Trip

[telophase]

We've decided on our next trip, although not when it will be. We're going to Japan! When? Well, either one year from now or two years from now, depending on money, employment, and other factors. Why are we traveling in winter?

Mostly because if Toby's still at his current job in 1 or 2 years, his vacation does NOT roll over like mine does. So traveling over the New Year break means he can take vacation days from two different years and we can get up to 3 weeks available for traveling with him still having a few days off during the rest of the year for visiting friends and family and whatnot.

Partly it's because I am SO NOT going to Japan in the summer again, as the heat and humidity were MISERABLE. I'd like to go in the fall, but I'd like more to have a longer time to travel, so I'll happily go in winter.

I did live in South Dakota for a year. I can handle snowstorms, and we're not planning on traveling in out-of-the-way areas anyway.

Anyway. Now I get to embark on almost the best part of traveling: dreaming and planning what to do!* And budgeting it out.

So...what sort of stuff do you recommend in Japan? We don't have ANY plans yet except for staying in Tokyo at least a few days. If we go to Kyoto I am OF COURSE showing Toby the mysterious fox shrine (read the entries chronologically from the bottom for maximum impact). We would probably stick to Tokyo-and-south-and-west, to get away from the worst of the snow--I hear it mostly gets dumped on the east side of the mountains--but OTOH, there's appeal in going north to Hokkaido and going wildlife-spotting.

The possibilities are open!

Also, recs for hotels, especially in Tokyo. Last time I went, rachelmanija and I stayed at the cheapest hotel in Tokyo, which was fine at the time but now I'd rather have our own bathroom instead of sharing.


*Note to anyone who's about to get busybody and tell me that I shouldn't plan too much: I know what I like. And what I like is coming up with a bunch of possibilities so that each day at the destination, we can pick and choose what we want to do, and months of dreaming and mulling over them. Sorry** for being bitchy about this, but one of the things I truly hate is people telling me I'm vacationing all wrong. (I also like hiring private guides for a couple of days! They always take you to stuff you'd never find on your own or with a guidebook! It's like hiring a local friend, only you don't have to keep in touch with them afterwards!)

** Not really.

Comments

[movingfinger]

Plate o' shrimp! A friend just asked if I wanted to go over Christmas.

About the only advice I'd give anyone is to get either a pocket wifi hotspot or a local phone with data so you can check stuff as you go, which allows for more flexibility on trains. And of course maps are useful!!

[telophase]

Toby's all excited that the iPhone 5s we have don't require jailbreaking for international travel anymore--we can just swap out SIM cards. He's talking about getting a data plan for one and setting it up as a hotspot to run the other phone and the iPads through.

It drove him nuts that we couldn't call up maps when we were in the UK. IT WAS LIKE WE WERE BACK IN THE 20TH CENTURY IT WAS TERRIBLE

(I tried to introduce him to the concept of handheld maps, but it didn't take.)

[movingfinger]

That will be great! You'll have All Your Stuff with you.

[lnhammer]

Kyoto south-and-west sounds like a good idea. That takes in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, for ex. There's a lot of interesting places in Kyushu, including historical stuff in-and-around Nagasaki from before the War, plus Kagoshima has excellent volcano watching -- and is the warmest part of mainland Japan. You could do far worse than putter down the the south coast of Kyushu between Nagasaki and there.

---L.

[telophase]

Ooh, volcanoes might be interesting!

YAAAAAY JAPAN!

[jinian]

If it's winter, you have to go to Jigokudani! It's not a short trip from Tokyo, but the snow monkeys in the snow are magical. You can get right up to them and take National-Geographic-worthy photos. I stayed in Korakukan Jigokudani, which is a bit of a hike and not cheap, but being five minutes from the monkey park meant the monkeys joined us in our own hot spring in the mornings and we saw them all the time, which was really fun. The snow drifting through the vents in the wooden indoor bath was beautiful, too. Not a lot else open in the town below anyway, no reason to stay down there. :) Though we did go to a rather nice gallery and an udon restaurant.

