General information
destination of the journey
To Japan you usually travel for business reasons. Or you are curious about the land of the geishas and the samurai, the land from which the sushi and sake come, the land of the Toyotas, the Mangas, the Yakuza and the Zen gardens. But Japan as a holiday destination is something you cannot or would not like to imagine. Rather, to encounter a culture that is so completely different from ours, to see how people live in the contrast between tradition and modernity, which is actually the difference between Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines is to that typically Japanese in arts like Ikebana and origami, in Judo and Sumo, in Koi and bonsai to recognize. One should take the time, among other things, a Onsen to enjoy, in a supermarket, see how Japanese people shop for what the wickedly expensive meat of Kobe cattle matters. To visit the Land of the Rising Sun, you should plan at least about two weeks, especially because of the long journey.
Travel time
Although surrounded by the sea, the main islands of Japan have distinct seasons, and winter often brings a lot of snow to Hokkaido and the coast of the Sea of Japan. Spring in Japan is characterized by the cherry blossom, summer likes to be hot and humid, at the beginning of autumn typhoons can pass over the islands, then the time of the leaves begins to color. The recommended travel times are early summer and autumn, with many Japanese also traveling at the time of the cherry blossom and the color of the leaves. During the time of O-bon festival In mid-August, however, free rooms are in short supply.
Some tips
In the main article about Japan are practical tips, here just a reminder:
- The passport should be valid for another six months
- For connection to Japanese sockets (100 V, 50 or 60 Hz) you need an adapter
- In the cities there are Convenience stores or Combinis, where you can get practically everything you need on the go, they are often open all day.
- Many Japanese speak some English. Usually they can read the script better than they understand the language. In train stations, post offices or hotels, communication usually works somehow.
- There are ATMs everywhere in Japan, but not everyone accepts cards issued in Europe. When you arrive at the airport you should think about raising money, otherwise the machines in the post offices are available.
- Not all cell phones work in Japan. Find out more from your mobile operator before you start your journey. You can also borrow a cell phone at international airports.
- In Japan there is left-hand traffic, and many roads only have signs in Japanese characters.
- Japan is in the time zone UTC 9 and knows no daylight saving time like we do. So it is 7 hours later in summer in Japan and 8 hours later in winter than here.
- International destination airports for Japan are Tokyo-Narita NRT, Osaka KIX or Nagoya NGO. The flight time from Germany is approx. 11-12 hours for a direct flight. Most airlines fly to Japan from Germany via a polar route. With a Stopover one would only extend the travel time.
Suggestion for an itinerary
The presented itinerary leads through the cities of Kyoto, Nara and Tokyo and thus through three main sites in the country, one comes to important religious sites, offers excursions into nature and offers the opportunity to observe the life of the people. It is a suggestion made by commercial providers and also by the Japanese Tourist Office is offered in a similar form.
getting there
Direct flight from Europe to Tokyo. After arriving at Tokyo Narita Airport, you can take a train, e.g. the Narita Express, to downtown Tokyo. Costs: around ¥ 3,000, costs are comparable with the bus.
Two days Tokyo
On the first morning you first get an overview of modern Tokyo, preferably from the observation deck of the town hall in the district Shinjuku. In two days you can only see a few of the sights. The Meiji Jingu in Shibuya, of course the imperial palace (from the outside) should be part of it, maybe on the first day. It is also a good idea to visit the modern shops in Shinjuku or Shibuya as a contrast to history and tradition. In the evening, the entertainment district of Roppongi would be perfect, it is not to everyone's taste.
For the second day you could go to the eastern part of the city, the Senso Ji and the Asakusa Jinja are in the district Taitō, and just a few metro stations south of it is the Ginza shopping street in the district Chūō. Also worth seeing is the south of the city with the Tokyo Tower and the fish market. The museums in Tokyo tend to focus on the districts Ueno in the district Taitō and Roppongi.
Day trip to Nikko
Two to three hours by car from Tokyo is Nikkō on the edge of the Japanese Alps, More interesting than the city are the temples, which are part of the world cultural heritage. They are quite colorful by Japanese standards. Well known: the wood carving with the famous three monkeys. The national park with Lake Chuzenji and the Kegon waterfall is also worth seeing.
over Kamakura to Hakone
From Tokyo one drives on the road through Yokohama and then further west partly along the beach of the Pacific. The rough coast is used more for surfing than for swimming. After a good hour you can reach the city of Kamakura with the Daibutsu, an 11 m high Buddha statue that stands outdoors. One of the numerous other temples is the Hare derawhich stands on a hill and from which you can see the bay of Kamakura well. You should plan around half a day for the visit.
We continue to the west, after a few kilometers you get to the Fuji Hakone Izu National Park. At the Ashi lake is the town Hakone. Since it is only a little more than 80 km to get here from Tokyo, the park practically serves as a local recreation area for the capital and is accordingly frequented. However, there is also a good infrastructure. In theory you can see it Mount Fuji from Hakone, from a purely practical point of view, it is often not possible in the summer months because the air is too hazy.
