Japan - my first free and easy to japan...need help.

Hi guys, i will be going to Tokyo on february with my family.

Our flight will arrive on Haneda airport at 0530am(06/02) and depart on Narita airport at 2100(14/02).(total 9 days)

We would like to visit Osaka,Tyoto,Mt Fuji and Disneyland (1 day each).The rest of the day would like to spend on Toyko. Not sure if we have enough time?

How should i plan my trip?
How to take train or bus from point to point?
Should i buy JR rail pass?

Btw,any recommend hotspring in osaka or kyoto?

thanks

A JR pass can be good value, remember the pass isn't valid on the Nozomi trains. If you haven't already purchased your airline ticket I would consider flying into KIX and leaving from NRT/HND or vv as that will save you travelling time within Japan.

We would like to visit Osaka,Tyoto,Mt Fuji and Disneyland (1 day each).

You cannot possibly hope to see all of Tokyo Disney Resort in one day. There are two separate theme parks (Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea), and you cannot hop between them with a one day pass.

If you have to choose one or the other, I would choose Tokyo DisneySea. Tokyo Disneyland is not all that much different from the ones in California, Florida, France, or Hong Kong, but DisneySea is one of a kind.

You cannot possibly hope to see all of Tokyo Disney Resort in one day. There are two separate theme parks (Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea), and you cannot hop between them with a one day pass.

If you have to choose one or the other, I would choose Tokyo DisneySea. Tokyo Disneyland is not all that much different from the ones in California, Florida, France, or Hong Kong, but DisneySea is one of a kind.

Yeah I've heard the same thing. We're visiting Japan next month and just planning on seeing DisneySea. We live in Los Angeles, so we've already seen quite a bit of the regular Disneyland. :p

If you were to book 2 separate tickets you could actually see both the Disney themed confines in one long day.

If by Tyoto you mean Kyoto then that's another matter. You have no chance of seeing this city in a day.

I'd suggest thinking clearly about what it is you actually want to achieve by visiting Mount Fuji in February. Do you want to get on the footslopes of the mountain then or just see it from somewhere nearby? How nearby do you have to get?
You can get surprisingly good views from Tokyo or nearby Mt Takao when the weather is right and even going close to it won't guarantee you a view on any given day.

Osaka for one day and Kyoto for another and the expense of getting down there and back from Tokyo seems like a massive extravagance to me... but it's your money and your holiday...

I'd advise AT LEAST 3 days in Kyoto and go and return by train (there is a slightly cheaper way of doing this than the JR pass - for instance this option http://www.japanican.com/tours/tourdetail.aspx?aff=GMT&destcd=18&tc=GMT01TYOOVJH2KAKE gives you return trip and one nights accommodation for about 18,000yen, just book a room for another couple of nights and tweak the departure date). Sit on the right side on your way there and on the left on your way back - and that will get you a good view of Mt Fuji.
If you want to see Osaka, it's a cheap 30 minute train ride away, but it's hard to see what the attraction would be if you're spending the bulk of your time in Tokyo.
If you want to cram in the whole of Tokyo Disney get day tickets to see Tokyo Sea if you want a Disney 'otherness' experience and then leave the park in the evening and get evening or starlight tickets to go to Tokyo Disney and ride the Pooh's Hunny Hunt or new Monster's Inc ride or whatever the draw is for you and your family.

But one day in Osaka, one day in Kyoto and a freezing day in the foothills of Mt Fuji looking at mist hardly seems worth the cost and effort.

You can see Mt. Fuji on the train from Tokyo to Osaka.

+ 1 cheap, comfortable and saves a day..on a clear day you can also see it from the top of the TMG building in Shinjuku...free

If you were to book 2 separate tickets you could actually see both the Disney themed confines in one long day.

Sure, you could physically get inside of both theme parks with two separate tickets, if you just want to say that you've been there. But besides from being quite a wasteful use of money, usually the parks are crowded enough that you will need a full day to see a representative number of shows and attractions in either of them anyway.

You'd probably want to do some TDR things outside of the theme parks as well, such as ride the monorail (much nicer than the ones I rode in America), or check out the Disney hotels and the Ikspiari shopping complex (unfortunately for Cirque du Soleil lovers, the ZED theatre is closing at the end of the month)

I'd recommend spending half your time in Tokyo and half in Kyoto. Both have plenty to see.

