technotica

Hi FT, I don't post often but I certainly read enough from here! My husband and I are talking a long planned first trip to Japan using the lovely miles and points we've been saving up for the past year. It is truly a trip we would not be able to afford with out them, so we want to make this a trip to remember! My planned itinerary below is what I have planned so far, but I need your help with a 'sanity check' to see if it is realistic.

A little about us, we are both engineers so our interests are in technology, animation, and Japanese food and culture. I am most interested in visiting Asakusa and Senso-ji during Sanja Matsuri festival, not sure how reasonable that is for a first-time visitor! We are also interested in seeing Akihabara and electronic stores in that area.

Wed, May 13
DSM - SFO

Thurs, May 14
SFO - HND JL 0001 Business

Fri, May 15
Arrive HND - 4:45am
Pick up Suica, Limo bus tickets, ATM
Limo Bus to Park Hyatt Tokyo - 5:45am
PHT check in and leave luggage - 6:40am
Bike Tokyo Tour from Hyatt Regency Tokyo - 9:00am
Meiji Shrine - Jingu Gaien - Aoyama Cemetery
Roppongi Hills - Zojyo-ji Temple - Tokyo Tower
Siodome SIO-SITE - Imperial Palace
Bike tour ends at Shinjuku at 3:00pm

Sat, May 16
Turn in JR Pass voucher, set to activate 5/18
Akihabara
Akihabara Intro Tour - 1pm - 3pm
Final Fantasy Eorzea Cafe for dinner

Sun, May 17
Shinjuku
Harujuku
Shibuya
Tokyo Food tour - from Ebisu Station 5pm - 8pm

Mon, May 18
Asakusa
Senso-ji
Gotokuji Temple - The Beckoning Cat temple
Edo-Tokyo Museum
Do Laundry - Wash & Fold
Send baggage via Takkyubin to Kyoto

Tues, May 19
Depart Park Hyatt Tokyo (not sure on time)
Shinkansen to Kyoto
Lunch or Dinner at Kyoto Station
Taxi to Hyatt Regency Kyoto

Wed, May 20
Private tour guide - 9:30am
Nijo Castle
Kinkaku-Ji
Ryoan-ji
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
Otagi Nenbutsu-ji
Tour ends at 3:30pm

Thurs, May 21
Explore on our own
Shimogamo Shrine
Sanjusangendo
Higashiyama
Kiyomizudera Temple
Tofukuji Temple
Fushimi Inari Shrine

Fri, May 22
Day Trip to Himeji
Night - Gion and Yasaka Shrine

Sat, May 23
Day Trip to Nara - depart by 8:00am
Nara Maichi Walking Tour - 9:55am, ends 1:00pm
Nara Park
Shopping

Sun, May 24
Depart Hyatt Regency Kyoto - 1:00pm
Haruka to Kansai Airport (KIX)
KIX - LAX JL 0060 Business 5:30 PM
LAX - DSM

So here's my questions:
Is it worth it to get the 7 day JR pass? My math says it is a wash vs paying as we go. But, I'm thinking the convenience of flashing a pass versus ticket machines might make it worthwhile. I'm debating if Himeji is worth it versus spending a 3rd day in Kyoto. Is there enough to do in Himeji, I've heard the castle is empty on the inside.

How easy will it be for us to do laundry near the Park Hyatt in Tokyo? I see there is a Wash & Fold nearby - is this the best option? I don't want to spend extra time washing clothes when I could be eating or shopping! We are planning on sending our luggage from the Park Hyatt to the Hyatt Regency Kyoto on Monday night via takkyubin. The Park Hyatt will take of this for us yes? Then we'll each bring a small overnight bag with us on the shinkansen. When should we expect our luggage to arrive in Kyoto? Tuesday?

We have almost zero Japanese language skills. Are there any small phrasebooks or apps that would be helpful to us? How about apps I should be looking at? I'm going to have Hyperdia, Google Maps, and Google Translate. We will have a pocket wifi device (Global Advanced Communications) with us the entire time, it is being shipped directly to the Park Hyatt Tokyo.