In the nearby Owakudani Valley you can still see that the volcanism of Mt. Hakone is not yet completely extinct. There are numerous hot springs, which are then also used as hot baths in the surrounding hotels, Onsen be used.
You can also get to Hakone by train from Tokyo, the route leads over Odawara.
Of Hakone to Takayama
The route initially leads to Nagoya. The metropolis with the nearby Japanese Alps would also be a good location to explore the surrounding area due to its infrastructure. So you can take the train on the river Hida along to the prefecture Gifu to the small town Takayama drive. Another interesting destination is the somewhat remote place Shirakawago, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But Takayama also has a lot to offer, such as the old town, numerous sake breweries and the museum village Hida no Sato. The nearby mountains, some of which are over 3,000 m high, are criss-crossed by numerous well-developed hiking trails and are used as a ski area in winter.
Three days Kyoto
The next morning we continue by train first back to Nagoya, then on with the Shinkansen to the old imperial city of Kyoto. The old Japanese traditions are said to be still alive here - and the first thing you see is one of the most modern and unusual train station buildings in the country. It is towered over by the television tower opposite and is framed by modern hotels, ultra-modern shops and amusement arcades. If you don't yet know what pachinko is, you can learn it here. And under the Bahnhofsviertel is a huge shopping area with countless souvenir shops and even more small restaurants.
The second day in Kyoto is dedicated to exploring the city center. This includes the old imperial palace in the district Kamigyō-ku, the old Nijō-jō Castle in Nakagyō-ku and also the nearby zen garden of Ryoan-ji in the district Ukyō-ku. Here in the city center are also very good shopping opportunities, so in the Shijo Street. In the evening you can try to get closer to the world of geishas. There isn't much left of it in the district Gion in the neighborhood Higashiyama you can still watch them in the evening on a few streets, otherwise most geisha districts have degenerated into red light districts.
Kyoto has many temples and shrines. The Golden Pavilion or Kinkaku-ji, the Silver pavilion or Ginkaku-ji, the Heian shrine, the Kiyomizu-dera and many more make the selection difficult. Maybe you should just go to the district Higashiyama go for a walk, there are still quite a few Japanese women walking in traditional kimono. And there are still some traditional teahouses where you can experience a tea ceremony, the one Maico celebrated. Or you can walk along the Philosophenweg, visit it Kyoto Handicraft Center or one of the numerous museums.
Nara and Uji
Nara can be reached in around 40 minutes by train from Kyoto the next morning. Near the train station is the Nara Park. Main sights should be the Kofuku-ji Temple with the five-story pagoda and the Todai-ji The latter is the largest wooden structure, the Great Buddha Hall, which houses the heaviest bronze Buddha figure at 452 tons. In reality it is probably the tame Sika deer, they chase the visitors and beg for food.
Only a few kilometers north of Nara is Uji, which you can visit in the afternoon. The most famous building in the city is probably the Byōdō-in, the Hall of the Phoenixwho also die 10 yen coin adorns, including the Shinto shrine Ujigami-jinja is part of the world cultural heritage.
Hiroshima and Miyajima
Of Kyoto From there you go to with the Shinkansen in the morning Hiroshima, Travel time approx. 2 hours. The city, which is flourishing again today, has only a few historical buildings; it was almost completely destroyed by an atomic bomb on August 6, 1945. The Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as memorials. The Peace Memorial Museum recalls the terrible destruction and human tragedy. All buildings that appeared older, such as the Karpfenburg, were only rebuilt after the war.
It's not far from Hiroshima Miyajima-guchi, from there it takes about 20 minutes to get to the island Miyajima. The most important sight is that Itsukushima shrinebefore that Otorii stands in the sea, it is one of the most popular photo opportunities in Japan. For the main attractions of the island you should plan about half a day. Pay attention to the tides, at low tide the torii almost looks like it is on land. There are also tame Sika deer on Miyajima, they await visitors right at the ferry port.
Two days Osaka
From Hiroshima it goes first with the Shinkansen Himeji to the castle of white heron. The gardens next to it are also worth a visit. After continuing the journey, you first reach the train station in the evening Shin-Ōsaka. From here you can get to the city center by train or subway. You can spend an entire evening in the area around the train station and the underground shopping mall in the Umeda district. The city with over 2.5 million inhabitants naturally also has several temples to offer. Also a castle that you can't tell from the fact that it was rebuilt just a few decades ago. But above all the modern buildings of the city are known, so that Umeda Sky Building, from Sky walk from the top of the building there is a splendid view of the city. A stroll through the area is also worthwhile Amerikamura and especially Shinsaibashi with its market streets. If you have not yet eaten a puffer fish, you will have the opportunity here at the latest.
Options
- The return flight can be made from Osaka, or you can drive back to Tokyo
- To the southern island Okinawa
- Japanese Alps with Fuji-San and Ontake-San volcano
- Extension on the island Kyushu with the cities Fukuoka and Nagasaki, here is too Beppu with 3000 thermal springs.
