Hello everyone, my wife and I will be taking our first trip to Japan at the beginning of August this year. I have already done a fair amount of research, but I was hoping to get some opinions or suggestions. We will be flying ORD-NRT-KIX (depart Aug 2, arrive Aug 3 in the evening) on the way there and then NRT-BOS(787!)-ORD (all Aug 13) back. In Kyoto I have the Hyatt Regency Kyoto booked on points and in Tokyo we have the Conrad Tokyo reserved on points. Here are the places/sights/experiences I have picked out as possibilities for us to do (* means it is a higher priority to see):

Central Kyoto

*Nijo Castle � the creaking floorboards

*Tō-ji Temple � the tallest pagoda in Japan

Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum � a preserved roundhouse and cheap train ride

*Kyoto Imperial Palace � reservations required! (and Sento Imperial Palace)


Western Kyoto

Tenryū-ji and Ōkōchi Sansō � Zen temple, UNESCO world heritage site, house of former silent screen legend with beautiful grounds

Iwatayama Monkey Park � feed monkeys

Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple � hundreds of small figures

Kokedera � need to send a letter to Japan with number of people in the party and preferred dates of visit, along with a self addressed envelope to: Saiho-ji Temple 56 Jingatani-cho, Matsuo Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto, 615-8286, Japan

Suzumushi-dera � the cricket temple


Eastern Kyoto

*Kiyomizu Temple � the �pure water� temple with the beautiful wood pagoda

Yogen-in � floorboards used from a castle still have blood on them from a battle, may be difficult to get in without speaking Japanese

Gion district � May get to see a geisha here, has 2 picturesque streets
Sannen-zaka ("three-year-slope") and Ninen-zaka ("two-year-slope"),

Yasaka Shrine � has many lanterns

Kenninji Temple � lots of impressive artwork, including Edo period screens

*Philosopher�s Walk � many famous temples and sights to see along a 2km walk.

*Rakushisha Paper Crafts � best place for prints, fans and other items that appear to be of better quality than other shops.

Honkenishio Yatsuhashi � best place for raw yatsuhashi which is some sort of sweet unique to Kyoto (I think)


Northern Kyoto

*Kinkaku-ji Temple � temple of the golden pavillion

Ryōan-ji � famous dry zen garden

Saimyoji Temple � not worth a separate trip, but if visiting other temples in the area, the entrance with a bridge and lanterns is nice

Kozan-ji � world heritage site, famous painting that is considered the world�s first manga

Sanzen-in � houses a few ancient buddha statues and a moss garden

*Hosen-in � also build using the floorboards of the bloody castle. Has a famous 700 year old pine tree

Shugakuin Imperial Villa � reservations required, Princess Diana once toured here
*Zen Meditation at Shunko-in and Zen Meditation at Taizo-in � both have tours, zen meditation, and some sort of tea ceremony, but the Taizo-in you also get a calligraphy lesson. It is also more expensive (almost $75). The first tour is around $20 and takes about half the time.


Southern Kyoto
*Fushimi Inari Taisha � hundreds of red torii line the entrance

Jonangu Shrine � former Imperial villa, no reservations required

Daigo-ji � old temple complex with lots of history and a world heritage site

*Nintendo headquarters � no tours offered, probably just get a picture with the Nintendo sign

Ryomakan � a good place to get a more authentic sword

*Gekkeikan � sake brewery tour


Tokyo

*temples of Asakusa � an impressive collection of temples

*Meiji Shrine � one of the top shrines in Tokyo

*Viewpoints - Tokyo Metropolitan Government building � free and one of the highest points. World Trade Center Building � one of the better location views. Bunkyo Civic Center views of Shinjuku and Mt. Fuji

*Akihabara � electric town

Tsukiji fish market � the famous tuna auctions

Tokyu Hands � crazy items

Hachikō - the dog story

Imperial Palace � can apply online for a free tour of this and the east gardens
Edo-Tokyo Museum � one of the best museums in Tokyo

Sony building � preview new technology

Sensōji � a stunning looking temple (painted in red and it has a pagoda)


Kamakura

Good for a day trip, see and climb inside of the giant Buddhas.

Kōtokuin � home of the giant Buddha statue

Hasedera � largest wooden statue in Japan


Nara

Tōdai-ji � the largest buddha in japan and the largest wooden building in the world. You can also feed deer here

Kasuga Taisha � this is to stone lanterns what Fushimi Inari Taisha is to torii

Nara Tōka-e � a light festival that we will be in Japan during! 

Harushika � famous sake brewery

Nara specializes in calligraphy brush production and cloth


Hiroshima

May be good for a day trip from Kyoto. See the museums and bomb�s destruction.

