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Please advise me about the Kansai Region 2012/10/24 22:11
Hi, I will spend around one week in Kansai Region. Would any please advise me on the itinerary? Thanks so much for your help.

Day 1: Arrive at Kansai Airport and ride to Nara (Nara Park, Nara Machi, Kasuga Taisha shrine, Wakakusayama Hill) and head to Kyoto

Day 2: Kyoto
Morning: Sannenzaka & Ninenzaka,Kiyomizu dera temple, Gion, Maruyama park, Shirakawa river, Nishiki market
Noon: Kinkaku temple, Arashiyama- Bamboo groves)
*** Should I make it to two days?***
Night: head to Osaka

Day 3:Kobe
Morning: Mount Rokko, Arima Onsen
Noon: Earthquake museum, Nankin Machi
Evening & Night: Meriken Park + Harbor Land + Kobe Tower

Day 4-5:osaka
Osaka Castle, Tenjimbashi-suji shopping street, Natural Open-air Hot Spring
Spa Suminoe, Dotombori ,Tombori River Cruise, HEP FIVE Ferris Wheel,The Umeda Sky Building, shinsaibashi,Tennoji zoo,
Shitennoji temple, Tsutenkaku tower, Sumiyoshi-Taisha Shrine, Osaka Aquarium KAIYUKAN
*** would any please suggest how the route should made? is it possible go these places in two days?

Day 6: Hiroshima & Miyajima
*** How to get to Hiroshima from Osaka?

Day 7: Osaka

Day 8: Leave Osaka in the morning around 10am, what time should depart to Kansai airport?

Please comment and give suggestion.
Arigato gozaimasu.:)
by bearbearjoe (guest)  

Re: Please advise me about the Kansai Region 2012/10/25 09:31
I am afraid where you would keep your luggage while touring for the 1st 2 days...

These listed cities can be done as day trips from Osaka. I would book a hotel all 7 nights in Osaka or 5 nights in Osaka and 2 nights in Kyoto.
by cc (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Please advise me about the Kansai Region 2012/10/25 10:42
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3404.html
select "to/from Osaka" in the drop down menu

4 day JR west Sanyo pass for shinkansen to/from Hiroshima, Miyajima, to KIX
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_04.html
by . (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Please advise me about the Kansai Region 2012/10/25 12:31
Your 2 days in Osaka will take perfect advantage of the Osaka Unlimited Pass http://www.osaka-info.jp/osp/en/ They have a 2 days pass that will gain you free entry to a lot of your listed attractions.

You won't be able to fit them all in 2 days. The Aquarium is a half day by itself. It's VERY busy on weekends so try and plan for a week day visit.

If you can, try and plan a visit to Tsutenkaku tower or Umeda sky building to see the sun set and/or after dark! We rode the HEP5 Ferris wheel after dark and wished we had also gone to the Umeda Building after dark too (we went earlier in the morning).

Have fun!
by Obak3 rate this post as useful

Re: Please advise me about the Kansai Region 2012/10/25 20:37
Konichiwa. Arigato for the suggestion.
The suggestions help much. But, I still have some questions:
I am afraid where you would keep your luggage while touring for the 1st 2 days...
Day 1: When arrived at Nara, I think we look for locker to keep our luggage. I thought most stations have this facility. Am I right?
Day 2: Since overnight at Kyoto, will check out morning when we start the day trip at Kyoto. The luggage put at hostel and get from hostel before head to Osaka or just like in Nara, put at the locker at station.
*** Please give suggestion on this and how is the rate?
4 day JR west Sanyo pass for shinkansen to/from Hiroshima, Miyajima, to KIX
1. Is JR west Sanyo pass is valid for Osaka to Kobe ? (*** I saw from the map is shin-kobe. Is shin-kobe one of the station in kobe too?)
2. Is it better overnight at Hiroshima + Miyajima or day trip is more than enough?
It's VERY busy on weekends so try and plan for a week day visit.
But, one of my day in Osaka will be Sunday. So, which destination you suggest me to go on Sunday to avoid crowd?
Osaka Unlimited Pass: plan a visit to Tsutenkaku tower or Umeda sky building to see the sun set and/or after dark
Thanks, I was thinking of day time view and night time view. But, miss out of the sun set view. So, I will do the day time view as sun set view. :)
Arigato gozaimasu

Regards,
bearbearjoe
by bearbearjoe (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Please advise me about the Kansai Region 2012/10/26 21:49
¬¬¬(Please use quotation marks ( " " ) to show a citation.)

