japan advice - ?fly in Osaka or Nagoya
Aug 10th, 2007, 04:41 AM
#1
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japan advice - ?fly in Osaka or Nagoya
Hi,
Thinking about maybe going to Japan in late Nov to early Dec. Would like to visit Takayama, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Hiroshima. Does anyone know that if I am to make Takayama my first place to visit (as I want to get there before it gets too cold) if I should fly straight into Nagoya instead of kansai airport and go straight to Takayama, and how long this would take as compared to getting there from Osaka. And which way is cheaper?
Also, would it be worth staying a night in Kanazawa, getting there from Takayama, or is it doable to do a day trip there from Kyoto? I was thinking of staying for a longer time in Kyoto, at least a week, and was thinking that I could do day trips from there , like ?? Hikone, Mt Koya, Ise perhaps. (I have been to Kyoto and Tokyo once before).
So I was thinking maybe an itinerary like this - Fly in Nagoya? or Osaka, go to Takayama, then onto Kanazawa OR go to Kyoto (and do day trip to Kanazawa from Kyoto), then onto Hiroshima, then maybe to Osaka then fly out. Is there a better way of doing this?
I also want to see the autumn foliage - will it be too late to see this in late Nov and early Dec, and how cold will it get?
Much appreciate any advice,
Thanks
Thinking about maybe going to Japan in late Nov to early Dec. Would like to visit Takayama, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Hiroshima. Does anyone know that if I am to make Takayama my first place to visit (as I want to get there before it gets too cold) if I should fly straight into Nagoya instead of kansai airport and go straight to Takayama, and how long this would take as compared to getting there from Osaka. And which way is cheaper?
Also, would it be worth staying a night in Kanazawa, getting there from Takayama, or is it doable to do a day trip there from Kyoto? I was thinking of staying for a longer time in Kyoto, at least a week, and was thinking that I could do day trips from there , like ?? Hikone, Mt Koya, Ise perhaps. (I have been to Kyoto and Tokyo once before).
So I was thinking maybe an itinerary like this - Fly in Nagoya? or Osaka, go to Takayama, then onto Kanazawa OR go to Kyoto (and do day trip to Kanazawa from Kyoto), then onto Hiroshima, then maybe to Osaka then fly out. Is there a better way of doing this?
I also want to see the autumn foliage - will it be too late to see this in late Nov and early Dec, and how cold will it get?
Much appreciate any advice,
Thanks
Aug 10th, 2007, 08:40 AM
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Hi, abc88 -
It really depends on what you want to see and experience, but personally, I would find a day trip to Kanazawa frustrating - there is so much to enjoy in Kanazawa that it easily merits an overnight stay IMHO. And if you are thinking about going to Koyasan, then you might want to give some thought to staying overnight in a temple - it can be really special experience. Hope that helps!
It really depends on what you want to see and experience, but personally, I would find a day trip to Kanazawa frustrating - there is so much to enjoy in Kanazawa that it easily merits an overnight stay IMHO. And if you are thinking about going to Koyasan, then you might want to give some thought to staying overnight in a temple - it can be really special experience. Hope that helps!
Aug 10th, 2007, 02:51 PM
#3
If you want to go to Takayama first then definitely fly into Nagoya. It's about two and a half hours (maybe two hours) from Osaka Kansai airport to Nagoya station. That would involve taking one of the trains from the airport to the shinkansen station and then to Nagoya station. From Nagoya airport it is much easier, cheaper, and quicker.
Kanazawa deserves more than a day trip from Kyoto, though it can be done.
I suggest that you go from Takayama to Kanazawa by bus via Shirakawago. Stop in Shirakawago for several hours or, better, overnight. Then a night or two in Kanazawa.
Koyasan is an overnight trip from Kyoto. It's three hours each way. Leave your main bag at your Kyoto hotel or at a locker at Kyoto station and then take just what you need for the overnight to Koyasan.
You'll probably be too late for fall colors in Kyoto (definitely too late for Takayama and I'm sure, Kanazawa). But they still may be around down south (Hiroshima, Miyajima) at the end of November.
Kanazawa deserves more than a day trip from Kyoto, though it can be done.
I suggest that you go from Takayama to Kanazawa by bus via Shirakawago. Stop in Shirakawago for several hours or, better, overnight. Then a night or two in Kanazawa.
Koyasan is an overnight trip from Kyoto. It's three hours each way. Leave your main bag at your Kyoto hotel or at a locker at Kyoto station and then take just what you need for the overnight to Koyasan.
You'll probably be too late for fall colors in Kyoto (definitely too late for Takayama and I'm sure, Kanazawa). But they still may be around down south (Hiroshima, Miyajima) at the end of November.
Aug 10th, 2007, 02:56 PM
#4
I might have explained that to get to Takayama you would have to go through Nagoya station whether you are coming from any of the Osaka or Nagoya airports. The Nagoya airport is, of course, much closer to Nagoya station.
Aug 11th, 2007, 01:24 PM
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Nagoya (NGO, Centrair) airport is much more convenient than Kansai (KIX) for travel to Takayama and several other worthwhile destinations such as the Kiso valley, Ise shrines, and Hikone. There's a nice route from Nagoya to Kyoto via Lake Biwa that takes in Inuyama (castle, Joan tea hut, Meijimura nearby), Gifu (Cormorant fishing), Hikone (castle and excellent garden), Isyamadera (temple where Murasaki Shikibu wrote the first few chapters of Genji), Otsu (temples) and so to Kyoto, from where you could explore further and fly home from KIX. This involves mostly private (non-JR) lines, and the line from NGO to Nagoya is private also (Meitetsu). The Meitetsu, Kintetsu and JR stations are all adjacent in Nagoya.
