What Cities On A First Time Trip?
 

Hi,

I'm planning on redeeming Northwest mile for a first time trip to Asia next summer. I have a 10-year old so thought Japan would be fun. We want to spend around 2 weeks and hopefully redeem my Hilton and Priority Club points for hotels.

If you were going on a family trip, what 2 or 3 cities would you go to? I need to figure if I should fly into and out of Narita or fly into one city and out of another, etc.

Any advice or recommendations? (P.S. I know my daughter would love Tokyo Disneyland).

Thanks much!

kyoto
 

It's easy to get around and if your kid likes mountains and hiking like my nephew does he'll have a blast. I'm considerably older than 10 and I had a blast.

I have a diary about my first time trip there if you feel like reading it.

http://peachfront.diaryland.com/kyoto1.html

Two weeks? That is a long time in Japan. You could see and do a lot.

As for places, I suggest Tokyo and Kyoto for sure. Beyond that, there are a lot of great choices. You probably should get a couple of good guidebooks and compare choices. Some options are Hiroshima, Kamakura, the Hakone area near Mount Fuji and the ancient city of Nara (near Kyoto.) Without knowing what your daughter likes, it is hard to be specific, but don't miss the river cruise in Tokyo, the Edo-Tokyo Museum in Tokyo and all of Kyoto. The better guidebooks, like Frommers, all have sections of suggestions for traveling with kids.

Summer is not the best time to visit, but if you are working around school vacation you may not have much choice. June is the typhoon or rainy season and July/August can be pretty hot and muggy in Tokyo. Plan accordingly. There are several festivals or "matsuri" in summer, so keep an eye out for that. Most guidebooks list dates and locations for the majors.

I am a big fan of flying into NRT(Tokyo) and out from KIX(Osaka/Kyoto) - or vice versa - and using the trains in between. I think you could do that on NWA or one of their codeshares.

Search through past threads in this forum. We have had many similar questions and the information contained herein is extensive. Just this morning, there was a wealth of information posted about getting from NRT to Tokyo and on to Kyoto.

JR

I think that two weeks in Japan would be a terrific experience for your 10-year-old (and for you).

If you want to do everything with points - you could get a great introduction to Japan using Tokyo and Kyoto as your hubs. Use the Hilton Points to stay at the Hilton Tokyo or Conrad Tokyo. (Also Hilton Maihama is an option - immediately next to Tokyo Disneyland). You could use your Priority Club points to stay in Kyoto. So this leads me to the following idea -

>> Fly into NRT

>> Tokyo
Use the Hilton or Conrad as your base for a few days. Itinerary = Arrival Day / Tourism in Tokyo (1 or 2days) / Day trip to Kamakura / Day trip to Disneyland / Day trip to Nikko / Day trip to Hakone (Mt. Fuji)
TOTAL = 6 or 7 days

>> Take Shinkansen to Kyoto
Use the Holiday Inn Kyoto as your base for a few days.
Itinerary = Tourism in Kyoto (2 or 3 days) / Day trip to Nara / Day trip to Himeji (castle)
TOTAL = 4 or 5 days

>> Return flight from KIX

If you are willing to stay a couple of nights in hotels that don't participate in those point programs, then there are many, many places to go. I would recommend getting away from the urban centers - Go visit the mountains. Maybe Gifu prefecture .... Maybe stay at a Japanese style hot spring hotel.

I am sure you are conscious of your daughter's attention span - If she is a typical 10-year-old, she will probably get "temple fatigue" unless you break things up. Don't attempt an exhaustive 3-day tour of Kyoto and Nara without some variety in between the temples. You can make a plan which will break it up with trips to Himeji castle, theme parks (Eiga Mura in Kyoto), hands on experiences (making your own woodblock print in Kyoto), mountains / hiking / cycling and stuff.

Anyway - Looks like a fun trip.

