From high-rise-filled cities to small mountain villages, with thousands of temples and gardens in between, visitors often find it difficult to decide where to go in Japan. After a magnificent 3 weeks traveling this island nation by Japan rail, following geishas in the streets of Kyoto, visiting snow monkeys in the wild, sleeping in a Buddhist Monastery to exploring the bustling streets of Tokyo, we just barely scratched the surface of all that Japan has to offer. Here is our itinerary, in photos, of one of our all time favorite holiday destinations.
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3 Week Japan Itinerary
Kyoto
Our trip started in Kyoto where we spent 6 days seeking out geishas, meandering through exquisite gardens and sampling amazing food from tiny hole in the wall restaurants.
Kyoto is a fascinating city full of temples, shrines, and amazing vantage points, a photographer’s dream.
Before getting lost amongst all there is to do in Kyoto, hit up the major attractions of Fushimi Inari Shrine, Arashiyama’s bamboo forest and the Kinkaku-ji Golden Pavillion.
For us, the fun of any trip is the randomness you happen across while aimlessly wandering.
Nara
Between Kyoto and our next stop of Koya-San, we spent a day in Nara, the former capital of Japan, to pet the wild deer roaming the grounds outside of Todai-ji Temple. Todai-ji houses the Great Buddha in the world’s largest wooden building.
If that’s not enough to lure you here, this compact town boasts 8 UNESCO World Heritage sites making it a must visit on most itineraries to this region.
Koya-San
I have always had a thing for cemeteries around the world. I find it fascinating how other cultures honor their dead. Given that, a visit to Koya-San was high on my list. It takes a few trains, a cable car and a bus to reach this hilltop community, but it’s worth it.
Billed as the largest graveyard in Japan, it is ridiculously beautiful. There is a collection of more than 200,000 tombstones scattered in an ancient forest. There are no bodies buried here, only headstones and memorials for all who have passed.
We spent the day wandering the paths through the graveyard all the way to the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi, the founder of Koya-San. One of the most memorable, moving and picturesque cemeteries I have ever visited.
Hiroshima
Everyone knows of Hiroshima, from it’s history of being the first place where an atomic bomb was dropped. But that history overshadows an impressively vibrant and strikingly beautiful modern city. We were awestruck how much we loved Hiroshima. Riding the cable cars around, visiting painful memorials and eating what would end up being our favorite travel food of all time. Hiroshima is a must visit when in Japan.
It possessed none of the vast wasteland of death and destruction our minds had come to associate with it. But the history of the city cannot be ignored. One of the most visited places here is Peace Memorial Park. The exhibits here are so eye opening, educational and hauntingly beautiful. It is a must visit on any trip to Hiroshima.
Another major draw to Hiroshima is a day trip to Miyajima Island, listed as one of Japan’s three most scenic spots. The Great Torii of Istukushima Shrine welcomes you to an island full of natural beauty, walking trails and culture.
Hiroshima also is home to our favorite travel food ever, Okonomiyaki.
Takayama
Hopping the train inland, we headed to the beautifully preserved traditional town of Takayama. Few other cities in Japan retain the feel of ‘old Japan’ like Takayama. It ranks high among travelers hoping to get a feel for rural life.
Besides taking photos and cruising the streets, the main attraction here is the sampling of traditional sake!
For a recreated display of rural life of centuries old Japan, we headed out to the Hida Folk Village where dozens of traditional houses were rebuilt here after being dismantled throughout the region.
Getting our fill of old town Japan, we headed out to the mountains via the Shin-Hotaka Ropeway. This ropeway climbs over 3,000 feet up the side of the mountain, which includes Japan’s third highest peak.
The excitement of the journey was the ride up and down the mountain in double decker gondola cars! Even being May, there was still plenty of snow on the ground and freezing cold.
Yudanaka – Jigokudani Park
Another highlight on our trip was our time in Yudanaka at the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park. We had planned only one day here, but were so enamored by these beautiful creatures that we couldn’t pull ourselves away!
A few hundred photos later, we managed to move on to our next destination. This is a must visit on any Japan itinerary.
