Japan - Help planning Japan trip!

I probably have a ton of questions coming up, but I have the most basic of one right now:

I am planning on staying 4-5 days in Tokyo, then taking a train to Osaka and using that as "home base" for 3-4 days as I visit Kobe/Kyoto/possibly Nara for one day each as day trips by taking the train from/to Osaka. Then training it back to Narita for a flight to Hong Kong.

Does this sound like a good plan? Or it a bad plan because Osaka is not a good place to do this from or is it too ambitious to visit so many places?

Thanks for any insight!

I recommend you to stay in Kyoto for a night, then move to Osaka. Osaka is bit far from Kyoto and Kyoto has a lot of sights to visit. A night stay will make you easier to enjoy the time in Kyoto at most. Hope you enjoy!

Does this sound like a good plan?
It works. Osaka will work fine as a base. You miss out on the romance of staying in Kyoto, but hotels in Osaka are usually cheaper. For me, the hassle of changing hotels would mean that I would either stay in Osaka or in Kyoto - not one night in one city and two nights in the other. They're only 30 minutes apart.

Stay in Kyoto.

It will work but I am in agreement with the "stay in Kyoto" advice. Unless you stay out near Shin-Osaka, day trips are simpler from Kyoto Station and Kyoto tends to be where you will want to see more sites. You will want at least 2 days for Kyoto - more is better. For day trips, Nara, Osaka and Hikone are easy from Kyoto. Hiroshima is much further but can be done in a long day. I think I'd change your planned 4-5 days in Tokyo to 3 or 4 and change the 3-4 days in Kyoto to 4 or 5 to allow time for those day trips.

If your flight home leaves from NRT in the afternoon or evening, you could start directly from Kyoto in the morning and avoid changing hotels back to Tokyo the night before.

For this itinerary, the Japan Rail Pass would definitely be a good investment. Just be sure to "activate" your Pass so the 7 day period includes that last trip to Tokyo and the Narita Express train back to NRT. The Japan Rail Pass must be purchased before you arrive in Japan.

Thanks for the suggestions -- I'll take a look at the possibility of staying in Kyoto!

Now, for the itineraries! How hard is it to figure out the transit system to get to all these places? (i.e. what's the likelihood I get stranded? ;-) )

And does anyone have "must see" sights/activities for Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara, etc?

And does anyone have "must see" sights/activities for Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara, etc?

Tokyo - Sky Tree
Osaka - Nanba at night
Kyoto - Old stuff
Kobe - New stuff (fashion)
Nara - More old stuff, deer

Really, you need to do some basic research about those places and see what interests you.

Tokyo - Sky Tree
Osaka - Nanba at night
Kyoto - Old stuff
Kobe - New stuff (fashion)
Nara - More old stuff, deer
You missed "etc."

Tokyo - Sky Tree
Osaka - Nanba at night
Kyoto - Old stuff
Kobe - New stuff (fashion)
Nara - More old stuff, deer

Really, you need to do some basic research about those places and see what interests you.

LOL!!!!!!!! I like how you simplify this...

Tokyo - Sky Tree, Fish Auctions, Crazy people in Akihabara, Fashion places (Shibuya, Harajuku etc)
Osaka - Namba, Shinsaibashi, and Osaka station
Kobe - fashion and fashion and fashion
Kyoto - all the temples (probably enough for two days worth)
Nara - temple and deer

don't forget to get some good food in Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto. Food in Tokyo (Kanto) and Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto (Kansai) tastes different.

very generally Tokyo people care less about taste they like atmosphere
kansai people are picky about their food and care less about atmosphere, but like taste and quality

... Now, for the itineraries! How hard is it to figure out the transit system to get to all these places? (i.e. what's the likelihood I get stranded? ...
http://www.hyperdia.com/en/

For Rail Pass travel, be sure to open "Search Details" and deselect "Nozomi ...".

very generally Tokyo people care less about taste they like atmosphere
kansai people are picky about their food and care less about atmosphere, but like taste and quality

A shockingly libelous statement!!! :eek: Tokyo people care very much about taste.

It's true though that Kansai people do seem more concerned with value for money, and less with atmosphere....

