I'll be visiting Japan for the first time and I only have 7 days. I want to spend a few days in Tokyo and Kyoto for sure. If I wanted to visit another city, where is a MUST SEE place to go? Because Tokyo is everything a big city offers while Kyoto is the more historical/cultural city, where else???
2007-03-12 22:09:57 · 10 answers · asked by KDK 1 in Travel ➔ Asia Pacific ➔ Japan
Great suggestions above but keep in mind 7 days ain't long and there's the travel time between Tokyo and Kyoto so forget anything that isn't one to two hours away from either place or an overnight bus away.
If you take the shinkansen, it will take about 2 to 3 hours to get to Kyoto from Tokyo. Overnight bus will depart at 11:00 pm in Tokyo and pull into Kyoto early the next morning. Won't be too comfortable but you'll save time.
The must-see spots around Kyoto and Tokyo for such a short trip would be:
Kamakura which is only an hour away from Tokyo. There some great temples, beach scenery, and an outdoor Diabutsu, Great Buddha:
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/7884/odawara3911xm.jpg
Nikko is two hours away. Has some great mountain scenery with towering cedars and ornate shrines:
http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/9674/toshogu1xm2.jpg
Around Kyoto, Nara, the first official permanent capital of Japan way back in the 8th Century. There's another big statue of Buddha and a huge temple surrounding him. There are persistent deer you can feed in the park.
http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/4218/p1010796vt2.jpg
http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/858/dscn0372th5.jpg
http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/7968/dscn0375qz0.jpg
If you go to all three that'll leave you about 4 days for Tokyo and Kyoto. I'd do Kamakura and Nara because they're closer to the two cities. Nikko though great and recommended would require 4 hours of roundtrip travel and possibly an overnight stay.
2007-03-13 04:39:31 · answer #1 · answered by samurai_dave 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Osaka, Nagoya, and Kumamoto have beautiful castles. Osaka's has been rebuilt and even has an elevator inside. My personal favorite is Kumamoto castle. It had never been overtaken and was the last bastion of old Japan. Kyushu is often overlooked to travelers, but they have hot springs, beautiful scenery and some of the oldest history and best pottery in the country.
Miyajima, near Hiroshima is a beautiful island that is very picture worthy.
those are just a couple of ideas
2007-03-14 02:21:49 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would recommend Fukuoka. There is a lot to see in the city. Their aquarium is great. If you can take in a baseball game at Yahoo! Dome, the dome is great to see. Shopping at Tenjin, and the huge shopping center called Canal City. You have to try Hakata Ramen also. Very unique ramen in Fukuoka. Then less than an hour away by local train is KitaKyushu, their natural history museum is wonderful, right next to space world if you are into amusement parks. Fukuoka is probably my favorite city in Japan.
Enjoy your trip.
2007-03-13 10:32:38 · answer #3 · answered by Looking for the truth... 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you should head over to osaka, its near kyoto (personally i'ld rather go there than tokyo)
maybe kamakura if your interested in more history and temples (buy some pigeon cookies if you do go)
hokkaido is nice if you get a chance but its a different island
yokohama area is fun but not necessarily a "must-see" if you're in a time crunch
fuji
2007-03-13 05:28:42 · answer #4 · answered by Emily 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Try Nikko...a few hours out of Tokyo...a bit rural with quite a bit of historical stuff.
2007-03-13 06:49:18 · answer #5 · answered by Jon H 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's for 7 days! Maybe Osaka if you can squeeze some time.
2007-03-13 15:51:00 · answer #6 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Okayama, Hiroshima, Matsumoto...well...EVERWHERE!
2007-03-13 05:13:07 · answer #7 · answered by Japan_is_home 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you can go to osaka. they have lots of nice things there that you will enjoy.
and since you are going to japan, you have to visit mt. fuji!!
2007-03-13 18:05:51 · answer #8 · answered by sellatieeat 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nikko, Kobe, Nara, Hakone... they're all great places! hiroshima too! :)
2007-03-13 10:46:18 · answer #9 · answered by polkadott 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Go to fuji! (FUJI-KOKO) it is an hour's drive from tokyo anyway!
2007-03-13 07:33:11 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