which is breathtaking. You pass ancient tombs, temples, and shrines -- you will have beautiful mountains to your east and even more beautiful small towns to your west. If you've seen My Neighbor Totoro, imagine that it was brought to life and you got to spend all day walking through it. It's fairly easy to get to from Nara, Osaka, or Kyoto.
If you have more time, the classic long-distance walk in Japan is the Henro-michi in Shikoku, aka the Shikoku pilgrimage.
I did it on foot over 58 days, and it was absolutely the experience of a lifetime. Even if you don't have two months, just a few days on the trail will showcase rural Japan at its most beautiful, and the Japanese people at their friendliest and most welcoming.
Oh -- and I've driven in Japan, but you'll probably want to get around by train instead, the mass transit is the best in the world.
Yeah, there really isn't a good reason to drive unless you really want to go somewhere that doesn't have a train station. There are not all too many such places.
I'd also add a suggestion of renting a bike and riding the shimanamikaido from Hiroshima to get to Shikoku. You can also take a ferry and then bike back one-way from Shikoku to Hiroshima if you want. When I did it (2010) they only had "real" road bikes available from the Shikoku side for some reason, so when I showed up on the Honshu side I settled for a hybrid-ish mama-chari. I happened to have good weather (some time in July), made short stops at random shops on the islands along the way, and stayed a business hotel in Imabari for a couple of days, then rode back.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3478.html
That trip started with attempting to walk to Nagoya to Osaka, but I only made it 50 miles before giving up and taking the train the rest of the way, because I tried to save some money and bought junk shoes that wrecked my feet. This was of course when the exchange rate was 78 yen per dollar, rather than 150 ;) That was really frustrating since it was only a few months after I ran the Tokyo Marathon, and I figured I could handle any kind of foot pain by then. Nope, don't compromise on shoes when you're thinking about trying to walk 30 miles a day.
Thanks for sharing. I did (hitchhiking/walking/bus) part of the Kumanokodo over a couple of weeks back in uni. Truly awesome experiences. Mt Koya (easily accessable by public transport from Osaka/Kyoto) is a real power spot for me.
Yes. The Yamanobe Road is easier to get to, the endpoints are each close to train stations (Tenri on the north end, Sakurai on the south). These are well connected to Nara and Osaka. Alternatively, you can start at Sakurai and walk all the way north to Nara (about 30 km).
The henro-michi is harder to get to, because Shikoku in general is harder to get to. If coming from Kobe or Osaka, you'll probably want to take a bus to Naruto, Tokushima, or Takamatsu. (Naruto if you're starting from the beginning.) A bit more of a schlep, but still not bad.
If doing these walks, then not driving is a big advantage -- because you don't have to worry about where you parked your car! In particular, you don't need to end at the same place you began.
I would recommend you give https://www.youtube.com/c/AbroadinJapan a watch. Chris has been all over every Japanese prefecture multiple times, and he usually records places that aren't the kind of places you'd see on a quick Google Search or trip advisor.
He has biked across Japan in his season 1 of Journey Across Japan, he showcases all kinds of hotels, capsule hotels, Ryokans (Japanese inns), etc, in every video. It's just a great way to learn about Japan, it's culture, food, what dos and don'ts.
Kind of like a more modern Alan Booth? I read both The Roads to Sata and Looking for the Lost and they both really resonated with me. They're both travelog(ue)s. The Roads to Sata chronicled a complete 2000 mile north-south walk across the country. Looking for the Lost was more focused on specific regions. I enjoyed both books.
One thing that's strange to me, having been all over the country myself (including Hokkaido, Shikoku, and Okinawa) and living in Aichi for a year, is that I only saw a wild small mammal once. Even that one time, I wasn't sure if I actually saw it, because it vanished before I got a good glimpse of it. I know there are squirrels somewhere- there's a native word for squirrel- but I've never seen them. Being from the northeast US, the concept that a location with a temperate climate lacking in abundant squirrels could exist seemed absurd. On my next trip to Japan, I will dedicate some portion to seeking out native squirrels.
Of course in Japan there are also a few places known for wild monkeys that like to hang out hot springs, but I haven't seen them in person either.
I did see a guy with his girlfriend hanging out on a mountain pass in a wrecked "panda trueno" that was being loaded on a flatbed when I was hiking once. I hadn't brought my real camera that day, and I deeply regretted it since my flip phone only had a VGA camera.
Edit: for some reason I'd interpreted the question as being about cycling. Leaving in case it's useful for cyclists or motorcyclists.
I've done a lot of cycling across various bits of Japan, from shorter day trips on the order of 150km to longer 1000km+ trips. One thing to keep in mind for visiting cyclists on longer road trips: this may seem obvious but Japan is very mountainous which means a lot of narrow roads with little/no shoulder, and long (sometimes multi-kilometre) tunnels. Fortunately drivers are in general, very considerate and careful around cyclists.
For shorter day trips, many large rivers/lakes in Japan have cycling/walking paths along one or both sides and make for really nice riding. In Tokyo, the Tamagawa or in Kyoto Kamogawa and Katsuragawa have paths. Lake Biwa has a really nice cycling trail as well.
