Our itinerary... Kyoto - Hakone - Tokyo

Hi all,

We've now decided on our itinerary and stuck with Kyoto - Hakone - Tokyo. We would very much appreciate any tips/suggestions you may have for each of the days and tips regarding travelling, eating, etc.

We would like to have a snap of the old and new Japan but know it's going to be a very busy time, but are prepared to take it easy as needed. It's our first trip to Japan (and quite an opportunistic one) so thoughts/suggestions of places we should not miss are particularly welcome. Thanks!

Rodrigo

Day 1 - 19th March
Land in Osaka (KIX) at 10am; travel to Kyoto and do some sightseeing in the city; we are staying at the Royal Park Hotel The Kyoto for 3 nights

Day 2 - 20th March
We were planning to go to Nara and spend the day there; any suggestions re: travelling and things to see there?; how to get there and how to travel around?

Day 3 - 21st March
Day in Kyoto; suggestions of things to see/do as well as dining places are most welcome

Day 4 - 22nd March
Travel to Hakone in the morning where we are staying at the Yoshimatsu Ryokan for one night; our idea was to ship our bags ahead from the station to the ryokan whilst we sightsee around Hakone and make our way to the ryokan using the cable car and the cruise ship - any idea of whether this would work and how to arrange it?; the idea was to get the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Odawara and then theTozan train to Gora where we would get the cable car - would this work?

Day 5 - 23rd March
Leave Hakone in the late afternoon/evening towards Tokyo via the Romance Car train - any idea where we need to catch it from and how we can check timetables and reserve tickets?; in Tokyo we are staying 3 nights at the Hotel Unizo Tokyo Ginza

Day 6 - 24th March
Day of sightseeing in Tokyo - any suggestions for things to do and dining options are most welcome

Day 7 - 25th March
Day of sightseeing in Tokyo - any suggestions for things to do and dining options are most welcome

Day 8 - 26th March
Depart from Tokyo Haneda at 2am

You itinerary is fine. Pace is quite relaxed which is good.

Suggestion for things to see and do is up to you. Some many websites like this one have all the info. Any adult should be able to find things they like.

How to get to places. Again this website has all the info. Some questions are not answerable. Kyoto to Nara for example, this will depend on where in Kyoto you are stay, as you hotel location will offer different example for getting to and from. Google maps also is a great tool to use. Don't be scared of it.

Day 5 - you would be better going back to Odawara and getting a JR express train back to Tokyo rather than the Romance car to Shinjuku and then having to transfer (change train companies) and then get a JR train across to Tokyo Station/Ginza area.
quicker, easier, cheaper
97 minutes and 1,800 yen using Ltd Ex Acty vs 111 minutes and 2,230 yen using Romance Car

Thank you, hakata14. We understand that the forum is indeed a invaluable source of information, but it's our first trip to Japan and we are very keen to hear tips and ideas. Particularly dining suggestions and things we should really not miss in each of these places.

Thank you JapanCustomTours. We are not planning to get a JR pass as by checking the travel costs it does not seem to be worth it. We heard the RomanceCar was quite nice... will it be worth 15 mins and a few yen more?