My original thought was 5 nights in Kyoto and 6 in Tokyo, but looking at that list again maybe 6 in Kyoto and 5 in Tokyo would be better. Any thoughts on what I have picked out for us to see?

Other questions:

What would be the best way to get from Kyoto to Tokyo? I am assuming bullet train, but what about getting from the train station to the Conrad, which from my understanding is not real close to where the bullet train would arrive.

From what I have been reading, it seems like a regular rail pass wouldn't be the best option for us, but it sounds like there is some sort of rail pass for the Kyoto region that might be worth it.

I have read that the weather is pretty hot and humid around this time in Japan, but unfortunately it is the only time we can really go. It seems like the heat and humidity will be similar to what we get in Chicago around that time of year, is that pretty accurate?


I know this is a whole lot to read, but thanks in advance for any answers and suggestions.

It looks like you have a nice list of places to see with some logic to the way they are grouped. I wouldn't try to follow a rigid agenda, but leave flexibility depending on how you feel. After a couple of days of seeing temples, you may feel like you need a change of pace - see a castle or spend time shopping or whatever. To have that kind of flexibility you may want to check in advance to see if any of your "must see" sites have closing days. An awareness of what you can see on a Monday, for example, can be very helpful. (It's a shame to show up at a place and find that it's closed).

I'm glad you've put in a serious amount of research- there are at least a few threads a month expecting the regulars here to do all the legwork. Jib has great points on flexibility and finding out when things are open. Also, with regard to the August weather, you might find 1) you get exhausted quicker in the heat and 2) some of your days will be affected by torrential rains.

Since you have so many potential things to see and have hit most of the highlights just keep in mind what is close to each other, and what is indoors.

For specific suggestions- if you are going to take a trip to Hiroshima, the main things to see are the A-bomb related attractions and nearby Miyajima. Some of Miyajima's natural beauty is in its deer and monkey population, which in some aspects would be repeated in Nara and Arashiyama Monkey Park. I've been to all of those and honestly they are all stunning places, but if you are trying to cover as much variety as possible its something to keep in mind.

One thing Jib wrote that I agree with, but is simply a matter of personal taste, is getting "templed out" in Kyoto. You might start to feel like it all blends together after seeing lots of them, so if you stick to certain stunning examples - a great zen garden, the sheer brilliance of the Golden Pavilion, the views from Kiyomizudera, an open-air temple market, etc., then each one will be unique unto itself.

A few specific suggestions:

If you can catch a Kabuki play with in-ear English commentary, I find it to be a great cultural experience. I think one play is enough, and there are a few venues in Tokyo.

Also, I've been to the Sony showcase in Ginza a few times, and found it to
be less impressive this time around, maybe because the Aibo robot dogs are gone. It is a good add-on in combination with walking around the outlandish architecture of Ginza and checking out a department store basement (much cooler than it sounds), but by itself you are better served seeing whats new and hot in Akihabara.

Also, I'd add the museums in Ueno, and 2 things that require planning far in advance- Tokyo Sky Tree (may not be possible) and the Ghibli Museum (don't make my mistake, look for tix ASAP if interested)

Couple more thoughts -

Expect early August to be hot and humid. (Just awful). Might be worth carving out a day or two in the middle of the trip to visit the mountains.

If you start your trip in Kyoto, chances are you'll be awake very early the morning on the day after you arrive. Kiyomizu temple is a great place to start in that situation because it opens very early. It's a good idea to go then to get an early morning view over the city, and to miss the crowds. You should be able to find breakfast somewhere around there and then perhaps go up the Philosopher's walk, take in Nanzenji on the way. End up at Ginkakuji. You might want to go back to Kiyomizu at the end of the day to take a look around the quaint stores, which won't be open early in the morning.

Your stop at Narita airport may be four hours or more - enough time to pay a short visit to Narita, if you want to stretch your legs and see another temple and a not-untypical small city/town ...

See my comments about the Imperial Palace in the other thread ("Kyoto--4 temples in 1 day possible?") My response was, "I had to make reservations for THIS?"

I spent two weeks in Kyoto one August, and I have never been so miserably hot in my life. Kyoto is surrounded by mountains on three sides and is fairly far inland, so you can get hot, humid days with no air moving.

Because of the heat, you will need to pace yourself. I agree that the temples can all start to look alike, especially if you really wish you were lying down in an air-conditioned room, so study your guidebooks again to figure out which temples are really distinctive.

