Posts by Toth

Hello, Thoughts on the road trip feasibility? We're right in the middle of Koyo season, so it'll be crowded... It's a long drive, I know, but there are two of us to take turns. We're not afraid of driving, even in the mountains or on the left! Just, are we gonna be rushing or is it manageable? AI says it's cool!! But it's not the one driving... Any tips for booking accommodations in the Iya Valley? Because few places have email addresses or websites (I know, there's Booking, but not everyone's on there... and given the season, I think it's better to book ahead!). The question also applies to northern Honshu. For car rental, I'm thinking of going through Alamo since at least it's in French and clear, but are there any direct rental companies with understandable websites (Toyota Rentacar, pppfffffff🏴‍☠️....)? Another question: with so many trains, is it unnecessary to book them in advance? Can we just go to the ticket counter and get seats on the spot? For paying for the rental car, do we need a credit or debit card? Thanks for your help!

Hi,

Hmm.. it’s still gonna be a bit of a rush.

Try looking up the Iya Valley on Google Maps—you’ll see some hotels pop up (old-school style). In my opinion, yes, if you can book ahead, it’s better.



Watch out for trains—during holiday periods like Koyo, I’m afraid it’s better to book train tickets in advance too.

Looks like a credit card is needed.

Hi Julien,

It depends where you're going and when.

I’ll answer with an example. Back in April, I was looking at hotel options in the Japanese Alps for October. Since October is a high-demand period, there were already few choices at reasonable prices. A month later, there were even fewer, and I had to book that early to avoid ending up with options at 200 € per night. Unfortunately, youth hostels aren’t an exception—people book in advance.

On the other hand, for the hotel in Tokyo, since there’s so much choice, I only book a few weeks ahead.

I’ve been traveling to Japan for 20 years, and I’ve noticed that travelers—both locals and internationals—are booking earlier and earlier. Not just in Japan, either.

Hi Elizabeth,

I go to Japan regularly, and I’d recommend booking in advance. I don’t like it much either, but experience has shown me that it’s better to book ahead these days.

Have a great trip.

Hi Tatra, What do you mean exactly? End the option to drive?

Yes, that could work well for your situation. 😉

Car or no car really depends on where you want to go. In 20 years of traveling in Japan, I’ve only rented a car recently because the places I wanted to visit were inaccessible otherwise. I’d say you really need to decide where you want to go first, then compare public transport and car options before deciding. Still, there are some downsides to driving: the driver’s license translation isn’t free, picking up and returning the car at the agency, parking—especially since some hotels don’t have parking—and toll and gas costs.

Thanks for this travel journal, it's a beautiful place! 😊

Hi Raboul,

The others have already given some great answers. I’d just add that while we often focus on cities, Japan’s nature and countryside are just as interesting—and they’re less crowded with tourists. A few examples: Lake Biwa near Kyoto, hikes in the mountains north of Kyoto, the southwest coast near Himeji, the Kumano Kodo trail southwest of Nara, and everything around Tokyo.

Thanks for the feedback. 😉

Fujiyama to Nikko is still quite a long distance over 2 days (including the return trip). Nikko is nice, but in my opinion, it’s not worth 3.5–4 hours of driving each way. Better to do something else in the area, like the Mount Oyama hike in the Kanto region (1.5 hours from Tokyo), or Tanazawa (hiking, Tsurumaki onsen), or something else.

I recently rented from Orix, no issues.

I recommend booking accommodations as early as possible to have more choices in terms of location, and it doesn’t cost anything on platforms like Booking.

Happy searching!

That’s excellent advice! My first trip to Japan was 20 years ago, and it’s become much harder to find available hotels these days. The longer you wait, the fewer options you’ll have.

Indeed, don't forget the travel day. Like the others, I’d add that Nagano is roughly a half-day door-to-door trip, so 2 days in Nagano actually means just 1 day on-site. Keep in mind that trains in Japan are pretty expensive.

For such a short time, I’d advise against it—better to enjoy at a relaxed pace.

