advice for two week stay

[laryx]

Hey all
I hope some of the people here are willing to give me some advice.
I`m going to Japan around September this year and I will be staying for 2 weeks.
I`m interested in culture and pop culture and so far I know I want to visit tokyo (akihabara and Ghibli museum are a must) and I want to visit the beautiful temples at Kyoto.
Should I move on after that to another town? if so which do you recommend?
Or is two weeks barely enough for Tokyo, Kyoto and the surrounding area?

On another note, I would like to visit a small rural town for a day with rice fields, any recommendation for that?

thank you in advance for your time.

[Gwen_Goth]

welcome laryx!

to answer your questions - tokyo and kyoto are definatly the biggest tourist pullers - oh and yu'll find it easyer to get to a lil village from kyoto

theres already another thread which should answer alot of your questions; here

good luck - and enjoy ther forum

[samokan]

Japan Reference - Practical : Transportation inside Japan

- check out the different train pass that you can use.

if you like to visit temples, Kyoto is the best, lots and lots of them there.
Other places also that you might want to check out is Hakone, there is a place there called the ninja trail, which were the actual trail used before.

then there is ninja village in Chiba ( i think ) and in Iga-Ueno in Mie -ken.
In Iga-Ueno, you can actually dress-up like a ninja and walk thru the city in ninja costume

Himeji Castle in Himeji is rated as the most beautiful castle all over Japan.

[Kaspian]

If you're going for two weeks, Tokyo and Kyoto are going to keep you pretty busy. There are tons of places to visit in both cities. Maybe plan to visit other sites on another trip. Kyoto alone has tons of places to visit, what with all of the temples and whatnot there. Don't bite off more than you can chew. Take everything at a reasonable pace so that you can enjoy it.

[WanderingWarrior]

Konnichiwa. I went to Japan for a week and visited Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, Hakone, Kamakura, and Tokyo. And it was waaaaay too short for all that. You should take the time to enjoy it all. Kyoto has some beautiful temples and a really cool outdoor market and shopping area. Enjooy

[Pachipro]

Also, if you looking for pop culture and such make sure you visit Harakuku on a Sunday. You'll get to see more pop culture there in one day than you'll see anywhere.

[Fumi]

Hello laryx,

I am going to Japan in August this year...apart from Kyoto and Tokyo I have to see Nara. My sister visited this place during her holidays and I was really amazed at the pictures she took there!!
She was travelling with Inside Japan Tours Company…if you are interested check out their website…this is Inside Japan Tours - Small Group Tours, Self-Guided Adventures, Fully Tailored Packages and Japan Rail Pass.
I heard that Nara is the friendliest and most relaxed city in Japan so it will be a good idea to visit it as the last one….after Tokyo and Kyoto.
From Kyoto station, both the JR Nara Line and the private Kintetsu Kyoto Line will get you to Nara quickly.


I wish you lovely holidays!!!
Good luck

Fumi

[wildcat]

If you want to visit as many places as possible, you should purchase "2 weeks rail pass." This ticket is great deal!! It has only a few restrictions (like a few trains you cannnot take).

Only foreigners can purchase this ticket, but you need to purchase it through a travel agency in your country. You can call any travel agencies in your country and ask for it. It costs from $450-650 (it depends on you wanna take Shinkansen or not)
When you see the price, it seems very expensive..but hey!!
Without this ticket, you can still go lots of places, but costs way more.
If you decide to stay one place, you don't need it...
If you wanna travel around, you should go for it. you won't regret.