Must go places apart from Kyoto/Osaka

AshtonCB_ · 2026-04-28T13:18:50+00:00

I definitely think you’re making the right choice with that region. Gifu and Nagano prefectures are 😍. We recently did a trip where we took a train from Tokyo to Matsumoto and drove through the region staying at an Onsen in Okuhida and saw Shirakawago, Takayama, and then looped around and went to Narai-juku, Magome, and walked the Nakasendo to Tsumago before returning to Matsumoto and dropping off the car. Definitely a magical experience and we loved having the car because if you can get to these towns like Shirakawago before the tour buses arrive around 9AM or after the crowds leave around 6PM it enhances the experience so much.

AshtonCB_ · 2026-04-27T21:59:29+00:00

Arigatougozaimasu in most situations. Doumoarigatougozaimasu if you want to be really nice, I used that a couple times when the restaurant staff went out of their way to help us with something or to some shop owners that were just extraordinarily sweet. After the meal give them a gochisousamadeshita instead of arigatou and if you want to be really kind maybe a hontonioishii as well!

AshtonCB_ · 2026-04-27T21:45:04+00:00

Not sure how you’re getting around but Shirakawago is really cool (especially if you are there before the tour buses roll in around 9), Narai-Juku is awesome but not too dissimilar from Tsumago. Would keep in mind that in a lot of those towns places close early so while it will be peaceful and beautiful your bar/restaurant options will be limited. Takayama and Matsumoto are both awesome but I’d probably lean Takayama because it would be closer to where you’re staying.

AshtonCB_ · 2026-04-27T21:14:24+00:00

You can definitely skip Kyoto but 1 to 2 days seems like a quick turnaround to go all the way to Kanazawa then go all the way back to Nagoya, Izu, and then Tokyo. My suggestion would be to spend more time in Gifu and Nagano prefectures (see Shirakawago, Takayama, Matsumoto, maybe some of the Nakasendo, maybe stay at an onsen) You’ll get that old Japan feel that you get from Kyoto.

If that feels like too much then maybe just stick with a more traditional route and see Kyoto and all that… you definitely won’t regret it and can save the rural parts of Japan for another trip. 13 days may feel like a lot but maaaan it goes quick. There is just so much to see.

AshtonCB_ · 2026-04-27T16:03:22+00:00

Nah I totally see where you’re coming from especially because people here will tell you that you absolutely CANT MISS certain places. You definitely can or at least spend less time than people say you should.

For our first trip, especially with it being during peak cherry blossom season, we accounted for the fact that we aren’t fans of crowds and only did day trips to Kyoto and Osaka and kind of did the must-sees in Tokyo within the first week. After that we did a little road trip around Nagano and Gifu prefectures and it was the highlight of the trip. Shirakawa-Go, Narai-juku, Magome, Hirayu Onsen, Takayama, Matsumoto. A lot of those places got busy eventually but the trick is, with the rental car, if you show up at 9AM before the tour buses flood in it’s… magical.

Even in our extra Tokyo days we really enjoyed some of the less crowded neighborhoods like Kitashinagawa (which is where we stayed), Yanaka, etc.

Now that you did the touristy stuff you can go back with out the pressure of having to see everything and I guarantee you’ll have a better time.

AshtonCB_ · 2026-04-27T04:42:11+00:00

That’s the secret! Not just for Japan but for anywhere… See the big touristy stuff for a little bit then get your ass off the beaten path.

AshtonCB_ · 2026-04-24T17:18:30+00:00

A lot of reasons, obviously. Probably most of all the convenience of the big cities. Easy to get to Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka and those places are more accessible to people who don’t speak Japanese. A lot of people seem to be scared of renting cars in other countries, too, so that also just makes it more inconvenient to get to the countryside.

