Originally Posted by
FlyingBeanCounter
Honestly I have no idea. I was spitballing things. WIthout being there I have no idea what is and is not possible. I appreciate the tips on how to handle this since we could just end up bumming around and catching up. One person is in asia already (that's why we are meeting in Japan). I travel a lot so the jet lag isn't really an issue.
We are down to two of us, so the travel plans are considerably simpler. It sounds like I have maybe four options?
1. Stay in tokyo
2. Stay in osaka
3. stay in Kyoto
4. Two of the three?
Do I have that right? I could do a day trip on the 29 to Hiroshima. The rest of the time sounds like maybe osaka would be good? I can get to kyoto from osaka right? Is that easy? I can also maybe just split between tokyo and osaka? NYE in tokyo? Part of the fun of this for me is just seeing the culture and how they do things. I do not have to have a massive party or anything, but I would like to celebrate NYE somewhere if feasible.
The real question is whether you’ll be getting it together to book transport for yourself and companions in time. There is still availability but it is patchy, a lot of the Shinkansen going to Osaka/Kyoto have already sold out.
Out of those 4 questions the real ones are:
1. Stay in the Kantō area? (Best for a flâneur without plans - this includes Tokyo, Yokohama, Kamakura, Nikko, the Fuji 5 Lakes area)
2. Pre-arrange travel and head West to Kansai? (So long as you are staying where you want to be for NYE, doesn’t really matter whether you base yourself in Osaka, Kyoto. or even Nara or Kobe, all are a 30 min rail commute from each other)
Since the 31st December is an assertive part of your itinerary it completely changes how you would experience a Kantō AND Kansai trip. Think about what dates you would leave/return to Tokyo to make this happen.
If you do decide to go to Kansai, heading back from Narita Airport is going to take a huge chunk out of what you can get accomplished on the 2nd.
Saying that, if you’re looking for a taste of the local culture, worth knowing that the temple at Narita town is an important New Year destination for the Japanese. About 3 million people visit between the 31st and the 2nd January. You could embrace the necessity of coming to this area and make a visit part of your plans.