Our tour in Japan (64) - Japonly

Our tour in Japan (64)

For our first trip to Japan, we decided to visit the main island: Honshu.
We will give you at the end some addresses and tips about other islands that we would like to explore next time.



7 nights in Tokyo (Hakone, Nikko)
2 nights Yudanaka
6 nights Kyoto (Ise, Nara)
3 nights at Miyajima (Hiroshima)
1 night in Narita


Our train journeys:

We have traveled exclusively by train with JR Pass and metro in the cities, there is absolutely no need to rent a car for the tour we did.



Tokyo (Shinjuku Station)-Nikko (Tobunikko) :2 h with LTDexp. Nikko

Tokyo (Shinjuku Station)-Hakone (Yumoto): 1 h30 with Odakyu LTD exp. Hakone train, then at Hakone station the Tozan railways to Gora (old steam train): 30 minutes drive spectacular! The open air museum is one stop before the terminus of Gora. Then 10 minutes with the funicular from Gora to Sounzan if you want to take the cable car to the lake (30min.) and from there a boat (1hr) with a magnificent view of Mount Fuji to return to Moto Hakone where you rejoin the Hakone station in 40 minutes by bus. If you want to avoid the cable, it is also possible to make the journey from Gora (you can visit "le petit prince" museum) to the lake by bus. I suggest to take the Hakone Pass which allows travel on trains, buses and boats in the region with one discount ticket. Come early in the morning if you want to enjoy the many things to see and do there.

Tokyo (Shinjuku Station)-Yudanaka: 2:50 with the JR Saikyo line to Omiya, Nagano Shinkansen Asama train to Nagano and then the electric railway to Yudanaka.

Yudanaka-Kyoto: 5:30 (including 1 hour stop in Nagano) Yudakana-Nagano with Nagano electric ltd exp. train / Nagano Nagoya-ltd with exp (wide vieuw) Shinano / Nagoya-Kyoto with Shinkansen Hikari .

Kyoto-Ise: (station or Ujiyamada Iseshi) 2h with Kintetsu ltd exp. train.

Kyoto-Nara: 45min-1h with either the JR Nara line or the local JR Nara line rapid service.

Kyoto-Arashimaya: 20 min by bus or train, there you can take the Torokko train old train that passes through a beautiful valley, 30 min ride to the terminus. If the weather is good down the river in a small boat (2h) to come back or return with the same train, the view is different!

Kyoto-Miyajima (Miyajimaguchi station): 2:15 to Hiroshima with Shinkansen Nozomi and then the JR Sanyo line to Miyajimaguchi.

Crossing boat to Miyajima: 15 minute crossing (including the JR Pass), departing every 15 minutes between 8am and 19:30 (then 1 per hour until 10:15 p.m.)

Miyajima-Hiroshima: many trains, 30 minute drive.

Osaka was at the program but unfortunately we had not time to get there. Numerous trains from Kyoto, the journey takes less than 30 minutes.

A few more days and we would have liked to see the dunes of Tottori desert too. The only one in Japan. 2 hours by train from Kyoto JR Tsuyama Line via JR and Imbi Line.

For those who want to complete their journey by the beach, after having considered several alternatives, we would have opted (if time permitted) to Shirahama beach on Izu Peninsula to 2:45 train from Tokyo with Tokkyuu Odoriko Shimeda to the station where the bus reached the beach in 10 minutes. A beautiful white sandy beach but beware the official bathing season is from mid-July to late August, although the climate from June to late September is ideal.

Ozuna Kaisuiyokujo or track on the eastern coast of the island of Shikoku in the city of Tokushima which lies 3:30 train from Kyoto, sea turtles come to lay their eggs between May and August.

And for garden lovers: the Korakuen, one of the three most famous promenade gardens in Japan is located in Okayama, 50 minutes by train from Hiroshima (1:15 Mijajima correspondence with Hiroshima). The station is 30 minutes walk or 5 minutes by tram line Higashiyama, the stop for the garden is Shiroshita.

And finally, for those who do not have time to go to Kyoto, Kamakura (also former capital), located 1 hour by train from Tokyo, is deemed to be a beautiful city of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines.

As promised some information about the other islands:

The three other major islands are:

Hokkaidō: the Northern Island to do in the winter with the snow!
Sapporo: the tower, the Nijo Market, Mount Moiwa the snow festival in early February.
And also Wakkanai (Japan Cup: sled dog race in February), Abashiri (winter sports, the lake, the park Shiretoko), Noboribetsu (winter onsen).

Kyushu: the South Island.
The sandy beaches of Amami-Oshima which has a subtropical climate with specific flora and fauna are the ideal alternative for those who have no time to go to southern Japan.
But also Kagoshima (Sakura-jima volcano, garden Sengan-in and Yakushima Island and its ancient trees), Nagasaki, Miyazaki, Fukuoka & Beppu.

Shikoku Island between Honshū and Kyūshū to
Kochi, its castle, the Sunday market (for 300 years), kanoe kayaking on the river Shimant.
And Matsuyama &Takamatsu.

And finally for those who want to see the most beautiful beaches of Japan, Emerald beach is situated in a lagoon on the western coast of the island of Okinawa.

Shinjuku
Un voyage au Japon (FR)