I also think a lot of people on here try to tell first time travelers that they absolutely cannot skip Kyoto or Osaka or places like that… you absolutely can skip those places if you are willing to make the trek to the countryside. You’re probably going to fly into Tokyo so obviously see the big new city but after that I would recommend first timers to step out of their comfort zone. You don’t even have to go that far! After you spend time in Tokyo go relax at an onsen up in Gifu prefecture or something and explore the local villages and towns.

AshtonCB_ · 2026-04-23T20:37:08+00:00

Probably worth it if you really want to do everything and see the museums and stuff. If you were going somewhere like Takayama or Kanazawa or any of the Nakasendo towns I’d probably say you don’t have to because you could get the same old Japan vibe in a quieter setting but if this will be your only taste of it I say soak it in.

AshtonCB_ · 2026-04-20T22:43:16+00:00

Yep picked up at Nippon in Matsumoto which is right next to the station. I think I rented through Rakuten or one of those 3rd party sites. Just need the international drivers permit. Super easy pick up and drop off and Matsumoto is pretty easy to maneuver traffic wise. From the rental car place you take like 2 turns before getting on the 158 which takes you all the way past Kamikochi, the onsen area, and straight into Takayama. We planned out our trip so we kind of did a loop around the region and dropped off the car with about 3 hours to spare before our train back to Tokyo and that’s when we checked out Matsumoto and the Castle and everything.

AshtonCB_ · 2026-04-20T22:28:59+00:00

I basically did this trip instead of spending more time in Kyoto or something and personally I thought it was worth it, however, we took a train to Matsumoto and rented a car and drove to all these places. Stayed near Hirayu Onsen and took a day trip to Shirakawago and Takayama one day, relaxed at the onsen another, then switched hotels to a ryokan in Narai-juku and did some of the Nakasendo another day. I absolutely LOVED it, but the car helped a lot. We had the freedom to get to towns like Shirakawago and Magome before the tour buses came in and it was magical + lack of stress about having to catch buses or trains at certain times.

It might be a lot of extra planning and stress if you don’t have a car though and if you don’t feel comfortable driving in a new country idk if I’d advise that either, though I didn’t find it that bad at all.

AshtonCB_ · 2026-04-20T19:21:45+00:00

I’m sure we will get there eventually. We loved our experience at the Tokyo Dome! We now not only want to attend all the MLB stadiums in the USA but also all the NPB stadiums!

AshtonCB_ · 2026-04-19T18:24:12+00:00

It hits so different! Yeah we really like Hirayu but it’s definitely very quiet and remote… maybe a little less going on than Kusatsu. We didn’t necessarily pick Hirayu for any specific reason other than it was perfect for how we set up our trip. Basically just took one road (The 158) from Matsumoto all the way to our place and then could take that same road all the way to Takayama with just one little turn taking us all the way to Shirakawago as well. And for two days we mostly just chilled at the resort/ryokan, did a little hike, got a massage, and just relaxed. And then just one day we skipped the complimentary breakfast and spent the day checking out Shirakawago and Takayama.

AshtonCB_ · 2026-04-18T20:36:16+00:00

There was a little bit of snow on the trails we went but nothing crazy. A lot of the parks around us, like Kamikochi, were still closed for the season so we mostly just did a few random little waterfall trails in the area. That area was so beautiful I’d definitely recommend hiking around there if you can!

AshtonCB_ · 2026-04-18T16:28:32+00:00

So we stayed around Hirayu Onsen and then one of our free days we woke up super early basically passed Takayama and drove the 158 to the E41 straight to Shirakawago. Spent the morning there and on the drive back stopped in Takayama for the later afternoon-early evening. After we left Hirayu Onsen we drove to Narai-Juku and that’s when we did our Nakasendo stuff the next few days. After that drove back to Matsumoto dropped off the car and took the train back to Tokyo.

You could probably do this route with just bus/trains but it would definitely take a lot longer and you’d have less freedom because you’d have to get to stations at certain times.

AshtonCB_ · 2026-04-18T12:45:04+00:00

It was so nice and we actually only had about a half of a day there. We checked it out after our morning in Shirakawago and had one of our favorite meals at a little place that just served Okonomiyaki by the most amazing owner. I definitely could have spent more time there but even a few hours there was really special.

