Lets Go Round Again

It was some time coming, but I finally got off my backside to do it. This October I'll be visiting Japan for the second time!!

After spending some time running around the walls with excitement once I'd received the booking confirmation, it's time to start thinking of putting some meat on the bones of my holiday.

So far, I know this much: it will be for 22 days (1 less than last time) and I will be concentrating more on the south this time - Okinawa, Kyushu, Shikoku and Western Honshu (I didn't stray as far as Kyushu last time so that's definitely on the list). I'm going to look for some of the autumn festivals tuned to the turning of the season, and also try and sample both the cuisine and the traditions more. (Onsen was particular for its absence last time). There's the possibility of the Japanese Grand Prix, and I'd like to see Mt Fuji once more. The Ghibli Museum will get a look in, I'm sure there's a crapload more to think about, and it's 3 months away so there's plenty of time for a proper plan.

One thing I wont do is the mad dash around like in 2008. A 3-day tour of Hokkaido or similar is going to be strictly avoided; each place I visit will be looked at in a more sedate manner. Though temptation might encourage me to see more places, the burning desire to get around absolutely all of it is missing - I did that last time!

So, after day one of doing little else than thinking about it, I've got a few things I really want to do, but there is also much room for discovery of new things. Is there anyone reading out there who has any ideas or recommendations? Places you've been and really liked, or places you might have heard about but were never able to visit. If it sounds good I'll give it a good looking over and blog it all when I return!