mojo2121

Hello all,

My wife and I just secured air travel for a big trip to Asia and one of the countries we will be spending four days in is Japan.

We plan on visiting Tokyo for sure (flying into NRT) and would like to either do a day trip or spend a night (or two??) in Kyoto to take in the sites and culture. As part of that effort, we are looking for some advice on the following:

Can Kyoto reasonably be done in a day trip from Tokyo, or is it smarter to travel there for one night and get an entire day in? Should we commit two of the four days there?

What is an optimum area to stay in in Tokyo? We have been considering booking a stay at the Park Hyatt since it is so well reviewed, but there is also a decent FHR deal going on for the Conrad at the moment (third night free with 125$ hotel credit). The major things we want to see/do in Tokyo is take in some of the night life (Karaoke baby!), experience the "high techiness" feel of the city and of course eat LOTS of sushi

From my brief searching it appears that the Conrad might be a more ideal location for the things we are looking to accomplish while there (given its proximity to the fish market) but we would love others opinions on the subject.

Arigatō

abmj-jr

There is a raging debate on this subject in this forum. Have you looked around a bit before posting? Your questions may have already been answered.

For my 2 yen, the answer is you absolutely should give yourself at least a night plus full day in Kyoto. If it were me, I'd do two nights in each city, with the run down to Kyoto late in the second day so you would get a full day plus a partial day in each.

If it helps, you can easily go direct from Kyoto to NRT (via Shinagawa Station in Tokyo) on your day of departure unless your flight is before about noon. Or, you could fly from ITM to NRT to connect to your international flight. I'd do the train but then I really like Japanese trains.

Can't help with your other questions as I never use high-end hotels or do karaoke.

evergrn

Are you doing 4 nights / 3 full days?
If so, then I'd probably do either what abmj-jr suggests or stay all 4 nights in Tokyo at one hotel and then spend one of those days to do a day-trip to Kyoto (leaving Tokyo by 8a and arriving back by 10p should give you 9+ hr in Kyoto).

If you're doing 5 nights / 4 full days, I'd probably do:
Day1: land NRT, stay Tokyo
Day2: see Tokyo, stay Tokyo
Day3: see Tokyo, stay Tokyo
Day4: morning Tokyo, Tokyo>Kyoto, stay Kyoto
Day5: see Kyoto, stay Kyoto
Day6: Kyoto>NRT

a9504477

It depends on what your preferences are in terms of sightseeing, but i would rate Kyoto way above Tokyo and would hence advise staying there longer.

mojo2121

I will be there four nights, with three full days and two travel days (arriving around 5:30PM the first night and leaving around 4PM the last day).

Was thinking of maybe going straight from NRT out to Kyoto on the night of arrival - spending all of the next day there and heading back to Tokyo that evening if that makes sense?

Is there enough to do with what I listed above to warrant two full days and one half day in Tokyo? Feels like it to me but you all are the experts!

jib71

Works for me.
Since the last trains from Kyoto leave at 9pm, I would recommend spending the second night in Kyoto. *(The following morning, you could catch a train to Tokyo as early as 6am if you want to maximize your time there). That allows you to enjoy an un-rushed evening in Kyoto. You should take the opportunity to try kyo-ryori (Kyoto cuisine) and wander around the entertainment districts in the evening.

ksandness

You seem to have a very stereotyped view of Tokyo (sushi, karaoke, high tech). I'd suggest doing a little advanced research (a guidebook?) to find out what the city really has to offer.

(By the way, karaoke in Tokyo isn't that much fun unless you're doing it in a group. The most common form is the "karaoke box," where you rent a room with a seating capacity of perhaps 10, get a bit drunk, and try to impress your friends. The type most common in the U.S., where you regale the crowd in a large restaurant or bar, just isn't that common.)

Kyoto is a valuable destination for those who are interested in old, traditional Japan. If you're not that interested, I'd suggest staying in Tokyo and taking a day trip to Kamakura (1 hour by train) for your easy dose of historical Japan: the Great Buddha and other temples and shrines all within easy walking distance of one another.

jamar

If he's shown an interest in things like karaoke and experiencing what he refers to as "high techiness" I'm not sure he would. For example, I've only been to Kyoto once for three days and would be quite happy never going there again but am attracted to the Tokyo/Chiba area again and again.

mojo2121

I would like to get a little flavor of both by seeing more traditional and modern Japan.

What I mean by "high techiness" is checking out things like the Emerging Science museum, Toyota Web, etc. Sorry for the bad wording initially.

I know sushi and karaoke are kind of stereotypical things to do - but we love doing both in the states

dcman2

We loved our time in Kyoto - more so than our time in Tokyo in a lot of ways - we spent 3 days in Kyoto and still didn't get everything done we wanted.

dcman2

evergrn

Tokyo vs Kyoto... I dunno, maybe it's like Madrid vs Barcelona. Barcelona is more outwardly beautiful and aesthetically pleasant and easy to fall in love with at first sight. But Madrid really grows on you after a while, and it's now my go-to place for vacation in Spain.

I can't really make a similar statement in comparing Tokyo vs Kyoto, because my perspective is that of someone who lived in Japan and goes there all the time. But personally, Kyoto is a place that instantly impresses you as being quaint with a distinct atmosphere, and yet I don't really ever feel like I need to spend more than a couple days there again. Tokyo just offers an endless array of a lot more things to see, do and eat. But again my perspective is probably a lot different than a tourist visiting Japan.

jib71

Just shows that YMMV. I felt rather let down the first time I went to Kyoto but after several visits, I've come to think I'd like to live there for a while.

abmj-jr

+1.

Binagirl

I returned from my first trip to Japan a couple of weeks ago. I had more time than you have in both Tokyo (6 nights) and Kyoto (7 nights) but you can reasonably hit the highlights in a couple days per city. 2 days in each seems better than trying to do a day trip to Kyoto. I stayed at the Shibuya Granbell in Tokyo which was a good value and close to the train station, good restaurants, everything. In Kyoto, I rented a small apartment through vrbo.

I recommend eating sushi in the food court at the Kyoto train station - first one on the left as you enter that section. Great sushi & not expensive. I was with a local who agreed it was some of the best in town.

Terramachi Dori in Kyoto was fun for shopping if you want to do some of that too.

lobsterdog

If you want to see a bit of traditional Japan, you might consider visiting Kamakura as an alternative to Kyoto - it's a lot easier (and cheaper) to get to, and it can be easily done as a day trip.

Also, as has been mentioned above, karaoke here isn't really "nightlife" in the way you're imagining - it's something you do with your friends or colleagues in a private karaoke room.