Christmas! When it’s hot outside? That’s not natural!
The last two years we have celebrated Christmas in the heat. I’m sorry, but it just doesn’t feel right. I need cold weather, cute knit hats, snowflakes, hot chocolate, and a cozy fire…
Celebrating Christmas in Australia just isn’t the same. It’s hot – which means no cute winter hats and boots. No need for a cozy fire or a hot drink. There’s plenty of sand, but no snow. And because it’s summer that means long days – which means Christmas lights can’t been seen until after 8pm.
So after celebrating Christmas in the heat two years in a row, I requested that we have a cold Christmas and go somewhere that has snow. The obvious choice was to go back to the US to see my family or to the UK to see Ben’s family, but either option requires 24 hours of travel and multiple timezone differences. Not ideal when we are only planning to be away for 12 days.
So plan c was Japan. It’s a short 9.5 hour flight and only a 2 hour time difference. Totally doable for a short trip away.
I’ll be honest, Japan wasn’t on the top of the my travel list, and it’s probably not the most “Christmassy” place (considering Christmas isn’t a public holiday), but I’m excited for the new experience and can’t wait to see what Japan has to offer.
After lots of Google searching I think we have an idea for our Japan itinerary.
Ben and I are huge Disney fans, so Disneyland and DisneySea in Tokyo are a must!
Also, we are big Harry Potter fans and love going to Universal Studios in Florida, so Universal Studios in Osaka is also a must!
These places aren’t guaranteed snow locations and we don’t have enough much time to venture too far into the mountains, but I found a little place called Nikko. It’s about a 2 hour train ride from Tokyo – which is very doable.
Nikko has a World Heritage Site with temples and shrines. The pictures I’ve found online make it seem like a must do. After a bit more research Nikko sounds like a good option.
The Shrines and Temples of Nikko are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are two Shinto Shrines and one Buddhist Temple. All within a forested mountain slope.
There are also other areas to view within a short distance of the main shrines and temples. These include a hot spring town, Edo Wonderland (a Japanese cultural theme park), Tobu World Square (small reproductions of world-famous buildings).
I found the content on the Japan-Guide website very useful. The website shows a number of temples and shrines in central Nikko. It seems like a good stop to see a number of cultural and historical buildings.
I’m looking forward to seeing the Toshogu shrine. One of the buildings within the shrine has the three wise monkeys (hear no evil, see no evil, do no evil) carved on the outside. We have a set of the three wise monkeys in our house, but I’ve never actually thought about where the monkeys came from. It will be fun to see the original carving of the monkeys (and the variations) we see regularly.
Most sites that I’ve been researching say that Nikko can be done in one or two days from Tokyo. They also say that public transportation can be used to explore all of the sites in and around Nikko. I’m thinking to go against this advice to stay a few days and hire a car.
During past trips we have hired a car, and have always enjoyed the freedom and flexibility that having a car allows us.
We love hiring a car when we want to explore an area. It gives us so much more freedom and we aren’t bound by bus and train schedules. We can go where we want, when we want.
I guess we’ll keep researching and planning…