The Kyoto Museum of Traditional Crafts is incredible too. Every kind of making is in there with unusually good explanations, some artisans are always working (though they're not English speakers generally, you can watch), and you can do surigata-yuzen (dyeing with stencils) on t-shirts or handkerchiefs or place mats for a fee.

To go to the Studio Ghibli Museum you have to get reservations while still in the US, so that's one case where you should absolutely plan ahead. It is the most amazing place. I feel like you must surely have gone when you were in Japan before, but just in case!

Re: YAAAAAY JAPAN!

[telophase]

Snow monkeys! In the snow! XD And I like crafts, too, so hmmm...

[green_knight]

(In 2007, things may have changed) I found that Railway hotels - the ones near stations catering to business travellers - were cheap and cheerful and usually perfectly adequate (bed, bathroom, desk, TV, and nothing else).

I have no idea what opens in winter (here, so many attractions close or are only open on weekends); and I have twice over no idea whether Japanese hotels have adequate heating. (Shades of Spain or Italy - nice and hot during summer, utter misery during winter in buildings not built for cold.)

Overall I found that there were so many interesting things to see that I had absolutely no troubles finding interestingness wherever I went. Which is not much help in planning. (Lonely Planet is your friend.)

[telophase]

Awesome, thanks! While I like charming hotels and B&Bs in the UK, I seem to not mind cheap and cheerful when it comes to Japan. Perhaps if I go several more times, I'll start looking for charm rather than adequacy.

[affreca]

I lived in the Tokyo area for two winters, and they're mild compared to winter SoDak. They're mild compared to winter in Kansas. The biggest concern I have is that the shrines will be packed on New Year's, so plan accordingly if you are at all introverted.

My main suggestion is take a day trip to Nara. Especially if it snows. There's a nice loop from the station, including temples, shrines, tame deer and alleys of neat shops (and score if you find the awesome used kimono shop, I still think I should have bought more there).

We also took the Biwako line north from Kyoto, and stopped at Hikone castle. It is a nice way to see a bit of countryside and you can get back on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen at the next stop.

[telophase]

Cool, thanks. WE shall avoid shrines on New Year's. Nara may be a possibility--I've heard about the deer that gang up and mug you. XD

[movingfinger]

Nara is very beautiful, and I too strongly recommend it.

[nojay.livejournal.com]

Hiroshima is close to Okayama, Kobe, Osaka and Kyoto/Nara, all interesting cities to visit for a day or two. My own favourite Japanese small town, Onomichi is between Hiroshima and Okayama -- it has lots of blue-collar temples and shrines, not the polished World Heritage sort you find in snobby Kyoto and Nara, and a distinct lack of non-Japanese tourists as it's somewhat off the guide-book radar.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Onomichi

If you plan to travel around a lot, a JR pass is your best bet. There are "zone" passes if you only want to stay in a certain area like between Tokyo and Hiroshima and not travel outside that range.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

(Why on earth LJ thinks this is a suspicious comment, I have no idea.)

Thank you! I like the idea of non-polished shrined and temples--one of the best memories of my previous and only trip to Japan was accidentally coming across a small neighborhood shrine.

[scorpionocean.livejournal.com]

Hi Telophase. I was in Japan a couple months ago. Check out airbnb.com where people who actually live there rent out actual apartments. So far I've stayed in an apartment in Shibuya, and in Shinjuku. It's nice to have apartments. Feels more real and less touristy. Both times we went to Japan our hosts have been awesome and some will provide a pocket wifi that is a MUST. Have fun with your planning!

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Cool, thanks! :D

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

Apparently there are an obscene number of foliage tourists in Japan in fall. My ex met a poor (as in 'unfortunate') Japanese couple who went to escape their 'leaf peeping' season and ran right into ours in New England.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Heee! I guess people are getting tired of the crowds at cherry-blossom season and are now crowding up foliage season to get away from it!

Best part about traveling in the dead of winter: cheaper prices, I expect!

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

Apparently the most beautiful foliage in the world is in Japan and New England, so. :D

It'll be all romantic. And with Toby's vacation being the way it is, it totally makes sense to travel then.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

If our hotels have inadequate heating, we can snuggle!