CO FF

OK, I'm going to hijack this thread instead of starting my own! First time visitors to Japan; my wife and I are "intense" travelers (wake early; go late; sleep on the flight home...). Our plan is below; would welcome your suggestions & input!

SUN JAN 13: UA LAX-NRT, Connect to ANA/Ibex NRT-HIJ
MON JAN 14 - 7pm - arr Hiroshima
HOTEL: TBD; does anyone know about the Hiroshima Washington Hotel? What about the Rhiga or the Crowne Plaza?
TUE JAN 15 - Hiroshima & Miyajima. Peace Memorial Park & Atomic Bomb Museum; ferry to Miyajima - Floating Torii Gate, general touring on Miyajima.
WED JAN 16 - Activate Japan Rail Passes; shinkansen to Tokyo.
HOTEL: Westin Tokyo (we have a friend who lives nearby - and got it on points)
THUR JAN 17 - Asakusa; Sensoji; Nakamise; Water Bus on Sumidagawa River; Hamarikyu Garden; Meiji Shrine; see Omotesando.
FRI JAN 18 - Kamakura day trip?
SAT JAN 19 - Hanging out with friend
SUN JAN 20 - Train to Odawara; Hakone tour
HOTEL: Hakone Kowakien Ten-Yu (Ryokan)
MON JAN 21 - TBD - any ideas? Ending up in Kyoto
HOTEL: Kyoto Tokyu Hotel
TUE JAN 22 - Arashiyama - Okochi Mountain Villa; bamboo groves; Nonomiya Shrine; Tenryuji Temple. Fushimi - Fushimi Inari Shrine & sake brewery
WED JAN 23 - Kinkakuji Temple; Nijo Castle; Nishiki Market; Kiyomizu Temple; Sanjusangendo
THUR JAN 24 - OPEN - ideas? Go to Osaka?
FRI JAN 25 - Fly home. KIX-ICN-LAX via OZ

LapLap

I’m going to concentrate solely on Tokyo. But your plan for the 17th is flawed. It’s not that you can’t do everything in one day, it’s that you don’t seem to have taken into account the early closing times that are common in January.
Meiji Jingu shrine closes at 4:20pm
Meiji Jingu-Map, contact, opening hours-

You can begin as planned that day so that you are at Sensoji at 6:30am.
Alternatively, as kevincrumbs recently demonstrated in a trip report
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/30347633-post10.html
You can go backwards and save Sensoji/Asakusa for last and see it at night, illuminated and with few crowds. Personally, I don’t think the actual shops on Nakamise are worth shopping in (except perhaps some offering rice crackers, but you’ll find similar elsewhere) so wouldn’t worry that they are likely to be closed.
Even if you do go to Asakusa at night, getting in Hama Rikyu, Meiji Jingu and sandwiching in Omotesandou is the trickiest part. Again, you can go to Meiji Jingu very early, but then you’ll miss any weddings, baseball teams going for blessings, babies and their kimono clad families attending ceremonies and all the other events that happen there on a daily basis that help one understand the importance of Meiji Jingu to so many of us (my daughter had her 7-5-3 ceremony here, as did her father).

CO FF

This is terrific feedback - thank you! The order of the stops was based on the narrative from the guide recommended by our travel agent; I'm going to give her your thoughts, and have them revise.

LapLap

There may be no issue with this itinerary for many of your guide’s clients. My Japanese father-in-law walks through attractions like he is speed reading, it’s taken me years to get him to slow down a bit to absorb his surroundings. He’s not in the slightest bit unusual.
If “intense” travel means marching from point to point at a brisk pace you’ll be fine. Also, a guide won’t be wasting any time figuring out boat schedules and which forested paths lead to and from Meiji Jingu and how to get from one place to the next, so there’s that benefit. A first time visitor can be counted on “wasting” an hour or so as they work things out - but that’s often the best part!
Telling a guide how to do their job from the outset doesn’t sound like the start of a great relationship to me. My opinion was based on you finding your way through the posted itinerary by yourselves.

angra

To clarify a little bit, the transit IC cards are useful as a charge card at *some* shops and restaurants - particularly near train stations, but they are not universally accepted all over Tokyo (I think).

Pureboy

For both of you- please consider adding a day trip to Himeji castle. It is located close to Kobe/Osaka on the way west towards Hiroshima, and right on the mail bullet train line. It is easily walkable from the station and is arguably the best castle in all of Japan, and unarguably miles above Osaka Castle, which is a concrete 1960's reconstruction with a meh museum inside.

