Please help a first-timer to Japan!
 

Already booked for a trip in September (all points and miles!) to Geneva-Strasbourg and Paris but have given some thought to scrapping it to go to Japan.

We can be away up to ten or eleven days. Figuring three days for travel, that means up to 8 days.

How many days do we need to do Tokyo right? What one other city would make sense and not be too hard to include and how many days should we spend there?

I greatly appreciate any and all advice and insights!

Happy New Year!

The "classic taste of Japan" for first-timers usually includes some time in Tokyo and surrounding area and some time in the Kansai region - Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and surrounding area.

For 7 or 8 days in Japan, I'd suggest 3-4 days in Tokyo and 4-5 days in Kansai. Since Kyoto, Osaka and Nara are all within a short train trip from each other, you really don't need to change hotels. Just find a good place in Tokyo and one in Kyoto (my preference) or Osaka.

Tokyo is the quintessential ultra-modern Japan and Kyoto has the old, traditional castle and temple vibe. Nara is even older than Kyoto and was the first permanent capitol in the 8th century.

The best way to do all the above is to arrive in Japan at NRT (the New Tokyo International) or HND (Haneda-Tokyo International) airport and depart from KIX (Kansai International Airport) outside of Osaka - or vice versa. If you can't arrive/depart to/from different airports, then select one, probably Tokyo. In that case, you will need to plan a round trip on the bullet train (shinkansen) to get to and from Tokyo and Kyoto.

Thanks for the advice.

next - when we travel, we usually either tour on our own or get a guide for a day. When we travel to Israel, we ALWAYS have a guide. My sense is that Japan would be hard to negotiate without one.

So first of all, is that correct? And if so, any leads to companies that we can work with?

Thanks again.

I think it's unnecessary to hire guides and assistants. It's quite easy to travel around Japan independently. A little planning goes a long way. Plenty of tourists visit Japan without any knowledge of the language or culture.
(Some of them leave like that too).

I remember going to Japan the first time years ago, I could not read a lick of Japanese and got around the main cities just fine.

Do a little research ahead of time (http://www.japan-guide.com , and of course this site ;) ) and you should be generally fine in getting around.

If you are going to the main cities, main sites, even the minor ones, again do a bit of pre-planning there's no reason to have a guide.

Sample Shinkansen (bullet train) platform sign in Japan:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielross/279638638/

Sample sign on a Tokyo JR train:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/manarh/121950767/

And I will add my standard advice: buy a guidebook and some maps, for heaven's sake. Any large bookstore will offer three or four choices.

Ever since my first stay in Japan in the 1970s, I have helped intimidated tourists get their bearings in the country. All of them are surprised at how easy it is to get around. For one thing, unlike Israel, there is no latent threat from suicide bombers, and on the whole, Japan has one of the world's lowest crime rates among industrialized countries. For another, there is bilingual (English and Japanese) signage in all stations and tourist areas. Most people do not speak English, but they can more or less read simple English written in block letters. The people are not effusively friendly, but they are quietly kind and helpful to foreign visitors.

I would recommend a guided tour (the ones I've looked at seem overpriced) only if you were an inexperienced traveler, and maybe not even then.

Even I was surprised when I went to the rather remote Koya-san temple complex in the mountains south of Kyoto in 2000 and found that the other foreigner staying at "my" temple was a young man in his early 20s who spoke no Japanese and had been in the country only four days.

Although I agree about not really needing an organized tour in Tokyo or Kyoto, there have been a few 1-day tours in Kyoto that are highly recommended by folks who have used them.

For a cab tour of Kyoto, try Doi Taxi : http://www3.ocn.ne.jp/~doitaxi/index.html .

If you are walkers, Johnny Hill Walker seems to be highly regarded:
http://web.kyoto-inet.or.jp/people/h-s-love/ .

I vote for Japan
 

I vote for Japan. I lived in Europe for two years in the late eighties and spent five weeks in Tokyo in 1983. For me, visiting Europe gives me the same feeling I had as a kid when I went to Disneyland while visiting Japan was more like going to another planet. It was just an amazing experience. I recommend watching the movie "Lost in Translation". This movie did a good job of capturing the feeling of being in Japan.

You folks have been wonderful and I think you convinced my wife to change our plans. So let me impose some more!

I have Diamond Elite with Hyatt, Platinum with Starwood and Diamond with Hilton. I have many more Starwood points. I also have Marriott points so I would also consider the Ritz Carltons in either Tokyo or Osaka. We used them to stay at the Ritz in Central Park, NY and only had to pay $100 for daily Club Access - an amazing bargain. I have already sent emails to Ritz to ask if the same would be available in Japan. Hyatt and Hilton Diamond are nice since they gets me free breakfasts.

Okay so first of all, Kyoto or Osaka - or does it matter?

Second - Throw some hotels at me that you think would be great in each city- we will probably use points for almost everything altho the Kyoto Hyatt Regency seems very cheap and it may pay to use cash.

My sense from the above posts is to start with 3-4 nights in Tokyo, 4-5 nights in either Osaka or Kyoto and do day-trips from there.

I know I have a lot of research to do - fortunately, I have about 9 months to do it. But the advice from people on FT is invaluable to get one started in the right direction and you have all been wonderful. I am very grateful.

Right now ANA flights are all listed on their seach engine as Wait-Listed. Not sure what that means and what the chances are of it opening up. I do see flights available in Business on Air Canada - short flight from NYC and then a long flight on AC. The Business Class seats look wonderful. If anyone has insight on the Wait-List situation, that would be great too.

Happy New Year!

Let me pile on the thread too -- another first timer, but my trip is much sooner. Next week! I got an international F award PHX-SFO-NRT on United, and had the time available. I realize the weather won't be the greatest. I'm planning on staying in Tokyo and Kyoto, but haven't gotten too far with an itinerary yet. I'll be there 13th-20th.

I'd prefer to stay in Kyoto because on a first visit I'd probably find more to interest me in Kyoto. There are always some people like to say that "Osaka has the food and the nightlife".... Yawn. I think they're mostly people who found Osaka more affordable than Kyoto (it usually is) and don't like to think that Kyoto might have had food and things to do at night (it does).

Based on what you've said about points and prices, I'd suggest staying at the Ritz Carlton in Tokyo and the Hyatt Regency in Kyoto. Both fine hotels in great locations.

Then you better buy a JR pass quickly, you can't buy it in Japan.

The Ritz in Tokyo sounds very good - still waiting to hear if we can upgrade to Club Level. But the Hyatt in Kyoto does not have a Club Level while in Osaka they do. Does that affect your recommendation?

The Hyatt Regency in Osaka is out in the docklands. Unless you're planning a visit to the Universal Studios theme park, or you have business with a company in the immediate vicinity, I would recommend against staying there.

In fact, even if you do have a reason to visit that area, I think you're better off staying elsewhere.

I'd go with Kyoto. Osaka is much like Tokyo - big, modern, high-energy, albeit with its own vibe. You will have already had several days in ultra modern Japan. Kyoto will give you a much different experience than the "big cities."

Many disagree with me but I have never really found any good reason to stay in Osaka other than a transit layover near the shinkansen station. Visit, yes. See some sights and have a great meal, yes. But for the stay, I much prefer Kyoto - or even Nara. Despite no club floor, the Kyoto HR is quite nice and in a really great location. Assuming you invest in a JR Rail Pass, the bullet train between Kyoto and Osaka takes only minutes so a day visit is no sweat.