2.5 Week Sakura Itinerary Help! Hakone/Fuji 5 Lakes Advice too please :)
Jan 28, 2016, 3:26 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 5
2.5 Week Sakura Itinerary Help! Hakone/Fuji 5 Lakes Advice too please :)
Hi everyone!
My husband and I are going on our first trip to Japan to see Sakura this year, April 1, leave April 18! Below is our tentative itinerary-- would love your advice and critique on this, plus please help me decide how much time to allot to Fuji 5 Lakes and Hakone. And any general advice and recommendations, including how to best to get between these places (getting a 14 Day JR) would be so appreciated!
We are from NYC, in our early 30s, are avid travelers and foodies, have a high budget for the hotels/ryokan we are not booking with Starwood points, and interests include technology, architecture, natural wonders/scenery, animals, food, and we are interested in seeing and experiencing things that are uniquely japanese, especially pop culture aspects.
Two caveats:
- we dont want to be traveling around from place to place so much that we are exhausted and are fine saving some things for a later trip so that the itinerary doesnt feel rushed
- my husband gets tired of seeing castles/temples/shrines etc easily, so don't want to overload on this aspect
4/1-4/6: Tokyo (Westin on points) - Yokohama day trip (Ramen, Cup of Noodles, Kirin)
4/6-4/10: Kyoto (Westin on points) -- Nara day trip, Arashiyama day trip, Cherry blossoms at Philosophers Path, Maruyama Park
4/10-4/11: Miyajima (Ryokan Iroha) - Tori Gate, hike Mt Misen and kayaking
4/11-4/12: Hiroshima (Sheraton on points) - Peace Park, Mazda factory tour, oysters!! what else?
4/12-4/14: Osaka (St. Regis on points) -- day trip to Mt. Yoshino on 4/13, lots of eating, Castle, Aquarium
4/14-4/18 - We are a bit unsure about the last 4 days or so of the trip -- we are ending it in Hakone/Kawaguchiko/back to Tokyo and would love some advice on how many nights total in this area and how many nights in each place -- we can either do 2 or 3 nights total and would like to spend at least one night in both places. Let me know your thoughts on how to split the time.
Options:
-on 4/14 either proceed directly to Kawaguchiko from Osaka (how would we get there?) or if only 1 night in Kawaguchiko, go to Tokyo from Osaka for a night and then onto Kawaguchiko on 4/15
Flight home: 4/18 afternoon
I have tentatively booked two nights at Kozantei Ubuya in Kawaguchiko (nights of 4/14 and 4/15) and then two nights in Hakone at Gora Hanaogi (nights of 4/16 and 4/17) and also the night of 4/17 at Hakkone Ginyu. I can cancel either one or two of these nights depending on your recommendations. Are these highly recommended Ryokans, or is there somewhere else better? We'd definitely like a private open-air onsen in our room wherever we stay. We were also thinking about Hakone Ginyu (but they are booked except for the 4/17) or Yamanochaya (not Gora Kadan-- too $$!). Are these two better than Gora Hanaogi?
As for Kawaguchiko, I would like to see cherry blossoms and go to the opening day of Shibazakura festival on the morning of 4/16 -- or will this be too early to see much of the pink moss and we should skip it?
- what else there is to do in Kawaguchiko during April besides relax at onsen?
Hakone--would two nights be better or one is fine?
Thanks so much in advance for all of your advice!!!
My husband and I are going on our first trip to Japan to see Sakura this year, April 1, leave April 18! Below is our tentative itinerary-- would love your advice and critique on this, plus please help me decide how much time to allot to Fuji 5 Lakes and Hakone. And any general advice and recommendations, including how to best to get between these places (getting a 14 Day JR) would be so appreciated!
We are from NYC, in our early 30s, are avid travelers and foodies, have a high budget for the hotels/ryokan we are not booking with Starwood points, and interests include technology, architecture, natural wonders/scenery, animals, food, and we are interested in seeing and experiencing things that are uniquely japanese, especially pop culture aspects.
Two caveats:
- we dont want to be traveling around from place to place so much that we are exhausted and are fine saving some things for a later trip so that the itinerary doesnt feel rushed
- my husband gets tired of seeing castles/temples/shrines etc easily, so don't want to overload on this aspect
4/1-4/6: Tokyo (Westin on points) - Yokohama day trip (Ramen, Cup of Noodles, Kirin)
4/6-4/10: Kyoto (Westin on points) -- Nara day trip, Arashiyama day trip, Cherry blossoms at Philosophers Path, Maruyama Park
4/10-4/11: Miyajima (Ryokan Iroha) - Tori Gate, hike Mt Misen and kayaking
4/11-4/12: Hiroshima (Sheraton on points) - Peace Park, Mazda factory tour, oysters!! what else?