When should we leave on Tuesday for Kyoto? Should we leave Tokyo earlier to spend more time in Kyoto?

fwoomp

I think the day trip to Himeji is worth it--the castle is the main draw, and it's pretty interesting. Do the tour with an English speaking guide--ours was great and we learned a lot we would never have gotten just wandering around by ourselves. It's been a few years, but I believe the tours were free. Even if there was a charge, it would have been worthwhile.

bmwe92fan

Love your itinerary - my only concern is day 1. Trust me - you are going to be VERY tired unless you are really used to long haul travel. That first day will be brutal and trust me akihabara is a blast so you want to be fresh - especially if you are on a bike lol!! Perhaps you can pay to get in early and have a rest before heading out - and welcome to what I think is the best city in the world! Of course I am biased - I live here on and off all year long!

The only other things I would consider adding - the Mori art musuem (go at night the views of Tokyo are AMAZING), The Tokyo Skytree on a nice day, a Sumida gawa (river) boat tour of Tokyo, shopping / people watching in Ginza, Omotesando, Harajuku, and a walking tour of the Imperial Palace grounds... If you like to hike - climbing Mt. Takao in the afternoon and watching the sun set and then hiking down in the evening is a great experience.... Also - don't forget a day trip to Yokohama - if you like to see what traditional Japanese living was like a trip to the Sankeien Gardens is worth the time....

Have a blast!

abmj-jr

I'll come back to address more of your questions another time if they are not done before then. Only have time for a couple of things now.

The restoration of Himeji Castle is now finished so it is definitely worth the visit. Your other information is a little outdated.

You are correct that the 7-day Rail Pass won't save you anything if you will only be using it to go Tokyo-Kyoto, Kyoto-Himeji-Kyoto, Kyoto-Nara-Kyoto and Kyoto-KIX. It will come close to breaking even. Many here will say to just buy tickets as you go to gain access to the more numerous Nozomi bullet trains (shinkansen.) I like the convenience of not having to buy tickets for local trains and find the Hikari and Sakura shinkansens to be quite adequate. YMMV.

You indicated above that you will "pick up" the Rail Pass upon arrival on the 15th but you will "turn in the Rail Pass" on the 16th, activating it to start on the 18th. Please understand that you cannot "pick up" the 7-day Rail Pass at Haneda after you arrive. You must purchase it outside of Japan, before you arrive. There probably isn't a local agent near DSM who sells the Rail Pass but there are many on-line who will sell it to you and send it via Fedex or other service. You can then exchange it immediately upon arriving or any time up to your start date and specify the start date as the 18th. There is a link to a list of dealers at the bottom of the page at: http://www.japanrailpass.net/en/

shuigao

Not worth it at all. JR pass in your case would only pay for itself if you took the shinkansen Tokyo to Kyoto and then back again. Since you're only doing a one way, just pay for a separate one way ticket and use pasmo/suica for all your other metro/rail transport.

technotica

Thanks for the Himeji feedback - it is now secured a 'must do' on our itinerary!

Instead of the JR Pass for 7 days, how about a one day Kansai Area Pass to get us to KIX via Haruka? Again my math tells me this will save us around $20 versus buying tickets. I'm looking to balance costs vs convenience. I'm willing to spend a little more to save time and confusion.

Sorry this was mistake on my part, I've amended my first post. I understand they will send me a voucher to my US address that I will need to redeem along with my passport to get my real pass.

We both tend to sleep well on flights, plus we'll be in business class (first time!) so while I don't think we'll be 100% fresh, we shouldn't be comatose either. I generally try to fight off jet lag by getting outside and walking. The bike tour promises not to be too strenuous and it is just us two on the tour. If we get too tired, we'll come back early.

I figured we'd get back to the PHT around 3pm Friday and sleep in/relax on Saturday until our tour in Akihabara starts at 1pm.

Aventine

Good choice in Hyatt Regency Kyoto. I just adore the property and the GM!

You should book through Virtuoso for them because there's a ton of additional benefits like free admission to the temple next door, discounts on Riraku spa and Japanese acupuncture treatments, upgraded room as well. Can be combined with Diamond benefits for double dipping as well.

The JR Pass always pays for itself once you take a Shinkansen train from Tokyo to Kyoto. With the yen exchange rate, it's even more of a steal than usual. It's easier flashing a pass for local trains than buying a ticket and you can train hop as you see fit. Can also book all your trains at once when you exchange at Shinjuku or Haneda.

technotica

Right now I'm leaning towards the 7 day pass and redeeming the voucher at Shinjuku. I'm all for front-loading the less glamorous parts of a trip so I can focus on the fun stuff. So we're not fumbling around trying to get enough cash, learning a ticket machine or counter agent, etc.

