Itinerary advice

Hi Uji,

Need your advice regarding my July trip in Japan. This is my 2nd time in Japan but first time traveling out of Tokyo. Currently, this is my plan.

28 June - Narita Airport arrive in the morn.
29 June - Hakone (stay 1 night)
30 June - Go to Gotemba Premium Outlets - then Osaka (stay Osaka for 1 night)
1 July - Go to Fukuoka (stay for 1 night) Is it worth staying 1 night in Fukuoka.
2 July - Osaka - Universal Studio
3 July - Osaka
4 July - Kyoto (stay 1 night)
5 July - Back to Tokyo
6 July - DisneySea
7 July - Free & Easy and flight back to Singapore at 7pm.

My qns as below

1)Is my plans too rush?
2)Should I put 1 more day at Tokyo or I should not travel to Fukuoka?
3)Should I get the romancecar & hakone freetrip together or use the JR pass
4) Getting the JR pass is definitely the best travel option right?

Thanks

Is my plans too rush?

It is rather rushed. But if you like a very fast travel pace, it is possible.

Unless you have a particular interest in Fukuoka, I recommend to drop the time consuming side trip to Fukuoka and spend more time in Osaka, Kyoto or Tokyo. It depends on your personal interests.

Should I get the romancecar & hakone freetrip together or use the JR pass

Yes, I think that would be the best combination.

Getting the JR pass is definitely the best travel option right?

Yes, considering your fast pace and your route, the rail pass will pay off and be the best way to travel.

I agree with Uji, why did you choose to go to Fukuoka? It would not be worth the time traveling by shinkansen just to stay one night in Fukuoka.There are more things to see in the Kansai region. Instead I would suggest spending an extra day in either Nara, Kyoto, or take a side trip to Himeji castle. For Kyoto, I highly suggest Fushimi Inari shrine, Kyomizudera temple, and Arashiyama area (especially walking along the river and going up the hill to the Monkey Park. You'll have a great view of Kyoto).

Oh, and in Osaka, I recommend seeing Osaka aquarium and Osaka Castle. Both well worth it.

qing22,

Fukuoka would be great as part of a trip to Kyushu or Chugoku. Based on your plans, I agree with the others, drop Fukuoka. (As my friend Nina would say, "It is too troublesome ley.")

Second, if you really want to go to Tokyo and DisneySea, then is it possible to do all your Tokyo area plans at the start of the trip and go to Kinki for the back half.

If the airline will allow it, I believe you can catch a direct flight out of Kansai to Changi.

Then again you could do it in reverse. Fly to Kansai and fly out of Narita.

This would allow you to reduce your travel time between area's.

If your plans are not etched in stone, this being your second trip to Japan, perhaps you would reconsider you plans and make this trips focus on the Kinki region (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe and Nara).

There is so much you can do in the region that you can fill eight or nine days easily.

Just a suggestion...coming from an ang mo who was told that two weeks in the little red dot was too long.

Hi

Thanks for all the replies.

Actually, by looking at my plan I also feel that its abit of rushing.

My earlier intention is to only visit Osaka. But after looking at the price of the 2 way rail ticket I start to ponder about getting the JR 7 days pass. By getting the pass, I think I should make full use of the pass and therefore putting Fukuoka and Kyota in the plan.

The thing about Fukuoka that excite me is having the open food stall at night which is a different experience from what I experience in Tokyo.

After considering what you all experts said, I think I had better drop it Fukuoka then. Do you recommend to have the additional day to Osaka or Kyota. Since that, do I still need to get the JR pass?

One of my plans including going to Gotemba after staying the night at Hakone and then to Osaka on the same day. Should I travel backwards?Which means after staying the 1st day in Tokyo instead of going Hakone, I travel to Osaka then Kyota, then Hakone, then Gotemba then Tokyo again.

I am flying my NW airlines and I think I can only fly in and out from Narita.

Uji, so you will recommend me to still get the romancecar ticket instead of using the JR to Odawara station if I am getting the JR pass.

Thanks for all the help.

I believe it is wise not to go all the way to Fukuoka to see the food stalls. You can see food stalls at various tourist attractions throughout Japan (although not nearly as many), for example, at Osaka Castle, or by the river at Arashiyama in Kyoto.