Want to increase your anticipation, check out the livecam.
Nagano
Popping into Nagano en route to Tokyo, our main focal point was a visit to the famous Zenkoji Temple. Zenkoji is famous for housing the first Buddhist statue to come to Japan.
We spent the day exploring the fascinating details around the temple, learning some of the history and just generally standing around in awe of the beauty housed within.
Tokyo
Without living in Tokyo, you will never get a real feel for all that exists in this massive metropolis. There is just too much to take in during a short visit.
Even after 6 days here, you could spin us around and we would be lost! The must do, iconic sites like Ueno Park, Shibuya crossing, Yoyogi Park and the Tsukiji Fish Market will take up some time in any itinerary, but the best times come from just exploring the back streets, soaking up the vibe of this eclectic metropolis. Find out more things to do with kids in Japan to keep you busy for ages!
You can’t go wrong in Tokyo. Ride the subways, pop into shops like Muji and just generally explore the quirkiness and amazingness this city has to offer.
Is Japan on your bucket list? Already been, if so, what are your favorites?
Such great photos! It really wants me to book those tickets right now! Hopefully later next week π
I’m going to look around if you have more Japan posts up! π
Great list (and beautiful photos). Kyoto and Nara have been high on my list of places to visit for a while, but I did not know about Yudanaka β Jigokudani Park, and now I want to add it to my list for when I return back to Japan π
I really have to check out Japan someday, it looks awesome!!
It really is amazing Esther!
I don’t know if I can pick a favorite spot in Japan. Over the years I’ve come to love so much about this country but my favorites are definitely the out of the way places without too many other travelers.
Very beautiful images, Karilyn! I’ve never been in Japan but your post convinced me that I should.
It is such an amazing country. I can’t wait to go again. We felt like we had seen so much, but when you look at the map, we saw so little!
Karilyn this is one of the best blog covers of Japan I have seen, thank you so much for giving me another reason why I need to get there one day. Thank you for linking up with #TheWeeklyPostcard and please come back again and share another travel blog wit us next week.
Thanks Lyn!
Ohhh, wonderful pictures!! I really hope to visit Japan one day, such an amazing country with so much history!
Do it! It’s so expensive, but is truly amazing and unlike any other place I have visited.
Ah thanks so much for this! It’s so thorough and has some absolutely beautiful photos! I’m hoping to head to Japan later in the year, so this is brilliant!
http://www.thetechgypsy.com
Thanks Robyn! You definitely should get there. Its worth the price tag!
I just booked a trip to Japan last week. I’m excited about all the delicious food and sights!
Amazing photos! I’d like to make it to Japan sooner than later. What held me back in the past is the perceived high cost of Japan. How expensive it to travel around Japan?
It really is expensive. Right now the exchange rate is pretty good, but we were hard pressed to find accommodation for less than $100 a night! The ryokan’s with shared bath were still pretty expensive. The best deals we found typically were Japanese business hotels, so not really set up for foreign travelers, but the rooms were good sized and met our needs. Food – we managed to eat relatively cheaply except in Tokyo. Some great local shops with such fresh delicious food. Although the running joke was “second dinner” because we usually were hungry again by 10! It’s worth saving your pennies to go and just be able to enjoy it rather than constantly worrying about if you can go in xyz garden or whatever.
Thank you so much for making this post, Japan is such a fascinating place! Loved your suggestions, until now I wanted to go to Tokio but now I am more curious about other places that Japan offers to the world.
Cheers,
Rocio.
http://runawaybabe.com
Fascinating post and wonderful photos.
I will be making a round trip with a few mates to Taiwan, Japan then Korea. Is it easy to find free wifi there on the go? It will be a kinda spontaneous trip and we plan on leaving the city to expore with GPS. I don’t want to get SIM cards as I mainly communicate through twitter or skype anyway. Would it be safer to rent routers with unlimited wifi we can split. There are so many router rental sites to choose from in each country, anyone has good recommendations in terms of coverage/ price? Or better yet, somewhere i can settle all at once in Aussie? Haha thanks!