First time traveling to Japan

My husband and I (both in our 30s) are looking for any and all help in planning our first trip to Japan in mid to late September. (this is a dream trip to take before we start trying to have a family of our own).

We plan on going for ten nights, and are desperately looking to get the most out of our time there.

Our initial itinerary is based on what we have gathered from this website.

Toyko- Four full days with side trips.
* What restaurants and highlights would you recommend are a must visit?
*Day trip to Nikko or Kamakura- which would you recommend?
*Would you recommend a guided tour through the fish market?
*What hotel location is the best to stay in for exploring?

Kyoto- The remainder of the time with days trips to Nara and Hemji
*What are the best attractions and restaurants to visit?
*Any recommendations on a hotel?
*Should we visit both Nara and Hemji or pick one?


Lastly, based on all of your knowledge do you think if would be possible for us to squeeze in a day trip to Mount Fiji and if so when should be do that in this rough Itinerary?

We really appreciate any and all advice, thank you so much for your time.

You access MT Fuji better from Tokyo.

With only ten days, I would exclude Mt Fuji. I would allow 5 days for Tokyo and 5 days for Kyoto.

If Mt Fuji is a must, design your Tokyo itinerary to be flexible so you can go on any day. As it is not viewable every day due to weather.

If I was choosing between Kamakura and Nikko. I'd pick Kamakura due to you limited days in Japan, and Kamakura is better accessed and easier to travel around compared to Nikko.

Hi Maddie,
Advice for hotels is a bit hard when you don't give any idea of your nightly budget.
Tokyo offers a multitude of hotels, with a wide variety of nightly rates. Check Agoda or Booking.com and flick through a few pages to get some idea of what you require.

Staying reasonably close to a station will help. Shinagawa is a reasonably big station, but you get the hang of it quickly. Hotels are across the road, Shinagawa Prince, Takanawa Prince, Marriott, mid range hotels, or you can stay at cheaper Tokyu Stay hotels. I'm not a fan of Shinjuku, that station is so very big, but it might work for you. Hotels situated near Tokyo Station are generally a bit more expensive.
Like Hakata, I would recommend Kamakura for a first visit. Very handy and traditional. Your partner might like a day exploring Akihabara, and all the electronic and technical goods. Tokyo Skytree on a fine day gives you a great view of the size of Tokyo.

Yes Nara is a great day's outing, and so is Fushimi Inari Shrine and the rows of Torii gates up through the bamboo. Any of the hotels near Kyoto Station are good and really accessible. I've stayed at both the Hotel Gravia, and the Century Hotel Kyoto Station, and they are both very good, with excellent breakfast.

I'm sure you will really enjoy whatever you decide to do.

For accommodation location, I try to stay near a train station (both Tokyo and Kyoto). The closer to a hub train station (major or minor), the better.

Examples:
In Tokyo, a major hub would be Tokyo, Ueno, Shinagawa, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, etc.
In Kyoto, a convenient hub would be Kyoto, Omiya, Shijo, Karasuma, Gion Shijo, Kawaramachi, etc. There are other hubs, so research the places you want to visit and transport options available.

Tabelog would help you choose restaurants. How about trying some of their Award 2018?
https://tabelog.com/en/
https://award.tabelog.com/en/2018/

If you want to enjoy the night, then choose a hotel in that area. Or, if you plan to do a long day trip, select a hotel near the terminal to the destination.

If you are interested in autumn foliage, visit Nikko. Senjogahara and Ryuzu no Taki in Okunikko could start to change colors in late September. Asakusa, Ueno, Tokyo, and Shinjuku could be a terminal to Nikko.

Your dates are in Silver Week. You may have to deal with some crowds during the trip.
https://www.officeholidays.com/countries/japan/index.php

Basically I haven't had a chance to travel to Japan, but this place is my travelling dream so I also discover many things about Japan and Japanese. Here are some tips that I've been collected till now. Hope it will be useful for you ^^

Get a Japanese Rail Pass. There�fs no way around this, it�fs a bloody fortune (£306/$402 per person for a 2-week pass), but one that more than pays you back. The luxury of shinkansen (bullet train) hopping is exhilarating. No need to book seats in advance, just choose a train, wave your pass and hop on. Be warned, though, decide now whether to get one or not. You can�ft get these babies inside the country. Yes, that�fs right. Read our guide to whether a Japan Rail Pass is worth it for everything you need to know.

Bow if you are being bowed to. If you can manage it too, don�ft turn your back upon exit. Don�ft overdo it though or you�fll be a total gaijin, no need to bow to the supermarket checkout person!
Say �gmoshi moshi�h when you ring someone on the telephone. It�fs the Japanese version of the Chinese �gwai�h which all roughly translates as�chello! I don�ft know why, us Asians just have a separate hello for the phone!