For autumn colors, it's actually everywhere there are beautiful forests, so potentially all over Japan. The ultimate spot is Hokkaido, otherwise the Japanese Alps, anywhere really.

To tie it back to Mount Fuji, there's Lake Kawaguchiko in Yamanashi, which offers a beautiful view (I'm imagining, since I had rain).

Hello Gange,

3000 € for 3 people during the holidays isn’t bad at all!

In Tokyo itself, I’d say: - Ghibli Museum and spending time in the Kichijoji neighborhood (where the museum is), Kichijoji Petit Mura, Inokashira Park, and a bit further away, the Edo-Tokyo Open-Air Architectural Museum. - The Digital Art Museum, which can be pretty fun for a kid. - Maybe Kawagoe district. - Akihabara for the kawaii side—so, along the same lines, Harajuku. - There’s the 2D Café in Shinjuku, which could be amusing. - The Edo-Tokyo Museum, which is quick, interactive, and informative about Japanese history.

Hakone might be a good idea since it’s not too far from Tokyo. I’d also add Kamakura, which is really nice. It all depends on whether you’re traveling by train or car, but continuing around Mount Fuji after Hakone, there are some great spots.

Personally, I no longer go to Kyoto—way too crowded everywhere, and more and more restrictions for tourists. Osaka is fun and different from Tokyo, but if you don’t have anything specific to see there…?

For your daughter, Nara could be an option—small town, park, deer, temples.

Final recommendation: if it’s in autumn, you should still visit forested areas where you can see beautiful fall colors—the Japanese Alps, not too far from Tokyo.

En effet il faisait assez froid en ce mois de Décembre, oui, je me suis trompé dans mon 1r message, j'ai fait ce voyage en Décembre et non en février. J'ai d'abord passé une semaine à Qingdao comme annoncé, comme je travaillais la semaine je n'ai pris qu'au jour pour visiter cette ville qui est pas trop mal pour vivre j'ai l'impression mais rien de très excitant. Je suppose que vous l'avez reconnu de par le nom, il s'agit de la ville de la bière, Tsingtao, sur la côte, elle offre de petite balade sympathiques, le Zhanqiao pier avec le pavillon Huilan, le musée de la bière donc, le quartier Badaguan (aux influences grecs et gothiques 😉), la maison Huashi (celle de Chiang Kai shek). Qingdao était une colonie allemande, il reste quelques traces architecturales bavaroises. Je ne pense pas cependant qu'il faille mettre cette ville sur son agenda de visite quand on vient en chine (avis personnel).

A Pékin, je logeais dans une Hutong, réservé par les soins de mon contact chinois via airbnb, je me situais à environ 300-400m de l'entrée de la cité interdite. Bon les Hutong c'est pas l'idéal l'hiver, mal isolées, il fait assez froid, les nuits étaient fraîches, -6, -8°C à l'extérieur, donc avec le chauffage à fond dans la petite maison, j'arrivais péniblement à environ 15°C. Durant mes journées de visite il faisait autours de -4, -5°C, mais pas de pollution et pas de nuage. Le bon coté c'est que je préfère le froid au chaud, donc ça allait. 😛

Bonjour Claude,

Bravo pour tes recherches et ta trouvaille. C'est exactement celui-là, le wagon n°13 on peut construire des parcours de train 😎, ce que j'ai fait, y avait personne ça aurait été dommage de laisser ça sans attention.

Bonjour Claude,

Duquel s'agit-il ? Quel trajet ? Quelle fréquence ? Quel type de matériel (Kiha xxx? ou Kumoha xxx?) ? Merci si tu peux répondre à une de ces définitions je pourrai sans doute en retrouver la trace.

Je me suis bien gratté la tête sur ta question, je n'arrive pas à me rappeler du trajet, je sais que s'est dans la région de Niigata, mais je ne sais plus pour quel trajet, encore moins le type de matériel que je n'ai jamais su 🙂 Désolé.