10 Nights: Tokyo to Kyoto (with Onsens)

Hi All

Getting a bit stuck in my planning so wanted to ask for some help, especially around the choice of Onsen and how much time to spend in each location.

I arrive in Tokyo May23 and leave June2 (10 Nights). I am travelling with a family including some older people, so looking to keep the pace relaxed without too much walking. We would like to experience traditional Japanese culture like shrines, temples, museums, traditional life, and onsen. The typical things, not looking for any hidden gems really.

We arrive at 5am in Tokyo. I was going to stay in either Asakusa as its central and close to a lot of sites.

4 nights in Tokyo to cover off the main things. Too long?
2 nights Kawaguchiko to spend time in a traditional Onsen town
4 nights Kyoto, doing day trips to Osaka, Himeji, Nara. I also want to try something like Momijiya Bekkan if I can fit it into the budget.

On the last day our flight is at 10PM so we can take the train directly back to Haneda.

My questions are:
1 - Are there better Onsen experiences other than Momijiya Bekkan? Maybe Kurama Onsen is comparable? (I dont mind driving either)
2 - Is my 50/50 split of Tokyo and Kyoto smart in your view? Or should one be longer and the other shorter? As my family wont be going out partying I wonder if Tokyo will have less to offer than Kyoto. Though we have the option of doing daytrips out of Tokyo of course.

Thank you!

What do you think?

Hi!

First, I'd go straight from Tokyo to Bessho Onsen early in your trip and stay a night. Bessho Onsen is a nice onsen town about an hour or so from Tokyo by bullet train to Ueda then a cute railway to Bessho. It might still have sakura in the third week of May. I wouldnt go to Kawaguchiko, it isnt an onsen town it is more an overpriced lake resort area with great Fuji views. Accomodation at Bessho Onsen is also comparatively cheap, so you get a good ryokan and onsen experience for not a lot of loot, and there are some nice temples in the area. the downside? Horsemeat sashimi is a local specialty and is likely to be on the menu, but there isnt much of it.

So I'd go to Bessho Onsen first. I'd then go on to Kyoto if you must. Kyoto is hot by the beginning of June so the sooner you get there, the better. But I wouldnt stay 4 full days, I'd limit it to 2 full days. It is crowded these days, there are other places that wont be as hot or crowded, eg a night at Nara, or a day at Hikone (not Hakone) seeing the castle there (which I would do instead of Himeji, personally, as Himeji is also hot and the castle lines very long). The castle at Hikone is smaller but still interesting and there are nice views and gardens from it, overlooking Lake Biwa. Hikone is a relatively short train ride from Kyoto (depending on the speed of the train), it is actually the next shinkansen stop back, at Maibara.

So then you are coming back to Tokyo. Tokyo is a big city, which is awesome if you love big cities. Personally I dont, so I would think of day trips to Kamakura/Enoshima or Nikko, both of which are a lot cooler than Tokyo gets in early June. Kamakura./Enoshima in particular have a lot of bang for your buck when it comes to sites and temples and a fun atmosphere with lots of Japanese having their own time out, they rank up there with my favorites. But if you like big cities, they dont come much bigger than Tokyo and there is plenty to do there for 4 days, or a lot longer for that matter.

Wow Bessho looks awesome! Hmm i didnt think it'd be so hot by then, but great advice. I did think about Kyoto first but thought it'd be better to settle down after arriving at 5am...

I'm going to research your suggestions in more detail for sure. For those side trips do you thinkthere'd be any point hiring a driver or a car? We're a family of 4 and would value less walking for the older folks..

Thank you so much

Hi, actually the trains are so efficient I reckon you would be better off on them, with taxis for short distances. Buses are cheaper than trains. If you were getting a 1 week JR pass, between the trip to Bessho and then the trip to Kyoto and back, it'd pay for itself. Have a look at Hyperdia.com for train planning.

It can be cool that time of year if it is drizzly, but if it is clear it can be very hot by the beginning of June especially in the cities and Kyoto gets hotter because it is surrounded by mountains on 3 sides.

But aside from the risk of a few hot days, it is an awesome time to travel. Some of our best trips have been May/June, this year we are going on 8 May to return 22 May.

To be fair, what one considers hot and humid varies by where one is from. I just got back from a vacation in FL, USA where it was 31.5 C nearly every day with very high humidity. It wasn't until I did a 10k and a 1/2 marathon that the temperatures/humidity really got to me, so I personally am not bothered by Kyoto in June. But again, it depends on what you are use to.

I do agree with @Lazy Pious that Hikone is a great castle and it doesn't see as many tourists as Himeji so it can be a nice respite.

