Japan travel planning

Hi, I'm planning to travel to Japan in mid February 2013.

So currently what I have planned is like this

Day 1

arrive in Narita Airport, take NEX to Shinjuku for hotel check-in. Alsu buy suica for travelling in Tokyo 4 days.

Day 2 - Just Travelling Around Tokyo using Suica

Day 3 - Disneysea

Day 4 - Diesneyland

Day 5

Today I'm staying at Hakone hotel with hotspring. but along the way and for the day activitis, I'm still not sure what to do, should I go to lake ashi and Asagiri-kogen highland. Is it along the way?
or should I go with hakone round course?

any shinkasen train route that I can use in my trip?


To travel to Hakone from Shinjuku, I can take Romance Car Limited Express. But if I have to go through other destination such as lake ashi and asagiri-kogen, what transportation should I use?

Day 6
Go to Kyoto from Hakone

Day 7
Go to Osaka from Kyoto by JR Kyoto Line (30min - 540 yen) or shinkasen 15min 1100yen, but ithink its not worth it for this one

Day 8 - Universal Studio

Day 9 - go to busan or seoul from osaka

please advise :)

Day 1 arrive in Narita Airport, take NEX to Shinjuku for hotel check-in. Alsu buy suica for travelling in Tokyo 4 days.

You know you can buy the Suica + NEX package one way which gets you both including a heavily discounted NEX ticket:-
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_suica_nex.html

Day 2 - Just Travelling Around Tokyo using Suica
Day 3 - Disneysea
Day 4 - Diesneyland

Seems fine but try and make Disney resorts during the week if you can to reduce the crowds.

Day 5 Today I'm staying at Hakone hotel with hotspring. but along the way and for the day activitis, I'm still not sure what to do, should I go to lake ashi and Asagiri-kogen highland. Is it along the way?
or should I go with hakone round course?

Depends where your hotel is as to what will be best but in general buy the Hakone Free Pass (two days) in Shinjuku and use it to get to Hakone, and get around Hakone. A boat ride on Lake Ashi is included. I'm not sure how you would include Asagiri-kogen highland, but I'd probably just do the round course, or part of the round course.

any shinkasen train route that I can use in my trip?

You can take the Shinkansen from Tokyo/Shinagawa to Odawara Station but it is significantly more expensive and usually not worth it unless that is your only time to ride the Shinkansen, which for you it is not.

To travel to Hakone from Shinjuku, I can take Romance Car Limited Express.

You can pay extra to do so if you wish.

Day 6 Go to Kyoto from Hakone

You can either go from Mishima or Odawara by Shinkansen, whatever suits.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5206.html?aFROM=2158_5200

Day 7
Go to Osaka from Kyoto by JR Kyoto Line (30min - 540 yen) or shinkasen 15min 1100yen, but ithink its not worth it for this one

Just take the JR Kyoto Line. The Shinkansen only goes to Shin-Osaka Station so you'd have to transfer there to get to Osaka Station or another useful station in Osaka anyway.

Day 8 - Universal Studio
Day 9 - go to busan or seoul from osaka
please advise :)

Rest seems fine although you don't have much time in Kyoto itself.

Enjoy your trip!

Thanks for your advice.

I probably go to the disney on monday and tuesday, can i suica to go there?

and is it better for me to stay in disney resort or just go back to tokyo, which one is more economical?

for hakone free pass, isn't it for 2 days? cause i only travel around hakone a day on day 5, wouldn't it be a wasted of tickets?
so probably the best thing to do is just go to hakone round trip, and along the way, go to lake ashi?

i have a wholde day to spend in kyoto on day 6 right, i should just take the earliest shinkansen from hakone. and if its not enough i can spend half a day before going to osaka. is it not enough?

any hotel that you can recommend in hakone, which have a good hotspring and tatami style room?

thanks

and another thing, is it better to go to kawaguchi lake or hakone? thanks

Thanks for your advice.

