Kanazawa was the one Japanese city I would chose to live in too!

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I went this past October and one of my most memorable days was a half-day tea tour at Obubu Tea Farms https://obubutea.com/guided-tea-tour/ Getting there on public transit was a bit of an adventure in itself, but it was well worth the effort to check out the lush hillside tea fields up close. I also loved renting a bike and riding on the Shimanami Kaido!

There are a couple of decent FB pages that you can follow:
Live Japan & Matcha
They have advice on areas and timing. Also some coupons.

You can pick up this book at the airport. Great reference for Tokyo. It has suggested train routes to optimize sightseeing in Tokyo

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Hiroshima

Himeji and Himeji Castle

Mike don’t forget about Miyajima and the floating Tori gate.

Mike Yes, I’d say Himeji Castle is the best.

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Nara City-

Onyado Nono Nara hot springs hotel. Walk out of the train station, mid square is tourist info where a volunteer English speaking gives great advice, across the street is the hotel- full breakfast , coffee all day, noodles on the evening included, no shoes allowed, beautiful hot springs in the hotel, massage bed for $4, beer / pop from machines for $2. Go straight up the hill to a full day of amazing sights- buy crackers fir the deer- they will bow to you if you hold the cracker high. 1250 wild deer wandering through the park, for 1000 years.

Ueno zoo, Ueno market, Sky tree - amazing views and high speed elevators, Ginza, Hakone in Kanagawa prefecture for the traditional onsen experience and black sulphur eggs

Tokyo’s metro system is a complicated tangle so be sure you download one of the free apps for trip planning.

It sounds odd, but it’s exceptionally well done - the “Dutch City” of Huis ten Bosch near Nagasaki. But only if you have the time. http://english.huistenbosch.co.jp/

Go to Hakone and stay in a ryokan. Don’t miss the Onsen experience. Also make sure you try karaoke- it can be quite fun and inexpensive if you go late. All the snacks and drinks you like.

Follo

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Silverball Planet, Osaka, Samurai Museum Tokyo

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Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park was my best experience in Japan last year. Also flying to Naha in Okinawa and taking day trip ferries to the Kerama Islands was so beautiful and a welcome escape from crowds