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13 night trip 2020/1/16 23:32
Hi everyone I'm planning a trip to japan , I've never been and wanted some advice , I'm finding it difficult to decide what to do in the time I've got , so far this what I have thought i would do;
Tokyo -3 days
Mount Fuji -1 day
Kyoto-2 days
Osaka-1 day
Hiroshima ,Miyajima-2 days

so that's 9 days what else could i do or you guys recommend with the extra 3 days , id like to keep last day to rest before flight back from Tokyo,
by raj b  

Re: 13 night trip 2020/1/17 13:24
You will probably get a seven day pass, so you probably need two days outside the Tokyo area , and one near.
These are incomplete.

Near: Nikko, Hakone, Kamakura/Endoshima Island, Chinatown in Yokohama.

Two away locations could be the other two of the gthree most scenic views in Japanh. You are already going to Miyajima Island, so add Amanohashidate from Kyoto, and Matsushima Bay from Tokyo. Itfs far enough north of Tokyo, that a JR rail pass is useful.

Other ideas would be Nara, Mount Koya, Kobe, Himeji, and Takayama. If Takayama interests you, and, you want all three days outside of Tokyo, then consider taking the Nohi highway bus from Tokyo to Takayama. You would then activate your JR pass when you leave Takayama. The train from Tokyo to Takayama requires one transfer and takes 4 1/2 hours. The bus is direct, and takes 5 1/2 hours. I think the Nohi bus website has some interesting tours around Takayama, and is worth looking at.

Another idea would be to include a festival, or, maybe a hot springs beach resort like Atami. You do not indicate when you are traveling, to make suggestions on that.

Good Luck, in planning your trip.
by ebaychucky311 rate this post as useful

Re: 13 night trip 2020/1/17 20:49
Thank you for your reply. So after seeing other Itineraries we have decided on this:
Travelling on the 28th February to Tokyo
Arrive 29th
29 Tokyo
1. Tokyo- Nikko
2. Tokyo
3. Hakone + Mount Fuji
4. Kyoto
5. Kyoto
6. Osaka
7. Osaka- Nara
8. Hiroshima
9. Miyajima
10. Kanawaza
11. Tokyo- Kamakura
12. Tokyo- Yokohama
13. Flight back home

To do all the above I will probably have to get a 14 Railpass.
Is there any side trips you recommend at any of these places.
Regards
by raj b rate this post as useful

Re: 13 night trip 2020/1/18 02:45
Is there any side trips you recommend at any of these places.

No, not really. You are already rushing through Japan so I wouldnft add even more to your list.

There are obviously a lot of places for daytrips around your locations.

Btw, I would stay in just one hotel for Kyoto, Osaka and Nara. These 3 cities are close enough to not warrant changing hotel.

Enjoy your trip to Japan!
by LikeBike (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: 13 night trip 2020/1/18 08:20
Likebike is correct, Nara, Kyoto, and Osaka are relatively close to each other. I usually stay at or near Shin-Osaka station, especially if I plan to use it as a base for side trips.

It is a 13 minute ride from Shin-Osaka Station to Kyoto Station.

When I visit Nara in this situation, I first go to Kyoto, and then board the JR train to Nara. Just a few stops along the local line from Kyoto to Nara is Inari Station. I go to Nara in the morning, eat Lunch in Nara, travel to Inari in the afternoon and visit it. I then ride the Keihan private line north to the Gion district for dinner, and finish up the evening in the Gion District before heading back to my Hotel.

I also think you have filled your plan up pretty full.

I have another suggestion. In the beginning, on your final day in the Tokyo Area, check out and move your luggage to a Hotel near Shin-Yokohama Station. They will hold your luggage until the evening, and go to either Yokohama or Kamakura for the day. The next morning, check out very early, and catch the 6:00 AM JR Shinkansen to Hiroshima. It gets to Hiroshima around 10:00 AM, and once again, drop off your luggage at the hotel and visit Hiroshima or Miyajima Island.

Then, work your way back towards Tokyo.
by ebaychucky311 rate this post as useful

Re: 13 night trip 2020/1/18 08:30
Hi!

I also want to throw out that Hakone and Mt Fuji are generally considered two separate destinations. Hakone is Hakone and Mt. Fuji is usually Kawaguchiko. I think it is hard to do both in one day unless you are just traveling to Mt. Fuji, taking a picture or two and then leaving immediately for Hakone or if you're just going to Hakone for the evening to stay somewhere vs trying to do any part of the round course. It's not that either has to take a full day, but getting between them is long enough that you can't easily do both in one day and I tend to travel medium to fast.

I've stayed near Shin-Osaka and I personally don't really like it. It's safe but it's also very... quiet. There aren't really a lot of sit down places or restaurant variety there. I'd personally stay near Kyoto Station. I think there are a lot more new hotels there, many in the mid range. I don't know if Shin-Osaka has had quite the building spree. When I stayed there everything looked a bit dated. Staying near Kyoto Station gets you easily to Osaka and easily to Nara and if you leave early enough in the day there are direct trains to Hiroshima and you don't need to change at a later station. It's also a slightly faster trip to Kanazawa.

Good luck!
by rkold rate this post as useful

Re: 13 night trip 2020/1/18 10:30
As for Hakone and Mount Fuji, I also agree that each is a full day, and should not be done together. Check out the Hakone Round Course, and decide if you want to do it.

I have stayed near Kyoto station once, and nine times in five different hotels near Shin-Osaka station. The nicest one was Remm Shin-Osaka, which is actually in Shin-Osaka Station. My usual is the Shinosaka Hotel which is just off the South East Corner of the Station. Itfs a place to sleep, and has a good laundry.

