Asia & Oceania group posting on GLOBOsapiens

Japan in Fall

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krysta Joined: Jun 06 Points: 4 Posts: 1 Posted: 2006-07-24 13:28:00    Hello everyone, My boyfriend and me are planning to make our big trip to japan this coming fall. We already have some guidebooks but are kind of lost as all the information is quite overwhelming and doesn't really seem to contain what we are looking for. We are planning to spend roughly 20 days in Japan, 23 including flights arrival/departure time. We are both not temple/religion savvy, so a visit to Kyoto will be more then enough for our temple 'n shrine needs during our stay. For us this trip would ultimately be a split between modern cities/architecture/cosmopolitan feel and breathtakingly beautiful natural sights :) So here's with the questions, I sincerely hope someone would be able to answer them: 1. What will the weather be like in October? We read that September is typhoon season with some rain, but what will the weather be like in say, mid october? should we pack for loads of rain 'n cold or sunny days with 25 degrees celsius? 2. We are definately doing Tokyo, Hakone Fuji area, Kyoto and Hiroshima but are still in doubt wether to go for Kyushu in the south with Mt.Aso and Beppu or go to the high north of Hokkaido and do some national park time there. We will be doing all this with public transportation. Is it possible to go to both Kyushu and Hokkaido in this time or should we make a choice? If so, which one is more appealling? 3. Any major modern city that's really worth visiting? I know it's alot of questions, but all the information in the LP just got me so confused, hope you guys/girls can help us out. Cheers, Krysta Reply    Reply with quote    Contact krysta   bootlegga Premium account Joined: Jul 04 Points: 15194 Posts: 124 Posted: 2006-07-31 04:10:00    There are a couple of other threads on this topic already, so you can go in there for more info (above and beyond what I'll say here), as well as read my travel reports and check out my pics on Japan. 1. The weather in October is generally quite nice. Typhoon season generally ends about mid-Sept, but with mother nature you can never be sure. My advice is to bring one set of long sleeve shirts/pants for the cooler days (and the evenings), and maybe a jacket if you feel like it. Umbrellas can usually be bought at 100 yen stores for cheap. Push comes to shove, search for a Uniqlo (a bargain clothing store) and buy whatever you need there (unless you are very tall or overweight). 2. Public transportation in Japan is excellent. A JR rail pass even allows use some of the shinkansen (bullet train), so travel is fast and comfortable. There are also overnight trains and buses you can use if you prefer to travel at night (and sleep while doing so). By shinkansen, it is about 6 hours to Hiroshima from Tokyo, and about that to Akita (the northernmost point on Honshu). Whether or not you can get to Kyushu or Hokkaido depends on how much time you plan on spending elsewhere. Plan a day of train travel if you are going to either one (asuming you leave from Tokyo/Osaka). If you want to see Kyushu from Hiroshima, it's much closer... 3. It depends on what you you want to see. Kobe and Yokohama have big Chinatowns and are interesting to walk through. Osaka Castle has interesting architecture (although Himeji Castle in nearby Hyogo-ken is far better) and forms a huge park in central Osaka. Tokyo has tons of museums to see, if that's your thing. Meiji Shrine in Tokyo is also pretty interesting...really whether or not Japanese cities are worth visiting is based on what you want/expect to see. If you are looking for traditional life, then no. If you are looking for high-tech stuff, then yes. --- "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." – Mark Twain Reply    Reply with quote    Contact bootlegga