Learn to recognize the sign for kaki-g�ri (shaved ice). It looks like this:

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%...gori_hyoki.png

Its texture is more like snow than like granulated ice, and it is flavored with a variety of syrups, including diluted honey (mi-zo-reh). It's a refreshing and authentic way to rehydrate yourself if you're tired of vending machine drinks.

Another traditional summer drink is mugi-cha, or chilled barley tea. Some mom-and-pop restaurants serve it instead of water during the summer, so if someone hands you a glass of what appears to be rusty water, it's most likely mugi-cha. Be prepared for a slightly bitter but ultimately refreshing taste.

If you need relief from the heat, take a cable car or bus trip to Hiei-zan (Mt. Hiei). If you take the bus back down to Kyoto, it travels along a ridge that affords a view of Lake Biwa.

Now you may encounter a freaky August with cool weather, as I did in 1977 when I lived in Japan. But all the other Augusts have been miserable, so wear loose, lightweight, easily washable clothing.

The advantage of starting in Kyoto is that Tokyo will feel cool to you.

I really wouldn't do this if I were you, especially in August. Spend twenty minutes waiting in line to slowly walk around in a dark, HOT, crowded hole in the ground, I mean. Unless you really like Buddhas, and your life wouldn't be complete until you've walked inside of one, I think that your time is better spent exploring other areas along the Enoden line.

If walking around in the dark is your thing, the Enoshima Iwaya Caves are much longer and cooler.

I looked inside the Great Buddha the time I took students to Kamakura, and while it's fun to say that you've been inside it, there's really nothing there but a hollow space.

Thank you everyone for the feedback so far! I wish we didn't have to go in August, but with my wife in school it was the only open time we have. I am going in expecting a Chicago-like summer (hot and muggy) and will be pleasantly surprised if we get anything different.

I didn't know about the Tokyo Sky Tree - that looks really cool and hopefully we will be able to check it out.

I have heard Kamakura was a decent day trip from Tokyo, but if there are better places, I'm all ears!

I wish the main Himeji keep wasn't under renovation right now - I would really like to go see that.

I agree that I found myself putting a bunch of temples on the Kyoto list so I'm aware that we may become templed-out! What are some of the other good things to do around Kyoto?

According to About.com, the average highest / lowest temperature in August in Chicago is in Celsius,

27�C / 17�C

As for Kyoto, check out the raw data of August 2011.
http://weather.goo.ne.jp/past/2011/08/759/index.html

Please be hydrated well.

If you are interested in a Himeji-style, original-construction feudal era castle, take a half day of your Kyoto time and go to Hikone. It is a pleasant little town on the shore of Lake Biwa and the castle there is quite nice, if smaller than Himeji. The local train goes through some moderately scenic country and the view from the castle grounds out over the lake is quite nice.

sure have a lot of temples and shrines in that plan. maybe you're religious, maybe you'll convert.....maybe not. i took a similar trip twenty years ago....wanted to see all the temples and architecture...not that i was religious nor did i want to be....but all the guidebooks told me to go see these things and so i was young, impressionable and i did it because i didn't think i'd ever get back (wrong) and i wanted to see how AMAZING these things were (according to the tour books).

after about the third or fourth temple in kyoto, i said, "ok, i need a drink now."

they're cool. nice to look at. absorb the culture. then they get monotonous. my opinion.

you got 11 days or so there...take a few day trips and cut out some shrines/temples. go hike mt. fuji. no better time than august.

or take a quick flight up to Sapporo. Just check it out and hang out. how many people do you know have been to hokkaido. optimaly, you go in the winter for the snow festival but heck, why not august?

a little more adventurous - go deep into the heartland - check out hirosaki castle. optimaly, do it cherry blossom season, but heck, why not august? place is beautiful and amazing!

Kamakura is a great place for a day trip! I'm just saying that that one played out attraction of The Great Buddha is something that I would avoid in August. Though if you are going to be spending significant time in Kyoto already, then Kamakura may be temple overkill.

Hakone may be a better (and cooler) option for your day trip from Tokyo, though it will take you about twice as long to get there.

Nikko is another "escape to the mountains" day trip from Tokyo, and if you have a JR Pass, you can even go to Nagano for the day.

Actually, the (literally) coolest escape from the heat I ever accomplished was taking the bus from Takayama to Matsumoto over the Japan Alps. The rest stop was at Norikura-dake, which is above the timberline. Unfortunately, the brief respite made the heat in the lowlands feel even worse.

Please don't.

Yes, if you take the bullet train, then from Tokyo, you can get to Karuizawa in about the same amount of time it would take to get to Kamakura.

From there you could rent bicycles and take in all the shopping and scenery, all the way up to John Lennon's beloved Manpei Hotel.