I agree with the advice about Mt. Fuji, and on a short trip, you can skip Osaka.

Yeah I've heard the same thing. We're visiting Japan next month and just planning on seeing DisneySea. We live in Los Angeles, so we've already seen quite a bit of the regular Disneyland. :p

thanks for your advise,initially i thought of going to disneyland. i will go disneysea instead.

Sure, you could physically get inside of both theme parks with two separate tickets, if you just want to say that you've been there.
You're picking up on THIS as a waste of money rather than the suggestion of going down to Kyoto for a day???
I agree with you, but Disney is a molehill in comparison to the Kansai mountains. :)

You're picking up on THIS as a waste of money rather than the suggestion of going down to Kyoto for a day???
If he's got the JR rail pass anyway, then where's the waste of money in that?

If he's got the JR rail pass anyway, then where's the waste of money in that?

There's the time factor as well. The train rides to and fro will take up a good part of a day.

but the train ride is part of the fun...

You can see Mt. Fuji on the train from Tokyo to Osaka.

Theoretically! I never have, it's always been cloudy when I've been on that shinkansen route. Maybe the Japanese government could arrange to light Mt Fuji at night, that would increase the odds.

I agree, why waste your time at TDL when there's the same one you've been to in Anaheim? The only place worth going is Disney Sea.

Besides, why would anyone want to go to anywhere like Disney when you have Japan's own version of animated paradise at Akihabara? :D :D :D :D ^

You can see Mt. Fuji on the train from Tokyo to Osaka.

You can see Mt. Fuji driving into Tokyo from the airport.

You can see Mt. Fuji driving into Tokyo from the airport.

Hell, you can see it from the Haneda Monorail!

Hell, you can see it from the Haneda Monorail!

Or from the Tokyo Tower, Landmark Tower, Enoshima, most high-rise buildings with a direct line of view, most places name "Fujimi"...if the weather co-operates (as it usually does in winter), then Fuji-san is not a hard entity to find!

Hell, you can see it from the Haneda Monorail!

You can see it from the Ginza subway line.

You can see it from the Ginza subway line.

Really? From the Shibuya terminus?

most places name "Fujimi"...
A few years ago, I remember a news report that the last place in Tokyo called "Fujimi" with a view of Fuji was just about to lose its view due to the construction of a building. Apparently, all of the original "Fujimi" in Tokyo have lost their Fuji views (from ground level, at least).

Shortly after that news bulletin, I visited an antique map store in Jimbocho with a Flyertalker friend. The owner offered to sell me an Edo period map of the original Fujimi locations. Stupidly, I didn't buy it.

Regrets.... a few.

You can see it from the Ginza subway line.

On a very clear day, I've seen it from the Golden Gate bridge.

On a very clear day, I've seen it from the Golden Gate bridge.

Hush now...jib71 will think you're being serious.

On a very clear day, I've seen it from the Golden Gate bridge.
Ahh, but it is never that clear from the GG.

A few years ago, I remember a news report that the last place in Tokyo called "Fujimi" with a view of Fuji was just about to lose its view due to the construction of a building. Apparently, all of the original "Fujimi" in Tokyo have lost their Fuji views (from ground level, at least).

.

I remember that article--found part of it by googling, and in fact in was not the last place in Tokyo with a view point of Mount Fuji, but rather the last spot visible by commuters on the Yamanote Line


Since this summer, passengers have no longer been able to catch a glimpse of Mt. Fuji from the JR Yamanote Line in Tokyo due to the construction of a new commercial building, leaving commuters and enthusiasts of "urban views of Mt. Fuji" heartbroken.

On winter mornings when the air was clear, the peak of Mt. Fuji was visible -- for a fleeting moment, wedged in between buildings -- if passengers were looking southwest from the train between Takadanobaba and Mejiro stations. It lasted less than a second, but captured the hearts of many as a valuable view in the middle of the urban landscape.

