1st time- tokyo, kawaguchiko & 1 place

Hi, this is our family first time in Japan - 2 adults and 2 elderly parents. We enjoy countryside, and slow travel outside of cities.

Our plan is to travel to Japan in end March 2025, where the route is to align with cherry blossom timings - first to visit Tokyo, one place that we cannot decide, and then Lake Kawaguchiko.

We like to seek suggestion on what is the one place we can insert into this travel plan - important considerations include travel ease from/to Tokyo and Kawaguchiko (shorter travel time and fewer exchanges will be easier for elderly), suitable airbnb (bigger and modern space to relax), and slow travel activities (eg local markets, shrine, old town, beaches). Places such as Takayama would be too far considering Tokyo and Kawaguchiko that we are going to. Other places considered but we cannot decide on an optimal place (eg Kanagawa, Nikko, Mishima, Shizuoka, Nagano, Nagoya).

Welcome suggestions and ideas!

Matsumoto or Nagano since your in the area.

If combining with Tokyo and Kawaguchiko, Matsumoto would make most sense to me. Just take the train to Otsuki and then local train to Kawaguchiko but otherwise Kawaguchiko is on the way between Tokyo and Matsumoto.

Not sure why Takayama is too far, but Nagano is on the table? Personally I would go to Kanazawa. Good variety of things to do in a compact city that is easy to get around especially if your parents are capable of doing 15-20 minutes walking between sites … if not there is a bus that can take you to some of the farther attractions. Kanazawa also gives you a little taste of what Kyoto is like although again I would include Kyoto on the itinerary for a first timer (also not much further than Nagoya).

For a day trip from Tokyo possibly consider Mito/ Hitachi Seaside Park

Thank you to the suggestions, will stare deeper at them again

I think takayama is further due to number of exchanges required, and it seems to take 1 hr more. Hoping that each leg of travel is within 4hrs - also why kyoto is ideal to go but not top in the list as we desire shorter travel time per journey

Tokyo to Kyoto is 2h9 min (Nagoya is 1h34 min on same line), Tokyo to Kanazawa is 2h27 min (Nagano is 1h20 min on same line)

You might also consider Hakone although I think it probably would be similar in experience to Kawaguchiko ... the one benefit is that there are some nice museums you can visit if you end up getting a rainy/ cloudy day.

If you want to avoid long travel times it is best to try to stay nearer to Eastern coast of Honshu as this is where most of the Shinkansen run or possibly along the Hokuriku Arch line (Nagano, Kanazawa etc.) Getting to places like Takayama, Fujikawaguchiko as you noted will take longer because you either need to take local trains or buses.

Nagoya is not very interesting mostly just a large city that is a major transportation hub along with some amusement parks.

I suggest Kamakura.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2166.html

It’s close to Tokyo so you can make a day trip out of Tokyo. Then you don’t have to move the accommodation.

Matsumoto and Nagano? They are not exactly near Tokyo nor Kawaguchiko. What will you do in Matsumoto? Can your parents climb the steep staircase (more like ladders) of the Matsumoto castle??

If you want to experience onsen, then Hakone is a good destination.

Hi kamahen
For the third place that we are planning to go, we are looking at beyond a day trip! Say 2-3 days at a slow travel place that is different from Kawaguchiko - nature is ok but was thinking of countryside, old towns, agricultural, village sort of surrounding.
Hence I didnt pick Hakone which from reading, I feel it has similarities with Kawaguchiko
You are right too - elderly parents cannot climb steep staircase!

Hi PatrickSF
Ok I will think about Kyoto again noting that its far but traveling time is managable. I understand the appeal with Kyoto, though I thought to leave it for another trip and have a third place more of countryside, old towns, agricultural, village sort of surrounding. So that the experience across Tokyo, Kawaguchiko (nature though probably more developed) and third place that is less developed/from the past with easy transfer/travelling. Which is why I didnt pick Kanazawa (more towards city?) or Kamakura (coastal surrounding though it would be different from Kawaguchiko). Sorry being the ideal travel planner here!

Hakone isn’t rural nor quiet these days.

Maybe look into
Chichibu
Shuzenji
Karuizawa
Bessho onsen
Matsumoto
Nikko
Aizu Wakamatsu

I totally agree with LikeBike, and she has a nice list that could be expanded on even further. Lots of places are within easy range. It can just sometimes be hard to identify them because most tourist information focuses on places that are the most popular. And realistically speaking, I’m not sure whether you can find a place where you would want to spend two or three days that you could apply the terms rural, agricultural, old town, or village to. I think you might be best off in a smaller onsen town such as Shuzenji or Bessho on LikeBike’s list, but there are loads more. I can additionally recommend Kusatsu.