====================================

LIST OF HOTELS THAT PARTICIPATE IN THOSE PROGRAMS


Hilton Group

Hilton Odawara Resort & Spa
583-1 Nebukawa, Odawara City
Kanagawa, Japan, 250-0024
81-(0)465-29 1000

Hilton Nagoya
3-3, Sakae 1-chome, Naka-ku
Nagoya, Japan, 4600008
81-52-212-1111

Hilton Tokyo Narita Airport
456 Kosuge
Narita, Japan, 286 0127
81-476-33 1121

Hilton Osaka
8-8, Umeda 1-chome, Kita-ku
Osaka, Japan, 530-0001
81-6-63477111

Hilton Otaru
11-3 Chikko
Otaru/Hokkaido, Japan, 047-0008
81-134-21-3111

Hilton Tokyo
6-2 Nishi-Shinjuku 6-chome
Shinjuku-Ku, Japan, 1600023
81-3-33445111

Hilton Tokyo Bay
1-8 Maihama
Urayasu-shi, Chiba, Japan, 279-0031
81-47-355 5000

Conrad Tokyo
1-9-1, Higashi-Shinbashi, Minato-Ku
Tokyo, Japan,
81-03-6388 8000


Priority Club:

Kobe
Holiday Inn Express
SHIN-KOBE
4-14 HATAZUKA-DORI 6-CHOME
KOBE, 651-0068
JAPAN
81-78-2221212

Kochi
Holiday Inn
933 MYOKEN, NANGOKU CITY
KOCHI, 783
JAPAN
81-88-8632000

Kyoto
Holiday Inn
36 NISHIHIRAKI-CHO TAKANO
SAKYO-KU
KYOTO, 606
JAPAN
81-075-7213131

Mito
Holiday Inn
2-2-2,JYONAN,MITO-SHI,IBARAKI
MITO, 310
JAPAN
81-29-3001100

Nagano
Holiday Inn Express
17-1, 2-CHOME, MINAMI-CHITOSE
NAGANO, 380
JAPAN
81-26-2646000

Nagasaki
Holiday Inn
6-24 DOZA-MACHI
NAGASAKI, 850
JAPAN
81-95-8281234

Narita
Holiday Inn
320-1 TOKKO, CHIBA
NARITA, 286-0106
JAPAN
81-476-321234

Sasebo
Holiday Inn
MINATO-MACHI 5-24
SASEBO, 857-0055
JAPAN
81-956-260123

Sendai
Holiday Inn
1-4-1 SHINTERA, WAKABAYASI-KU
SENDAI, 984-0051
JAPAN
81-22-2565111

Tokyo
Intercontinental
1-16-2, KAIGAN, MINATO-KU
TOKYO, 105
JAPAN
81-3-54042222

Metropolitan
6-1, NISHI-IKEBUKURO 1-CHOME
TOSHIMA-KU
TOKYO, 171
JAPAN
81-3-39801111

Yokohama
Intercontinental
1-1-1 MINATO MIRAI, NISHI-KU
YOKOHAMA, 220
JAPAN
81-45-2232222

Hokkaido is about the only place in Japan where the weather stays tolerable in the summer months. The Otaru Hilton would be close enough to Sapporo for commuting and the town itself is both sushi heaven and a gate to hiking in the nearby mountains.

abmj-jr suggested Hakone as somewhere to visit and I think that might be an ideal excursion for your family. There is a ticket called the “Hakone Free Pass” which allows you unlimited travel on the different transport systems of Hakone, which most people travel as a circuit (takes roughly 4-4.5 hours)
The trip from Shijuku to Odawara should take between 1.5-2 hours. From there you get
The Hakone-Tozan Line mountain railway to Gora and begin the circuit. At Gora change to the Hakone-Tozan Cablecar to climb the steep incline up to Sounzan. Then the trip becomes more fun when you board the Hakone ropeways up past the boiling sulphur pits of Owakudani and then on to the edge of Lake Ashinoko ***. There are about three plastic clad ships made to look like galleons and pirate ships (they wouldn’t look out of place in Disneyland) and these cross the lake (you can get a splendid view of Mount Fuji from the deck on clear days) and once across there is some lovely mountainside scenery to explore before getting a bus back to Odowara or Hakone-Yumoto (I swear my partner and I once saw a hummingbird on the shore of Ashinoko, but they aren’t native to Japan).
The main reason that I would be keen to take children here is that you get the chance to do a lot of walking amongst some fantastic scenery, yet the transport options mean that there’s no need to carry a little one very far once they succumb to fatigue.

