Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [7]
SEPTEMBER
KISHIWADA DANJIRI MATSURI 14 & 15 Sep
This is one of Japan’s most dangerous festivals. Huge danjiri (festival floats) are pulled through the narrow streets of this town south of Osaka (Click here). Much alcohol is consumed and occasionally the danjiri go off course and crash into houses.
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OCTOBER
KURAMA-NO-HI MATSURI 22 Oct
Huge flaming torches are carried through the streets of the tiny hamlet of Kurama in the mountains north of Kyoto. This is one of Japan’s more primeval festivals.
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NOVEMBER
SHICHI-GO-SAN (7-5-3 FESTIVAL) 15 Nov
This is a festival in honour of girls who are aged three and seven and boys who are aged five. Children are dressed in their finest clothes and taken to shrines or temples, where prayers are offered for good fortune.
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DECEMBER
BŌNEN-KAI mid-late Dec
Literally ‘forget the year’ celebrations, these are some of the more festive parties in Japan. They’re held by companies, families and anyone who can scrape together enough money for a meal and a couple of drinks to celebrate the end of another successful year.
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Itineraries
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CLASSIC ROUTES
SKYSCRAPERS TO TEMPLES
CAPITAL SIGHTS & SOUTHERN HOT SPRINGS
NORTH BY NORTHEAST THROUGH HONSHŪ
ROADS LESS TRAVELLED
ISLAND HOPPING THROUGH THE SOUTHWEST ISLANDS
THE WILDS OF HOKKAIDŌ
KANSAI IN DEPTH
TAILORED TRIPS
FOOD-LOVER’S PARADISE
TRADITIONAL CULTURE
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CLASSIC ROUTES
SKYSCRAPERS TO TEMPLES
One to Two Weeks / Tokyo to Kyoto
This route involves only one major train journey: the three-hour shinkansen trip between Tokyo and Kyoto (the Kyoto–Nara trip takes less than an hour by express train, and the side trip to Takayama adds about five hours of travel time).
The Tokyo–Kyoto route is the classic Japan route and the best way to get a quick taste of the country. For first-time visitors with only a week or so to look around, a few days in Tokyo sampling the modern Japanese experience and four or five days in the Kansai region exploring the historical sites of Kyoto is the way to go.
In Tokyo, we recommend that you concentrate on the modern side of things, hitting such attractions as Shinjuku, Akihabara and Shibuya. Kyoto is the place to see traditional Japan, and we recommend such classic attractions as Nanzen-ji and Arashiyama’s famous Bamboo Grove. If you’ve got a little more time, consider a side trip down to Nara, which has some of Japan’s most impressive sights.
The journey between Tokyo and Kyoto is best done by shinkansen (bullet train; Click here). For a break from cities, we recommend a side trip to Takayama, which can be done on the way to or from Kyoto.
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CAPITAL SIGHTS & SOUTHERN HOT SPRINGS
Two Weeks to One Month / Tokyo to the Southwest
This route involves around 25 hours of train travel and allows you to sample the metropolis of Tokyo, the cultural attractions of Kansai (Kyoto and Nara), and the varied attractions of Kyūshū and Western Honshū.
Travellers with more time to spend in Japan often hang out in Tokyo and Kyoto and then head west across the island of Honshū and down to the southern island of Kyūshū. The advantage of this route is that it can be done even in mid winter, whereas Hokkaidō and Northern Honshū are in the grip of winter from November to March.
Assuming you fly into Tokyo, spend a few days exploring the city before heading off to the Kansai area, notably Kyoto and Nara. A good side trip en route is Takayama, which can be reached from Nagoya.
From Kansai, take the San-yō shinkansen straight down to Fukuoka/Hakata in Kyūshū. Some of Kyūshū’s highlights include Nagasaki, Kumamoto, natural wonders like Aso-san and the hot-spring town of Beppu.
The fastest way to return from Kyūshū to Kansai or Tokyo is by the San-yō shinkansen along the Inland Sea side of Western Honshū. Possible stopovers include Hiroshima and Himeji, a famous castle town. From Okayama, the seldom-visited island of Shikoku is easily