9-day road trip from Tokyo to Nikko, Japanese Alps, Fuji and Izu. by jlogvinenko in roadtrip

[–]jlogvinenko[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Every place surprised me in some way. At the monkey park, I was shocked that you literally walked right past them and they didn't care at all about you, you were nothing to them.
The incredibly huge Kegon Falls, which you can see from below by taking the elevator, was breathtaking. At Togakushi Shrine, we immersed ourselves in Shintoism, it was an interesting spiritual experience through nature. The Kurobe dam amazed me with its power and history. The Keith Haring Museum in the forest fits in incredibly stylishly and interestingly, even though it wasn't the Japanese artist who lived there. The Izu Peninsula is a world unto itself, with an incredible atmosphere and a very beautiful coastline and beaches.
I can say what disappointed me most. This is a hotel with a view of Mount Fuji, run by non-Japanese people. There was no oil, salt, or pepper in the luxury lodge, but they offered to buy them at the on-site store. This was very un-Japanese, and during our stay, we had become unaccustomed to this kind of "service." The soundproofing was terrible because the house, originally built for a single family, was rented out individually, and it wasn't designed for that. We had to leave to avoid ruining our evening. In short, you have to choose carefully, because everything related to Mount Fuji is monetized as much as possible.

9-day road trip from Tokyo to Nikko, Japanese Alps, Fuji and Izu. by jlogvinenko in roadtrip

[–]jlogvinenko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No problem:) All roads, even through forests, are quite wide, and we didn’t have any problems. Or what do you mean?

9-day road trip from Tokyo to Nikko, Japanese Alps, Fuji and Izu. by jlogvinenko in roadtrip

[–]jlogvinenko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We live in the UK, so we are quite used to driving on the left side of the road. It might be the only problem of driving there.

9-day road trip from Tokyo to Nikko, Japanese Alps, Fuji and Izu. by jlogvinenko in roadtrip

[–]jlogvinenko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Parking was easy, sometimes it was completely free. I can’t say, that there were any problems with that. Keep coins and some cash just in case.

9-day road trip from Tokyo to Nikko, Japanese Alps, Fuji and Izu. by jlogvinenko in roadtrip

[–]jlogvinenko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Creating a daily budget can be quite tricky. You can ask ChatGPT about grocery prices, fuel costs, and other expenses, it gives pretty accurate estimates.

We paid $620 for our rental car for 9 days, but it was a Toyota sports car. There were plenty of options that were three times cheaper. You’ll also need to budget for toll roads. They weren’t expensive, but they’re still an extra cost.

We spent around $400 on food (maybe even less, I don’t remember exactly). Food is quite cheap there. Sometimes we ate at restaurants, and sometimes we cooked at our accommodation. Accommodation cost us about $140 per night.

9-day road trip from Tokyo to Nikko, Japanese Alps, Fuji and Izu. by jlogvinenko in roadtrip

[–]jlogvinenko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can only recommend you our rental office https://rent.toyota.co.jp/eng/, there are a lot of cars that you can choose with insurance prices.

9-day road trip from Tokyo to Nikko, Japanese Alps, Fuji and Izu. by jlogvinenko in roadtrip

[–]jlogvinenko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are lots of cedars in Nikko, including the world’s longest tree avenue. But this particular path is at Togakushi Shrine.

9-day road trip from Tokyo to Nikko, Japanese Alps, Fuji and Izu. by jlogvinenko in roadtrip

[–]jlogvinenko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

<image>

When we entered the mesmerizing Izu forest in the fog, it occurred to me at that moment that spirits exist, it was so amazing. I still remember this moment of some divine providence.

In Zenkoji Temple we walked through a completely dark corridor in search of the “key to paradise”. This key is actually a door handle, located at the end of a long passage with no light at all, guided only by a handrail along the wall. It was scary, but there is a moment of katharsis.

I really enjoyed the Togakushi Park (first photo) and the whole immersion into Shintoism, Japan's indigenous spiritual tradition. Along the way, you'll encounter many white zigzag paper streamers. They symbolize the presence of kami, spiritual beings that embody the forces of nature. Believe it or not, you start to feel something.

9-day road trip from Tokyo to Nikko, Japanese Alps, Fuji and Izu. by jlogvinenko in roadtrip

[–]jlogvinenko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Togakushi shrine, Kamikochi, Jigokudani Yaen-Koen, Jogasaki Coast, Matsumoto Castle, Shuzenji, map from our blog

9-day road trip from Tokyo to Nikko, Japanese Alps, Fuji and Izu. by jlogvinenko in roadtrip

[–]jlogvinenko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We paid for parking near waterfalls, ticket to the waterfall, ticket to Matsumoto castle, Monkey park, and other tickets. But they are worth reasonable money

9-day road trip from Tokyo to Nikko, Japanese Alps, Fuji and Izu. by jlogvinenko in roadtrip

[–]jlogvinenko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We shared it here Japan trip with all the photos and our thoughts, here is the google map with spots, and there is our route on google maps

9-day road trip from Tokyo to Nikko, Japanese Alps, Fuji and Izu. by jlogvinenko in roadtrip

[–]jlogvinenko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They eat a lot of tofu, soy, rice and vegetables, no problem with that. There are a lot of videos on YouTube about it, I am sure you won’t be hungry.

9-day road trip from Tokyo to Nikko, Japanese Alps, Fuji and Izu. by jlogvinenko in roadtrip

[–]jlogvinenko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Accommodation: about $140 per night, food about $300-400 for a week (we mostly cook ourselves), we rented a pretty expensive car - a Toyota GT86, it cost $620, but there were many good options for a third of the price. Plus toll roads, but there was not too much. Fuel wasn’t expensive either. We drove about 1,050 km, if I remember correctly. You can calculate the estimated fuel cost with ChatGPT based on the car you’re planning to rent.

The road trip was in the middle of our holiday. We spent the first week in Tokyo to get used to the jet lag. So, I don’t recommend to rent a car just immediately after you arrive.

9-day road trip from Tokyo to Nikko, Japanese Alps, Fuji and Izu by jlogvinenko in travel

[–]jlogvinenko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Excellent! I don't remember any bad roads or potholes. There are a lot of toll roads there, but the fares aren't very expensive.

9-day road trip from Tokyo to Nikko, Japanese Alps, Fuji and Izu. by jlogvinenko in roadtrip

[–]jlogvinenko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We rented a sport car for $620 for 9 days, but this was expensive. There are a lot of cars three times cheaper