Japan - Itinerary advice considering small mobility issue

Sorry for posting yet another thread for itinerary advice, but we do have a special need and I was not able to find it specifically. I will be traveling with my mother and she had a knee injury and is now using a cane - so walking slowly and with some difficulty walking down the stairs or incline. I understand some stations have several levels and escalators/lifts are now always present.

So here is the itinerary we are considering, are these good alternatives, based on this constraint? Also, in terms of scenic/comfort/other factors, is there anything that could be recommended we do differently?

NRT- PH Tokyo: LimoBus to hotel or Shinjuku Station & taxi, depending on how long the wait is (we will have luggage, unfortunately not a carryon trip, so taking the train did not seem practical)

PH Tokyo to Hyatt Hakone – Romance Car with Hakone Free Pass (Y5000/2days) or without the pass Y2200 to Gora, 5 min from the hotel. Purchase at Shijuku Station (Odakyu Sightseeing Service Center) - read on another thread that reserved seat is worth the extra cost. There seems to be other options as well, but since we'll be near Shinjuku Station this seemed to be a good option

Hyatt Hakone to Osaka: JR (Shinkansen) from Odawara Station to Shin-Osaka

Osaka-Kyoto: Shinkansen (15 min – Y1380) or JR Kyoto Line (25min Y540), to Kyoto Station then taxi to Hiiragiya

Kyoto Hiiragiya-Westin Miyako: taxi

Osaka-Koyasan (Ekoin):
1. Osaka Station (JR - JR Special Rapid Train), 2. change to JR Osaka Loop Line to Shin-Imamiya Station (30 min – Y890)
Shin-Imamiya (Nankai Koya Line) to Gokurakubashi terminal station (limited express trains) (80min – Y1610)
Or
Shin-Imamiya (Nankai Koya Line) to Gokurakubashi terminal station (express or rapid trains). Most require transfer at Hashimoto Station (100 min-Y850)
Gokurakubashi: Cablecar up to the mountains (5min – Y380)
Top Station: bus to Senjuinbashi bus stop

Koyasan-Osaka
Osaka-ITM - LimoBus

Osaka Station (not Shin-Osaka Station) is a nightmare labyrinth of stairways with no elevators or escalators in many places, so allow yourselves a good amount of time to navigate if you must use this station.

Osaka Station (not Shin-Osaka Station) is a nightmare labyrinth of stairways with no elevators or escalators in many places, so allow yourselves a good amount of time to navigate if you must use this station.

+1. The quality of Hail's advice is pretty sporadic:).... but he's right in this case.

Hyatt Hakone to Osaka: JR (Shinkansen) from Odawara Station to Shin-Osaka

Osaka-Kyoto: Shinkansen (15 min – Y1380) or JR Kyoto Line (25min Y540), to Kyoto Station then taxi to Hiiragiya
The fastest routes from Odawara to Kyoto typically involve a change of trains at Nagoya (or double back to Shin Yokohama) in order to use the faster Nozomi or Hikari trains.

However, since you want to minimize walking, I would suggest riding one of the Kodama trains non-stop from Odawara to Kyoto. It stops at more stations, so the trip takes a little longer - something like 3 hours instead of 2 hours 40 mins.

Alternatively, time your departure from Odawara so that you can take a Hikari train - e.g. at 10.08am - gets you to Kyoto in about 2 hours.

For the hotels in Kyoto ... I'm not sure how things are set up at the Hiragiya. Some traditional Japanese buildings have some awkward steps and stairs and places to put on and remove slippers or shoes. People who have stayed there may be able to comment on how easy it would be with somewhat limited mobility.

One hotel worth considering, if you're not committed to the Westin Miyako, is the Granvia in Kyoto Station. Plenty of reviews and commentary on this forum. I like it. Staying at the station might be preferable to taking the taxi to the Westin. Once your out there, I think you're more likely to be reliant on taxis to start and finish your day. But only you can judge.

I would not necessarily recommend a traditional Japanese inn or temple for someone with knee problems. As someone who has had a knee injury in the past, I would not want to stay in lodgings where one sits and sleeps on the floor in that condition. Actually being on the floor is no problem, but getting up and down can be quite a pain, and it's not as if there is a lot of sturdy furniture to hold onto.

At the Koya-san temples, there's the added expectation that in addition to having dinner and breakfast at low tables and sleeping on futon on the floor of your room, you will also attend the morning services, where you are expected again to sit on the floor, preferably seiza (with your legs folded under you).

Staying in a ryokan or temple is a lovely experience, but it's probably better saved for a time when your mother is fully mobile.

