nookanaya

My girlfriend and I are going to Japan in mid-October, both for the first time. We fly into Osaka and out from Tokyo and have 8 nights there total. We're spending a couple nights each in Nikko and Tokyo in the 2nd half of the trip. I'm trying to decide whether to do 2 nights Osaka, 2 Kyoto for the first half, or just do 4 nights in Osaka with a full-day day trip to Kyoto, maybe a day trip to Hiroshima, and another half day in Kyoto. We'll have J-rail passes.

I realize we're trying to do too much as usual and I'm fine with that. I think the 2 & 2 option excludes Hiroshima. I'm trying to decide which is less hectic for seeing Kyoto though, those day trips or the extra hotel repositioning. If anyone here has done day trips to Kyoto from Osaka, would you do so again? Or would having a full day and a half "based" in Kyoto feel less rushed?

jaymar01

Most of the major tourist sites in Kyoto are nowhere near the main train station. You're looking at eating up a lot of time in transit from Osaka to Kyoto, and then compounding it with getting to your final destination.

You'll regret not staying in Kyoto. Not only is it a beautiful city, but you'll avoid a logistical nightmare.

mt-i

Unless you have a specific reason to stay in Osaka, I'd say you're probably better off staying all four nights in Kyoto and visit Osaka as a single day trip from there if need be. For a first time visitor, there is much more to see in Kyoto, and going to Osaka from there just takes half an hour or so anyway.

Actually, skipping Osaka altogether and doing a day trip to Nara instead (say) is an option to consider, especially if you're bound for Tokyo afterwards. Going all the way to Hiroshima is also possible but that would have to be a bit of a rushed day trip.

lobsterdog

Two nights in Nikko seems like a very strange choice. Four nights in Osaka vs. only two in Tokyo also seems odd.

One night in Osaka, two in Kyoto and five in Tokyo seems like a better balance if you consider how much there is to see in each location (skipping Hiroshima and Nikko altogether). However, Kyoto is pretty boring at night, so you might want to reverse the Osaka and Kyoto ratios.

abmj-jr

It depends on the types of things you like to do when you aren't visiting tourist sites. I am not a "night-life person" so I usually counsel people to spend their time in Kyoto and see Osaka on a day trip. There is far more to see in Kyoto and the two are less than an hour apart using the Rail Pass. On the other hand, if you want to go out and experience the night-life scene, Osaka is the way to go. The train runs both ways so Kyoto is less than an hour away.

Either way, I'd drop one of the nights in Nikko and add to either Osaka/Kyoto or Tokyo. Kyoto needs at least 2 days. Add a day trip to Hiroshima (long) or Nara (short) and some time in Osaka and you fill your four days. Tokyo has so much to see and experience that three nights there and 1 night in Nikko would give you a nice mix.

SQ319

3 nights in Kyoto and 1 night in Osaka (to experience Dotonbori and the nightlife), with a Nara day trip thrown in somewhere. Actually there is enough to see in Kyoto/Osaka/Nara that I'll say drop the day trip to Hiroshima, and spend more time in the other cities.

I did 3 nights in Kyoto and felt it was just nice to cover the main sights without getting "temple fatigue".

evergrn

If it were me, I'd do:
- 4 nights Kansai, 4 nights Tokyo
or
- 1 night Nikko, 4 nights Kansai, 3 nights Tokyo (or flip Kansai / Tokyo nights)

When I say Kansai, I'm talking about either Kyoto or Osaka or even Kobe (specifically Shin Kobe). Changing hotels during vacation is a hassle. If Kyoto's your big highlight and you anticipate spending >/=2 full days Kyoto / 0-1 day Osaka, then you should stay in Kyoto. However, if you think you're going to do 1 day Kyoto / 1 day Hiroshima / 1 day Osaka, etc, then Osaka and Shin Kobe are worth considering. You'll likely get better bang for the buck hotel-wise, even in Osaka's Umeda area rather than Kyoto. Kyoto is just a short train ride away from Osaka (via Hankyu from Umeda or JR train from Osaka Sta... you could take a bullet train from Shin Osaka but no great hotel in Shin Osaka) or from Shin Kobe (via bullet train... there's a CrownePlaza right next to the station).