No worries.

I probably go to the disney on monday and tuesday, can i suica to go there?

Yes, by train.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3016_access.html

and is it better for me to stay in disney resort or just go back to tokyo, which one is more economical?

The Resort Hotel tends to be expensive so it would be cheaper to return to another hotel in Tokyo. The above link shows you how much it is from various stations to get to Disney Resorts but it is quite cheap.

for hakone free pass, isn't it for 2 days?

Yes.

cause i only travel around hakone a day on day 5, wouldn't it be a wasted of tickets?

No, it pays off if you do most of the round course. Also, you need to get from your hotel/ryokan back to Odawara/Mishima Station on Day 6 anyway, which will be covered by the Hakone Free Pass.

so probably the best thing to do is just go to hakone round trip, and along the way, go to lake ashi?

Yes.

i have a wholde day to spend in kyoto on day 6 right, i should just take the earliest shinkansen from hakone. and if its not enough i can spend half a day before going to osaka. is it not enough?

Depends on your interests. You have a fast pace so I guess one and a half days is ok for Kyoto.

any hotel that you can recommend in hakone, which have a good hotspring and tatami style room?

I'd search on Japanican or Japaneseguesthouses, and then check some reviews on tripadvisor. A lot will depend on your budget too.
http://www.japanican.com/ryokan/
http://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/db/hakone/

Here's one as an example:-
http://www.japanican.com/hotels/shisetsudetail.aspx?st=4311033

and another thing, is it better to go to kawaguchi lake or hakone?

For you I think Hakone will be better as it is easier to move from there to Kyoto. Kawaguchiko is closer to Mt Fuji so it offers closer views. Hopefully you get lucky with the weather in Hakone.

So this is what I have now for TOKYO - HAKONE

Buy Hakone FreePass

From Shinjku Station, take Odakyu Railways (Romance Car is not included)

after arrive in Hakone Yumoto, do all the Hakone Round Course, or maybe go to ryokan first to put luggage.

Will the round course take 1 full day?

after arrive in Hakone Yumoto, do all the Hakone Round Course, or maybe go to ryokan first to put luggage.

If you arrive at Hakone Yumoto Station before noon or so you can use the special luggage delivery service to forward your luggage to your ryokan.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2274.html
http://blog.japanbooking.info/2010/11/hakoneo-carry-service-luggage-de...

Will the round course take 1 full day?

For most people it would take most of one day. You can do it quickly but usually people stop at certain points to see/do things, like eating black eggs at Owakudani for example.

thank you so much, you helped me a lot with settling my confusion in hakone. Want to help me more? i assume you will answer yes, so i will take this opportunity to finish my plan :)

please advise me whether I miss some tourist destination that I should go, or some attracttion that's not worth going in my list, and please help me in telling if the attraction is near each other, so it can be time efficient.

Monday

arrive in tokyo 7.40 am. go to hotel by NEX (gonna buy combine nex and suica for 5000 yen), will use suica for travelling all around tokyo. and for suica, is there any special line or i can take any line?

next go to shinjuku (where my hotel is).
Shinjuku Gyoen, Imperial Palace Plaza, Tokyo Skytree

in the evening go to akihabara (is there any particular placte that i have to visit)

and then go to ginza at night if we still have time (same here, is there any particular place that I have to visit)

tuesday
sensoji temple in the morning

afternoon go to shibuya:
tokyo tower, shibuya crossing,

press the wrong button, this is the full question :)

thank you so much, you helped me a lot with settling my confusion in hakone. Want to help me more? i assume you will answer yes, so i will take this opportunity to finish my plan :)

please advise me whether I miss some tourist destination that I should go, or some attraction that's not worth going in my list, and please help me in telling if the attraction is near each other, so it can be time efficient.