Great to hear about the Hyatt Regency Kyoto. We aren't paying anything out of pocket for airfare or hotels for this trip - its all points! We both have platinum. Any thing else I should know about the property? I know they offer a one-time taxi ride from Kyoto station that we'll use on our first day.

I've already contacted their concierge via email for a tour guide. They were great! I tried to do this on my own with zero luck (and a lot of time wasted) so they really came through for me.

Aventine

Their property is a sight by itself. Just gorgeous interiors and common areas. Touzan is an excellent Japanese restaurant in the hotel. The sets are great value. Also, an excellent French toast at HR Kyoto.

abmj-jr

Although the rest of your advice is good, this statement is just factually incorrect. The cost of the shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto is a little over 13k yen. The 7-day Rail Pass costs over 29k. You are confusing the usual advice that the Rail Pass makes economic sense if rail travel includes a round trip on the shinkansen Tokyo-Kyoto-Tokyo. Even that ls a little short but local travel or an airport connection will usually put it over the top.

In this case, the OP will be using shinkansen for Tokyo-Kyoto and round trip Kyoto-Himeji-Kyoto, which comes close but still does not pencil out unless additional rail travel for local trips and the Haruka out to KIX is factored in. Tokyo-Kyoto= 13.3k, Kyoto-Himeji-Kyoto= 10.6+k (on shinkansen, 4.5k on local.) Add in 3.4k for the Haruka and you still don't reach 29k but a few local trips like to/from Nara, Osaka or somewhere else local and it comes close.

A round trip Kyoto-Hiroshima-Kyoto with a stop in Himeji would certainly make the 7-day Rail Pass cost effective but the OP did not suggest that.

abmj-jr

If you elect to go this route, I'd suggest paying out-of-pocket for the shinkansen from Tokyo-Kyoto and a 2- or even 3-day Kansai Area Pass so you could use it for the trip to/from Himeji on local (non-shinkansen) trains and perhaps the trip to/from Nara as well as the "Haruka" out to KIX. Paying for the trip to Kyoto rather than using a Rail Pass allows you to use the slightly quicker and much more frequent Nozomi shinkansen, which is not open to Rail Pass users. You can pay with cash or credit card.

A better choice, if you want to use the shinkansen (bullet train) in the above scenario for the trip to Himeji, would be to purchase the Kansai Area Wide Pass, which is good for 5 days and costs 9k yen. Since the shinkansen to/from Himeji is over 10k, you get full benefit and the trips to Nara and KIX are essentially free.

Although I am kind of known for rattling around the back country on little local trains, my personal preference for main line travel such as Kyoto-Himeji is always to spend a couple of bucks more and ride in comfort on the shinkansen. Based on your comment above, I suspect you might be the same. If it were me, I'd go with either a 7-day Rail Pass or pay for Nozomi to Kyoto and get the 5-day Kansai Area Wide Pass for the rest. I hate buying tickets for local rail travel. YMMV.

https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/t...s/kansai_wide/

The HR Kyoto is very nice. It was the old Parkside Hotel before an extensive remodel. One of the better choices in Kyoto. The location is great, with the National Museum across one street, a couple of temples across the other and Sanjusangendo Hall right next door. If you are walkers, several other Higashi locations are walkable, including Kiyomizu-dera, Sannenzaka Slope and Nazenji. You could even walk to Gion and Yasaka-jinja but that would be a longer trip with more effort. I'd rather ride the 201 bus.

My standard advice for these trips is to schedule the trip from Tokyo to Kyoto for near midday and plan on eating lunch on the train. Pick up a good looking eki-bento box and bottle of some beverage at a kiosk at Tokyo or Shinagawa Station (wherever you leave from) to take on board with you. Once the trip starts, you will notice nearly everyone pulling out their lunch and eating during the trip. It is the thing to do on the shinkansen.