I am a huge fan of cities. I just like the bustle. I found Kamakura still pretty hot in June.

Good luck!

The Hikone castle is also a great quick side trip from Kyoto. It's nearby garden is also quite nice as well....

Fair enough. I am from Aus and it gets very hot here so maybe i'll be okay in june. Thanks for the help :)

Is there an efficient way to get from Bessho/Ueda to Kyoto? Seems like its either go back to Tokyo or go anti clockwise around the north and back down to Kyoto...

I think via Tokyo would be quickest. Aside from going to Kanazawa and to Tokyo that way, you could go on to Nagano then through to Nagoya then Kyoto via Matsumoto which is a nice trip, but I think it would be quite a bit longer and I wouldnt do it unless I was going to stay somewhere overnight, eg Matsumoto or Tsumago/Magome.

Sorry, I meant aside from going on to kanazawa and on to Kyoto that way...that would be about 2 hours 20 mins to Kanazawa then you could faff about and see the gardens there (Kenrokuen) which would be worth it, allow maybe 2 hours for that, then 2 hours by Thunderbird from Kanazawa to Kyoto. IMO it would be a more interesting trip than going back through Tokyo, and I always hate doubling back.

Thanks mate. I also didn't like the idea of doubling back.

I did some more research and now I'm thinking maybe bessho for a day trip and doing kinosaki as my overnighter instead.. or maybe vice versa.

I think I'll end up splitting it 5 nights Tokyo, 4 nights Kyoto and 1 night in either bessho or kinosaki.

Cheers. We went to Kinosaki for a few nights and stayed at Nishimuraya Honkan (sp?) which is supposed to be the best. It was awesome, and I think the food was up there with the best I have eaten anywhere, but the hotel onsens dont have real onsen water, you have to go to the public onsens for that. I'm a big onsen fan but I havent tried the public ones as I feel a bit sorry for the Japanese having to put up with a westerner in the bath with them. So ultimately we travelled hours and paid top dollar to bathe in chlorinated water.

The town is pretty enough for a day, and it is nice seeing the Japanese so excited about onsen hopping and getting about in their yukata, but to be honest I have preferred a lot of other onsen towns. It is quite a nice trip by train from Kyoto to Kinosaki, though.

Personally, if you arent into public onsens I wouldnt go to Kinosaki.

Good insight. I've read about that place, unfortunately looks like it's got limited availability when i want to go. My parents will want to go to the public ones, i'm indifferent though. I've been before anyway. Is it assumed all Ryokans include meals in their nightly rates? Some of the room descriptions on the booking sites are shocking.

I guess the call is whether to do the one nighter at Bessho or Kinosaki. The other we can do as a day trip. What do you reckon?

Hmmm, I hate to dominate the thread but Bessho is less travel and a lot less expense and is pretty for an overnight stay. It will also be cooler and you might get the very end of the sakura, though that is usually late May rather than early June.

There might be a touch more to do at Kinosaki (maybe a side trip to the land bridge thing?) but it would be line ball. There are a lot more people at Kinosaki, I think. If I was going to go to the trouble of an overnight trip to Kinosaki, I'd probably just go to Kyoto via Kanazawa and have an onsen there (we stayed at Hakuchoro which has tea coloured water from the iron).

Other places more or less on your route for an onsen would be Enoshima (one of my favorite places), in particular Iwamotoro Honkan there, I think also I might have mentioned Hikone Castle Spa Resort once or a thousand times (love it there), I am also trying Hotel Micuras at Atami in a few weeks and Shuzenji in the Ito Peninsula which looks good.

Spoiled for choice!

Thanks a lot! You are extremely knowledgeable, it's blowing me away. How many times have you been to Japan?

Iwamotoro Honkan looks incredible!

Oh we love the place. We went about 10 times with the kids and then 3 times so far without them (air punches!), just about to go again in May. Other people know heaps more than we do, we tend to find a few places we like and keep going back (eg enoshima, Nara, Takayama) , but go to one or two new places each trip. This next trip we are being very adventurous for us, and going to 4 places we havent been before.

Thank you so much for you help. Without you i would've stayed in Kawaguchiko or Hakone I think!

So i think itll land, and stay in Tokyo for 5 days and do the typical things, 1 night in Bessho and make our way to Kyoto for 4 nights and do day trips around. I've been to Kurama hotspring nearby there which was pretty nice. My sister wants to see Nara so that'll be a fun half day as well.

If there's other things you'd recommend i'd love to learn!

Thanks so much again, it's greatly appreciated. I hope you enjoy your trip in May!