#Tour Data

After far too long a break, we’re finally heading back to the Land of the Rising Sun! 😁 Even though it’ll be rising relatively late this time, since we’ll be there in autumn.

On our past trips we’ve already visited pretty much all the main tourist spots, some of them even multiple times. So this time we’ve got a somewhat looser plan.

There’ll be a few must-visit places, for example the Tottori Sand Dunes or the temple complexes of Koyasan. But we’ve also got a collection of other destinations that we’ll decide on spontaneously once we’re there.

The route itself takes us from Yokohama along the main Shinkansen line via Okayama down to Fukuoka, our westernmost point of the trip, and from there via Kōbe, Ōsaka and Kyōto back to Tōkyō.

It’ll definitely be exciting and we’re really looking forward to it!

Map: OpenStreetMap contributors under ODbL

Japan again? Absolutely! 😁 This time we’re going to let ourselves be enchanted by the country in late autumn.

We will (hopefully) see the autumn colours of the maple trees, the second most important natural spectacle of the year after the cherry blossoms. Also on the plan are winter light decorations in the big cities. And - no joke - we’ll be visiting a few German Christmas markets.

Our trip starts this time in Tōkyō. From there we’ll work our way west to Kagoshima on the main island of Kyūshū, where we’ll take a look at the smoking volcano Sakurajima. With a detour to Shikoku, we’ll then head back to Tōkyō. This time we’ve also planned a stay in Ōsaka. The city has always been on our list, but we haven’t managed to visit it until now.

It starts soon! We’re already pretty excited.

Map: Natural Earth, Public Domain

This is the planned tour… We’re arriving in Ōsaka Kansai, travelling via Kyōto up to Kanazawa first of all, then in the other direction via Okayama (with a detour to Takamatsu) onwards to Fukuoka. Via Hiroshima, we’re heading back to Kyōto. The former capital will be our base for further trips, for example to Nara and possibly Yokohama. Finally, we’ll be heading back to Germany via Ōsaka Kansai.

Map: Natural Earth, Public Domain

This is our route for this trip to Japan…

We’re flying to Ōsaka Kansai, where we’ll meet our friend Chīko and explore Kyōto together with her the next day. After that, we’ll join a tour group, visit Nara and watch “Geisha dances” in Kyōto. Then we’re taking the Shinkansen and an express train to Nagasaki, with a stopover in Himeji, where we’ll check out the fully restored Himeji-jō this time. From Nagasaki we’ll do a day trip to Shimabara. After that, we’re heading via Hiroshima and Kurashiki to Tōkyō. There we’ll do another trip to Nikko before the group part of the tour finishes. Then we’ll head out on our own to Takayama in the Japanese Alps, where we’ll stay overnight in a ryokan. The last stop is Nagoya before we head back to Germany via Ōsaka Kansai.

Originally, the trip was supposed to go via the seaside resort of Beppu and Kumamoto to Nagasaki. But the massive earthquake on 15 April left severe damage at Kumamoto Castle and the surrounding infrastructure, so we’ll be checking out Shimabara instead.

It’s a pretty packed programme for two weeks, but we’re super excited to see Japan again.

Map: Natural Earth, Public Domain

This is the route for our trip to Japan… We’re flying to Tōkyō Narita Airport, where we’ll meet up with the tour group and head to Tōkyō together. With a stop in Kamakura, we’ll carry on to Fuji National Park, where we’ll spend the night in an onsen. Then we’ll catch the train to Hiroshima, with a stopover in Okayama. Our last stop will be Kyōto. Finally, we’ll head back to Germany from Ōsaka Kansai Airport.

We originally planned to visit Himeji-jō castle in Himeji, but it’s currently being restored. Instead, we’re going to check out the Kōraku-en landscape garden in Okayama. Not bad either…

We can’t wait to see what’s in store for us!

Map: Natural Earth, Public Domain