Almost a year since the last trip to Japan was cut short, and so I'm going to continue where I left off. Kind of a closure as well.
I'll be 4 weeks in Japan, during April, but the itinerary is somewhat different from what I had planned last year. Also I'm doing the whole trip on my own this time. I start in Kyoto, as I did last year. About 5 days, hopefully in time to catch the cherry blossoms. Then a couple of nights in a temple at Koyasan, a complex of Shingon Buddhist temples in a very picturesque setting on a mountain. From there I travel to Kanazawa. I'll spend a couple of nights in the city, and then a week at a zen temple. Next I spend a few nights at a hotspring town called Yudanaka, in the mountains near Nagano where the Olympics were one year. Finally a week in Tokyo. I've been to Tokyo once before, a long time ago, and I remember feeling that a few days wasn't enough to check out all the interesting areas. So hopefully a week will be better. One of the things I've already arranged in Tokyo is a ticket to the Ghibli Museum. Ghibli Studio produces the anime films of Hayao Miyazaki, such as Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and the latest one The Wind Rises. I'm a big fan.
My goal was an itinerary that was not too rushed, and allowed enough time to really see and do the things I wanted most. Everything is booked and all I have to do is pack.
I'll be 4 weeks in Japan, during April, but the itinerary is somewhat different from what I had planned last year. Also I'm doing the whole trip on my own this time. I start in Kyoto, as I did last year. About 5 days, hopefully in time to catch the cherry blossoms. Then a couple of nights in a temple at Koyasan, a complex of Shingon Buddhist temples in a very picturesque setting on a mountain. From there I travel to Kanazawa. I'll spend a couple of nights in the city, and then a week at a zen temple. Next I spend a few nights at a hotspring town called Yudanaka, in the mountains near Nagano where the Olympics were one year. Finally a week in Tokyo. I've been to Tokyo once before, a long time ago, and I remember feeling that a few days wasn't enough to check out all the interesting areas. So hopefully a week will be better. One of the things I've already arranged in Tokyo is a ticket to the Ghibli Museum. Ghibli Studio produces the anime films of Hayao Miyazaki, such as Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and the latest one The Wind Rises. I'm a big fan.
My goal was an itinerary that was not too rushed, and allowed enough time to really see and do the things I wanted most. Everything is booked and all I have to do is pack.