One of my favourite longer routes was along the north coast of Japan between Tsuruga and the north end of Fukui. The mountain pass along no. 8 through Takefu has some nice views but a lot of climbing and tunnels. For something shorter but pretty, follow the Tamagawa from Tokyo up to Lake Okutama. As someone else mentioned, I find travelling in rural Japan a lot nicer than cycling in/near big cities.
If you have a compact one that fits in a bag, you can bring it fine on most intercity trains (though ideally you'd want to check before with the particular line). In local transit it's mostly frowned upon, especially in denser urban areas and busy lines. But you can usually always find some form of accommodation accessible by bike along the route, wherever you're going.
Folding bikes are much more common there, which helps a bit. You can go to a bike shop or a used-stuff-store ("recycle shop") and pick one up for $100-ish. Not going to be "nice" at that price, but it'll be functional.
Train trips mostly fit Japan better, and it's more relaxing.
Kyoto is an amazing place, Tokyo is a must, and Mount Fuji is quite nice. I've heard Osaka is cool, but I've never been. Beyond that, specifics depend on what you're into.
My favorite bits were generally the food, temples, museums, onsen and just wandering around shopping districts and taking it all in.
I do it from time to time. I like just taking back roads and exploring the countryside and nature. Lots of cultural heritage all over. I'd recommend spring or fall (summer if you stay north/mountains or are a really hot person; winter if you're into snow or stay south).
I don't think there's any particular location you need to go or see if you're road-tripping - but where you go depends on the activities and vibe you like, I guess. The main divide would be mountain/ocean/city. Unless you have particular needs, I'd recommend staying at local ryokans (inns) or guest houses rather than major hotels, especially chains. Same for restaurants.
Cherry blossom in spring and red leafs in fall are great with pleasant climate, but also attracts big crowds and crowded roads. Summer sees lots of matsuri (traditional festivals) and fireworks. NYE's a dozo. If you can, avoid typhoon season in typhoon areas, obv. Kyushu was just hit pretty bad.
Also if you're into that kind of stuff, from late spring to early fall there are a lot of small outdoor 1-3 day music events happening in random places, some of which are great for camping. The stereotype that Japanese people tend to get really dedicated to whatever they're doing has a seed of truth I think, and the same holds for "party people" ;)
(Part of me is hesitant writing all this as I selfishly have really appreciated all the quiet and serenity during the pandemic. But honestly, the local economy really needs some tourism. Please come. Local businesses are struggling really hard. But please do respect the peace and do a quick refresher on local customs pre-arrival ^^)
And HMU if you ever come by the Yamanashi side of Mt Fuji; we have some deservedly famous spots here and if I'm free I'm happy to meet :)
I think Japan is my favourite country for road trips. So many stunning mountain and costal roads. And hotels and restaurants in rural areas often have amazing food. However, gasoline and toll roads are both quite expensive so that might be a consideration. I mostly avoid cities (if I want to go a city, I’ll go by train) so if you want to do that beware that parking can be a pain (and expensive).
Ryokan in Kyoto is a must. Also, if you spend enough time - don't just do Shinkansen all the time. It gets boring pretty quick as you are moving from one big city to another. Rent a car for some time too!
The Japan Rail Pass for those on tourist visas/entry stamps is a sweet deal that I take advantage of whenever I travel to Japan and visit different regions. It allows you virtually unlimited access to the Shinkansen and other routes operated by the various Japan Railways companies (such as Tokyo's Yamanote Line and the Narita Express) for 7, 14, or 21 days, beginning on the date that the pass is activated. I say "virtually unlimited" because there are some restrictions, such as not being able to take the fastest version of the Shinkansen that has limited stops between Tokyo and Osaka; instead you're restricted to the Shinkansen schedules that make more stops (it's still very fast even when stopping at every Shinkansen station, though). I don't know what the prices are like today (it's been five years since the last time I purchased a Japan Rail Pass), but in the past the cost of the seven-day pass was comparable to the round-trip Shinkansen fare between Tokyo and Osaka. It was a fantastic deal for somebody traveling often between different regions of Japan.
I especially recommend a long walk in rural or small-town Japan. Perhaps the best one-day option is the Yamanobe Road
https://www.japan.travel/en/destinations/kansai/nara/the-yam...
which is breathtaking. You pass ancient tombs, temples, and shrines -- you will have beautiful mountains to your east and even more beautiful small towns to your west. If you've seen My Neighbor Totoro, imagine that it was brought to life and you got to spend all day walking through it. It's fairly easy to get to from Nara, Osaka, or Kyoto.
If you have more time, the classic long-distance walk in Japan is the Henro-michi in Shikoku, aka the Shikoku pilgrimage.
https://shikoku-tourism.com/en/shikoku-henro/shikoku-henro
I did it on foot over 58 days, and it was absolutely the experience of a lifetime. Even if you don't have two months, just a few days on the trail will showcase rural Japan at its most beautiful, and the Japanese people at their friendliest and most welcoming.
Oh -- and I've driven in Japan, but you'll probably want to get around by train instead, the mass transit is the best in the world.