No matter where you go in the world you are restricted to where you can arrive & depart from due to flight schedules, border crossings, geography, popularity of location and accessibility of airports to name a few This often creates a ‘golden route’. When traveling to Japan from North America, this is a major consideration for trip planning, and guests are most often going to arrive and depart from Tokyo or Osaka. For your first time to Japan, you must visit Tokyo & Kyoto with Osaka & Hakone being next on the list. If visiting Japan a second time, you will be visiting Tokyo or Osaka again due to international flight schedules, but the options for where to go in between are extensive. For those who have a bit more time on their first trip or are on a return trip, let’s look at some other options that deserve your attention.
Kumano & Kii Peninsula
Located in the mountainous Kii peninsula south of Osaka, Kumano is a sacred region home to remote hot springs, pilgrimage walking routes, a rich cultural & natural heritage and unique immersive experiences. Now called the Kumano kodo, these pilgrimage routes in the region were once walked by aristocrats and retired emperors. In 2004, three sacred sites in the region and the pilgrimage trails connecting them were designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Walk along these pilgrimage routes in search of panoramic viewpoints, beautiful mountain trails and local villages. To visit Tokyo, Kyoto & Kumano would certainly be a fulfilling tour of Japan. Big city with the ever present neon lights, the temples, shrines & geisha of Kyoto, and a traditional & scenic outdoor adventure in Kumano. Another notable mention of the region in addition to the Kumano kodo, is a stay on Koyasan (Mount Koya). Koyasan’s complex of temples and pagodas are among the most popular in the country for an authentic temple-stay.
Shirakawa-go & Gokayama
Although Tokyo is a must, you will want to see the ‘real’ Japan. The other real Japan. You know, the traditional wooden homes with sliding shoji doors, the swaying lanterns hanging from storefronts, the countryside scenery we’ve become familiar with through cinema; you know, that Japan. Both named UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Shirakawa-go & Gokayama regions are understandably popular among foreign tourists, notably for the village feel walking among the traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses. These are the homes you’ve likely seen in photos. The same photos that are likely pushing you to visit Japan. The thatched roofs are constructed to resemble a Buddhist monk’s ‘hands of prayer’ and more practically not to collapse under the heavy layers of snow that fall every winter. A walk through the villages combined with visits to Takayama & Kanazawa can easily be added to your tour with easy accessibility from Tokyo via Nagoya.
Snow Monkeys
Everyone has seen images or video of snow capped monkey’s steaming in an outdoor bath during the dead of winter. Many ask where this is, and most conclude that it must be far from human contact. These monkeys are Japanese Macaque’s and most often are seen bathing in a hot spring in the Jigokudani Valley in Nagano Japan. This can be seen with your own eyes, relatively easily. Monkeys can be seen year round in the region, and with some convincing they will even enter the hot spring in the summer months, but the best time to visit, due to the abundance of snow, is from December to March, with January & February being the best. Take the train from Tokyo to Nagano (1.5hrs) and the train from Nagano to Yamanouchi & Yudanaka Station (approx. 1 hr) and then a short bus ride and walk up to the hot spring. Many tours can also be pre-booked including a one day tour from Tokyo. Talk about accessible.
