NancyCohen
Hi 1307!!
I went on The Land of the Rising Sun in May 2018. We started in Osaka and ended in Tokyo. We added 4 days in Osaka to acclimate to the time change. We loved our extra days. We took the train to Kyoto twice and hired private guides, had a saki tasting and just wandered. We also took the train to Nara.
This is from my pre-trip notes to a friend:
We are set with all of our pre-trip tours — doing The Nara Afternoon Stroll as per your recommendation and of course will indulge in the saki tasting!! We found another company (Context Tours) - with great reviews. We are doing a food tour and a Spirituality tour in Kyoto with them. In Osaka we are doing another food/walking tour
Taking the train rides was an incredible experience. We were able to see how people lived their lives. Teenagers were happy to practice their English either us and ask about our life.
We did not extend our stay in Tokyo. It was the beginning of Golden Week and the city would be inundated with visitors. We then flew to Thailand (Bangkok a nod Chang Mai) for 10 days of independent traveling.
If I can answer any other questions, please write again!
Nancy