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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/kmrbtravel on 2024-04-15 02:01:16.

About Me

I’m a 25 y/o female traveller from Korea/Canada. I visit Japan 3-5x each year and wanted to share my itinerary/tips/recommendations. My most recent trip spanned a week in Barcelona (I’ll be writing a trip review for this soon!), then four weeks in Japan (Dec. 23 - Jan. 19). I will be returning to Japan again this week.

Why Japan so often? My best friend moved to Kyoto in 2018 and her brother is a Japanese citizen, which allows for me to get free accommodations. More importantly, I used to compete in a Japanese martial art and return every few months for events related to this.

I also majored in Japanese history with a specific interest in Japanese architecture. I haven’t seen as many pieces as I’d like, but I’m really into historical shrines/temples and pieces created by my favourite architects, so I don’t think I have great itinerary suggestions for those with kids or travellers who aren’t too big on shrines and temples.

I also unfortunately have very little food recommendations as my friend cooks at home and I am usually too busy seeing things to eat :( I’m also gonna get slapped for this, but I’m not huge on Japanese food, either.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT suggest travelling like me. I had a dumb and crazy itinerary because it was (1) very last minute, (2) I had to be back before a Tokyo trip on Jan. 9, (3) I come back to Japan frequently enough to sacrifice bad days and do stupid planning here and there.

Overall, I took about 20-30k steps per day, every day, which was extremely hard on my body. It’s a terrible idea, don’t travel like me, but I’m writing this in case people wanted to know how a psychopath travels. And in case it wasn’t obvious, I don’t drive. I also do not take the Shinkansen because I am broke doing dumb things like this.

This post is also obviously very long and has a LOT of information. Please read whatever section is most relevant for you :)

My current goal is to visit all 47 prefectures. 8 down, 39 to go!

Edit: after further consideration, I’ve taken out my Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka itinerary as I don’t have any unique recommendations. However, they will definitely come back when I write my shrine megareview. I actually finished this trip in Osaka after my friend accidentally locked me out but I didn’t do anything new or interesting there except for one temple.

—

Preface: MIE (October 2023) - Ise

I visited Japan in late October to catch a tournament, but decided to do an impromptu trip to Ise because it’s a really important place for me personally!

  • Ise Jingu
    • Ise is an iconic city in Mie for one of Shinto’s most important shrines—Ise Jingu. One of its most characteristic features is how the main shrine gets rebuilt every 20 years or so, an amazing way to preserve tradition in the essence of modernity. When I went, there were barely any foreign tourists but a ton of locals and still quite busy. Keep in mind that the main sanctuary cannot be seen due to its sacredness. You can catch a glimpse of the rooftop, but it is up to you to decide if that is worth it or not. The loop is pretty nice and there are other shrines that are visible, but the main structure is hidden.
  • Futamiokitama Jinja + Meoto Iwa (Wedded Rocks)
    • I was in Ise on Oct. 31 but the weather was extremely warm (I was in a t-shirt and sweating). However, the clear blue skies, the view of the blue sea, blue skies, the rocks, and the frog statues of Futamiokitama Jinja were stunning. The shores are really clean and neat and it makes for a serene, picturesque walk. You can take a bus that goes directly from Ise Jingu to the rocks.
  • Ise was ultimately a day trip for me (from Kyoto) and I climbed Fushimi Inari afterwards in the evening. I don’t recommend doing both on the same day (clocked around 32k+ steps), but Ise can be a decent day trip if you wish. I’d like to spend more time here and do more things next time, so recommendations are always appreciated :D

—

NATIONAL TRIP 2024

I know I’ve always wanted to visit all 47 prefectures, but I didn’t think I was going to start my ‘zenkoku tour’ (national tour) on such short notice. After spending New Years with my friend and her family, I made the impulsive decision to visit Izumo (my favourite city) and Hiroshima—and at that point I figured I could visit all the other prefectures as I headed up.

The biggest problem was that we had booked buses for a Tokyo trip on Jan. 9, which left me Jan. 2 - Jan. 8 to travel. Naturally, this meant I wasn’t going to be able to enjoy all prefectures extremely thoroughly, but I was intrigued by the idea and thought ‘fuck it, let’s roll.’

My friend was unfortunately working, so I was alone for this leg of my trip (Mie, too).

