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Need help with itinerary 2014/7/22 11:13
Hello, this is my second trip to Japan (19 Nov -1 Dec) and will need some help from you guys again on some places to go as i've already been to some of the places before, and will want to explore other parts of japan.

already been to: yudanaka (snow monkey park), takayama, shirakawago (as well as tokyo, kyoto and osaka, going back again with another grp of friends)

Day 1-2 (wed-Thur): Tokyo (shibuya, disneyland)
Day 3 (fri): Hakone or Kamakura day trip
Day 4 (Sat): Nikko day trip
Day 5-6 (Sun & Mon): Tokyo (tsukiji, yoyogi park, harajuku, roppongi etc)
Day 7 (Tue): Kiso Valley
Day 8 (Wed): Kyoto
Day 9 (Thur): Osaka (Universal studios day trip)
Day 10 (Fri): Miyajima (& Hiroshima area if time permits) day trip
Day 11 (Sat): Osaka (shopping) day trip
Day 12 (Sun): Kyoto (sightseeing)
Day 13 (Mon): Kyoto then fly back at night from KIX

Q1. Will get JR pass from maybe Day 7 onwards.
Thinking of getting Kanto pass for the tokyo day trips too, is it advisable?

Q2. For Day 3, i need some advice if i should go to Hakone/Kamakura, as i'm not huge on shrines though i don't mind them if there are other activities/sights around. Also i'm going Nikko (mostly for the lake & waterfall, and some shrines if time permits) the next day, so not sure if Hakone might be similar?
Or if anyone can suggest other day trips i can explore? Onsens/mt fuji trips are welcomed too.

Q3. For day 7, wanted to go for Kiso Valley for the magome-tsumago walking trail, but not so sure if timing permits. Earliest arrival using JR pass to Magome is about 10.40am, and i need to rush to the Tourist info center before 11.30am for the baggage fwding service to Tsumago, so that i can take the walking trail from Magome towards Tsumago. Also not sure if i should stay in Kiso valley itself or maybe some place else.
Honestly not sure if Kiso valley might be worth the trip so i'm thinking of other places but not sure where else can i go. So if anyone can advise on that, i will be forever grateful.

FYI: Trying to stay in one place at Kyoto rather than moving around thus mostly day trips to Osaka/Miyajima.

Hope it's not too much to ask.. Thanks in advance!!
by chower  

Re: Need help with itinerary 2014/7/22 12:35
Just a few comments :

Personally, I wouldn't bother with Kiso valley. I did the walk last year and it was a bit underwhelming compared to the many fun things I've done in Japan. Magome is nice, though I think the old section of Takayama is better. Tsumago was a bit meh. The walk is just a bush walk, really. I preferred the hike from Kumano Shrine in Karuizawa to Karuizawa town, which is also partly on the Nakasendo trail. So I's probably take a day trip to Karuizawa instead.

For Kamakura, I have to say that I quite liked it, but what I liked more was Enoshima Island. It is a place, with a great walk across the bridge then up and over the island to the caves. the town is very quaint as well. I'd take the trip to Enoshima and see whether you have time to see Kamakura on the way back. At least take the railway along the oceanfront, which weaves through houses and the like and reminded me of something from an anime.
by Lazy Pious (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Need help with itinerary 2014/7/22 12:57
If you follow the person above, and not go to Kiso Valley; the JR Pass isn't needed. Get a sanyo pass or a kansai thru pass. Pay the extra to Hiroshima. It saves more.
by Joshua Hugh rate this post as useful

Re: Need help with itinerary 2014/7/22 17:18
Hi all!

Thanks for your replies, and i have to say i do prefer Karuizawa more than Kiso Valley, mainly cuz there's more things to see/do i guess.

Enoshima island seems like a great idea too, so i'll probably do more research on that.