A shockingly libelous statement!!! :eek: Tokyo people care very much about taste.

It's true though that Kansai people do seem more concerned with value for money, and less with atmosphere....

I think that I told this one here before, but might be worth repeating.

A Tokyo guy bought a new watch and shows it to his friend. His friend naturally says, "Wow, nice watch! What brand is it?" An Osaka guy bought a new watch and shows it to his friend. His friend naturally says, "Wow, nice watch! How much did it cost?"

Tokyo - Sky Tree
Osaka - Nanba at night
Kyoto - Old stuff
Kobe - New stuff (fashion)
Nara - More old stuff, deer

Really, you need to do some basic research about those places and see what interests you.

Yes, a good guidebook will answer a lot of your questions, if not most of them. And I find it exceptionally easy, easier than in just about any country in the world, to get around on public and intercity transit in Japan.

One quick tip if you haven't booked your flights yet- you should consider flying inbound to NRT and flying outbound from KIX or ITM (both in the Kansai- Kyoto/Osaka/Kobe area). It obviously depends on your choice of airline and home city but if you can pull it off it could make your return much easier and give you more time to tour. If you can work that out then consider not getting a full railpass as you would likely save money buying the tickets a la carte.

This has never worked for me but if you can do it then more power to you!

Yes, a good guidebook will answer a lot of your questions, if not most of them. And I find it exceptionally easy, easier than in just about any country in the world, to get around on public and intercity transit in Japan.I see a lot about trains, especially, on Japan forums. Is more of Japan open to you if you take a car for a couple of days or a week?

I would not try renting a car for transport around the big cities, but IMHO it's a great option for exploring the more remote parts of Japan (Tohoku, Japan Sea, Hokkaido, Kyushu, etc).

The only slight issue is that you need an international driver's license.

I see a lot about trains, especially, on Japan forums. Is more of Japan open to you if you take a car for a couple of days or a week?
Let's see. High tolls, impossible-to-find parking, road signs in kanji. No, no problem.

Sarcasm aside, the rail system is so comprehensive, fast and efficient that it just doesn't make sense to saddle yourself with a car (aside from the aforementioned boondocks area.)

Let's see. High tolls, impossible-to-find parking, road signs in kanji. No, no problem.

Sarcasm aside, the rail system is so comprehensive, fast and efficient that it just doesn't make sense to saddle yourself with a car (aside from the aforementioned boondocks area.)

^^ I live in Japan and drive. But, don't even think about it as a tourist. You will marvel at the extensive train system here.

Why don't you folks read the OP's question?

You can definitely see more of Japan with car. It's the only way to get around unless you're content on the standard beaten path.

And BTW abm, Tokyo is by far and away the easiest big city in the world in which to park.

Why don't you folks read the OP's question?

You can definitely see more of Japan with car. It's the only way to get around unless you're content on the standard beaten path.

And BTW abm, Tokyo is by far and away the easiest big city in the world in which to park.

You can only travel on the standard beaten path by train? Then how did I do a circle tour of Shikoku on my latest visit, using a car only when I flagged down a taxi to take me back to my hotel from Ritsurin Koen in Takamatsu after walking 4km there and all around the park on a hot day? ?

By the way, I don't think ANY part of Japan is off the standard beaten path in any real sense. You can easily find places without other Western tourists (most of Shikoku fits that description), but I've never found a worthwhile stop that hadn't been discovered by Japanese tourists.

I think it's fair to say that given it's size Japan has THE best rail system in the world. Use that to your advantage and skip the car rental. Use Hyperdia or google maps w/ transit selected to search for routing. Google transit will even give you fares and makes seeing your route on a map more intuitive so you can verify you are going to where you want to go.

EDIT: Google transit even uses shinkansen in it's routing as well. But I'd trust Hyperdia's fares and times more than google. But google is good start.

... You can definitely see more of Japan with car. It's the only way to get around unless you're content on the standard beaten path...
Sorry but except for some real inaka areas like rural Hokkaido, this is BS.

Sorry but except for some real inaka areas like rural Hokkaido, this is BS.

Even in rural Hokkaido, it's possible to get pretty much anywhere you can reach by car without one ... provided you pedal hard.

That said, I do like driving around remote bits of Japan.

