rgrunnah

Hello FT'ers -

I'm headed to Tokyo tomorrow and will be staying at Park Hyatt 11/14 - 11/17. I've then got a free night with no hotel and then in Kyoto at the Westin Kyoto 11/18 - 11/20. Then headed to Takayama to Wanosato Ryokan 11/20 - 11/22.

Need recommendations for where to visit enroute from Tokyo to Kyoto on 11/17, and then where to finish the trip from Takayama to Tokyo 11/22 - 11/24. Got two nights to kill before NRT flight 11/24 at 5pm. I'm thinking Hakone for sure, but that should only take up one night I'm told.

Any recommendations are appreciated!

RichardInSF

I guess you're a Hyatt person. Consider two nights at HR Hakone in Gora. Two nights is fine, you arrive a bit late on the first day, use the second day to do the tourist route, and then leave the third morning.

rgrunnah

I am actually not a Hyatt person .. do you have a better recommendation for Hakone?

emma69

I stayed in a ryokan in Hakone, and really enjoyed the experience. As you already have a ryokan stay booked, you might want to opt for a cheaper option if budget is a concern or try another one with a good hot spring. There is enough to do for two nights, IMO, although I did it in one.

evergrn

You could do Hakone for one night on 11/17, then back in Tokyo for 2 nights on 11/22 & 11/23. You could never spend too much time in Tokyo. Hakone will likely be expensive on 11/22 (Saturday).

In Hakone, I recommend a relaxing place with nice hot springs. You could look at places like Gora Hanaougi and Hakone Ginyu, both very nice but also fairly pricey (but not bad considering all that you get as part of the accommodation). Hotel Okuyumoto is a much cheaper option. The most reasonably priced place that I can think of with a very nice en-suite private onsen is Hotel Green Plaza's Asian Suite Rooms.

Actually, another idea is to go stay the night of 11/22 at one of the onsen places up in Gifu Alps, since you're already in Takayama. There're buses that go from Takayama up to some of my favorite onsens high up in the mountain, like Hirayu and Hotaka. The next day you can pass over the mountain to the other side, Matsumoto, where you can check out the castle (one of 3 in Jpn that's still the original building). Then head back to Tokyo for the night. But there is some (but low) risk of running into winter weather issues on the Takayama-Matsumoto route.

rgrunnah

Thank You evergrn!

We've decided on Monday to leave our hotel in Tokyo and stop in Hakone on the way to our hotel on Kyoto (checking in Monday night). How would you best recommend maximizing our time in Hakone, and how would you recommend getting there from Shinjuku and then to Kyoto that night?

Also, I agree with your idea about seeing Matsuomoto from Takayama. We're checking out of our ryokan in Takayama on Saturday morning. How best to get to Matsumoto and then to Tokyo to check in to our AirBNB rental on Saturday night? .. Any advice you can offer is appreciated! :-)

emma69

Are you using the JR Pass? If so the bullet train to Kyoto will leave from Odawara Station (to get there you take a train from Hakone, or there is a bus, but I don't know the details of that) It takes 2.5-3 hours to get to Kyoto from there. Provided you know what times the train leave, so you don't miss the last one, I would play it by ear and reserve a seat once you get back to Odawara.

I don't know the best way to get to Hakone from Shinjuku - I left from Tokyo station and took the bullet train to Odawara and then the train that is covered by the Hakone free pass from there, which was quick and easy. It is easy to get from Shinjuku to Tokyo station, but others may have different suggestions.

My big suggestion here is don't try and take suitcases with you! You can use the luggage delivery services, which is what I did, sending my suitcase from Tokyo to Kyoto (cost around $13, left Saturday morning, arrive Sunday afternoon, so you will need a small overnight bag). If you have a small suitcase, you could also look at renting a locker in Odawara station, but my suitcase was too big and wouldn't have fitted into the lockers I could see (and my suitcase is by no means oversize). The train, cable car, ropeway and boat are not geared up for large bags at all and it would definitely hamper you exploring the area.

My little tip is to get seats on the 'Fuji' side of the bullet train (on both segments if you do both) to catch a glimpse if it is clear. It is the only place I got a good view (the view from Hakone was very cloudy, could only really see the base, and the very occasional sighting of the top through the clouds).

evergrn

If you're not going to stop for an overnight stay in Hakone, then it may be better off doing Hakone as a day trip from Shinjuku (via Odakyu Romance Car, unless you have Jpn Railpass in which case you could go via bullet train to Odawara) while staying in Shinjuku. Otherwise, skip Hakone altogether especially since it sounds like you might get a chance to do onsen later on in the trip. Hakone's doable as a mini side trip en route from Tokyo to Kyoto, but then it presents the luggage issue as emma69 had noted and besides it'll make for a hectic day. For a trip to Hakone on a limited time, I generally recommend heading up as far up as Owakudani via train/cablecar/ropeway with a stop at Open Air Museum either on the way there or way back. That tour will require at least 6hr total from Hakone Yumoto, ideally a bit longer.

You now need to get back to Tokyo by Sat 11/22 night? I thought you were looking to spend the nights of 11/22 & 11/23 elsewhere.

ksandness

Takayama to Matsumoto is a very scenic bus trip full of hairpin curves, with a rest stop above timberline, which is why snow might be an issue in November.

Your other alternative is to backtrack to Nagoya and then pick up the JR Chuo Line, which goes behind Mount Fuji to Matsumoto and then continues on to Shinjuku.