I would spend the extra day in Kyoto area. If you stay near Shin Osaka station (in Osaka) (spelled shinosaka on hyperdia train schedule web site), you can easily jump on the shinkansen with your JR pass and go to Kyoto. Another option would be to spend one full day in Kyoto (I recommend Sanjusangendo and Kiyomizudera temples, and Arashiyama area), and then another day you can spend at Nara (Todaiji Temple area) and on the way back to Kyoto (heading to Shin Osaka) you can visit Fushimi Inari Shrine.

You should definitely get the 7 day pass, because it will pay for itself just by traveling to and from Tokyo and Kyoto, not to mention other local trips. Make sure you don't have it activated til June 29th, so that you can use it on the 7th day, which will be July 5th when you head back to Tokyo.

As for the order of how you do things, it does not really matter, but I would probably do the Gotemba shopping after you visit Hakone, since you'll be there already. And yes, you can easily shop in Gotemba and travel by shinkansen to Osaka the same day.

Not to be the spelling police, but it's Kyoto, not Kyota.

Otherwise, don't hesitate to ask more questions.
Good luck, and have fun planning your trip!

I agree to drop Fukuoka. The food stalls there are unique and highly recommended, and quite different from the typical food stalls around Japan (mmm, hakata ramen!!!), but just not worth the trip out from Osaka. Save it for another trip concentrated between Hiroshima and Kyushu perhaps.

Hi Jesse,

Thanks for your reply.

I am thinking of changing my travel plans the other way. Instead of going to Hakone first from Tokyo, I am planning to go Osaka - Kyoto - Hakone - Gotemba - Tokyo. In terms of the transportation, is it easier to travel this way as my thoughts is that I need not bring my Gotemba shopping all the way to Osaka.

By the way, I am pondering if I should visit Rinku premium outlets at Osaka and Gotemba since they are all premium outlets. What's your feel on this?

For the additional day after the cancellation, I will spend at Kyoto. My only worries now is that since Osaka and Kyoto is mostly temple visiting and it might get a bit bored.

Thanks

Kyoto has alot to offer. I've been there 8-9 days or something during my 2 times in Japan and I still want to go back. I fell in love with this town. So don't worry about having to much time there, because I couldn't see that it can be to much.

Hello qing22.

As for your decision on the order of your trip, that sounds good.

As for the outlet shopping, I never went to either, so I would not be able to comment on that. But you could try the one in Osaka first, and if it satisfies you, then you could drop Gotemba. If it doesn't satisfy you, then go to Gotemba.

As for your worry about visiting mostly temples, and becoming bored, this should not be a problem. In Osaka, temples aren't the main attraction, that is Kyoto. In Osaka, besides Universal Studios, there is the aquarium, which is definitely worth a visit (especially for the giant spider crabs and the main gigantic tank), and Osaka castle (pretty amazing moat walls, and a good view of the city from the top). Also, near the aquarium, there is Tempo-zan Harbor Village and Suntory Musuem, which also has the fifth largest ferris wheel in the world (I went on this and had a great view of the region). Also there are two famous shopping/ entertainment/ nightlife/ restaurant districts in Osaka: Minami and Kita, which you can read about on this site's guide to Osaka. Plus, Osaka is known as the food capital of Japan, so there is great dining. There's a lot to do in Osaka.

As for Kyoto, there is more than just temples (but the top temples (like Kiyomizudera, Sanjusangendo, etc.) are definitely worth the visit, and extremely beautiful). If you like nature and hiking, there are hiking trails around Kyoto in the hills surrounding the city. I would try to find a copy of Lonely Planet's Hiking in Japan at a library to look at and xerox what you like, or buy it online. The hike up Daimonji-yama (mountain) and at Fushimi Inari shrine would be the closest. When visiting Fushimi Inari, my friends and I followed the Torii gates all the way up the mountain and continued on the trail through the forest. Very, very beautiful and surreal, especially in the evening when we went. Also, going to Arashiyama is very beautiful too. Try walking through the bamboo groves, and on the other side of the river, the Iwatayama monkey park is neat, especially the view of Kyoto from the top of the hill. Also, back down from the hill, walking along the Hozu river is nice too. I didn't do this, but there are also Hozu River Boat Tours and Sagano Romantic Train (described under Arashiyama on this site). So, there is more to do in Kyoto than temples. There's also nightlife and cultural things to do. I would also suggest trying to see traditional music being played. At Nijo Castle in Kyoto during cherry blossom time, I saw three ladies playing I believe the koto (stringed instrument) and that was nice.