Everyone has different thoughts on how much time to spend in Kyoto, whether/not Osaka is worth it, etc. But that all depends on your interests, any hotel points/preferences, how much time you have on your trip. If I were planning a general trip for a friend visiting Jpn for the first time and there were 4 nights in the Kansai region, I'd probably recommend 2 full days in Kyoto and 1 full day for a day trip to Hiroshima & Miyajima.

nookanaya

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Sounds like the best way to go is to maximize our time in Kyoto. We arrive into KIX late enough on the first day that we're really only there for dinner that day. If we head to Kyoto on the 2nd full day in country that should give us almost two and a half days to do things there. Might just have to save Hiroshima for the next trip.

I can see how Nikko after that sounds strange. We were just poking around at things to do and hiking on the trails around Lake Chuzenji and Mt Nantai sounded nice in Oct. The decision there is whether to take the train down to Tokyo after a full day of walking or just stay there another night.

abmj-jr

Not trying to convince you of anything but it seems you are planning to spend your arrival night at or near the airport. You should be aware that the train from KIX to Kyoto only takes 75 minutes. Many of us find it is far more convenient to just jump on the train, grab some dinner upon arrival in Kyoto and avoid having to change hotels at an inconvenient time in the morning. Instead of heading to Kyoto on the 2nd day, I'd suggest already being there when you wake up on that second day.

duo

I have to say on my last trip to Japan I stayed in Osaka and commuted to Kyoto and found it was really quick and easy. Stayed in Hilton which is right next to Osaka train station, a short train ride there - got my bus ticket to hop on/hop off at the various attractions in Kyoto.

op487062

I agree with the suggestions to:

Stay longer in Tokyo than scheduled.
Focus on Kyoto instead of Osaka. As mentioned, Kyoto is pretty dead at night if you're into nightlife.

Went to Kyoto for the first time last year, been going to Tokyo annually for a while.

ksandness

I've heard airline personnel refer to KIX as "Osaka," but in fact, it's not actually in the city but in the prefecture (like a state or province) of Osaka.

It takes only about 30 minutes longer to go straight into Kyoto than to stop off in the city of Osaka.

RTW1

If you arrive late staying in Osaka would be a good choice. Hotels there tend to be quite a bit cheaper than in Kyoto.

Even though your stay in Japan is relatively short I would recommend that you don't spend all your days in the cities. Do at least one night somewhere else along your route, somewhere a little bit different. On your way to Tokyo you could stop for a night in Hakone, one of the Fuji lakes, or something simular. Even a visit to Hiroshima/Miyajima can be nice and is quite doable when taking the Shinkansen. Stay in a ryokan for one night if you can afford it, or at one of the cheap (but still quite decent) hotels at the train stations along your route (I like Okayama when on the way back from Hiroshima to Tokyo.

1 night in Osaka, 2 in Kyoto, 3 in Tokyo and 2 somewhere else would be a good itinerary for me. For an 8 day trip you should try to pack light, it will save you from carrying too much on the trains and you can use the lockers at the train stations when you want to explore a little that day. Or you could even send your luggage from Kyoto to Tokyo and just carry enough for 1-2 days.

BH62

Well, you have to be careful about boarding a train at the "Kyoto" track at KIX. Recently we did just that (having taken the Haruka several times in the past). Anyhow, just a few weeks ago on our way from KIX to Kyoto, got on train sitting on that track, it departed, but then it started making various stops & we then realized we'd gotten on the local to Tenojii(sp?). Fortunately, an English-speaking pax came to our rescue, she was going to Shin-Osaka, so we followed her thru the Tenojii station to the correct boarding point, rode the Osaka ring shuttle train (or whatever it's called) to the correct transfer point, entrained for Kyoto & all went well from that point, taking maybe an extra hour in toto to Kyoto (sorry, couldn't resist the alliteration)

mosburger

Still, I'd recommend to have the big dinner of the trip in Osaka, unless prepared to pay top Kaiseki prices or a particular taste for Kyoto pickles (which I do have )

Osaka is second to none in the World for food and dining & wining. Miles ahead of Kyoto apart from a few niches.