Four Days in Japan
Apr 9, 2014, 2:20 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: SPG GOLD
Posts: 413
Four Days in Japan
I will be in Japan for roughly 4 days (maybe extended to five) with my father in about two weeks. I am trying to figure out the best use of our time, its obviously a very big and beautiful country with multiple cities and areas worth visiting.
Would you guys recommend
a) Spending all the time in Tokyo
b) Splitting the time between Osaka and Tokyo
c) anything else?
Would you guys recommend
a) Spending all the time in Tokyo
b) Splitting the time between Osaka and Tokyo
c) anything else?
Apr 9, 2014, 4:16 pm
#3
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Central California
Programs: Former UA Premex, now dirt
Posts: 6,531
Agree. That is just a bit too short a stay to split between 2 destinations.
That is, unless you can stretch the stay to 5 days and arrange your flights to include an open-jaw and fly into NRT or HND and out of KIX. In that case, a 5-day stay could be easily split 2 or 3 days in Tokyo and 2 or 3 in Kyoto. Forget Osaka for a stay this short. It is too similar to Tokyo. Kyoto is very different and is an easy train ride out to KIX for departure.
For 4 days, I'd suggest staying in Tokyo and planning at least one day trip out of the city - Kamakura or Nikko would be easy to do, interesting and would get you away from the concrete jungle for a different view of the country.
That is, unless you can stretch the stay to 5 days and arrange your flights to include an open-jaw and fly into NRT or HND and out of KIX. In that case, a 5-day stay could be easily split 2 or 3 days in Tokyo and 2 or 3 in Kyoto. Forget Osaka for a stay this short. It is too similar to Tokyo. Kyoto is very different and is an easy train ride out to KIX for departure.
For 4 days, I'd suggest staying in Tokyo and planning at least one day trip out of the city - Kamakura or Nikko would be easy to do, interesting and would get you away from the concrete jungle for a different view of the country.
Apr 9, 2014, 4:19 pm
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: London
Posts: 18,484
If you were willing to spend some real research time on this trip I'd say go to Tokyo.
But you are asking the question here, which suggests you haven't and you won't be.
In that case, my opinion is that you should go to Osaka and forget Tokyo.
Reason is that Tokyo is a huge collection of small cities, you'll only be able to sample a fraction of what's there.
Osaka is smaller and more compact so absolutely everything is squeezed into a fewer number of city districts.
The downside is that you might exhaust the big city sights within a couple of days but that's not a problem as you have some of the country's top tourist destinations at your doorstep. For your unresearched short visit I would recommend Nara over Kyoto as you can just turn up (it's a cheap half hour local train journey) follow a few signs and follow the park paths past lovely gardens, historic temples and bowing deer. The city of Kobe is also within commuting distance from Osaka.
But you are asking the question here, which suggests you haven't and you won't be.
In that case, my opinion is that you should go to Osaka and forget Tokyo.
Reason is that Tokyo is a huge collection of small cities, you'll only be able to sample a fraction of what's there.
Osaka is smaller and more compact so absolutely everything is squeezed into a fewer number of city districts.
The downside is that you might exhaust the big city sights within a couple of days but that's not a problem as you have some of the country's top tourist destinations at your doorstep. For your unresearched short visit I would recommend Nara over Kyoto as you can just turn up (it's a cheap half hour local train journey) follow a few signs and follow the park paths past lovely gardens, historic temples and bowing deer. The city of Kobe is also within commuting distance from Osaka.
Apr 10, 2014, 1:37 pm
#6
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: WAS
Posts: 873
I would normally argue against Osaka, especially for such a short trip but it is hard to find fault with LapLap's logic.
Osaka with day trips to Nara and possibly Kyoto makes sense, especially if one does no advance research.
Osaka with day trips to Nara and possibly Kyoto makes sense, especially if one does no advance research.
Apr 10, 2014, 10:19 pm
#7
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota,USA
Programs: UA, NW
Posts: 3,752
It's possible that you are already committed to flying into NRT. In that case, please at least read the threads here. They will at least save you from making Uninformed Tourist Mistake Number One at NRT.
But two weeks gives you plenty of time to read a guidebook. (Hint-hint) Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, and Frommers are just three of the companies that publish guides to Tokyo. Some of these guidebooks are even available in electronic form. (I'm currently reading a guide to Seoul on Kindle in preparation for my first trip to Korea. Yes, 35 years of traveling to Japan, and I'll be making my first trip to Korea this summer.)
I agree with the advice above. Either spend all your time in Tokyo with maybe a day trip to Kamakura (home of the Great Buddha that is on all the kitchen calendars) or Nikko (scenery and the tombs of the Tokugawa shoguns), or base yourself in Osaka with day trips to Nara and/or Kyoto. But Osaka itself is not that great of a destination for the first-time traveler who has already been to Tokyo.
But two weeks gives you plenty of time to read a guidebook. (Hint-hint) Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, and Frommers are just three of the companies that publish guides to Tokyo. Some of these guidebooks are even available in electronic form. (I'm currently reading a guide to Seoul on Kindle in preparation for my first trip to Korea. Yes, 35 years of traveling to Japan, and I'll be making my first trip to Korea this summer.)
I agree with the advice above. Either spend all your time in Tokyo with maybe a day trip to Kamakura (home of the Great Buddha that is on all the kitchen calendars) or Nikko (scenery and the tombs of the Tokugawa shoguns), or base yourself in Osaka with day trips to Nara and/or Kyoto. But Osaka itself is not that great of a destination for the first-time traveler who has already been to Tokyo.
Apr 10, 2014, 11:19 pm
#8
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Hyatt Place, Del Taco
Posts: 5,414
Agree with abmj-jr's idea of spending it all in Tokyo (assuming OP's flying in/out of Tokyo), but include a day trip out of Tokyo. Although Nikko makes for a good day trip, I also suggest considering Hakone. Hakone is a mixture of nature, art, onsen and interesting train rides. Onsens in Nikko/Kinugawa are not high-quality imo. If you incorporate a lunch/day-onsen package into your Hakone day trip, I think you'll have a fun day.
Same here. >50 trips to Jpn, never been to Korea other than airport.
Same here. >50 trips to Jpn, never been to Korea other than airport.
Apr 11, 2014, 7:34 pm
#10
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota,USA
Programs: UA, NW
Posts: 3,752
That's the mistake I was thinking of, although the mean part of me thinks that anyone who goes to a foreign country without reading up on it ahead of time deserves to make expensive mistakes 
But I'll be kind and explain that both NRT and KIX are far outside their respective cities, so that a taxi will cost as much as a night in a mid-range hotel. Just for instance, NRT is 60 km (40 miles) outside of Tokyo.
But I'll be kind and explain that both NRT and KIX are far outside their respective cities, so that a taxi will cost as much as a night in a mid-range hotel. Just for instance, NRT is 60 km (40 miles) outside of Tokyo.