Planning for Japan

With the structure of the trip sorted, and the long haul flights booked, I was ready to move on to detailed planning. While I’ve done a few trips where I mostly made things up as I went along (in Asia – I always book ahead for Europe), I tend to the “more planning” end of the wing-it – plan-every-meal continuum.  I figure I get to enjoy the trip three times – planning, traveling, and sorting through the photos.

I started with Japan, and after reading several guidebooks, and chatting with some helpful people on the Fodors’ forum, I came up with this:

Sep 20 -21: Tokyo – I’ll arrive at Narita at 14:35, with jet lag, so I figure I’ll be up early enough next morning  to get to Tsukiji fish market for the auction. I’ll be in town for one of the  Sumo tournaments, so although wrestling is hardly my thing, I’m thinking of getting tickets.

Sumo Wrestler Roho (left) versus Miyabiyama in Tokyo, 2007: by Eckhard Pecher (Arcimboldo): Creative Commons

Sep 22: Hakone – I haven’t decided whether to do this as a day trip, or overnight – I might make this my one splurge in a ryokan. The next day is a holiday, so lots of people are likely to be visiting the Hakone area.

Sep 23-26: Kyoto – I’m pretty sure I’m going to be a Kyoto person rather than a Tokyo person. I may wind up staying in Osaka and day tripping to Kyoto, depending on hotel prices. I’ll include a day trip to Nara, Japan’s first permanent capital and now home to major Buddhist temples and a lot of hungry deer.

Street in Gion, Kyoto by Andreas Tack: Creative Commons

Sep 27: Koya-San – this will be my temple night. This forested upland south of Kyoto has been a religious center since Kobo Daishi, the founder of Shingon Buddhism, was buried there in 816 C.E. Although the number of temples, and the power of their monks, has waxed and waned over the years, there are currently over 100 temples, and a huge, historic cemetery. I plan to stay in one of the temples, eating vegetarian food and getting up early for morning prayers.

Sep 28-30: Shikoku – I’m veering a little off the main tourist trail and taking a ferry to Tokushima where I plan see the Naruto whirlpools. Then I’ll move on to Takamatsu for Ritsurin Garden and either the sacred mountain at Kotohira or Yashima-ji, number 84 of the 88 temples that form Shikoku’s pilgrimage circuit.

Matsue Castle by Bernard Gagnon - Creative Commons license

Oct 1-2: Then I’ll take the train to Matsue on the north coast of Honshu, which sounds like a great place to rest up and eat some seafood. This will also be my castle visit – Matsue’s dates from 1611, and, unlike many Japanese castles, hasn’t been destroyed and rebuilt.

Oct 3-5: Kanazawa – it takes a long day on three trains to get to Kanazawa but I think its samurai and geisha districts, its Kenroku and Gyokusen gardens, and its crafts will be worth it.

Farmhouse, Ogimachi by Bernard Gagnon: Creative Commons

Oct 6-7: – Japan Alps. I may get lucky and arrive in the mountains during the autumn color period. Even if I don’t, I’m looking forward to seeing the thatched farmhouses (gassho-zukuri) in Ogimachi and staying in Takayama. I’ll take a bus through the mountains to Matsumoto and maybe I’ll stop off on the way and stay in a ryokan in Kamikochi and enjoy the onsen.

Oct 8-9: – Back to Tokyo. After a discussion on Fodors, I’ve decided to day trip to Nikko rather than Kamakura. I fly out of Haneda airport on the 10th.

I still have to figure out where to stay…