It seems to me that the OP is a first-time traveller to Japan, so a car should be out of the question with so many great places to see that are better accessed by train.

I live in the Osaka/Kobe area and have often travelled to parts of Kyushu, as well as occasionally other areas. When I first came to Japan, I thought that it would be interesting to sometimes take a drive off the beaten track. In the US, that would often lead to a scenic drive, an interesting town, a fun experience. In Japan, that most often has led to frustration, as there aren't that many scenic drives (though of course some exist), the roads are congested, and the towns are full of stoplights that only serve to snarl traffic. I've yet to have a pleasurable day driving. At best, I've had some moments of pleasure interrupted by frustration. The country is built for trains and the trains have been built for the country.

Even in rural Hokkaido, it's possible to get pretty much anywhere you can reach by car without one ... provided you pedal hard.

That said, I do like driving around remote bits of Japan.

Even in the rural areas, there's always a bus. I first lived in Japan in the 1970s (during which I was in a private car exactly twice, both times because friends picked me up from the train and took me to their homes), and I've visited countless times since then, and I've never even been tempted to rent a car.

I once went to visit a temple off in the middle of nowhere, and while on the train, happened to strike up a conversation with some people who were heading for the same destination. We discussed the possibility of sharing a cab once we arrived at the little one-room station, and indeed, there were two cabs waiting, but then a bus rolled up with the temple listed as its final destination, so we took that instead.

While on the bus, we learned that it ran every hour and was coordinated with the train.

That kind of arrangement is very common. You can get pretty close to every major site (even the ones Westerners don't often go to) by train, with a bus or tram to carry you the rest of the way, and you'll find rarely have trouble finding a taxi in any city.

In major cities, such as Tokyo, the taxis appear to travel in flocks and layover in selected locations (one of which is eastern edge of Aoyama Cemetery south of Nogizaka Station). The drivers don't speak much English, and the fares are rather high, but if you can have someone write down your destination in Japanese (or, for example, print out the map from the Japanese web page of your hotel), you'll have no trouble.

I probably have a ton of questions coming up, but I have the most basic of one right now:

I am planning on staying 4-5 days in Tokyo, then taking a train to Osaka and using that as "home base" for 3-4 days as I visit Kobe/Kyoto/possibly Nara for one day each as day trips by taking the train from/to Osaka. Then training it back to Narita for a flight to Hong Kong.

Does this sound like a good plan? Or it a bad plan because Osaka is not a good place to do this from or is it too ambitious to visit so many places?

Thanks for any insight!

Very much depends on whether you would like to see the metropolitan side or the tradition side of Japan.

An open jaw ticket entering at NRT and departing at KIX would be best fit if applicable.

I would suggest reducing a day or two in Tokyo shift it to Osaka/Kyoto region, unless you plan to spare a day for Mt. Fuji.

While Osaka and Kyoto is just 30 minutes station to station, another 30 minutes or more is required for commuting between stations and hotel or sites, as well as waiting for the train. Therefore I would suggest staying right around Kyoto JR station or Osaka Umeda station if you prefer not to change hotel.

While Nara would give you real old things and cute deers (which bow to you if you bow to them), you should be able to finish them in one day, and therefore Kyoto should be the main highlight of your trip in my opinion. Go to Arashiyama by JR train and get off at Saga-arashiyama station, tour around the region, shopping streets, shrines and especially the bamboo bushes, then head south for Arashiyama station of Hankyu Arashiyama line which would bring you back to downtown Kyoto. Apart from that, get a one-day bus pass and head to major sites like Kiyomizu temple, Golden temple, tetsugaku-no-michi, etc.

Consider Uji region if you still have some time for Kyoto, where there is a temple embossed on 10 Japanese Yen coin, and also a well-known origin for matcha green tea.

Otherwise explore Osaka which in my opinion 2 regions that should not be missed, one around JR Osaka station called "Umeda", another one few metro stations south called "Namba", from Namba you may walk the covered shopping street called "Ebisu-suji" and "Shimsaibashi-suji", and a east-west populated street known as "Dotonbori", or if in the morning, head east from Nanba for the "Kuromon" market for fresh sashimi raw fish and fruit.