gripshine wrote:
> I am looking to take some time in march - april for a vacation and I
> have always been intrigued(sp?) with the history of Japan and it's
> culture. I would like to visit Japan and learn all I can.  If anyone
> can give me some ideas on where is the best or worst place to start out
> my backpacking adventure, that would rock.
>
> Any other advice or direction would be honored as well.

How long are you planning? Most people I know who take a short (two
weeks or less) trip bookmark their trip with Tokyo/Kyoto. Folks with
more time go farther afield (Hiroshima or Nagasaki); if you have less
time (under a week) then probably stick with Kansai because you get
more bang for your buck (Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Himeji all within an hour
of each other).

If you're looking to get off the beaten path and have some time, then
from Tokyo head north to Sendai, cut across to the Japan sea coast,
wind your way down as far as you feel like it, and then come up the
other. I really like the Japan Sea coast, though the downside can be
transportation; the trains run less frequently than the Osaka-Tokyo
corridor. Shikoku might also be a good addition to your trip and isn't
a place many short-time tourists visit.

What's your budget? This is a major factor. Make sure you get a rail
pass for whatever length of time you're staying.

If you decide to go to Himeji (strongly recommended), I suggest not
only the castle but Engyoji temple on Mt. Shosha. If you have any sense
of direction at all (and feel up to it) you could walk back to the
castle/station from the temple's cable car lower station. It takes
about an hour and isn't too hard; at least it wasn't for me. There's
also a lesser known temple called Hiromine that is a good hike from the
nearest station; very, very few people visit here. It's a bit more
working class than Engyoji, but it's a good hike, particularly if you
continue along behind the temple to the run-down houses on the
mountain. I found that area very interesting.

Hope this helps.

John W.