Japan is quite a special country to visit with a long and storied history and lots of historical sites to see and admire. It has cities that we have read about and always wanted to visit like Kyoto and Tokyo, impressive castles, and small villages that we never heard before but are worthwhile to visit. It is a country few self drive through though it is easy enough to do and we have a lot of fun exploring all the sights using the rented car. The people were quite friendly and happy to help whenever we asked for it and some times even without asking, one of the most friendly people we have seen in our travels.
Our only visit was in 2013, our first visit to Asia. It was quite impressive with beautiful temples, impressive castles and well preserved ancient villages. It also included a visit to the sobering site of Hiroshima as well as a few more lighthearted visits to see the snow monkeys of Jigokudani.
Map of Travels
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Trips
- Threading the needle through a typhoon
Before luckily flying out we plan to visit the Tsukiji fish market which is closed due a typhoon that is unknowingly to us passing through the area - Our last evening at Senso-ji in Asakusa
We spend the evening shopping while visiting Senso-ji the oldest temple in Tokyo and enjoying great views of the Tokyo Skytree - Shibuya crossing, the most busy place in Tokyo
We spend the afternoon near the famous crossing in Shibuya window shopping and watching the unexpected Mikoshi parade pass by - On top of the Metropolitan Government building
We start the day with a visit to Shinjuku and climbing to the top of the Metropolitan Government Building for great views of the area - Akihabara, the electric city
We spend the evening in Akihabara the electric city looking at electronics stores, maid cafes and anime stores - Tokyo National Museum, a fascinating place
We spend a few hours just exploring the large and fascinating National Museum with varied exhibits and beautiful Japanese artwork spanning centuries - Popular and interesting Ueno Park
We start our time in Tokyo with a visit to the very popular Ueno Park exploring this large park while looking for the National Museum - Kencho-ji, an important Zen shrine
We spend the reminder of the afternoon exploring Kencho-ji a Zen shrine and the beautiful park surrounding it before driving to Tokyo - The very popular Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu shrine
One of the main Shinto shrines and a quite popular one in Kamakura is Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu built in 1063 - Short hike on Mount Fuji
Today we have planned to visit Mount Fuji but due to low visibility we just make a short hike and then return to explore something else - Exciting Iga-ryu Ninja Museum
In our opinion you cannot come to Japan and not visit a Ninja Museum so we make our way to Iga to visit the museum of one of the most well known schools of ninjas - Nara, another capital of Japan, with Sika deer
Nara was the capital of Japan in the 8th century and is now famous for the tame Sika deer and the largest bronze Buddha statue in Japan - The famous and huge Osaka Castle
We purposely stayed overnight within walking distance of the famous Osaka Castle and explore the huge castle early in the morning - Exploring Osaka at night
In the evening we explore downtown Osaka eating dinner and enjoying both window shopping and actual shopping in this modern town - Kurashiki, a historic city
We stop in the historic town of Kurashiki to visit the canal side area of Bikan in the middle of the day exploring canals and old streets - Hiking the karstic plateau of Akiyoshidai NP
We end the day with some light hiking on the beautiful karstic plateaus of Akiyoshidai Quasi-National Park enjoying the views and interesting rock formations - The longest cave in Japan, Akiyoshi-do
The major attraction today is the longest cave in Japan Akiyoshi-do a very beautiful cave that can be visited on a self-guided tour - Yamaguchi the Kyoto of Western Japan
Next stop is Yamaguchi also known as the Kyoto of Western Japan where we visit Ruriko-ji one of the top three pagodas in Japan - Kintai-Kyo Bridge, one of the most famous ones
We start our busy day with a visit to one of the top three bridges in Japan the Kintai Kyo Bridge a beautifully arched bridge across the Nishiki River - The famous Atomic Bomb Dome
In the afternoon we explore the Atomic Bomb Dome famous from all the images of Hiroshima after the blast and then shop and eat at a nearby arcade - The thought provoking Peace Museum
