Your questions: Where’s a good base to see less-travelled parts of Japan?

My wife and I are planning a two-week trip to Japan around late September, hoping to see some less-travelled parts of Japan such as Naoshima, Kanazawa, Takayama, Kakunodatemachi and Aizuwakamatsu. I’m not sure where some of these places are in relation to each other and where would be good to base ourselves. Any suggestions of other places to see, possible accommodation and how to get around?
B. Sacks, Armadale, Vic

Keisha Village, Kanazawa.Credit: iStock

Assuming you want to travel from north to south, you might start from Tokyo and travel first to Kakunodatemachi, a four-hour train ride north. Next stop Aizuwakamatsu, another four-hour train ride to the south, followed by Kanazawa and Takayama and finally Naoshima. Japan’s “art island” is much closer to Osaka than Tokyo, and it would be easier if you depart Japan from there.

These places will deliver the off-the-beaten-track experiences you’re looking for, but they are widely disbursed and there is no option to base yourself in a central location and make short trips to each. That will make for a busy two weeks. You could book your own accommodation, possibly using Booking.com or Expedia to find hotels in the price bracket that suits you.

However, this is a complicated trip and without a lot of time and effort to construct your itinerary, book train travel and hotels, you would be better off talking to a specialist travel agency. Based in Melbourne’s Little Collins Street, Japan Package Tours would be my first choice. Staffed by a mix of Japanese and Australians, they construct individual itineraries to satisfy various interests and their reviews inspire confidence.

We are planning a six-week holiday, with 16 days in Hawaii and the balance in Japan, including four days of snow skiing. Insurance quotes are done on the assumption all travel days will be in the US, with snow skiing as an add-on for that entire period. Is there any insurer that only covers high-risk activities for a short period within the wider framework of a low-risk holiday?
D. Joyce, Northcote, Vic

Snowboarders at Niseko, Hokkaido, with Mount Yotei in the distance.Credit: iStock

Travel insurance policies tend to be rigid, they don’t generally allow tailored solutions. You might consider getting two policies, one to cover the full trip, with no ski cover, and a separate policy with ski cover just for the relevant period. A Cover-More consultant confirmed over the telephone that this would be a workable solution. If you go down this path, you need to let your insurer know what you’re doing to ensure there are no obstacles, and get it in writing if possible.

My wife and I will be in France in August for a 10-day tour from Lyon to Nice. We then have nine days to get to Paris for our return flight to Australia. Any suggestions for those nine days, using rail travel, perhaps through Switzerland?
I. Smith, Turella, NSW

Switzerland is a great choice. From Lyon, take a 6½ hour train journey to Lugano, a pretty lakeside town in Switzerland’s Italian-speaking Ticino region. Nestled on the shoreline of its lake, Lugano’s palm trees give it a Mediterranean vibe while the surrounding mountains, which can be scaled via a funicular railway, offer amazing views and hiking. Don’t miss the boat cruise to explore some of the lakeside villages including Morcote and Gandria.

After three nights, take another train ride to Lucerne. The fastest trains make this journey in two hours but a much more interesting trip is train and bus to Fluelen, at the southern end of Lake Lucerne, followed by a three-hour ride aboard the historic Lake Lucerne Navigation ferries to Lucerne.

Pocket-sized Lucerne has a lively cafe culture, an outstanding art gallery in the Sammlung Rosengart Museum and lovely walks. A highlight is the one-hour lake steamer trip from the quay at Lucerne to Alpnachstad, from where the cog railway, the world’s steepest, completes the ride up Mount Pilatus. Spend three nights and then take a 2½ hour train ride to Lauterbrunnen, set deep in its valley surrounded by spectacular alpine scenery.

From Lauterbrunnen the Wengeneralp Railway takes you to Kleine Scheidegg where you change to the Jungfrau Railway to the Jungfraujoch, Europe’s highest railway station. It’s an incredible journey, bored through the innards of the mountain. When you leave the train you’ll step out onto ice or snow, so be prepared for the cold and wear decent footwear. From here you can ascend even higher by taking the lift to the Sphinx viewpoint at 3571 metres. The ride aboard the Schilthorn Cableway has more incredible views over the Swiss Alps.

The train from Lauterbrunnen to Paris or Charles de Gaulle Airport will take seven hours. Get the Swiss Half Fare card, it’ll save you heaps, and for train timetables and tickets, see the Rail Europe and German Rail websites.

My wife and I are in our mid-70s and would like to spend about two weeks on an African safari. What is the best time of year to travel to Africa? We aren’t squillionaires but would like to do it in style and comfort. Any suggestions for operators that might meet our needs?
D. Gallaway, Frenchs Forest NSW

The dry season in Southern Africa, when the vegetation is less robust, making game viewing easier, runs from about May to September. One operator I’d recommend to help you construct your itinerary is Sydney-based Bench International, which has been taking travellers to Africa for more than 50 years. If you want a high-end experience at the very finest safari camps and lodges, I suggest the Classic Safari Company, also based in Sydney. As for where to go, Botswana is top of my list. The safari camps there are mostly small and therefore when you see a hunting lion or cheetah it won’t be surrounded by half a dozen safari vehicles. Also, it’s home to the Okavango Delta as well as the Kalahari Desert, two environments that give it unique flora and fauna. Botswana’s population is relatively small, and the wildlife has been less impacted than in some other parts of Southern Africa.

Travel advice is general; readers should consider their personal circumstances.