Usually, those traveling to Japan only visit the two main cities: Tokyo and Kyoto, sometimes Nara. However, Japan has a lot more to offer. Moreover, thanks to the high-speed rail network you can go from one part of the country to another only in a few hours.
Below you will find our travel itinerary, made (as usual) with the aim of exploring the most interesting and less known areas for mass tourism, to experience and live the authentic soul of this country.
Tokyo: an incredible city full of contradictions, where the most advanced technology joins the most profound tradition, where the teenagers’ latest fashion trend is opposed to the beautiful and traditional kimonos.
Kyoto: along with Nara, it is the main destination of the Kansai region. Kyoto, formerly the imperial capital, is considered the cultural heart of Japan with more than 2000 temples and shrines. Gion district, with tea houses and geishas: women who dedicate their life to the art of entertainment. Kyoto reflects the idea that each one of us has about Japan.
If you are around on August 16, don’t miss the Daimon-ji Yaki festival, where fires are lit on five hills to celebrate the final farewell to the souls of the ancestors.
Arashyama: on the western outskirts of Kyoto there is a very interesting area full of temples and shrines known as Sagano – Arashiyama. The Togetsukyo Bridge, which crosses Hozu river, is the symbol of the district. Near the bridge there is the largest and most famous temple in the area, the Tenryuji, surrounded by a beautiful Zen garden. North of Tenryuji there is a small forest of bamboo trees. Walking among these trees, from which a soft light filters, gives the feeling of being in an enchanted world, as if we were in a fairytale. Right at the end of the bamboo wood, we find the villa (open to visitors) of the famous actor Okochi Denjiro whose gardens have been designed to represent the best of each of the four seasons.
Nara: even before Kyoto, the imperial capital was Nara. It also boasts numerous sites to visit; the most important is Nara-Koen, a huge nature reserve that includes the areas of TodaiJi, the Isuien Garden and the Kasuga Taisha Shrine. Here you can meet one of the many deer that live in the park; they are very used to visitors and frequently approach to get some free food. In August (on the 16th), for the ancestors’ celebration, Nara-Koen is studded with thousands of lanterns, a breathtaking show if you are around.
Himeji: since Japanese trains allow you to easily and quickly reach the various areas of the country, Himeji-jò is a worthwhile stop: it is one of the few castles left that still maintain their original structure.
Kurashiki: another pleasant destination off the main routes. The main attraction is a small neighborhood formed by buildings arranged along a canal, touched by the flowing foliage of the many weeping willows. In feudal times these were warehouses, used to store rice transported by boat from the surrounding countryside.
