Golden Week ideas?

Hi all. My wife and I live in Tokyo and while I can normally find some pretty good travel and accommodations deals (with many thanks to TA forums!), I%26#39;m still having difficulty finding %26#39;deals%26#39; for Golden Week. %26#39;Deals%26#39; meaning anything not hyperbolically inflated for travel during May 2-8 timeframe.

Flights from Narita/Haneda to Bali, Bangkok, Guam, Saipan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Siem Reap, and even Sapporo and Okinawa are hugely overpriced. So it%26#39;ll probably be a domestic trip if we decide to travel then. Anyone have any ideas or insight into some good, reasonably-priced Golden Week spots? ありがとう　ございます。。。。

Golden Week ideas?

Am not sure if you bargain for hot springs and great mountain views, but spending a couple of days in the Alps area wll really be a good way to immerse yourself in nature/culture, away from a bustling city.

Visit the following:

(Shin Hotaka/Okuhida)

wikitravel.org/en/Oku-Hida_Onsen_Villages

(For pics of the above)

http://www.okuhida.or.jp/

http://www.okuhi.jp/Rop/english.pdf

http://www.okuhi.jp/Rop/FRTop.html

(some accommodations in the area)

www.okuhi.jp/hotel-hotaka/en/index.html

http://www.tirorian.jp/english/yadoinfo.htm

http://www.yarimikan.com/english/index.htm

www.hodakaso.co.jp/yamano_hotel/index.html

http://www.h4.dion.ne.jp/~rapport/eng/index.html

Golden Week ideas?

Thanks, Shot. I will check out the websites you mention. I wonder if there would be any ryokan vacancies this soon to golden week. I%26#39;m amazed how quickly everything seems to be booked up already....

In the area I mentioned, ryokans don%26#39;t seem to be booked up all too soon. Even right before Golden Week, there should posssibly be vacancies in some ryokans for that area, I suppose. It%26#39;d do you no harm contacting Yarimikan to ask:

http://www.yarimikan.com/english/index.htm

I may be wrong, but the buds of May will be shot up earlier in Shin Hotaka this year, snow coming to melt sooner than usual. Umm, words fail me to describe the beauty of spring in the Japan Alps. Probably the large outside hot spring bath in a ryokan is NORMALLY gender-mixed (with male/female entrances) around here; soaking in the hot onsen water, a cup of sake/wine in your hand: don%26#39;t do this if you%26#39;re hypertensive btw, with gorgeous views of the snow-shrouded mountains, will sure be a highlight of your trip.

Thanks again!

If you want to buy domestic discount air ticket during Golden week, try %26#39;Kabunushi Yutai-ken%26#39; 株主優待券.

This is a special discount coupon for airline company stock holders and you can buy domestic air ticket at half price from regular fare with this coupon. This coupon is valid during Golden week and you can use all destination.

You may buy this discount coupon at Kinken-shop(大黒屋 or similar) in Tokyo, price around 5,000Yen for one way, one person.

I have many Yutai-ken, but no travel plan ^^;

I think it depends on where you want to go and what you like to do. How about Wakayama? Maybe start at Ise Shrine and do some of the sites in Mie (the Ninja Village, perhaps), then work your way around the coast to Shirahama (and the great temples in that area). Go to Nachi Falls, maybe do some hiking (lot%26#39;s of pilgrimage routes), then maybe do an overnight on Mt. Koya. You can finish off with a trip to Nara before heading back.

Another idea is to do the mountain areas. Visit Matsumoto, Nagano, Shirakawa, etc., ending in Nagano.

One of my favorite trips was to Izu in Golden Week many years ago. We drove from Kobe to Izu and visited several places in the penninsula for rock climbing. The places that stand out are Jogasaki, Joyama, and Atami, though there are many great places to visit.

Good luck!

John W.

Thanks Hirano and John - we actually just talked about the Matsumoto/Nagano area so we may give that a shot. That should cover what we%26#39;re interested in doing for that week; just some light sightseeing in a *hopefully* somewhat uncrowded environment.

Izu is another option too, yes, although a colleague of mine did the drive last year and he said the traffic was horrendous, so we%26#39;d have to time it right.

I%26#39;m still checking every few days to see if there are regional travel deals out of Japan, but I doubt anything affordable will pop up. Oh well.

Thanks, all!