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18 days Itinerary plan 2013/3/26 01:49
Hi, I will be travelling to Japan for the first time this late march to mid June. In total, I will be travelling for about 18 days.

My itinerary plan is here...hope you guys here can give some comments whether my plan sounds do-able or suicidal:

Day 1: Reach Haneda Airport at 10.30pm. Travel to Asakusa and check into hotel.
Day 2 to Day 4: Sightseeing in Tokyo + Disneyland
Day 5: Morning in Tskuji Market. Activate 14 Day JR pass and travel to Hakone, reach Hakone by mid-late afternoon. Check in at a ryokan. Explore Hakone with two day Hakone pass
Day 6: Check out of ryokan. Continue exploring Hakone. Late afternoon take bullet train to Kyoto. Check into hotel.
Day 7 to Day 10: Sightseeing in Kyoto.
Day 11: Check out of hotel. Take bullet train to Osaka. Spend a full day in Osaka. At night, take bullet train back to Tokyo. Spend a night at Tokyo.
Day 12: Take a very early morning bullet train from Ueno station to reach Hakodate by mid afternoon. Check into hotel. Explore Hakodate the whole day.
Day 13: Check out in the early morning and explore Hakodate morning market. Take bullet train and reach Noboribetsu in the early afternoon. Spend the whole afternoon there. Take a bullet train and reach Sapporo at night. Check into hotel.
Day 14: Sightseeing in Sapporo.
Day 15: Travel to Otaru. Spend a whole day there before going back to Sapporo.
Day 16 to 17: Sightseeing in Biei and Furano. Will rent a car to do the sightseeing process
Day 18: Early morning take bullet train from Sapporo station back to Haneda Airport. Flight departs Japan at 11.55pm.

Along with these...I have a few questions as well:
Qns 1: I will be purchasing 14 JR pass for my trip and will only activate it on Day 5, after I left Tokyo. The pass will last me till the end of my trip (Day 18) right?

Qns 2: According to my flight details, I will be arriving at Haneda Airport at 10.30pm. How likely will I get myself on a train to Asakusa station before the station closes? Taking into account that I do not know the way to the train station and the possibility that my flight arrival might be delayed....

Qns 3: Since I will be travelling around Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, which subway pass should I purchase? Pasmo or suica?

Qns 4: I read up about Japan luggage delivery system. Do they deliver luggage from Hakone to Kyoto, and from Hakodate to Sapporo? How do I apply for these services and where do I drop off or pick up my luggage? If its a normal size luggage weighing 15kg, how much will it cost?

Qns 5: On my last day (Day 18), I will be taking an early morning train from Sapporo station to Haneda Airport. Will it be safe to assume that I will be able to reach the airport in time by 10pm to check in for my departing flight?

Sorry for the long post! I do not know anyone who has travel around Japan before, so I can only turn to this place for some advice! Would be very glad to receive any replies! :D

Kat
by Kat (guest)  

Re: 18 days Itinerary plan 2013/3/26 08:45
Looks like a busy but doable schedule.
You should be able to make it to Asakusa but only if you get the 11:34pm monorail or earlier. Otherwise you'll have to get the 12:04 monorail and go to Ueno on the JR line and either walk the 1 or so kilometer to Asakusa or take a taxi from Ueno, or Haneda if you have the money to spare.
You have another option and possibly more time friendly for the trip back and to Sapporo. Get a domestic flight back to Tokyo. Jetstar will get you to Narita for Y4,590 and 6 or so hours less travel time. You can go to Haneda with another airline but you'll pay double or triple unless there is a special or sale.
Sending your bags is a good option but you need to be prepared and generally send your bags 2 or 3 days in advance. It will be about Y2000 and save you a lot of hassle. Have a look here http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/en/ You can generally go to a 7-11 to send your luggage.
by halfnhalf rate this post as useful

Re: 18 days Itinerary plan 2013/3/26 10:48
You can get a Keikyu railway train right under the terminal at Haneda. Many trains continue into the Asakusa line subway and will take you all the way to Asakusa without changing.
by Dick H rate this post as useful

Re: 18 days Itinerary plan 2013/3/26 16:45
Many thanks for the advice given!

One more question, I was planning on a daily 6,000 YEN budget just for eating and sightseeing purposes (excluding transportation). Would it be a comfortable budget for me to get by?

Kat
by Kat (guest) rate this post as useful

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