Japan

Thought I would write this here instead of in Cycling Touring thread as I am looking for more travel ideas than touring plans...

Hoping to go to Japan in May once I finish work in London. I know someone who will take me around Kyoto so I am thinking of flying there to get my bearings and then moving on.

Done a bit of reading on internet and I am getting a Lonely Planet but would be sweet to hear what you guys loved about Japan.

I would love to go to Shikoku for the beauty and perhaps even try and get a bike to cycle around... like mentioned in Cycling Touring thread.

Any other must-sees? I know Tokyo is meant to be amazing and Nagasaki/Hiroshima for the history/culture shock.

I have a month and the budget is still undecided. Would like to try and keep costs down but I have enough saved to not have to scrimp costs everywhere.

Good timing for Sakura viewing- if you are lucky everywhere will look amazeballs.

Yeah, I think I can just get there in time for the cherry blossom viewing festival that they have on in some areas. Will be gorgeous...

@cornelius_blackfoot took his biek to Japan and may have some tips

@Mi_Amigo, went to japan a while back 2010, I was in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, really should have gone further down to Kobe and tried the beef there.

Tokyo is great, so much to do and see there, Osaka is pretty cool as well. I didn't get to spend much time in the countryside, or at the coast, so you may want to ask someone else about that probably @I_am_Hingis, who also can tell you about doing any touring as well..

I took a bike with me, rode round the cities I was staying in. Buy a ticket over here for the bullet trains which will get you round the country super quick, it's cheaper and you can buy different versions which you can start whenever you want.

I didn't see as much as I wanted to or could have done, but I've wanted to go back as soon as I left, so try and squeeze in as much as you can, even the things you feel might be a bit touristy, I'm still upset I didn't go to an onzen, or the fish market in tokyo, or the keirin racing, or the sumo. But eat as much as you can, the food is just so good.

Cheers all for the replies. Yeah, Onsening is apparently huge and definitely on my to do. Tokyo and Kyoto are definitely on the list. What's there in Osaka and in Kobe? (despite the beef which I agree, on my bucket list). Also how did you get the bike over? Worth it in the end?

If you fly with Virgin your bike goes free and also doesn't count as part of your luggage weight allowance.
Osaka is famous for its strut
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crlPHRfL80w

Jesus, that's pretty good service...

Only issue though is that I will be in India for the month before hand and I am not so keen trekking my bike around there and then shipping it to Japan. Think Japan has some decent bike rentals/bike schemes so that I can keep a bike for a month and return before I go?

@Mi_Amigo, osaka was a place I would have loved to have explored more of, but my hostel was across the river by the shinkanzen (bullet train) station, which didn't go into the center of town, and they had a curfew which meant I couldn't stay out late.
What I did see was some amazing neon, a city that looked like it could party a lot, and some great markets...

I was on a round the world ticket, so flew with BA and a couple of airlines, bike travelled for free under my 2x 23kg bags allowance. No problems with customs or baggage handling. Just check it out before you leave the airport to make sure there's no damage otherwise you can't claim for anything if it is dinged up..

Ok, I'll put Osaka on must see list.

Didn't realise it was so easy to transport a bike... Might need a rethinking of India trip beforehand to accommodate!

A good/cheap way of moving your bike around Japan when you're not riding it is by takyubin as well. It's meant for luggage so people travel without their suitcases but works for bagged bikes.

just googled, Japan has solutions for everything. Can't wait to leave the office for this...

Humour me here, if I was crazy enough to try and get a bike there either for rent or for purchase, how much would I be looking at? Read somewhere that buying a decent bike isn't as expensive as you think in Japan and would serve pretty well at home too... Could be talking utter bullocks as it sounds too good to be true

I was there during cherry blossom season maybe 10 years ago. I watched sumo in Osaka, pretty cool. Tokyo is awesome, just everything, everywhere. Hiroshima pretty but sad, Kyoto is beautiful. Went into the mountains and stayed with some monks. Went to a festival up north. Ate lots of Ononomiyaki in Himeji. Climbed stuff. Rode bullet trains. Damn, I want to go back.

LFGSS reunion in Japan in May...?

Tell me more about the mountain monk stuff? I was hoping to do that in India/Nepal the month previous to Japan but its looking less likely as the trip planning goes on.

I can't remember the name of the place. I remember a complicated train journey. I might have more detail elsewhere but the online gallery I had is devoid of info

Ah alright. Is that something you organise or do you just turn up and chill with monks in the mountains...

Fuck I'm good.. found it... Koya-San

http://www.neverendingvoyage.com/sleeping-with-monks-a-night-in-a-japanese-temple-in-koya-san/

Fucking ace mate. That's not your blog is it, Hippy...? Cheers for the digging!

Nope, just stumbled across it after some random duckduckgo'ing and remembered the name of the place. No idea which one we stayed in though but it was definitely Koya-san.

Brilliant, much appreciated! any other suggestions, keep firing them my way. Keirin Racing seems next on my wishlist...

If you are there in July, Fuji Rock is probably the most beautiful, friendly and cleanest festival you will ever go to. Set in the mountains in a ski resort in summer. Awesome.

Sadly, ill be back in early June... Looks brilliant though.

Keirin racing is probably the dullest event you can attend in Japan. It's like going to midweek dog racing in Catford in the 90s. Only for the most committed.

Ah ok... I guess youtube does make it look better than it is in person...

poor edited video on christmas eve trying to get it out to my friends before 2015
i went last year in november and met up a few forumengers that live out there.

JAPAN 30-12-14 v1
from Darren Wong on Vimeo.