A lot of foreigners who have never been to Japan have romantic images of Japanese “villages,” but in reality there are very few places in Japan that fit their notion of what a Japanese village is. But this doesn’t mean you can’t have a wonderful visit to someplace that will allow you to experience a much different side of Japan than you will find in Tokyo or Kawaguchiko or some other extremely heavily touristed place (such as Hakone or Takayama). You should go somewhere that doesn’t get massive hordes of foreign tourists these days… Besides looking into LikeBike’s spots, you might want to spend some time looking for “off-the-beaten track” spots. A relatively small city that is easy to access by shinkansen (such as Nagano and Shizuoka on your original list) might be good for you, but you would want to do some research to find interesting things to do in these places. I have visited Nagano many times and have also stayed in Shizuoka (and plan to do so again on an upcoming trip), and I think that they are nice alternatives, but they are basically modern cities, and if you pick one of them and want a more “rural” experience you will want to get it on carefully selected day trips (for example Togakushi or Obuse from Nagano, or Nihondaira or Miho no Matsubara from Shizuoka), some of which involve walking a moderate amount.

One thing I noticed in the original post is that you are thinking that an airbnb type of accommodation would be bigger and give you more “modern” space to relax. I would just say that the airbnb model has not been as successful in Japan as it has in some other countries, and while there might be some properties that would be perfect for you, a real problem with most of them is that there is no staff available to help you if you have any problems. I think you are better off staying at a standard hotel that has a front desk attendant available 24 hours (possibly not posted at the desk all night, but on call). Airbnb properties also tend to be located farther from train stations, generally speaking. Anyway, you should just be aware that airbnb in Japan might not be as good a solution as you assume it to be. If you want to stick with this type of place, be sure you know exactly what you are getting. (There may be some wonderful choices, but it will depend heavily on the property owner.)

I thought to leave it for another trip and have a third place more of countryside, old towns, agricultural, village sort of surrounding. So that the experience across Tokyo, Kawaguchiko (nature though probably more developed) and third place that is less developed/from the past with easy transfer/travelling

I apologize none of the places I mentioned satisfy the rural/ agricultural criteria. I do think that Tokyo-Hakone-Kyoto does give a good cross section of experiences in Japan, but they are very touristy and developed areas. There are parts of Kyoto that do feel secluded even though you are in a large city … there is a lot of nature.

How long is your trip? To me the itinerary you have sounds like a 7-8 day trip. If it is longer maybe we could help you figure out bases/ day trips to cover all your check boxes. For example, if you used Kanazawa as a base you could easily get to Shirakawa, Takayama, or Matsumoto on a day trip. From Tokyo you could do day trip to Nikko, Mito/ Hitachi Seaside Park, Hakone etc. If your trip is more in the realm of 10-14 days I would consider doing a loop.

For ease of travel you can use luggage forwarding services in Japan. I recommend traveling light. One carry on size suitcase and a travel backpack 28L per person. Have the suitcases forwarded and use the backpacks for overnight excursions. This allows you to make hotel switches with out the hassle.

I know this isn’t your itinerary, but just as an example arrive Tokyo stay 3 days ship bags to Kyoto travel to Hakone with backpack for 1-2 days continue to Kyoto stay for 3 days ship bags back to Tokyo stay Tokyo 1 night depart.

Hi LikeBike and Kim
Thank you very much for your message! And yes I do feel that most information I read online are very touristy places and the third place that I am looking for would be somewhere quieter and less touristy, since Tokyo and Kawaguchiko would have been the case. I would look at LikeBike list!

About village - I think I mean more of the less touristy places. As parents are elderly so we are looking at very light activities. Day trips may not take place as plan as we would spend the day just near to where we are based if they are tired.

About airbnb - Ok thank you for advice too!

Hi PatrickSF
We are looking at ~5/6 days Tokyo, 3 days Kawaguchiko and 3 days at this third place.

My base is at Tokyo - we will first arrive at Tokyo end Mar/ early Apr. Then we will go to this yet-to-be-identified place. Then we will get to Kawaguchiko and back to Tokyo (last night) before flying back home.

As we are from City (Singapore) so we desire for a non-city, less touristy few days.

Ok we will consider the luggage forwarding services too! Though based on our plan, we will leave our big luggage at Tokyo and travel light outside of Tokyo with just small luggages/ backpack.

Considering you are from Singapore with elderly parents, you should pay special attention to bed quality and heating, if you are planning to rent an Airbnb. Expect to pay as much (or even more) as 2 hotel rooms for similar quality of furnitures and location (the perk is that you get more space and a kitchen). You might be able to find hotels with adjoining rooms or serviced apartments as well.

Since you want to stay in rural places (understandable), I would not recommend Kanazawa, Kyoto or even Matsumoto. Yes, you can find less developed areas around these cities, but I feel like there is no point paying for the shinkansen to get there when the Izu peninsula is so close. Shuzenji/Izu looks like a nice place to stay, but it depends on what kind of accomodations you can find. Modern Airbnbs /home rentals in rural areas are not common.

Hi all, I like to share that we decided to go to Matsumoto, as its journey from Tokyo and to Kawaguchiko is easier for us, and it is near to strawberry farm that we can go to. Like to thank everyone for helping us and advice!