SHIMANE - Izumo

  • The night bus from Kyoto to Izumo takes around 8 hours, but if you are in Hiroshima, the bus is only three hours long. I can’t suggest people to go out of their way to visit Izumo from Kyoto or Tokyo, but if you’re in Hiroshima and are running out of things to do, IT IS WORTH CONSIDERING.
  • Funnily enough, I have never been to Nara, but I’ve been to Izumo twice. You might see me commenting on this subreddit because I am basically free advertisement for the city of Izumo and always encourage people to go especially if they’re in Hiroshima or Okayama. I just really love everything here.
  • Shimane is the second least populated prefecture in Japan, but it is home to one of the most iconic and important shrines for Shinto—Izumo Taisha (more officially known as Izumo Oyashiro). The giant shimenawa is beautiful, iconic, and is a personal favourite sight in Japan for me.
  • Izumo is also, in my opinion, the best city to do a day trip. There are five main points of attractions you can do in a loop: Izumo Taisha, Inasa Beach, Hinomisaki Jinja, Hinomisaki Lighthouse, and eating 3-tiered soba (famous in Izumo).
    • I have done a (1) Hinomisaki Lighthouse → Hinomisaki Jinja → Inasa Beach → soba → Izumo Taisha loop and I have also done a (2) Izumo Taisha → Inasa Beach → soba (or soba then Inasa Beach) → Hinomisaki Lighthouse → Hinomisaki Jinja loop.
      • They both have their advantages and disadvantages. The biggest issues are that most soba places close at 2 PM(!) and buses in the countryside are much less frequent, so planning is essential. Most hotels are around the Izumoshi Station area, which is far from Izumo Taisha/Inasa Beach, which is very far from Hinomisaki, so bus times must be considered in advance if you want to make it to and back for any of the three locations.
      • If you pick (1), you’ll have an excess amount of time at Hinomisaki assuming you take the first 7 am bus, but not a lot of time at Inasa Beach (most soba places close at 2 and are closer to the entrance of Izumo Taisha, around a 15 min walk, unless you want to go back and forth). I only pick (1) because I want to spend the most amount of time at Izumo Taisha (at the end of the day), without having to worry about bus times to Hinomisaki.
      • If you pick (2), it is possible you won’t have time to climb the lighthouse depending on when the last bus is and might have to rush the lighthouse + Hinomisaki Jinja loop. YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THE LAST BUS AT HINOMISAKI as you will be stranded, but I ultimately recommend this route, depending on how much time you take to eat soba and see Inasa beach.
  • HINOMISAKI LIGHTHOUSE
    • On a bright blue day, it is beautiful in photos as the white contrasts harshly against the blue. You can also climb the inside of the lighthouse (not recommended for those with mobility issues, as the steps are narrow and deep, and the last part is essentially a ladder).
    • Unfortunately when I went for the second time, it was grey and cloudy and the white did not contrast the sky effectively. On this note, I do not recommend Izumo when it rains. It is such a picturesque place, and the grey skies (while dramatic and moody!) isn’t how I’d recommend visiting for the first time. It didn’t dampen my love for it, but I think it might for other tourists.
  • HINOMISAKI JINJA
    • The path from Hinomisaki Lighthouse to Hinomisaki Jinja is beautiful and an awesome walk away from the chaos of Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka. There’s also an island with a singular torii gate (Fumishima) that I believe is home to a protected(?) bird species. Overall, I’m a fan of the sea, the lighthouse, the pine trees, and the jagged rocks. Even on matsuri days, I find Izumo to be a really quiet, serene place away from the chaos of the trifecta cities and the lighthouse/jinja path is very peaceful.
  • IZUMO OYASHIRO
    • Personally, I think the shimenawa makes Izumo Taisha the most beautiful shrine I’ve ever seen, but I’m well aware I have weird tastes. There are two buildings, both with shimenawa. You’re not looking at the right one (especially if you enter through the ‘usual’ entrance/path) until it makes you say ‘what the fuck, that’s absolutely massive!’ It is usually a really quiet, almost deserted-feeling area, but during any matsuri time, it’s vibrant and busy and fun with your typical street vendors and people milling about.

Izumo as a whole I think will be a hit or miss for most people. If this is your first time in Japan, I’m not sure if I’d recommend it as it’s hard to access and really quiet. But if you’re a shrine freak or have the same, weird tastes as me, I highly recom…

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