Hi there,

I have to admit: I've never been to Asia. But I'm trying to change that, and I just booked my first flight to Asia, along with my parents/other family. We'll be in Japan for 5.5 full days (excluding the day we arrive from the states; on the half-day we leave for Hong Kong at 6 PM).

The vision I had of "doing" Japan would be spending a few nights in Tokyo, and then circling key cities in Japan via train with a different hotel for each of the remaining nights, ending up at Narita for the flight out.

But there is a but.

My 84-year old grandmother thought she would never make it over the Pacific in her lifetime. But last year she made it to Hawaii, and maybe this year she'll be able to make it the rest of the way over the Pacific --- to Japan and Hong Kong. She's a great traveler and very capable of withstanding the long flight, jet lag, etc. She loves to see new places and the like. So there is a desire for her to come along.

But knowing little about how to "do" Japan, I'm not sure what our plan should be. She can't do my original vision of "backpacking" through Japan with a different city each night. But she is perfectly capable of staying in our Tokyo hotel, going on little local trips and walks around the area, spending time in parks, etc. But I don't think she can do a trek on train every day or so -- just between airport and hotel.

The rest of us aren't the most ambitious travelers; the 7-day itineraries in guide books aren't for us. We don't need to see every city, every attraction, etc. We'd rather hit the highlights and enjoy the ambiance of the cities -- parks, streets, restaurants, etc.

Is it possible to base ourselves in Tokyo for the entire 6 days and take day trips via trains to other key cities (e.g., Kyoto most especially), so that my grandmother can remain in the Tokyo hotel and environs? Or does the geography and nature of Japan necessitate traveling place-to-place and overnighting in Osaka, Kyoto, Nagasaki, etc., or whatever rather than doing them in a day from Tokyo?

As I said, I am embarassingly ignorant about how to effectively visit Japan, and all the internet and print guide books I've referenced haven't given me a great sense...they're written for the over-ambitious "checklist" travelers who need to see everything.

Thanks for your help!

Wanted to mention a great thread that I've found...

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=366319

This suggests that Nikko is a good day trip.

The original poster (PresRDC) suggests that Kyoto is too far. Can anyone elaborate?

What about other worthwhile destinations -- either as daytrip or a more of a circle trip (with hotel nights out of Tokyo?)

Thanks so much!

I made a trip to Japan over the Thanksgiving weekend, and I really enjoyed spending an afternoon in Kamakura. It's a bit of a walk from the station to the principal temple, and quite a few steps are involved, but I saw a number of older Japanese people who seemed to be doing OK.
Have a great trip.

Using Tokyo as a base for trips to Hiroshima and Nagasaki would be similar to using San Francisco as a base for day trips to Southern California. I would suggest spending two nights in Tokyo, then three nights in Kyoto using this ancient capital as a base for short trips around western Japan - Osaka, Nara, and Hiroshima.

Kyoto is about 2 hours by shinkansen from Tokyo, and about 4 or more hours from Nagasaki by a combination of shinkansen and local express trains (skip Nagasaki unless it is a must see).

On the day of departure for HKG, you can take the shinkansen from Kyoto station to Tokyo station then transfer to the Narita Express to the airport.

If you have 5.5 days, your grandmother with you and you all want to travel together, I would not recommend Kyoto let alone Nagasaki. Admittedly Kyoto is 2h20 from Tokyo using Nozomi (the fastest bullet train), you have to leave your hotel, go to the bullet train station, go through the crowd to the right platform and take the train which may take at least half a day to reach Kyoto. It is obviously up to you to make that decision - I would not hesitate a second if it was only you as just travelling on the train can be a cultural experience.

As other posters suggest, I would recommend side trips or walking around in Tokyo. Rather than worrying about how to get there, etc. why don't you rely on tours with English speaking guides? Do check the JTB (Japan's biggest travel agent) owned Sunrise Tours to look at the options. They offer lots of 1-day trips within Tokyo or to Nikko, Hakone or Kamakura. I am not affiliated with them but sometimes, when you're there for the first time, it's one of the most convenient ways to go around isn't it?

Please also check the JNTO 's website to get travel tips and also get ideas on what would interest you.

The simple fact is that Japan requires you to either walk and take public transit or take a lot of very expensive (and slow) taxi rides.

Although train/subway stations are adding escalators, mostly they are just UP escalators and they are still not that common.

This will be true even if you just want to see the Tokyo tourist sites, and it is certainly true on day trips to Nikko and Kamakura. It is also the case when touring Kyoto.

Very possibly the only viable and affordable option for your grandmom will be to put her on JNTO day tours while you go places on your own sometimes and go with her sometimes.

Don't mean to be pessimistic, but this is something to plan out very carefully.

Thanks for the responses. Based on what I've found, we've decided that it would just be too hard.

My seventy-something mother managed just fine in Tokyo and she has arthritis and difficulty walking. The main problem she had was tatami -- she finds it very difficult to sit on the floor, so it's important to avoid some ryokan and traditional Japanese restauarnts. If you were to stick to Tokyo with side trips to Nikko and Kamakura, I think you would be able to manage a trip together with your grandmother.