When will you come? In November, in December or else?
Your itinerary sounds too packed; you had better select sites you would visit, avoiding wasting time to go here and there a few times in a day.

Day 1: Arrive at Kansai Airport and ride to Nara (Nara Park, Nara Machi, Kasuga Taisha shrine, Wakakusayama Hill)

When is your flight scheduled?
You may be short on time for Nara unless you arrive and pass immigration procedures in the morning. A route from KIX to Nara Park takes about 1 and a half hour.
If you are based in Kyoto and make a daytrip to Nara, you will not have to worry about whether you can find a vacant coin locker. That sounds better than strolling only in the afternoon at a high pace when you might still feel tired after your flight.

A possible itinerary I can suggest is like the following.
Day 1 and Day 2 for Kyoto
: Arrive to KIX, travel to Kyoto (about 1 h 20 min on a Ltd. Express Haruka).
: Store luggage in your hotel.
: Explore Kyoto.
: Stay near Kyoto Station.
Day 3 for Nara
: Make a daytrip to Nara (about 50 min on a Miyakoji Rapid train).
: Explore Nara, maybe skipping Nara Machi or Wakakusayama Hill.
: Stay near Kyoto Station.
Day 4 for Kobe
: Travel to Sannomiya (about 50 min on a Special Rapid train).
: Store your luggage in your hotel or coin lockers.
: Explore Kobe, maybe skipping Mount Rokko and either Meriken Park or Harbor Land.
: Pick up your luggage in case you stay outside Sannomiya area.
: Travel to Arima Onsen (about 40 min on non-JR lines).
: Stay in Arima, Shin-Kobe or Sannomiya area.
Day 5 for Hiroshima
: Travel to Hiroshima (about 1 h 20 min from Shin-Kobe on Shinkansen).
: Store your luggage in coin lockers.
: Explore Hiroshima.
: Pick up your luggage.
: Travel to Miyajima (about 1 h on a local train, on foot and on a ferry).
: Stay in Miyajima.
Day 6 until noon for Miyajima
: Explore Miyajima.
Day 6 afternoon, Day 7 for Osaka
: Travel via Hiroshima and Shin-Osaka to Osaka (about 2 h 50 min).
: Store your luggage in your hotel in Umeda area.
: Explore Osaka, skipping some of sites you have listed.
: Stay in in Umeda area.
Day 8
: Travel to KIX (about 1 h 20 min on a local train and a Ltd. Express Haruka, with a transfer in Tennoji).
: Depart from KIX.

But, one of my day in Osaka will be Sunday.

If that means either Day 4 or Day 5 will be a Sunday, you can avoid it by shifting your Osaka days to Day 6 and Day 7.

Is Shin-Kobe one of the station in Kobe too?

Central stations of Kobe City are located in Sannomiya area. You can take a direct Special Rapid train to/from Sannomiya of JR-West from/to Kyoto (about 50 minutes) or Osaka (about 20 minutes).

Among your destinations, Shin-Kobe is good only for Arima Onsen (on non-JR lines, about 40 minutes) and Hiroshima (on JR-West San'yo Shinkansen, about 80 minutes).
Shin-Kobe Station is the only Shinkansen Station in Kobe City; the Shinkansen tracks are located above the ground.
Also Kobe Municipal Subway and another non-JR company have Shin-Kobe Stations. Their tracks are jointed under the ground.

There is no JR line connecting Sannomiya and Shin-Kobe areas.

Please give suggestion on this and how is the rate?

Coin lockers accept cash only in 100-yen coins. Fares depend on sizes.
Most of coin lockers are in a small size of about 35 to 45 centimeters in width, depth and height. As to this size, usually a fare is 300 yen per day, added at the midnight.
You should make fare adjustment to open the door after the midnight.
You are allowed to use a coin locker for one or two nights.

by omotenashi rate this post as useful

Re: Please advise me about the Kansai Region 2012/10/27 22:04
Arigatoo, Omotenashi san. Your suggestions help much.

Now, we are in discussion to cut off some of the places that we planned. We may arrive at KIX 830am at 10 May 2013 (Fri).

Will come back here again. 
by bearbearjoe (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Please advise me about the Kansai Region 2012/10/27 22:04
Arigatoo, Omotenashi san. Your suggestions help much.

Now, we are in discussion to cut off some of the places that we planned. We may arrive at KIX 830am at 10 May 2013 (Fri).

Will come back here again. 
by bearbearjoe (guest) rate this post as useful

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