4/12-4/14: Osaka (St. Regis on points) -- day trip to Mt. Yoshino on 4/13, lots of eating, Castle, Aquarium
4/14-4/18 - We are a bit unsure about the last 4 days or so of the trip -- we are ending it in Hakone/Kawaguchiko/back to Tokyo and would love some advice on how many nights total in this area and how many nights in each place -- we can either do 2 or 3 nights total and would like to spend at least one night in both places. Let me know your thoughts on how to split the time.
Options:
-on 4/14 either proceed directly to Kawaguchiko from Osaka (how would we get there?) or if only 1 night in Kawaguchiko, go to Tokyo from Osaka for a night and then onto Kawaguchiko on 4/15
Flight home: 4/18 afternoon
I have tentatively booked two nights at Kozantei Ubuya in Kawaguchiko (nights of 4/14 and 4/15) and then two nights in Hakone at Gora Hanaogi (nights of 4/16 and 4/17) and also the night of 4/17 at Hakkone Ginyu. I can cancel either one or two of these nights depending on your recommendations. Are these highly recommended Ryokans, or is there somewhere else better? We'd definitely like a private open-air onsen in our room wherever we stay. We were also thinking about Hakone Ginyu (but they are booked except for the 4/17) or Yamanochaya (not Gora Kadan-- too $$!). Are these two better than Gora Hanaogi?
As for Kawaguchiko, I would like to see cherry blossoms and go to the opening day of Shibazakura festival on the morning of 4/16 -- or will this be too early to see much of the pink moss and we should skip it?
- what else there is to do in Kawaguchiko during April besides relax at onsen?
Hakone--would two nights be better or one is fine?
Thanks so much in advance for all of your advice!!!
Jan 29, 2016, 12:42 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: London
Posts: 18,404
The current situation with regards to closures due to seismic activity can be viewed here:
http://www.hakonenavi.jp/topics/pdf/4730.pdf
chasepoh, welcome to Flyertalk! Were you aware that some of the Hakone area's most compelling attractions are out of bounds at the moment?
Jan 29, 2016, 1:55 am
#4
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 61
[QUOTE=LapLap;26099193]I guess a visit to Owakudani was out of the question though. Did you attempt any part of the ropeway?
The current situation with regards to closures due to seismic activity can be viewed here:
http://www.hakonenavi.jp/topics/pdf/4730.pdf
I hiked to Owakudani from Gora Hanaougi. This was Sept 2014.
The current situation with regards to closures due to seismic activity can be viewed here:
http://www.hakonenavi.jp/topics/pdf/4730.pdf
I hiked to Owakudani from Gora Hanaougi. This was Sept 2014.
Jan 29, 2016, 3:26 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: London
Posts: 18,404
I guess a visit to Owakudani was out of the question though. Did you attempt any part of the ropeway?
The current situation with regards to closures due to seismic activity can be viewed here:
http://www.hakonenavi.jp/topics/pdf/4730.pdf
The current situation with regards to closures due to seismic activity can be viewed here:
http://www.hakonenavi.jp/topics/pdf/4730.pdf
Jan 29, 2016, 7:35 am
#6
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Hilton, Hyatt House, Del Taco
Posts: 5,378
-- You say you don't want to be too busy moving around from place to place. If that's the case, then perhaps think about reducing the # of times you have to check in and out of hotels. For one, you could eliminate one of your nights in Miyajima/Hiroshima and instead spend an extra night in either Kyoto or Osaka. Some people say it's great to stay overnight in Miyajima, and that's fine. But otherwise 5-6hr on the island is good enough. Maybe add another hour if you want to do kayaking. I don't know Hiroshima all that well, but I've always felt like half day was good enough to take in the city. So you could definitely do both the city and Miyajima on a 1-night trip.
-- Yokohama: Not sure if Cup Noodle Museum is worth it. Keep in mind that Ramen Museum is in Shin-Yokohama, which is actually the same travel time form Tokyo (if you have JR Pass and are using bullet train) as it is from the tourist areas of Yokohama. Therefore, you don't necessarily have to combine Ramen Museum with other stuff in Yokohama. Really what you should do in Yokohama is to go there on a nice day, start at Sakuragicho Station, take the skybridge towards Minatomirai complex (starting with Landmark then Queen), then exit out and do the giant ferris wheel, go through World Porters, exit back out and take the leisurely walk down towards Yamashita Park, explore Chinatown and time-permitting browse Motomachi.