I would look into reading some travel books in addition to internet sites, like Frommer's Japan, Lonely Planet Japan, and others.

Hope this was helpful.

I almost forgot to mention Nara. The Todaiji temple is amazing. It's HUGE!! The largest wooden structure in the world, and inside is the largest statue of Buddha in Japan. Very amazing and should be a must see. Also hiking around Todaiji and Nara is very nice too.

Yes, I just came finished my Japan trip one week ago and I agree it was a waste of time at Fukuoka. I was there for 12 days and found it a bit rushed. Had to miss a few places :( Miyajima and Nara is worth visiting.. loved the deer.

Hi Jesse,

Thanks for your your advice.

Now I am pondering if I should only travel to either Osaka or Kyoto beside going to Hakone. As my 10 days plans seems abit rushed. Afraid that I am just wasting the $ on the JR pass and time spend on traveling.

Please give me some advice.

28 June - Tokyo
29 June - Tokyo to Osaka
30 June - Osaka (Whole day Universal Studio)
1 July - Osaka
2 July - Osaka to Kyoto
3 July - Kyoto
4 July - Kyoto to Hakone
5 July - Hakone to Gotemba to Tokyo
6 July - Tokyo (whole day Disney Sea)
7 July - Depart Tokyo at night

Do you think I should add in 1 more day to my 10 days plan

Thanks
Should I

Hello again qing22.

If you are interested in going to Hakone, you should definitely go. I have not been there, but it is recommended by many people and authors of Japan travel books, so I believe it would be a good choice. If you only want to go to Hakone to get a view of Mt. Fuji, I would suggest against it, because you are not guaranteed a view, and it is farther away from the mountain than Fuji Five Lakes is. But if you want to see the natural area and onsens and hot springs around there I would go.

As for whether the JR pass is worth it, I would say it definitely is. If you look at this web site for train schedules and pricing:
http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperWeb.cgi
you can see that the trip from Tokyo to Shinosaka (which is the shinkansen station in Osaka) by Hikari train (rail pass does not cover Nozomi train) is 13750 yen for one way. Double this for both ways is 27500 yen. The 7 day JR pass is 28300 yen. So, just the trip to and from Tokyo and Osaka is practically equal to the rail pass price. If you add other trips during those 7 days, like trips to and from Osaka and Kyoto and Nara, and within Osaka and Kyoto, then the JR Pass will save you some money, although not a lot, but some.

As for spending 11 days versus 10 days, I would suggest 11 days if you can. I've decided for myself that I do not want to travel overseas and pay a big airline ticket and spend less than 2 weeks. For me, I'd want to stay at least 2 weeks. But I think 11 days would be good to see what you want to see, if you are able to do that with whatever factors are involved with planning your trip. Although if you are not able to, 10 days would be good too. If you were to add another day, you could add an extra day to spend in either Osaka, Kyoto, or Nara, whichever you like best. You could leave for Osaka on the 29th of June and return to Hakone on July 5th (which would be the 7th day of your rail pass). Then you could stay in Hakone and after you are done there, buy a train ticket back to Tokyo (since your JR pass would be expired). This would cost a little more, but not that much though.

Just make sure you don't have the activation date for your rail pass to begin until the day you are going to leave for Osaka (June 29).
-Jesse

Hi Jesse

Thanks for all your help.

A change of plan again. Due to my husband jobscope, his company forbid traveling to Kobe Osaka due to the H1N1.

Now I am stuck with Tokyo for 10 days. As this is my 2nd trip to Tokyo already therefore I think 10 days Tokyo will be too much for me.

Any suggestion? Now that I am not going Osaka, I am not so sure if I will be buying the JR pass unless there is other places to go.