Japanese travel: Kanto or Kansai?
I didn’t want to include some actually useful travel advice at the end of such a negative post. All that bagging on Tokyo did get me to this point:
For travelers thinking of coming to Japan I would suggest spending less time in the Kanto region (Tokyo). Most of Tokyo’s sites can be seen in a day or two, and the Kansai region (Osaka) to the west offers similar sites plus a whole lot more.
Osaka is big, crazy, and packed with just as much neon quirkiness as Tokyo. From Kansai you can see so much more in short day trips, or quick overnighters. The sites around Tokyo in Kanto are more limited.
I’ll break it down by comparing similar destinations in both regions. My top three Kanto spots are Nikko, Yokohama, and Kamakura, all of which have an interchangeable rival in Kansai.
1. While Nikko is my favorite place in Japan, getting there from Tokyo is quite a long trek. The feeling and beauty of Nara rivals Nikko and is only a 40 minute train ride from Osaka or Kyoto.
2. The open air, refreshing feeling of Yokohama can also be experienced in Kobe, 40 minutes from Osaka, where you can also stroll through an incredibly clean, overpriced Chinatown, and see the world’s longest suspension bridge.
3. As for Kamakura, its main attraction is a large bronze Buddha which is smaller than the Buddha in Nara.
Above all, the feeling in Kansai is so much more open. It felt more talkative generally and I was approached on nearly every train I got on, a rarity in my Tokyo/Kanto travels. Apart from the similar sites mentioned, Kansai offers Kyoto, easily 3-4 days worth of sites; Himeji, a beautifully maintained traditional castle; Shikoku, Japan’s smallest big island, separated from Honshu by the majestic inland sea; and Hiroshima, an easy overnight excursion to explore tragic history and the metropolis that’s risen from the ashes.
I’ve met so many travelers who base their travels in Kanto, and do side trips to Kansai, mainly Kyoto. You should do the reverse. Fly into Narita, spend a night in Tokyo at the beginning and end of the trip, but set up camp in the West. Centrally located Kansai has it all if Japan is your destination.
Tags: Capitals tour of Asia, Japan on the cheap
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