-- Hakone: No right/wrong answer between 1 night vs 2 nights. I dunno, you could just do 1 night. I don't think you can go wrong with Gora Hanaougi or Ginyu. I suggest you check in right at the check-in time, then stay on the premises and enjoy your stay thoroughly until the check-out time. Hakone is beautiful. You should visit the Open Air Museum. Too bad Owakudani is still closed. But if you visit Hotel Green Plaza (where they serve lunch) right by Ubako Ropeway Station, you'll get a great view of Mt.Fuji if it's a clear day.
-- No easy way to get to Kawaguchiko from Osaka by train. You'll probably have to trek all the back to Tokyo/Shinjuku first then back out to Kawaguchiko. I've been to Kawaguchiko by train, but I've never done the Five Lakes area and Mt.Fuji by train/bus. I've only done that by car. Easiest thing might be to just do a 1-day bus tour from Tokyo. Something like this: http://www.japanican.com/en/tour/detail/BUS1G00211MKA/
There're also day bus tours originating from Kawaguchiko Station.
Kawaguchiko is pleasant enough and I've enjoyed staying there, but it's kind of just a gateway to the Fuji area and the quality of onsen is generally better in Hakone. However, it may be worth an overnight stay particularly if you're also interested in Fuji Q Highland.
-- Yokohama: Not sure if Cup Noodle Museum is worth it. Keep in mind that Ramen Museum is in Shin-Yokohama, which is actually the same travel time form Tokyo (if you have JR Pass and are using bullet train) as it is from the tourist areas of Yokohama. Therefore, you don't necessarily have to combine Ramen Museum with other stuff in Yokohama. Really what you should do in Yokohama is to go there on a nice day, start at Sakuragicho Station, take the skybridge towards Minatomirai complex (starting with Landmark then Queen), then exit out and do the giant ferris wheel, go through World Porters, exit back out and take the leisurely walk down towards Yamashita Park, explore Chinatown and time-permitting browse Motomachi.
-- Hakone: No right/wrong answer between 1 night vs 2 nights. I dunno, you could just do 1 night. I don't think you can go wrong with Gora Hanaougi or Ginyu. I suggest you check in right at the check-in time, then stay on the premises and enjoy your stay thoroughly until the check-out time. Hakone is beautiful. You should visit the Open Air Museum. Too bad Owakudani is still closed. But if you visit Hotel Green Plaza (where they serve lunch) right by Ubako Ropeway Station, you'll get a great view of Mt.Fuji if it's a clear day.
-- No easy way to get to Kawaguchiko from Osaka by train. You'll probably have to trek all the back to Tokyo/Shinjuku first then back out to Kawaguchiko. I've been to Kawaguchiko by train, but I've never done the Five Lakes area and Mt.Fuji by train/bus. I've only done that by car. Easiest thing might be to just do a 1-day bus tour from Tokyo. Something like this: http://www.japanican.com/en/tour/detail/BUS1G00211MKA/
There're also day bus tours originating from Kawaguchiko Station.
Kawaguchiko is pleasant enough and I've enjoyed staying there, but it's kind of just a gateway to the Fuji area and the quality of onsen is generally better in Hakone. However, it may be worth an overnight stay particularly if you're also interested in Fuji Q Highland.
Jan 29, 2016, 8:15 am
#7
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Between AMS and BRU
Posts: 8,852
Something to consider is traveling parts of your trip without much luggage.... the Miyajima/Hiroshima and Hakone/Kawaguchiko days come to mind. Both of those are easily done from Kyoto/Osaka and Tokyo. It makes your trip a bit more flexible and you can even store your bags at the station and go sightseeing.
I would balance those days in Tokyo a bit more at the beginning/end and try to optimize my schedule so that you only need a 7 day rail pass (you won't need it in Tokyo, Kyoto, for the days in Hakone/Kawaguchiko if you start from Tokyo and for the smaller day trips). Spend the savings on the better hotels at Kawaguchiko (I like Kozantei Ubuya for the great view). But maybe do Hakone at the beginning of your trip (easy to get there from Tokyo with a 3 day area pass) and do Kawaguchiko at the end (the blossoms there will bloom a few weeks later), 4 nights in a row in that area would be too much for me.
I did like spending a night in Miyajima, a lot of the tourist leave in the evening. Arrive late in the afternoon and leave the next day, there's not that much to do and see unless you are climbing the mountain. I don't really care for Hiroshima (an afternoon there is enough in my opinion).