At the Koya-san temples, there's the added expectation that in addition to having dinner and breakfast at low tables and sleeping on futon on the floor of your room, you will also attend the morning services, where you are expected again to sit on the floor, preferably seiza (with your legs folded under you).
"Expectation" is a bit too much. You're welcome to, and it's certainly worth attending if you can, but there will not be a lynch mob of shaven-headed bonzes knocking at your door at 4 AM to wake you up and drag you in if you decide to sleep in instead.

I fully agree with your actual point though. While there are some Japanese inns with partly or fully Western-style rooms, to me it's always felt like these defeat at least one of third of the point of sleeping in a Japanese inn in the first place (onsen, food, tatami), but if your mother is unlikely to come back to Japan these might be a worthwhile compromise.

I would not necessarily recommend a traditional Japanese inn or temple for someone with knee problems...
This is the first thing that occurred to me on reading this thread. I would think western-style beds and chairs and accommodations with elevators would be a very good idea.

Definitely take the limo bus from the airport to PHT, assuming the times work out.

From Hakone to Kyoto, you shouldn't need to change trains in Shin-Osaka. All of the shinkansen trains stop in Kyoto.

I think Osaka Station should be ok if you are just moving from one platform to another. There are escalators to and from all the platforms:
http://www.jr-odekake.net/eki/premises.php?id=0610130

From Hakone to Kyoto, you shouldn't need to change trains in Shin-Osaka. All of the shinkansen trains stop in Kyoto.



For another thing, Kyoto lies between Hakone and Osaka.

If you're using Hyperdia, click on the link "Station Timetable" under the name of the train. It will show you which stations the train stops at.

Thanks for all the input, everyone.

Osaka Station (not Shin-Osaka Station) is a nightmare labyrinth of stairways with no elevators or escalators in many places, so allow yourselves a good amount of time to navigate if you must use this station.
hailstorm - We'll keep that in mind and seek alternatives, I for one am already dreading Shinjuku station, now I have another one to be careful about:)

The fastest routes from Odawara to Kyoto typically involve a change of trains at Nagoya (or double back to Shin Yokohama) in order to use the faster Nozomi or Hikari trains.

However, since you want to minimize walking, I would suggest riding one of the Kodama trains non-stop from Odawara to Kyoto. It stops at more stations, so the trip takes a little longer - something like 3 hours instead of 2 hours 40 mins.

Alternatively, time your departure from Odawara so that you can take a Hikari train - e.g. at 10.08am - gets you to Kyoto in about 2 hours.

For the hotels in Kyoto ... I'm not sure how things are set up at the Hiragiya. Some traditional Japanese buildings have some awkward steps and stairs and places to put on and remove slippers or shoes. People who have stayed there may be able to comment on how easy it would be with somewhat limited mobility.

One hotel worth considering, if you're not committed to the Westin Miyako, is the Granvia in Kyoto Station. Plenty of reviews and commentary on this forum. I like it. Staying at the station might be preferable to taking the taxi to the Westin. Once your out there, I think you're more likely to be reliant on taxis to start and finish your day. But only you can judge.

jib71 - Great info on trains, I already passed it on to my sister who is in charge of the "transportation dept":) 20 extra min doesn't sound that bad if the walk is long. Is the train about the same in terms of comfort, views or anything else we might need to consider?
As for ryokan, this one was a splurge I will have to think only when the cc statement hits me:( But it is for my mother's special 77th birthday, so I thought it would be worth it. I requested a room on the ground floor and she is so excited that the extra effort for one night might be worth it.
I ended up with all the other nights at the Westin Miyako with C&P before the hotel changed categories on March 1,so I think it was a good value. But thanks for the Granvia suggestion.

I would not necessarily recommend a traditional Japanese inn or temple for someone with knee problems. As someone who has had a knee injury in the past, I would not want to stay in lodgings where one sits and sleeps on the floor in that condition. Actually being on the floor is no problem, but getting up and down can be quite a pain, and it's not as if there is a lot of sturdy furniture to hold onto.

At the Koya-san temples, there's the added expectation that in addition to having dinner and breakfast at low tables and sleeping on futon on the floor of your room, you will also attend the morning services, where you are expected again to sit on the floor, preferably seiza (with your legs folded under you).

Staying in a ryokan or temple is a lovely experience, but it's probably better saved for a time when your mother is fully mobile.

ksandness - thank you for your perspective, traveling with a condition can be challenging. I checked with her and she seems to be getting better, I am not sure if the excitement about this trip is speaking louder though :) But we will have comfortable western lodging for the majority of the trip. I will check with her again at the end of our trip and see if she's still up to it.

Is the train about the same in terms of comfort, views or anything else we might need to consider?

Kodama / Hikari / Nozomi are all much the same in terms of comfort. The views are the same (reserve seats on the right side of the train to see Mt. Fuji briefly if you're lucky).

We will definitely try, thanks again for all the great tips.