Autumn in Japan

My initial plan for the trip was  to only book my first few nights accommodation in Tokyo as well as my last there.  The rest I would book based on what I would hear from others and based on which city or town I would be in - the way I had travelled through Europe back in 1988.  But this was not to be. In researching when to visit Japan all the information pointed to two seasons - spring and autumn.  Summer is generally very hot, humid and rainy.  Winters are cool.  Since spring meant I would have to wait until March 2009 I decided on autumn for my adventure.  So I booked my flights. I discovered that not only do many foreigners visit Japan during the autumn, but that many Japanese travel domestically during these months.  This time of year is a particularly beautiful one in Japan as the leaves of the trees are turning to oranges, yellows and reds.  Clearly, many want to see this. The other condition I set for myself regarding accommodation was that I was not going to stay in western-

I did a bit of experimenting using Google Maps and have decided that, in addition to my words and pictures, I will update this map during my travels.  So far all I have are the cities and towns I plan on seeing, the ryokan, minshuku and hotels I plan on sleeping in and the various train stations I am going through during my trip.  My plan would be to add some of the sights I have seen as well as the restaurants I have eaten at.  Let's see how it goes....I don't want to spend all my time in Japan doing this, so most of it will not be anywhere near "real time". View Larger Map

Other than the airplane ticket the most expensive purchase for my trip will be my Japan Rail (JR) Pass .  I have been advised by some great Japanese friends of ours that the pass is worth it and of good value.  However, before spending ¥57700 on a three week pass I needed to put my mind at ease.  So once I had planned out my itinerary I wanted to determine how much each leg of my trip would cost.  To do that I found a great website ( Hyperdia ).  It allows you to enter any two towns in Japan to determine the schedule and fares of the trains between those two points.  Just amazing. So...based on my itinerary and the dates I was planning on travelling I determined that I was going to save money with the JR Pass.  The dates are important here as Japan Rail fares are slightly higher during certain months of the year.  After inputting the town pairing of all the legs I am planning I figured that individual tickets would cost me ¥64800.  The savings will not amount to much but they amount to

I am not the kind of person that enjoys organized tours.  In all of my previous travels I have always planned my own itineraries and given myself enough flexibility to modify it based on who I meet along the way or what I see or hear about.  I like that mode of travel.  No umbilical cord to a tour operator.  I want my trips to be personal, of my own creation. In researching Japan I have been using the following three sources as my main inputs to what I am going to see. 1) Lonely Planet Japan book. 2) Japan Travel Guide on About.com 3) Japan National Tourist Organization's website What I have quickly determined is that my three weeks are not going to allow me to see as much of the country as I wish to, at least not at the pace I like to travel.  Reading my new bible (the Lonely Planet book) from cover to cover has introduced so many interesting destinations within Japan.  Tropical islands, beaches.  Amazing hikes.  Fishing villages.  Places that I now want to see.  What was I going

After dreaming of going to Japan for twenty years or so I am finally going!  My plan for this particular blog is to describe my three week trip in enough detail that it will be useful for other individuals deciding to travel to Japan by themselves. Prior to my departure I plan on giving details on how I organized my trip with links to various web sites I found useful, etc.  While on the trip I'll regularly post updates, maps, pictures, etc. The adventure begins October 22, 2008!!