Japan Travel Answers

I can't really recommend a hostel as I have never really stayed in any, but I do recommend Shikoku and Chugoku. Shikoku is the 4th largest island in Japan located south of the main island. I would base myself out of Kochi for a few days if you want to get into the countryside. Muroto is one of the capes and it is beautiful there. I also recommend going to Shimanto, considered the most beautiful river in Japan. In Chugoku, go to Tottori and Shimane. They are relatively remote areas. The road on the Sea of Japan coast is really beautiful and Mt. Daisen is nice. You can drive around the entire mountain on a ring road that is about halfway up the mountain. Nearly single lane the entire way. In terms of road signs, the main road signs are generally in English. City names and distances are written in English under the Japanese. Numbers are regular numbers 1,2,3... not the Japanese style. In terms of other signs, they follow most international standards. Red circle with a white background and number is a speed limit. However, a red triangle with the point downward means stop. Red lights mean stop, but sometimes there are arrow signals that turn on. This means you can proceed in that direction. If there is no arrow and just a solid red light, you must stop. No left (curb to curb) turns are allowed. Construction signs and such are only in Japanese though, so that could be a problem.

thanks. can you design me a rough itenantry from Tokyo Narita airport. Where should I go first (would like to do main tokyo while coming back) and any recommended hotel around. How much travel time if you can out too.

I can't really give a good itinerary to be honest but I can tell you what I did. San'in region: I flew from Tokyo to Tottori and spent a day in Tottori to see the Sand Dunes. The next day I drove along the coast and around Mt. Daisen before stopping in Sakaiminato for an hour or so and then off to Matsue for dinner and then Izumo to a friend's house. The next 2 days were in Izumo and Matsue. Saw Izumo Taisha, Hinomisaki (could be wrong on the name) lighthouse, Matsue Castle along with a cruise around the castle, and that's about it. After that, spent a day driving down to Hiroshima. Then an afternoon and evening in Hiroshima. Then I spent a day in Miyajima and one last night in Hiroshima before returning home. Shikoku was a 2 week adventure. I took an overnight ferry from Odaiba to Tokushima. I arrived in Tokushima the next afternoon. Then I spent an afternoon/evening in Tokushima. The next day was a trip from Tokushima to Kochi via Muroto. I stopped in Hiwasa (could be wrong on the name) to see a shrine. I spent 2 nights in Kochi, but just 1 day. I spent the day going to a temple on a mountain and exploring the castle. I loved the castle too. After the second night, I rode from Kochi to Ozu via one of the valleys. Forgot the route number right now. I spent an afternoon and evening in Ozu and it was great. There is a nice looking youth hostel that I didn't stay in and I regret not going there. The castle area is amazing too. I then spent a day going to Misaki and then up the coast to Matsuyama where I spent an afternoon and evening again. I spent another day there going to Matsuyama Castle and Dogo Onsen. The following day I rode to Takamatsu. Spent an evening getting used to everything. I took a day to go to Naoshima, a day to go to Kotohira, and then left the next morning for Naruto to see the whirlpools. I then went to Tokushima that same day and spent 2 nights there as my ferry wasn't running. I returned via ferry to Odaiba. For the info on Shikoku, you can see my blog posts here: http://wp.me/p2liAm-bW For info on my trip to Tottori to Hiroshima, you can check here: blog.hinomaple.com/category/... Note: you have to scroll down a bit to get to the cities. The driving posts are interesting too as it summarizes my trip a bit. I need to fix it up a bit but won't have time for a while but it is on my to do list.

Thanks this will surely be very useful