I advise most people to try to fit it in because it is such an easy addition- especially for those on a railpass, but most first-timers don't even know about it. It is SUCH a cool castle! Google it.

1Barn1 - Could do it in a few hours stopover in between Hiroshima and Fuji or daytrip from Kyoto.
CO FF - perfect for the Thursday before you leave.

FlitBen

At the exit is a small tourist office, ask them which bus will take you up the boulevard closer to Himeji castle. The bus stands with electronic signs are across the street from the taxi stands outside. There may be a free retro shuttle bus for tourists as well.

A full circuit of the castle grounds and interiors will involve lots of walking and stairs, so the bus may be nice to have both ways.

abmj-jr

The walk from Himeji Station to the castle and back is easily doable, assuming the weather is decent. It takes you right past several historical monuments and other nice things to see as well as a couple of nice places for lunch. I found one of the better casual tonkatsu places I've tried right on that main route.

A good plan for the walk to and from might be to travel one direction on the main boulevard and move over one block to the neighboring shopping street for the return.

LapLap

I agree. My own visit to Himeji was part of a solo convalescence trip. I’d been unable to walk for a year and was getting my strength back. The walk to and from Himeji station and the castle was extremely easy and unchallenging (the castle itself was a bit tricky but I was helped up and down some of the more difficult steep steps by some very kind souls). On the way back from the castle I came across a public building which was hosting an amateur cake decorating competition. Entry was free, standards were high, many of the visitors were delightful. The little detour turned into an unexpected highlight of a wonderful day during a memorable trip.
Photos of the edible Art on that Himeji detour Yo Obachan: Cake contest at Himeji

ksandness

I agree with the endorsement of Himeji and also with the idea that some of your best experiences in Japan will be the ones you don't plan for. If you keep your eyes and ears open, there are little adventures to be had, many of them at the invitation of local residents.

1Barn1

Hi All,

I'm going to hijack this thread... I mean, hope someone answers my question since I'm the OP...

What are thoughts on this agenda?

Tokyo: Monday 5pm-Friday AM - Staying Hyatt Regency - Shinjuku
Yokohama: Thursday, back to Tokyo at night
Leave tokyo Fri AM
Kyoto: Fri Afternoon - Monday Morning
Hiroshima: Monday Morning, Depart Tuesday morning take train to Fujikawaguchiko around 1200.
Fujikawaguchiko: Tuesday to Thursday morning. Take train from Fujikawaguchiko to Narita in AM.

LapLap

I still haven’t been to Fujikawaguchiko and I’ve been going to Japan on a near yearly basis since 2002.

I’ll be in Japan in April also. What is it that appeals to you about the area that has made you arrange such a large chunk of time there?

As for the rest of your itinerary, there is a chance that it will coincide with the Sakura season. You are dedicating a weekend (the busiest time) to potentially the busiest area in Japan.
Personally, I haven’t experienced massive crowds in early April, but that may be because I go often to Japan which means that I can afford to enjoy attractions that get overlooked by many tourists. But there are reports on this forum of contending with huge masses of overseas visitors.

If you are planning to get around Kyoto by bus I would imagine that the buses will be crowded and the bus routes time consuming. In your situation I would look for an itinerary with bus travel honed down to the minimum and try and take in a few obscure sights as well as the popular ones.

I can’t tell you what those are in Kyoto, but I am extremely adept at avoiding similar crowds in Tokyo. Can help you with that part if you need it.

-
Reports about huge crowds (particularly in first week of April) in these two threads
Tokyo Dec vs Spring

And (scroll to post #50 ) :
Explosive tourist growth in Japan
(How I avoided most crowds is in post #68 )

jib71

Looks like one full day (Wednesday). I guess the OP might want to see Mount Fuji and visit the amusement park or go for a walk?
My thoughts on the OP's latest itinerary:
1. Consider a midweek stay in Kyoto rather than a weekend
2. Consider visiting Kawaguchi ko as a day trip from Tokyo rather than a diversion on the way back from Hiroshima
3. Be aware that there are flights between Hiroshima and NRT that you might compare with the rail pass for cost and timings.

DavidDTW

In Kyoto, the buses that go to the popular sights (100, 101, etc) are extremely crowded, even on weekdays. I believe the trip from Kyoto Station to the Ginkaku-ji stop took almost an hour. Try to avoid riding at the same times as the school kids do. The non-tourist buses are much less crowded, but on one the driver really had to examine my day pass ticket, like he did not know what it was. The train to/from Fushimi-Inari was slightly less busy.

tt7