Japan - Japan Itinerary Suggestions/Ideas

Since all of you FlyerTalk Japan experts are doing such a good job of answering my questions on Tokyo hotels I posted earlier, here is another one. I think I have my itinerary set for our 11 day trip to Japan but there are a few gaps/questions which I would appreciate some suggestions on:

Day 1: Arrive in Narita at 2:30 pm (coming from Hong Kong where we are starting our trip)
Days 2-4: Tokyo, with one of those days a side-trip to Kamakura or Nikko
Day 5: check out of Tokyo early and head to Takayama, evening and night in Takayama
Day 6: Takayama and maybe a nearby town in the Alps, some hiking
Day 7: check out of Takayama early and head to Hiroshima/Miyajima, get in some of the sites if time
Day 8: part of day in Hiroshima/Miyajima then head to Kyoto by late afternoon
Day 9-11: Kyoto, with trip to Nara - late afternnon on Day 11 travel to Narita hotel for flight out the next morning.

Questions: 1. We wanted to go to Hakone to get a better view of Mt. Fuji and take the cable car/gondola/boat ride - all the tour books talk about it. If we do, we would have to do it as a side-trip from Tokyo and eat up a good portion of one of our Tokyo days. Alternatively, we might be able to do it on the way to Takayama but that also would make for a very long day. We can't knock out one night in Takayama either as we need to be there on a specific night. Finally, given our itinerary, it probably is not worth it to bactrack there. I have heard varying things about Hakone. If we are not into the spa thing for a night, is it worth going to? Will we be able to get a reasonably good view of Mt. Fuji from Tokyo or the train from Tokyo to Takayama. I don't think we'll miss it if we don't.

2. Is it worth trying to stop in Kanazawa on the way to Hiroshima? Probably would make for another VERY long day.

3. Is it worth going from Takayama to Kyoto and then just doing a day trip to Hiroshima/Miyajima (as many tour groups do). We didn't want to be too rushed, however, and were thinking of staying in a ryokan in Miyajima as our one night to experience something other than a Western hotel.

Other suggestions/opinions? By the way, we will be using the Rail Pass and not driving (green vs. ordinary pass? - I've read the threads on this). I think we have our other accomodations covered although we are still finalizing some of them.

It seems very hard to answer your questions. :rolleyes: During your stay in Japan, it would be quite hard to go to Hakone and Kanazawa on this time. Of course, I never say it is impossible. My advice is that you would stay at hotels in Tokyo where you can see Mt.Fuji from your room. I know some hotels like Park Hyatt Tokyo (Shinjuku), Cerulean Tower Tokyu (Shibuya) and Royal Park Yokohama.

I can only comment on Hakone, and I admit I have a bias here as it is where I fell in love with my Fiancé. As you’re already aware, the highlight for many people in this area is to take full advantage of the Hakone Free Pass (about 4,000 JPY for 2 days) and embark on a full tour of the area using the buses, funicular railway, cable cars and (kitsch) boats. I think you can complete the tour in about 4 hours if you want to ‘do’ Hakone. But even from here, there is every chance you won’t see Fuji Sama.

I loved the cable car rides and all the conversations I had on them (as well as waving at never ending streams of passing schoolchildren). I also loved staying and bathing in a traditionally built ex Ryokan (now a more affordable Kokumin Shukusha) and sitting on the balcony in the evening listening to the funicular railway’s musical jingles echoing spectacularly through Gora. And visiting Shinto shrines in the forest glades on the lakesides with the cicadas whooping above us. But these are the kind of pleasures that are best explored with a couple of days. I think if I’d only had half a day to explore Hakone, I would have come away pretty disappointed.

Always get the Green-sha rail pass!

Takayama to Hiroshima in one day? That's quite a hike as is, I don't see how you can squeeze in Kanazawa as well. Are you planning to travel by train or fly? Also, Takayama the town is boring, I'd get out of these fast after a quick visit to the excellent Hida-no-Sato open-air museum. The Oku-Hida Onsen Villages are wonderful but it's another couple of hours by twisty mountain road to get there from Takayama...

I'd strongly suggest spending a night in Miyajima, it's one of the prettiest towns in Japan and much quieter & more scenic in the evening after the tour group hordes disappear. Pretty much all the worthwhile accommodation options are ryokan (and fairly pricy), I stayed at Kokuminshukusha Mori-no-Yado (Y11k w/ 2 meals) which was only so-so, and would probably go for Ryokan Iwaso if you can swing it.

Some pictures to whet your appetite:
http://jpatokal.iki.fi/photo/travel/Japan/Chugoku/Miyajima/
http://jpatokal.iki.fi/photo/travel/Japan/Tokai/HidaTakayama/

Nice photos jpatokal! ^ ^ ^
Now you've got me stuck - do I go for the post towns in the Kiso valley or Hida near Takayama? Urrrggghhh!!! :)

Please refer the article in Hemispheres, United Airlines Inflight Magazine, "Three perfect days in Kansai".

http://www.hemispheresmagazine.com/home.htm

Wasn't the main temple in Miyajima partially destroyed during typhoon #19 ?! That's what I remember about the video footage on NHK. Please get info as you might not be able to see portions of the temple/shrine. :(

The Hakone free pass (which isn't free) costs more on weekends than on weekdays. It's good for at least two days. If you buy it in Tokyo, it includes one round trip and is taken when you return, even if it would otherwise be valid for another day or two. There is a supplement for the wonderfully named "Romance Car" trains which are faster and nicer. I recall the price as being a bit more than the earlier poster noted, like Y4500-5500 each.

Since JR goes nowhere near Hakone, this is a good thing to do before or after your JR pass validity. Hotel rooms are apparently almost always available at Hakone Yumoto, but that town has no views of anything. Still, it might be a decent HQ town if you decide to overnight on short notice.

Edited to add: We quite enjoyed our Kiso "valley" hike and overnight stay but did the hike in the wrong direction and the uphill part was much longer and required much more vertical gain! I'd have to do some study to figure out the easier direction, let me know if this is in your plans.

Personally, I would use the green car for the railpass.

Regarding the itinerary, it is a little difficult to comment without knowing your particularly interests. I would get a day or two out of Tokyo and spend more time in some of other locations (e.g. Ryokan in Nara one night). I think Kanazawa is great and Hakone is worth visiting. However, I wouldn't try it within your current schedule. IMHO, one gets much more enjoyment out of most places in Japan by spending a night or two there and being able to take in the atmosphere and enjoy a meal at a more leisurely pace. I don't think it is really worth it to rush and just see a few key sites. In conclusion, I'd say any and all of your ideas are great but make final decisions with view towards keeping the pace a little less rushed.

Edited to add: We quite enjoyed our Kiso "valley" hike and overnight stay but did the hike in the wrong direction and the uphill part was much longer and required much more vertical gain! I'd have to do some study to figure out the easier direction, let me know if this is in your plans.

If you start at Tsumago and walk down to Magome you'll be going downhill. Where did you stay RichardInSF when you went there?

Is it worth trying to stop in Kanazawa on the way to Hiroshima? Probably would make for another VERY long day.


Here are some journey times to consider
Tokyo - Kanazawa = 4 hours+
Kanazawa - Hiroshima (Non Nozomi route) 4.5 hours
Now compare this to
Tokyo - Hiroshima = roughly 5 hours (again, non Nozomi route)

Try playing around with this site: http://grace.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperd01.cgi to get train details (and remember that the Nozumi Shinkansen trains don't form part of the regular JR pass deal, they'll cost extra)