I remember that article--found part of it by googling, and in fact in was not the last place in Tokyo with a view point of Mount Fuji, but rather the last spot visible by commuters on the Yamanote Line
Although that is also an interesting article, I have a strong feeling that the story I heard was about the places called "Fujimi" in the Tokyo area. The Fujimi locations were famous enough that people created maps of Tokyo, showing the locations of the views with little inset pictures of the views themselves.
My experience in the map store happened shortly after I heard the news item - and it was pretty thrilling for me to see an original Edo map with illustrations.

(EDIT - Perhaps, on reflection, it was the same news item but described differently for television (I'm pretty sure I came across the story on TV). If you can tell me the year of that article you found, I could probably confirm one way or the other).

Factoid - There was 15 year period in the 60s and 70s when you could never see Fuji from anywhere anytime in Tokyo because of the pollution.

Also - To be somewhat responsive to the OP. While you can easily see Fuji from a lot of places, driving counter-clockwise from Lake Yamanakako partly around Mt. Fuji and back is quite beautiful and not too crowded. If you have an International Drivers License, you can rent a car and with a good map (or iPhone) you could easily manage if you do it on a weekday.

Factoid - There was 15 year period in the 60s and 70s when you could never see Fuji from anywhere anytime in Tokyo because of the pollution.
Probably excepting for the times immediately following the passing of a typhoon...those storms really clean up the air quite well for a time.

Also - To be somewhat responsive to the OP. While you can easily see Fuji from a lot of places, driving counter-clockwise from Lake Yamanakako partly around Mt. Fuji and back is quite beautiful and not too crowded. If you have an International Drivers License, you can rent a car and with a good map (or iPhone) you could easily manage if you do it on a weekday.

Unfortunately, the original writer won't make it in time to see the illumination (http://www.yamanashi-kankou.jp/foreign/english/english101.html).

Really? From the Shibuya terminus?

No... from the Ginza station.;)

Glad to see there's another geek out there who knows the Tokyo rail system.

No... from the Ginza station.;)

From a station advertising, I gather...

I remember that article--found part of it by googling, and in fact in was not the last place in Tokyo with a view point of Mount Fuji, but rather the last spot visible by commuters on the Yamanote Line

Since this summer, passengers have no longer been able to catch a glimpse of Mt. Fuji from the JR Yamanote Line in Tokyo due to the construction of a new commercial building...

Although that is also an interesting article, I have a strong feeling that the story I heard was about the places called "Fujimi"

Hi mapleg - It looks like your article is from October 2009 and describes a view that disappeared in August that year:
http://blog.livedoor.jp/auberginefleur/archives/51740791.html

However, I wasn't living in Japan at that time. My visit to the antique map store was in February 2008, so I guess the news item about the last location in Tokyo with the name "Fujimi" losing its Fuji view was probably some time in 2007. For some reason, I have a feeling the location was around Ueno or the North East of Tokyo... but I'm not confident about that.

don't buy a JR pass for one day. That's silly

don't buy a JR pass for one day. That's silly

i bought 7 days pass ;)


any good hotel in osaka and kyoto?

i bought 7 days pass ;)


any good hotel in osaka and kyoto?

Yes, hundreds of them, and many of them listed in the standard guidebooks.

... any good hotel in osaka and kyoto?
What does this even mean? "Good" hotel? What is a good hotel? Both cities have what could be arguably called some of the best hotels in the world. Of course, you might pay $500.00 per night and up.

For meaningful hotel recommendations, you need to give some idea of what you want. Inexpensive, deluxe, luxury, backpackers hostel? Osaka and Kyoto are major tourism sites and have every kind of hotel imaginable.

As a start, you can take a look at:
http://www.japanhotel.net/ or
http://travel.rakuten.com/ .

I also occasionally use the American chain "Choice Hotels" because their Comfort properties are in most larger Japanese cities near the train stations and often include king or queen beds (I am 6-5,) WiFi and on-site coin laundries (I travel light.) Nothing fancy but clean, comfortable and reasonably priced.

i bought 7 days pass ;)


any good hotel in osaka and kyoto?

in that case. good idea. buying 1 way train tickets gets expensive fast

"Good" hotel? What is a good hotel?

One with landings you can walk away from?

What budget for your hotel?

If you are looking for a budget hotel, I was told this one is very good:

www.dotonbori-h.co.jp/english

any good hotel in osaka and kyoto?

Technically, the answer to that question is "yes".