We spend quite a bit of today exploring the sombering and thought provoking Peace Museum with exhibits connected to the nuclear blast and deaths - A nuclear survivor, the branch of Bank of Japan
Our first stop for today is rather unexpectedly the Hiroshima branch of the Bank of Japan one of the few survivors of the nuclear blast - The thousand steps to Kotohira-gu shrine
We spend the afternoon exploring Kotohira-gu a major Shinto pilgrimage site reachable by almost a thousand steps passing shops and restaurants - The famous and beautiful Ritsurin Garden
We start the morning with the famous and beautiful Ritsurin Garden exploring the meticulously landscaped gardens with our enthusiastic guide - The Yashima Temple and the Taburo Badger
We spend the afternoon exploring the Yashima Temple which lies on a famous pilgrimage route as well as the Taburo Badger - Pearl Bridge and Naruto Whirlpools
Today we cross over to Shikoku island over multiple impressive bridges enjoying beautiful views and visiting movie locations - Dinner and exploring Pontocho Street
After lunch we spend the evening exploring Pontocho Street a historical small street with shops and restaurants - A tour of the famous Imperial Palace
The major attraction today for us is a visit to the majestic Imperial Palace that we booked far in advance - Nishi Hongwan-ji, a huge colorful temple
The second temple today is the huge Nishi Hongwan-ji built by a popular Buddhist sect with lots of colorful buildings and temples - Historic To-ji Temple and tallest pagoda in Japan
The first temple we visit in Kyoto is To-ji a historically important temple founded in 794 and worth exploring - Enchanting Shirakawa-go village
One of the most scenic villages we visited in Japan is Shirakawa-go built using traditional “Praying Hands” architecture and recognized as a Unesco WHS - Exploring historic Takayama
We spend the first half of they day exploring the wooden houses of Takayama a historic town rich due to skilled carpenters and abundant wood resources - A luxurious hotel in Takayama
We spend the night in Takayama in a luxurious hotel with both a Western and Japanese room and multiple restaurants - Exploring the Matsumoto City Museum
After visiting the castle we spend a couple more hours eating lunch and exploring the City Museum while hiding from the rain - Matsumoto Castle, a top Japanese castle
We spend most of the day exploring one of the major three castles in Japan the impressive and beautiful Matsumoto Castle - Exploring Obuse, the chestnut and plum city
At our host recommendation we visit Obuse famous for plums and chestnuts as well as the Hokusai Museum celebration one of the major Japanese artists - The Snow Monkeys of Jigokudani
One of the major attractions in Japan for us are the famous and fearless Snow Monkeys of Jigokudani easily reachable via car and quite cute to visit - A couple nights at a ryokan near Nagano
We spend a couple nights at a nice ryokan while exploring the Nagano area and visiting the snow monkeys - Oku-Nikko Yumoto Onsen
Our last stop of the day is to visit a small hot springs area and hike for a short while before making our way to the accomodation - Quick stop at Senjogahara Moor
Our last stops in Nikko National Park are at the unexpected Ryuzu Falls and interesting Senjogahara Moors before rain forces us to move on - The beautiful Kegon Waterfalls
The beautiful Kegon Waterfalls are our major stop in Nikko National Park and a great place for a quick lunch while enjoying the views - The small, impressive Futarasan shrine
Futarasan Shrine is one of the oldest shrines in Nikko dedicated to the deities of Nikko’s three most sacred mountains - Tōshogū, shrine to the first shogun
We start our Nikko shrine tour with the magnificent Toshogu shrine built to honor the first shogun Ieyasu - One night at a ryokan
We spend the night at a ryokan a traditional Japanese inn where you sleep on the floor and leave your shoes at the door and are served a traditional breakfast - Kairakuen Garden, a top three garden
Kairakuen Garden a top 3 landscape garden in Japan was a great place to spend the afternoon of our first day in the country - Boso Burial Mound short visit
After renting the car we make a short stop to explore the Pit Dwellings near Boso which are free to visit but cannot be entered - Narita temple, our first one in Japan
Our first stop is the huge Narita Temple close to our hotel which is great introduction to the traditions related to the temples of Japan - Arriving in Narita after a long flight
After a long flight we arrive in the late afternoon in Narita where we get acquainted with Japan buying our first supermarket items and exploring our first hotel room