Hey there! I am putting together an itinerary for my spouse and I, and I'm really struggling with what to do with the middle portion of our trip. We'll be starting out in Okinawa for the end of October, then flying somewhere further north to spend November 2nd – November 8th doing fall foliage, then spending the last week of our trip in Tokyo. My spouse wants to spend that time in one hotel, with mayyyybe one night in a ryokan, so I'm trying to choose a good home base city to take day trips out of that wouldn't take over 2.5 hours each way in a given day (so preferably no more that 5ish hours in transit per day, not including special scenic rides). I've sort of narrowed it down in that it seems like Tohoku or Chubu would be the best bet for autumn colors, but that barely narrows it down at all! Should we just stay in Tokyo and take the Shinkansen a lot? Omiya? Sendai? Niigata? Any help choosing a homebase city and/or specific sites to see would be GREATLY appreciated.
Other things to note:
- Would LOVE to do a scenic train. Been looking at the Tadami line, definitely open to other ideas.
- We're not big hikers as I have a disability that leaves me tiring fairly easily, and we don't want to drive, so trains, buses, and shorter walks are necessary.
- We've already done Hakone and Nikko, looking for something that is a little more off the beaten path.
- Any tattoo friendly onsen would be a huge plus.
- Gardens, historical sites, shrines, and temples are our vibe. Slow and scenic.
- Also this is more of a long shot, but if anyone has any vegetarian and gluten-free restaurant recommendations to go along with any of the above that would be spectacular.
Thank you so much!
by emilie_rainbow