Monday

arrive in tokyo 7.40 am. go to hotel by NEX (gonna buy combine nex and suica for 5000 yen), will use suica for travelling all around tokyo. and for suica, is there any special line or i can take any line?

next go to shinjuku (where my hotel is).
Shinjuku Gyoen, Imperial Palace Plaza, Tokyo Skytree

in the evening go to akihabara (is there any particular place that i have to visit)

and then go to ginza at night if we still have time (same here, is there any particular place that I have to visit)

tuesday
sensoji temple in the morning

afternoon go to shibuya:
tokyo tower, shibuya crossing, yoyogi park

evening harajuku
meiji shire

night sega joyopolis

wednesday: disneysea

thursday: disneyland, at night go to metropolitan government offices

friday hakone round course, stay over in hakone

saturday go to kyoto by the freepass. should i go from otawara or miyanoshita?

heian shire, kinkakuji, fushimi inari shire, bamobo grove and kiyomezudera temple

now there are 5 attractions that I want to visit, I might take 2 or 3 and move it to the next morning if this is not possible to be done in one day. do you know, which one is near to each other

night go to gion district

sunday
visit one or two of the 5 attractions

afternoon go to osaka by jr kyoto line
in osaka i inly know osaka castle

monday univesal studio

tuesday go to either busan or seoul

cheers :)

thank you so much, you helped me a lot with settling my confusion in hakone.

No worries.

Want to help me more?

No.

i assume you will answer yes, so i will take this opportunity to finish my plan :)

Oh.

please advise me whether I miss some tourist destination that I should go,

Obviously you miss many!

For me you spend too much time in theme parks but that's your choice.

or some attraction that's not worth going in my list,

USJ?

and please help me in telling if the attraction is near each other, so it can be time efficient.

OK.

arrive in tokyo 7.40 am. go to hotel by NEX (gonna buy combine nex and suica for 5000 yen)

The one way package is only 3,500 yen.

will use suica for travelling all around tokyo. and for suica, is there any special line or i can take any line?

You can use any of the subway/rail lines in Tokyo both non-JR and JR (except Shinkansen).

next go to shinjuku (where my hotel is).
Shinjuku Gyoen, Imperial Palace Plaza, Tokyo Skytree

Ok. I'd combine Skytree with Asakusa.

in the evening go to akihabara (is there any particular place that i have to visit)

What do you want to see in Akihabara? Yodobashi Akihabara is worth a visit usually.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3003.html

and then go to ginza at night if we still have time (same here, is there any particular place that I have to visit)

No.

tuesday
sensoji temple in the morning
afternoon go to shibuya:
tokyo tower, shibuya crossing, yoyogi park

Should see Meiji Shrine when you go to Yoyogi Park. I'd do Shibuya in the evening after Harajuku.

evening harajuku
meiji shire

No, during the day is better.

night sega joyopolis

Long way to go.

wednesday: disneysea
thursday: disneyland, at night go to metropolitan government offices

I'd try and see Metro Government on one of the earlier days. Night view is fine and it is open until 11pm (last entry 10:30pm)

friday hakone round course, stay over in hakone

OK.

saturday go to kyoto by the freepass. should i go from otawara or miyanoshita?

You can't use the freepass all the way, only from Hakone to Odawara Station (or Mishima Station). Then you will have to pay for a Shinkansen ticket to Kyoto (around 10,000 yen).

heian shire, kinkakuji, fushimi inari shire, bamobo grove and kiyomezudera temple

Which bamboo grove? There's a small one in Kodaiji which is next to Kiyomizudera if you just want to see a little one. Otherwise Arashiyama is the main one but it is a bit further out.

night go to gion district

Do this after Kiyomizudera. I'd probably do Fushimi Inari first, then Kinkakuji, then back to Kiyomizudera then Gion/Pontocho.

afternoon go to osaka by jr kyoto line
in osaka i inly know osaka castle

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2157.html

monday univesal studio
tuesday go to either busan or seoul

Rest seems fine.