The Kyoto Hotel was close to the Station, but it had no laundry, and I had to go to a laundromat about seven blocks away. I got the hotel in Kyoto during the Gion Matsuri, and I knew transportation anywhere would be difficult. As a base for an area for side trips, easy laundry is important to me, but I was glad to have that stay in Kyoto.

Laundry can be hit and miss. One hotel in Hiroshima had a washer, and drying racks in the rooms to dry your clothes. It was the start of the rainy season, and I ended up packing damp clothes when I left that hotel in the morning.

Once again, Good Luck.
by ebaychucky311 rate this post as useful

Re: 13 night trip 2020/1/18 10:54
Hi!

I admit, the last time I stayed near Shin-Osaka was a few years ago and I don't remember which hotel it was. I just remember it was cheap and not for very long. Kyoto at the time had a lot fewer hotel rooms than it does now. It is honestly insane the number of hotel rooms in Kyoto now. I don't remember seeing a lot of places to eat outside combini and Yoshinoya style places. I have dietary restrictions and neither option suited me.

There are hotels in Kyoto near the station have their own laundry facility, though I admit that is not always my top priority since I tend to only want to do laundry so much. I don't like Japanese dryers, I find they do a bad job and hang drying can take a while in the Summer. I feel bad for PP that they had such a difficult time getting laundry done because that is never fun.

Last trip, I stayed in the newly opened Vischio almost across from the south side of Kyoto Station and right near the Itami Airport Limo bus stop. It has a public bath and has laundry machines as well as a really nice coffee machine in the lounge. I personally found the bed a little too hard for my taste but if that is not a concern for you, the hotel might be a good option. I paid around ~80-90 USD a night for 1 adult +1 child but I think my child counted as a 2nd adult. I've also stayed at the nearby Dormy Premium, again the bed is hard, but I believe they too have laundry.

Good luck!

by rkold rate this post as useful

Re: 13 night trip 2020/1/19 08:28
To Rkold:
I really like hotels with a public bath, too. When I stay near Hakata Station in Kyushu, I go to the Route Inn, which is right next to the Station. It has a public bath in the basement.

For Tokyo, I usually stay in Nippori, although I have stayed in Yokohama, near Kanda Station, around Asakusa near the Sensōji Temple, and Ikebukuro. I usually take the Skyliner from Narita Airport, so Nippori Station means one train ride, without transfers. The hotel has a hot springs bath on the first floor, and is very reasonably priced. My wifefs hobby is quilting, so on the final day before going home, I can just walk to Fabric Town to pick up asian fabrics for her.

One weird part of this is explaining to customs why I have declared 60 meters of fabric, and that this is not for a business, but for a hobbyist. The other weird conversation was about 400 meters of Tatami mat edging that was a bargain. We actually have a button shop in Dallas, Texas, but the one in near the Inari Shrine in Kyoto is better, and the one of the ones in Fabric Town put both to shame.
by ebaychucky311 rate this post as useful

Re: 13 night trip 2020/1/20 12:14
@Ebaychucky311,

Going OT: I really like Fabric Town as well. I wandered through it a few times just because it's so interesting and different. I don't sew a lot, mostly doll clothes, but it has really different fabrics than anywhere around where I have ever lived at very good prices I also use to rather like a fabric store in Namba. It always seemed very popular and had an interesting pneumatic tube system for orders.

I'm sorry if I cam off pushy about hotels. I was just personally very disappointed with the place I stayed in Shin-Osaka. On my earlier trips to Japan I tended to stay at whatever was cheap and still convenient. I admit, now I tend to spend more for hotels because I travel with my child. There have been a few times she has gotten sick and it comes in handy to have a nicer room because I've been mostly room bound for a day. I sometimes do laundry while traveling, but not always. My next trip is short, so I expect I will not be doing laundry. We've lately been staying near Tokyo Station and sometimes a bit closer to Kanda, though next trip I am doing a split stay and spending a few days near Shiodome before moving to nearer to Tokyo Station.

I tend to have to do a mix of activities because I travel with a child. I don't just do things she wants, but I also don't just do things I want to do. When I can, I try to find things we both want to do.

Our big hobby is fashion dolls, so we go to Ononiimachi nearly every trip to Japan. lol
by rkold rate this post as useful

Re: 13 night trip 2020/1/20 15:30
Kbold:

A Fabric Store.. Near Namba.. Sounds interesting..

There are three Namba Stations. JR Namba, Osaka Namba, and Namba. Which one, and do you have a general direction for me to walk from there. The button shop near the Inari shrine is to the left of Inari Station, on the left side of the road, about 50 meters from the station.

I think wefve hijacked this query. Maybe Raj B, or someone else reading this might now want to go to Fabric Town near Nippori Station in Tokyo.
by ebaychucky311 rate this post as useful

Re: 13 night trip 2020/1/20 15:52
Hi!

Yes, I feel a little bad about going OT. If OP comes back, I am more than happy to give them what information I can.

http://toraya-syouten.com/

This is the shop in Namba. I believe it's not too far from either Midousuji or Nankai Namba but a ways from JR and OCAT Namba from what I remember. I use to come here via Midousuji and I remember wandering into Nankai Namba because there was a store selling bagels with a hilarious English blurb about their bagels reminding you of the "smell of old New York." And while I love New York, the smell is not one of the things I love lol My friends who were JETs in Wakayama-ken tended to go to this store since getting to Tokyo was expensive for them,

I liked fun tiny cotton prints because again, making clothes for dolls.

Enjoy!

by rkold rate this post as useful

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