So if that's the case, now it's more on which rail pass to get:

Day 1-2 (wed-Thur): Tokyo (shibuya, disneyland)
Day 3 (fri): Karuizawa day trip (or should i stay over?)
Day 4 (Sat): Nikko day trip
Day 5 (Sun): Tokyo
Day 6 (Mon): Enoshima/Kamakura day trip
Day 7 (Tue): Tokyo
Day 8 (Wed): Kyoto
Day 9 (Thur): Osaka (Universal studios day trip)
Day 10 (Fri): Osaka (shopping) day trip
Day 11 (Sat): Miyajima (& Hiroshima area if time permits) day trip
Day 12 (Sun): Kyoto (sightseeing)
Day 13 (Mon): fly back at night from KIX

Karuizawa and Nikko: Kanto area pass (8300 yen)
Enoshima/Kamakura: Enoshima Kamakura Free Pass (1470 yen)
Tokyo to Kyoto (day 8): about 13,080 yen, unreserved
Osaka: Surutto Kansai 2 Day Ticket (4000 yen)
Kyoto to Miyajima (day 11): about 21,000 yen to and fro, not including ferry etc..

Q1. Based on the above.. I think i should be getting JR pass from day 8 onwards? Unless there's a cheaper alternative for Day 8 and
day 11 (miyajima)?

Q2. For Nikko, a bit confused on the passes, there's a 2 day Nikko pass. so if i wish to go to lake chuzenji and kengo waterfall, then to the shrines, i have to get this pass? It also covers the ride for Tokyo to Nikko, so the Kanto pass in this case is pointless?

Thanks!!
by chower rate this post as useful

Re: Need help with itinerary 2014/7/22 23:39
For Nikko, I honestly don't think that it's worth the money if you are not going there for the sights. The temples are amazing (especially Toshogu and Iemitsu Mausoleum (Taiyuinbyo)), I would only avoid Rinnoji (under construction, not much to see, not worth the fee). But the lake and the falls are nothing spectacular. Especially the lake was rather disappointing, the fall itself is nice but it's no Iguazu to be worth a full day trip (IMHO).

If you go, then I'd take the 2 day pass, it will save you a lot of money as the bus from Nikko to the lake is expensive and the pass covers it fully. Also, to save time and have more comfort, I would consider paying extra for Spacia express (the pass only covers the base fare, not the express surcharge). We did go for it and didn't regret, on the contrary, fast and comfortable (similar to Odakyu's Romancecar or JR's express trains such as (Super) Azusa).

For Kamakura/Enoshima, I liked it very much as well so I second Lazy Pious suggestion. At the same time, day trip to Hakone with the Hakone Free pass (and some extra cost for Romancecar as the pass covers just the base fare) is a very nice thing to do as well (bus to the lake, then boat to Togendai, ropeway to "hell" and down to Gora and then Tozan train down back to Hakone yumoto, all covered by the Free Pass). Which one to go for depends on your preferences so just do the research and chose - but don't worry, whichever you chose, you'll enjoy it, that I'm quite sure of:-)

PS: to throw some more options for consideration (and some "out of the box", or rather "out of your itinerary" thinking),I would suggest to do a 2-day trip instead of Kamakura/Nikko (we did it as a weekend trip):
- Take Super Azusa from Shinjuku to Kobuchizawa Station to visit Suntory Hakushu whisky distillery
- After that, continue to Matsumoto and stay there over night - beautiful castle, well worth the trip and the whole city is very pleasant with a cool "eating street" to go out in the evening
- In the morning, take a few extra photos of the castle and then the train to Nagano whose Zenkoji temple is much better than I thought from the photos (and wasn't even sure if to go there)
- In the late afternoon, take Nagano Shinkansen back to Tokyo or - if you're done with Nagano rather soon - stop by in Karuizawa
- Now looking at what I wrote, there are probably too many cultural sights for you but hey, you may like it anyway:-) Without JR pass it's however quite expensive.

PPS: while I may sound like an alcoholic, there's another Suntory distillery in Yamazaki, half way between Osaka and Kyoto, short walk from Yamazaki Station. Well worth the visit, too.
by just a guest (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Need help with itinerary 2014/7/30 20:05
Thank you for all your kind comments and suggestions!! I'm definitely going to enoshima and karuizawa now! I love the suntory idea too so you're not the only alcoholic here lol. Tks again!
by chower rate this post as useful

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