Unless something has changed since my last visit to Himeji, there is a nice tonkatsu lunch spot about half-way between Himeji Station and the castle, on the right as you face the castle. The walk is nice, with statues and monuments along the way and a katsudon or tonkatsu set makes a nice reward after the exertion of touring the castle, so I always leave time to stop on the way back to the station. If you have extra time to spend in Himeji, there is a shopping street (arcade) one block north of the main route to/from the castle - left as you face back to the station, away from the castle.

emma69

I sent my luggage from Tokyo to Kyoto (and back again) and the bags arrived the next day (i.e. Shipped the bag Saturday morning, Bag arrived Sunday afternoon around 4/5pm). The hotels know exactly what the deal is, and completed all the paperwork for me. I found out as I was sending it back that there was an online tracking service so I could see when my bag arrived, which was handy. Not sure if they all offer this or not.

I found it very handy to learn some Japanese phrases in advance, I used a guidebook I had, plus a few different websites - there is lots of information out there, it depends a bit on how you learn the best (I am a reader, others prefer to listen to how something is said).

Hyperdia (used with the pocket wifi) is fantastic, saved my bacon a couple of times when trains stopped at stations where I could not see the sign (in one instance I was in the last carriage and the sign was at the middle of the platform, but everything is so efficient, that if hyperdia says the train stops at X at 3:16, and it is 3:16, that is where you are! Just remember to keep it charged (I ordered the spare battery for it, which proved useful).

basscadet75

To be honest, in Tokyo and Kyoto I don't think you really *need* to know any Japanese whatsoever. Nothing you might learn in a couple of weeks is going to be all that useful anyway. In touristy areas, all the signs are going to be in both Japanese and English. In non-touristy areas, everything's going to be in kanji, which you're not going to learn in 2 weeks. As far as speaking, really basic phrases like "hello" or "thank you" every Japanese person knows in English. You could learn how to ask for directions from a phrase book, but understanding the responses will be very difficult. I think it's going to be easier to just use very simple English combined with Google Translate, and rely on Google Maps for your directions. Google Maps also works with transit in Japan, so you probably won't need hyperdia much.

I think you have a pretty good plan. A pocket wifi combined with Google Maps is such a godsend these days. I've been going to Tokyo every year since 2000, and back then you'd have been completely in the dark. My wife's actually from Tokyo but it's a city where the addresses make no sense even to people who live there, so we'd *always* have to ask for directions and I don't think I could have gone anywhere interesting without her. (Tourist spots were pretty easy because the signs have long been in English.) Nowadays it's easily possible to go pretty much anywhere in Tokyo even as a first-time tourist with no Japanese ability. The only thing is that you do often need to copy a place name or address from a web site or something to put in Google Maps, since Maps doesn't translate from English to Japanese and Google Translate rarely gets place names exactly right.

ksandness

If there is anything you are worried about finding, go to its website and print out the Japanese-language map. This is especially useful for taking cabs--I found it very useful in Korea, where I speak no more than a few words of the language.

Alternatively, there are bilingual maps and bilingual atlases of both Kyoto and Tokyo. After 35 years of going to Japan, I still get lost (as Japanese people do in unfamiliar neighborhoods, given the way addresses are determined), so if I show people my destination in the bilingual atlas, they can point me in the right direction.

freecia

I'd shift the following if you want to catch the Sanja Matsuri (I'll be doing the same-ish on the 16th to catch Sanja Matsuri)

Sat, May 16
Turn in JR Pass voucher, set to activate 5/18
Akihabara
Akihabara Intro Tour - 1pm - 3pm
Final Fantasy Eorzea Cafe for dinner

to

Sat, May 16
Turn in JR Pass voucher, set to activate 5/18
Asakusa for Sanja Matsuri - neighborhood shrine mikoshi parade
Sanja Matsuri schedule:
http://www.asakusajinja.jp/sanjamatsuri/nittei.html
mikoshi schedule:
http://www.asakusajinja.jp/sanjamatsuri/junro.html
Akihabara Intro Tour - 1pm - 3pm
Akihabara - smaller shops which close earlier
Final Fantasy Eorzea Cafe for dinner
Yodobashi Camera - closes at 10 pm. Softmap closes at 9 pm.

Design Festa is also on at the Tokyo Big Sight in Odaiba on Sat 16 and Sun 17. It isn't too far from the giant Gundam statue.
http://designfesta.com/en/

Depending how off the beaten track you get, a small cheat sheet of numbers might be handy http://www.omniglot.com/language/numbers/japanese.htm I usually see them used at smaller shop stands which mostly take cash.