Itinerary

I will be in Japan for two days in February, all of March, and the first week of April. 37 days seems like a lot of time but there is plenty to see and do. So, I have come up with a fairly open itinerary to make sure I get to the things I absolutely want to see but leave lots of time for on-a-whim exploration.

I will arrive at Narita airport on February 28. I don't expect to do much for the first few days other than explore the neighbourhood around the apartment as well as try and figure out some of the complex subway and train routes that criss cross Tokyo. I am certain that I will also be trying to adjust to the 13 hour time difference.

On March 3rd I will be heading to Hiroshima which is approximately a 5 hour ride by shinkansen. If I leave Tokyo early enough I will have most of the afternoon to explore Hiroshima. I am particularly interested in visiting the Atomic Bomb Dome building as well as Peace Park and the Peace Memorial Museum. If I have time I would also like to visit the Shukkeien Garden.

On March 4th I will leave Hiroshima for Miyajima which is short 30 minute train ride followed by a 10 minute ferry ride across to the island. With such a short journey to get from Hiroshima to Miyajima I plan on not leaving before 12pm which will give me the morning to see more of Hiroshima.

After spending the night on Miyajima I will be heading back to Hiroshima to catch the Superjet ferry across to Matsuyama on the island of Shikoku. In Matsuyama I will be visiting Matsuyamajo (Matsuyama Castle) one of few remaining original castles in Japan. On March 6th I will be heading back to Tokyo.

On March 17th I will be traveling to Kyoto which is a train ride of about 2.5 hours. There is so much to see and do in Kyoto. I will try and get permission to visit the Kyoto Imperial Palace (you have to apply for permission to visit). Also there is Nijo Castle, Sanjusangendo, Gion, Kinkakuji, Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kiyomizudera, markets, many temples and shrines, and the Higashiyama Hanatouro each night. I am planning on returning to Tokyo late on March 19th but I will leave myself the option of staying one more night.

I am leaving the days from March 7th to the 16th open for day trips out of Tokyo. Some examples of the places I will be going are Hikone, Nishizawa Keikoku, Tsumago and Magome (I plan on walking the old Nakasendo between the two towns), Matsumoto, Himeji, Takayama, Kawagoe, and Kankunodate. I think visiting these places as well as Hiroshima, Kyoto, and Tokyo will give me a fairly broad overview of the different regions of Honshu (Japan's main island). I also plan on taking a day to go to Osaka for part of the Grand Sumo Tournament.

After my trip to Kyoto I will have over two weeks to explore Tokyo and all it has to offer from museums, shopping, attractions, nightlife, and every day life.

Just setting up

This is my first blog so I am just setting everything up and playing around with what blogger.com can do. I want it to be very simple and quick to make blog postings while visiting Japan, with the emphasis on simple.

I will be posting pictures of my time in Japan so that family and friends can see the places I will be visiting. So as a test on how to link to my flickr account here is a sample picture of Niagara Falls. It should link to the correct album.



I have rented an apartment in Tokyo for the duration of my stay. I will be living near Nishi-Ogikubo station which is about 15 minutes from Shinjuku station. I will be staying in a few hotels when I travel around Japan but I will be using the apartment as a home base. I like the idea of having an apartment in Tokyo for two reasons:

1. I will be living in a residential neighbourhood and will be exposed to more of the everyday life of Tokyo than I would get if I was sheltered in a hotel.
2. I like knowing that I have a place to return to and I don't have to worry about trying to book a hotel. If I am visiting somewhere else in Japan and things aren't working out (bad weather, bad experience, whatever) I want to know that I have somewhere to stay.

The furthest from Tokyo I will be getting is Hiroshima and will be spending 3 days in that area. I am planning a lot of day trips out of Tokyo, traveling on the Shinkansen (bullet trains) and the local trains, visiting an area and then returning to Tokyo in the evening. It may seem busy to some people but I like the idea of not having to drive all over the place and expect I will get to relax a bit on the trains. At the very least I will be able to catch a train back to Tokyo without having to worry about staying alert enough to drive while trying to decipher Japanese road signs.