On 2014-09-07 01:06:09 +0000, CL said:

> On 09/07/2014 08:57 AM, gtr wrote:
>> On 2014-09-06 16:16:52 +0000, mtfester@netMAPSONscape.net said:
>> 
>>>> But I really meant in the last days days somewhere in the semi-coastal
>>>> area between Kyoto and Tokyo; generally in *that* part of the country.
>>> 
>>> Nikko? Izu peninnsula.
>> 
>> The first week of the trip we're in Tokyo and have considered Nikko as a
>> day trip. This afternoon we booked the last 4 nights of that period in
>> Shimodo on Izu Peninsula, and the first two nights at Koya-San. That
>> leaves the five days in between.  We'll have spent a big hunk of the
>> time in Kobe and Kyoto so we're reluctant to plunk down in Nagoya, which
>> seems to have a lot of lookee-loo stuff.  We may try to go to a quiet
>> smaller place, a no-place-in-particular burg; but you can see how they
>> are hard to identify...
> 
> Nikko is hardly "day trip" material.  You need a minimum of two full 
> days to see the main area, but, if you go when traffic is light, you 
> may also be able to get up to the waterfall by bus, taxi, or rentacar.

Duly noted.

> If you're going to be in Shimoda, there is a ferry from Atami to Izu 
> Oshima and one route island-hops down the other main Izu islands.  One 
> of the routes used to return to Shimoda Port but, I didn't check to see 
> if it is still running.  Island hopping in early spring and late autumn 
> is fairly nice.  Midsummer, it's a furnace.

Cool, thanks!

> I've got to say that in over 30 years of living here, I have NEVER 
> heard anyone else EVER describe Nagoya as "INTERESTING."  I've never 
> used Nagoya as anything other than a big place to stop over so I can 
> prepare to go someplace else.  It's the last big city on the way to 
> Ise, Toba, Tsu.

I know! That's the reason in six trips, a total of about 16 weeks I've 
always avoided it.  In a recent edition of one of the big travel books 
(Fodor, Lonely Planet, etc.), they had plenty to say about things to 
see and do.  By the way, here and in rec.travel.asia I also heard a lot 
of "who cares" about Osaka.  I'm glad I dismissed it, 'cause I love 
that town!

> Kawagoe (Saitama) and Sawara (Chiba) have traditional Edo-jidai 
> villages with pre-resoration buildings housing lots of tourist-trappy 
> kinds of things to shop for.  They also have excellent Japanese, 
> French, and Italian restaurants, too.

Now you're talking--food!

> But, if you don't speak / read Japanese or have a guide who does and 
> who understands old Japan, you may not see the good stuff.

Clearly a fact most everywhere, but we always manage to have an 
incredibly good "second rate" time everywhere we go.  Honestly, we've 
found Japan a stunningly easy place to find fun things to see and do. 
One old shtick in Tokyo, and particularly in Fukuoka, was to go into 
one of those tall skinny buildings with (what appeared to be) 
entertainment of some kind all the way up--most of it unreadable--press 
every button on the panel and just take a peak.  We get off when 
something looks fun and not too intimidating.  As the years have rolled 
by we have become less and less intimidatable, but as we age we also 
feel we're a little less readily welcomed.  Oh well.

Say--Is there any point in spending five days (sunday-thursday) in 
Kamakura?  Mishima?  Chigasaki?  Odawara?