Some other options to consider are not only spending the night in the bigger cities but along your route like in Himeji or Okayama. Lot's of decent hotels right near the station for a decent price. And maybe go a bit off route as well, maybe a night at Mount Koya or a return to Tokyo via Kanazawa....
It might create havoc with the schedule you have now, but changes now are probably easy. And also consider the Sakura can be a bit unpredictable. Two years ago I was in Kyoto a bit too early, so I changes my schedule around to go back 2 days later..... completely different experience.
And I would seriously consider spending less time in the cities as well but travel a bit more in the less populated areas. Tokyo and Osaka in the same trip for me is a bit much.
I would balance those days in Tokyo a bit more at the beginning/end and try to optimize my schedule so that you only need a 7 day rail pass (you won't need it in Tokyo, Kyoto, for the days in Hakone/Kawaguchiko if you start from Tokyo and for the smaller day trips). Spend the savings on the better hotels at Kawaguchiko (I like Kozantei Ubuya for the great view). But maybe do Hakone at the beginning of your trip (easy to get there from Tokyo with a 3 day area pass) and do Kawaguchiko at the end (the blossoms there will bloom a few weeks later), 4 nights in a row in that area would be too much for me.
I did like spending a night in Miyajima, a lot of the tourist leave in the evening. Arrive late in the afternoon and leave the next day, there's not that much to do and see unless you are climbing the mountain. I don't really care for Hiroshima (an afternoon there is enough in my opinion).
Some other options to consider are not only spending the night in the bigger cities but along your route like in Himeji or Okayama. Lot's of decent hotels right near the station for a decent price. And maybe go a bit off route as well, maybe a night at Mount Koya or a return to Tokyo via Kanazawa....
It might create havoc with the schedule you have now, but changes now are probably easy. And also consider the Sakura can be a bit unpredictable. Two years ago I was in Kyoto a bit too early, so I changes my schedule around to go back 2 days later..... completely different experience.
And I would seriously consider spending less time in the cities as well but travel a bit more in the less populated areas. Tokyo and Osaka in the same trip for me is a bit much.
Last edited by RTW1; Jan 29, 2016 at 8:25 am
Jan 29, 2016, 8:17 am
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 5
Hi everyone, thanks so much for your advice and for letting me know about the closures. I had read that parts were closed but didn't really understand what that entailed until reading some of the links you posted. Too bad.
Is two nights too many in Hakone with these closures? The area still seems to be worth visiting for one night at least to see the other parts of the Hakone loop and open air museum etc. I do want to still go to Kawaguchiko to see cherry blossoms and mount fuji below (praying for good weather!) but this definitely now seems like it is a one-night only area and perhaps should spend the night prior in Tokyo instead of trying to go straight from Osaka. Thoughts?
evergrn- thanks so much for your advice on cutting a night from hiroshima/miyajima. If we cut one night there and only do hakone for one night, that leaves two open nights potentially if I cut one out from Tokyo on the back end. Is there somewhere else that you recommend that we could go for two nights that you would recommend? One of the onsen towns? A night at an onsen in Nikko? Or is Nikko more of a day trip?
Please let me know!
Thanks!!
Is two nights too many in Hakone with these closures? The area still seems to be worth visiting for one night at least to see the other parts of the Hakone loop and open air museum etc. I do want to still go to Kawaguchiko to see cherry blossoms and mount fuji below (praying for good weather!) but this definitely now seems like it is a one-night only area and perhaps should spend the night prior in Tokyo instead of trying to go straight from Osaka. Thoughts?
evergrn- thanks so much for your advice on cutting a night from hiroshima/miyajima. If we cut one night there and only do hakone for one night, that leaves two open nights potentially if I cut one out from Tokyo on the back end. Is there somewhere else that you recommend that we could go for two nights that you would recommend? One of the onsen towns? A night at an onsen in Nikko? Or is Nikko more of a day trip?
Please let me know!
Thanks!!
Jan 29, 2016, 8:28 am
#9
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Between AMS and BRU
Posts: 8,852
Is two nights too many in Hakone with these closures? The area still seems to be worth visiting for one night at least to see the other parts of the Hakone loop and open air museum etc. I do want to still go to Kawaguchiko to see cherry blossoms and mount fuji below (praying for good weather!) but this definitely now seems like it is a one-night only area and perhaps should spend the night prior in Tokyo instead of trying to go straight from Osaka. Thoughts?
Jan 29, 2016, 8:29 am
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 5
RTW1- Thank you for the advice! I am still unfamiliar with how the luggage transfers/storage work -- do you recommend that we ship our luggage from Westin Kyoto to St. Regis Osaka and bring a smaller overnight bag and then for the fuji/hakone part leave the main bags in tokyo (at hotel or train station?)