Pre-book accommodation. Wise anyway as the good hostels always get filled up fast (we kept missing out on doubles and had to put up with twin (bunk bed) rooms, but in line with the whole respect thing Japanese people like to be prepared for your arrival. So don�ft just randomly rock up at a Ryokan for the night! Booking.com is our favourite site for finding hotels.

Enjoy your trip ^^

Toyko- Four full days with side trips.
Kyoto- The remainder of the time with days trips to Nara and Hemji

Will you fly out from Kansai Airport [KIX]?
In that case,
a Japan Rail Pass would not pay off for this itinerary planned at present.
(Here "Hemji" seems to be a typo for Himeji.)

would be possible for us to squeeze in a day trip to Mount Fiji

On your way to Kyoto
you can make a side trip from Odawara to Hakone,
where, as long as weather permits,
you can have a view of Mount Fuji.

From Tokyo
you can go as a day trip to around Lake Kawaguchiko,
which is among the Fuji Five Lakes and closer to Mount Fuji.

Answers to your other questions
may depend on your interests and preferences.

If you're wondering between Kamakura and Nikko, and also between a trip to Mt. Fuji and no trip, I'd recommend Kamakura, because it gives you a great silhouette of Mt. Fuji and even a good view of it if the air is dry and clear.

You can see Mt. Fuji behind Enoshima, and you can also see a huge silhouette from places like Fujisawa Station. So be sure to ride the Enoden train at Kamakura.
https://www.enoden.co.jp/en/

But even if you choose to see other parts of Kamakura or simply fail to see Mt. Fuji for one reason or another, you can still hope to see the mountain in its full scale from the Shinkansen to Kyoto, not too long after passing Shin-Yokohama Station coming from Tokyo on your right-hand side.

I would *not* recommend a 14 day JR pass - with this itinerary it'd be much cheaper to buy train tickets as you go. You'll probably end up using buses in Kyoto and trains in Tokyo that aren't covered by the pass anyway. Get an IC card for the subways/local trains and it'll be very easy to get around.

If you haven't booked your flights yet, maybe consider flying into Tokyo and out of KIX to save time travelling back to Tokyo at the end of your trip.

I would agree with the above response.

It would be ill advised to suggest getting a rail pass and making it a must have no option around it deal, without actually knowing the itinerary.

Hi Maddie

A quick thought on the JR pass v not JR pass. The convenience is worth a lot. However, it can be expensive. If you're going to Kyoto from Tokyo, look into Japanican's offers for train plus accommodation-the deals are pretty good and you can choose the Nozomi if you like. You can get a one-way or return: we did a return one on our first trip, it was great. You can choose from hotels at a range of price-points, and also different trains and departure windows. There are all kinds of passes and offers which you can find through JTB or Japanican, and probably others, not only for Tokyo to Kyoto but for other places too.

We've been to Japan maybe 6 times now and haven't yet got to Mt Fuji-my best view of it ever was on the way back from Matsumoto on the Chuo line.

For a view of Tokyo I like the Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku-it's free, it's really high, you can see much of the city rolled out in all directions and on a clear day, Mt Fuji in the distance. I'm also a fan of the walk across the Rainbow Bridge, it gives you a different perspective of the city. You can ride the monorail back, which is fun to do.

Have a wonderful time!

I agree with some members, without giving detailed information, and not knowing where you will fly in and out, the railway pass is out of the question, and as some has suggested, try to make your trip flexible, as some visiting area is best visited when the weather is in good condition, especially the Skytree.

I have been to Hakone multiple times and have never seen Mt. Fuji from there. However it feels like I regularly see Mt Fuji from Tokyo, including this trip on June 30 from the Tokyo Disney Monorail. So... Unless you actually want to see Hakone or Kawaguchiko, you don't need to go to either to necessarily see Mt. Fuji. Personally, my favorite view I ever had of it was from my plane window one flight. I flew out of Nagoya and had a perfect view. My favorite ground view was either from the Yurikamome from Odaiba one trip in March or from the Chuo line one trip in May. Both had that perfect snow covered peak and I personally think Mt. Fuji looks more dramatic with Tokyo in the background.

Everyone has a different idea of best places to stay. A lot depends on budget, where you want to tour, and what you want. Both Tokyo and Kyoto seem to constantly be getting new hotels. My hotel in Tokyo is barely 2 weeks old and my hotel in Kyoto was only a few months old.

Good luck

Just a quick note - it is often cheaper to get an open jaw ticket, e.g. fly into Tokyo and out of Osaka, than it is to get a Rail Pass if you are planning on staying within Tokyo & Kyoto and not doing many day-trips. The 7 day rail pass usually pays off with a return Tokyo-Kyoto trip plus at least one significant day trip, e.g. Tokyo-Nikko.