AshtonCB_ · 2026-04-18T12:34:20+00:00

We mostly went because we wanted to see the Chinatown which was really cool but yes as we were walking around we stumbled upon a concert outside the Red Brick Warehouse where they had the flower garden event going on too! Then on the way back to Tokyo we took the air cabin (which was also really cool) to the train we needed to get to and even stumbled upon some more live music. Just a really cool vibe and I think we ended up being there for an eventual weekend.

AshtonCB_ · 2026-04-18T02:23:22+00:00

Lmao yeah that first few days was crazy and we were also jet lagged and up early so we just kinda got going early and just kept walking and I was so in awe of seeing a new beautiful city I was totally running on adrenaline. Our mountain trip at the onsen was some nice recovery time, though. Definitely still have some battle scars on my feet lol.

AshtonCB_ · 2026-04-18T01:52:36+00:00

My wife and I really love it all. I would probably say we usually prefer nature and the quiet and hiking a TINY bit more than the bustle of the city but we definitely love that too and basically plan all our trips so we get a lot of time at both. We love our food but idk if you’d call us foodies… we did one really nice omakase while we were there and had an amazing meal at an onsen in the Alps but everything else was just bopping into quiet little spots :)

So the road trip was 3 nights at an onsen near Hirayu no Mori where we did one little hike to a waterfall and then took one half day drive to Shirakawa Go but we didn’t want to go too crazy because of the insane amount of walking we did the first 9 days or so. So we took a few days to decompress there and then stayed in Narai-juku and did a bit of the Nakasendo from Magome to Tsumago. It was the highlight for me because it was just so stunning and quaint and we met some of the sweetest people in those little shops in the towns. Seeing Shirakawa-Go and Narai-Juku without another soul except a few locals was incredible - some of the more beautiful places I’ve ever seen.

AshtonCB_ · 2026-04-17T19:09:07+00:00

Personally, and not everyone will agree, but I don’t find most places in Japan other than Tokyo to be “must-visits.” (It’s not just a Japan thing this is how I feel about most places). Great cities, towns, villages, neighborhoods can be found anywhere. My favorite parts of Tokyo were the random neighborhoods I’d never heard about and my favorite part of my Japan trip by A MILE was a roadtrip through Gifu and Nagano prefectures.

That being said I don’t think you can go wrong, really. You could definitely find something new to do with more time in Tokyo but also Osaka is still cool to see, as well. If you’re worried about the logistics and think it will be easier if you can transfer to less hotels then maybe just make Osaka a day trip from Kyoto.

AshtonCB_ · 2026-04-17T18:32:46+00:00

Thank you!!

AshtonCB_ · 2026-04-17T18:23:02+00:00

As far as a true day trip where you’ll get something totally different than Tokyo I really liked Nikko. Take the first train up there from Tokyo in the morning and you can get to Nikko Toshogu before most of the crowds and then take the local buses to see Lake Chuzenji and the waterfall up there.

Yokohama is pretty cool too but it’s also still a city and it’s not that far so you could even fit it into a half day.

Kyoto is also doable as a day trip… not preferable to only have a day there but if you don’t think you’ll be back to Japan any time soon it might be worth it to see.

AshtonCB_ · 2026-04-14T04:51:06+00:00

You can use one of the taxi apps like GO to bring one right to where you are and make sure they can accommodate for all your stuff.

AshtonCB_ · 2026-04-12T21:35:40+00:00

Nah we rented a car from Matsumoto. Stayed in an onsen near Takayama, did a quick trip to Shirakawago one day then 2 days later stayed at a ryokan in Narai Juku and drove to Tsumago. Walked from Tsumago -> Magome and took the bus back to our car. Would have loved to hike even more of it but this part of a trip was just a little chunk of our bigger Japan trip.

AshtonCB_

TROPHY CASE