Yes, I have been thinking that the itinerary was a bit city-heavy, which is why I was thinking of extending to two nights in Hakone. But perhaps a detour to Kanazawa would be good, it looks beautiful! Would that be in between Osaka and Tokyo or where does that fit in and would one night be good? I dont think we're interested in Mt Koya, it looks beautiful but thats not really the type of thing my husband likes so I'd rather put the night elsewhere. What about Nikko?
Thanks so much for your help!!
Yes, I have been thinking that the itinerary was a bit city-heavy, which is why I was thinking of extending to two nights in Hakone. But perhaps a detour to Kanazawa would be good, it looks beautiful! Would that be in between Osaka and Tokyo or where does that fit in and would one night be good? I dont think we're interested in Mt Koya, it looks beautiful but thats not really the type of thing my husband likes so I'd rather put the night elsewhere. What about Nikko?
Thanks so much for your help!!
Jan 29, 2016, 9:38 am
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: London
Posts: 18,404
Thee is no ropeway between Gora and Ubako. Either you board the ropeway at Togendai at the other end of the line or you'll need to get to Ubako by bus (which is far less apealing).
Jan 29, 2016, 10:11 am
#12
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 61
To original Poster, I would still stay two nights. Part of staying at a ryokan is so you can relax and one night is too rush. Soak in the views. I took at least 5 baths a day which included the in room bath and the shared bath. It takes a good amount of time to get to the ryokan in Hakone and the open air museum will take a good chunk of your day. There is a lot of good hiking around the area. Just ask the ryokan. As I mentioned in my post earlier we got several hiking maps and there were a lot of trails. We only chose to hike to Owakudani so we could get two things done at a time. What I loved most was the hike itself. There is another high peak, that is close to Owakudani that you can hike to from the ryokan but I don't remember the name of the peak. We did that too. Owakudani is full of tourists and my favorite part was the trails which was virtually empty except for 2 other backpackers.
Last edited by beardedmeerkat; Jan 29, 2016 at 10:23 am
Jan 29, 2016, 10:16 am
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 5
Thanks so much for all the input! Any other thoughts on Hakone 1 night vs 2 based on the closures? I was thinking the itinerary might be too city-heavy which is why I was thinking of doing 3 nights in the Fuji/Hakone region total. However, Kanazawa looks really nice once I am looking into it more. Is it worth going up to that area if we only had one night to spend there in between Osaka and Tokyo?
The beginning of the trip is pretty much locked in unfortunately, as I am using points for the hotels and there is not flexibility to change the dates since Kyoto is fully booked otherwise.
As for Hiroshima/Miyajima, we want to do kayaking in Miyajima and the Mazda factory tour at 10 am in Hiroshima one of the days, which is why I had planned one night in Hiroshima too originally (definitely want to stay over in Miyajima). I am not sure if one night only would rush the itinerary in Hiroshima/Miyajima too much considering that we would be coming from Kyoto and then transfer from Miyajima to Hiroshima and then to Osaka later that evening. Thoughts? Or is it worth eliminating one of those activities to free up a night for Kanazawa?
Thanks!!
The beginning of the trip is pretty much locked in unfortunately, as I am using points for the hotels and there is not flexibility to change the dates since Kyoto is fully booked otherwise.
As for Hiroshima/Miyajima, we want to do kayaking in Miyajima and the Mazda factory tour at 10 am in Hiroshima one of the days, which is why I had planned one night in Hiroshima too originally (definitely want to stay over in Miyajima). I am not sure if one night only would rush the itinerary in Hiroshima/Miyajima too much considering that we would be coming from Kyoto and then transfer from Miyajima to Hiroshima and then to Osaka later that evening. Thoughts? Or is it worth eliminating one of those activities to free up a night for Kanazawa?
Thanks!!
Jan 29, 2016, 10:47 am
#15
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 61
I got the idea of that name from Meerkat Manor! Sorry, I had to go edit my posts because posting from the phone is a bit difficult.
I have a few thoughts. Himeji is not too far from Kyoto and you can squeeze Himeji and Kobe in a a day. It's a short ride from Kyoto and will be covered by your JR pass. I went to Himeji Castle and then had a late Kobe beef lunch in Kobe. It's just a suggestion if you're not sure what to do. Also if you're not sure what to do in Tokyo ( I never run out of things to do ), there is DisneySea and Disneyland. DisneySea is great for adults. I can't remember if it's on our list or if someone else mentioned it or not but Ghilbi museum is a must if you are a fan.