Getting on the internet has been harder than expected in Kyushu, and I have finally managed to get good internet access in the most unlikely of places - Yakushima!
I will try to get my trip up as soon as possible. In the meantime here is a snapshot.
Yakushima Island
Senpiro Falls
Takefue in Kurokawa Onsen
Shiratani Unsuikyo Ravine
Takefue in Kurokawa
Takachiho Gorge, with water looking not so inviting as usual. There had been heavy rain for days.
Hi, I have been reading through your posts about your adventures in Japan. It looks wonderful. I am planning a 3 week trip in November this year and just wondered what your itinerary looked like for you October 09 tirp. Did you find it easy driving through the countryside around Takayama? If you could pick 2 top places Ryokan to stay in anywhere in Japan what would they be? Sarah
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah! Thanks for your comment it means alot that people are reading this and enjoying it!
ReplyDeleteI am assuming that you also sent me the message on Tripadvisor? Three weeks is a lovely long travel time - but you will also find that in Japan it will not seem like enough! There is NEVER enough time to fit in all the amazing places they have. So you will need to really pick the places you really really want to go to and maybe sacrifice a few locations that will take longer to get to..
My October trip was below - however this was only a short trip (10 days) and I was unable to fit Kyushu into a 10 day itinerary so I revisited one of my favourite areas around Takayama;
1 - Tokyo (keio plaza)
2 - Tokyo (keio plaza)
3 - Tokyo (keio plaza)
4 - Takayama (sumiyoshi ryokan)
5 - Takayama (sumiyoshi ryokan)
6 - Shirakawago (koemon gassho)
7 - Okuhida Onsen (yumoto choza)
8 - Okuhida Onsen (yarimikan ryokan)
9 - Tokyo (keio plaza)
10 - Tokyo (keio plaza)
For your three week trip I would recommend a few days in Tokyo (perhaps at the end so you can go shopping), Takayama, Shirakawago, Kyoto, Nara, Koyasan, Nikko plus anything else that you would love to see.
Then there is always Osaka and Hiroshima - Hiroshima is awesome but also further to travel to, Osaka is a great city & has excellent food but not essential as a tourist destination. I wouldn't recommend fitting Kyushu into your first three week trip as it would take three weeks to see Kyushu properly itself.
My favourite Ryokan - hard question!!! I LOVED Honke Bankyu Bankyu Ryokan in Yunishigawa (past Nikko and takes a bit of effort to get to) for its authenticity and remoteness. Nestled in a tiny village by a river with a vine bridge and 300 year old building - amazing. Hakone Ginyu was incredible but the bill is also incredible... tell me more about what you want from your Ryokan stay - romance? luxury? remote? city? history? food?
Also I saw you asking about driving in Takayama - super easy! You will be fine as they drive on the same side of the roads and if you stay to that region the driving is extremely easy, not much traffic and the GPS is helpful.
Wow thank you so much for your reply! It is great to be able to ask someone like you lots of questions = )
ReplyDeleteHmm out of my Roykan experience I would like first authenticity, then amazing food coupled with a beautiful remote location. Honke Bankyu Bankyu Ryokan in Yunishigawa looks amazing, do you have a room recommendation? The old wing looks like a winner. I am thinking maybe I should splurge on the room with the private bath.
I am planning the trip as a surprise for my boyfriend for our anniversary, we both love Japanese food and are fascinated by the history and culture. It is really hard planning it by myself though and especially secretly - I think he suspects we are going on a prepackaged island holiday!
I have booked four nights in Tokyo at the beginning of our trip and four nights at the end in Kyoto (we fly out from Osaka) but I keep changing my mind on what to do in-between. I would love to go to Koya-san - did you stay in a temple there? I am having trouble picking a great temple.
On the list to visit is also Nikko, Takayama, Kanazawa, the Kiso Valley and maybe Hiroshima but even visiting those I still seem to have a few days unallocated...I would like to try Kobe beef so I may add Kobe to the mix. Any must sees in your book other an those places around central Honshu?
Thank you so much for your help!
Sarah
Honke Bankyu is amazing! It does take about 4 hours to get there though, so be prepared - Nikko is on the way so you can go there the day before/after. Definitely go for the main building - the other building is a new addition and will lack the atmosphere. I specifically went for the suite rooms in the main building (without bath) as they have heaps of character and really beautiful wooden beam ceilings etc. The rooms with bath also look lovely (and huge!!) but not really necessary at Honke Bankyu as you can reserve a private bath by the river, and the public baths are also really nice. I stayed there twice and loved the room in the main wing, right on the corner so it overlooks the river & red bridge.
ReplyDeleteIf you feel like some splurging make sure you do eat some kobe beef or any premium japanese beef really! We went to Kobe this June and although the beef was delicious my favourite beef meal in Japan was at Shinjuku Mon Cher Ton Ton in Tokyo http://www.seryna.co.jp/en/restaurants/shinjuku_moncher/index.html
If you like sushi make sure you go to Tsukiji Market and eat some sushi from the nearby restaurants, freshest sushi you will ever eat!
For extra places to visit - I haven't been but Kamakura looks amazing and not far from Tokyo. Shikoku is beautiful and remote & if you can make it to Iya Valley (more driving needed) there is water rafting, hot springs, valleys, stunning rivers, and the people are super friendly. I went in winter and it was still stunning, cant imagine how nice it will look in autumn! http://p0nderosa.blogspot.com/search/label/Shikoku
I am happy to help! If you have any more questions please ask :)
Also - are you using a rail pass, and how many days did you have free?
ReplyDeleteGreat info thank you! I am definitely going to Shinjuku Mon Cher Ton Ton in Tokyo after reading your post it looks fantastic. I have about 4 days spare in my current itinerary.
ReplyDeleteI will read up on the Iya valley as that could be an option!
We will have a 14 day rail pass I will activate after Nikko on day 6 or 7.
Thanks for all ur help!!
Sarah
Also how did u book with yumoto chuoza and yarimikan ryokan?? I can't find email addresses for either.
ReplyDeleteFor Yumoto you can email info@cyouza.com & GSP24022@nifty.com
ReplyDeleteFor Yarimikan it was a bit more difficult! You will have to send a fax to them, however they seem to respond quite quickly. The fax number is 0578-89-2309 and you will have to add your country code onto the front of that. They faxed me back with a confirmation request and pages and pages of english information and maps which was lovely!
Hi Pondearosa,
ReplyDeleteI did a search on Honke Bankyu after reading this blog and it looks very interesting, so I'm going to see if we can fit this into our itinerary.
By the way, I messaged you on tripadvisor about Takefue onsen in Kurokawa and you said the prices have increased. So after I checked the current rate of the room you stayed in before "Kokyu-an", I was stunned at how they can increase from 66,000 yen to 94,000 yen for two people per night in less than a year. Hence, I e-mailed them and mentioned that someone on tripadvisor stayed at Takefue onsen in June 2011 and I asked them to let me know why there has been such a BIG increase in less than a year. They came back and said that they had a renovation in September 2011. I don't know whether to believe it or not as from September should be a busy period for onsens being cooler in weather. They would have had to have a massive renovation to put the price onto guests by AUD330 per night. Now that the price is approx $1,130 per night as opposed $800. Do you think it's still worth while paying that much from your experience?