Also, there is a Universal Theme Park near Osaka/Kyoto http://www.usj.co.jp/e_top.html

*** I remember that there was a craft shop here that let you paint onto ceramic/pottery pieces. We didn’t do this ourselves, but we saw a Japanese family sitting outside in the sunshine getting very involved in their projects.

P.S. I've always avoided Japan in the summer, but there is one reason I'd visit purposefully at this time, and that's to see the fireflies in early July. The only places that I know of where you can see them (but I'm sure there are many more) are near Mount Takao (one hour west of Tokyo -makes a lovely day trip) and around Kamakura - apparantly there is a park on the top of a mountain there where they can be found.

Did this exact trip last month with my two daughters ages 19 and 16. Flew LAX to KIX, spent about 4 days in Osaka, visiting Kyoto for a day, and Nara for a day. Nara was unexpectedly fun, because of the large number of deer roaming the area between the station and verious temples. Your kids will certainly get a kick out of that.

Took the bullet train to Tokyo and spent another 4 days there. Did the usual Tokyo stuff plus a day trip to Kamakura, highly recommended. Flew home from Narita.

Used several guidebooks, but found the United airlines three perfect days series most helpful.

Where to Stay
Had a couple of award nights at the Osaka Hilton. Great hotel. Small rooms, but wonderful exec. lounge.

Used a couple of award nights at the Century Hyatt in Shinjuku. It's across the street from the Tokyo Hilton. Shinjuku is a great area for kids. The hotel is a 10 minute or less walk to Shinjuku station and the hotels have a very frequent shuttle. You're on the "calm" (west) side of Shinjuku. Go around the station to the east side and you're in a completely different universe.

Shinjuku station has subways and trains to wherever you want to go, but unfortunately the bullet train from Osaka goes to the Tokyo station on the east side of the city, so you'll then need to train or cab it to Shinjuku.

Summer Heat
Yes, it was hot and humid. We did everything via train and walking, and the heat and humidity took their toll. Do not plan on doing more than one thing per day. We were wrung out at the end of each day.

The best kid-friendly antidote for hot, humid Japanese summers is "kaki-goori," or what they call "shave ice" in Hawaii.

My personal favorite flavor is "mizore," or diluted honey syrup, but you can get fruit flavors as well. Kaki-goori stands can be recognized by their blue flags with a big red starfish-looking kanji (the kanji for "ice") flying outside.

I second the recommendation for Hakone, simply because of the variety of transportation options on the Free Pass.

A genuine samurai castle, such as the one in Himeji, might go over well, too.

Two weeks might be a bit too much for Japan.

I believe that when using NW miles from US to Asia, you may be permitted a stopover in Japan. Perhaps you can have a one week stopover in Japan, and then spend another week in another country.

Or perhaps 10 days in Japan, and three days in HKG?

Thanks for all of the great replies. Because of your responses, I changes my trip for June to April -- sounds like a much better time to visit.

Also, the trip gives me 12 full days in Japan -- sounds about right.

Unfortunately, I could only get award tix on NWA into and out of Narita (World Business Class from LAX).

Can't wait!

Yes! My favorite is Uji, with the condensed milk on top. Meiji also makes frozen pops which are basically shaved ice mixed in with red beans and the syrup, wrapped in a mochi-like shell, and topped with a sweetened-milk cap, so when you bite the top of the frozen pop, the milk oozes out. Those are available year round in boxes of eight. They are delicious.

That is a great time to visit. In early April you will probably still have some cherry blossoms. Mid- to late April will still have plenty of flowers and other things popping out in the exquisite Japanese gardens.

For April, be sure to schedule a few hours at the Hama Rikyu Detached Imperial Garden. It is glorious that time of year and could be combined with the river cruise to Asakusa for a walk around Senso-ji temple complex and the wonderfully quirky Nakamise shopping arcade. When I took my girls to Japan, they loved diving in and out of the little booths for souvenirs and sampling the various foods at the stalls. There is a river cruise stop right in Hama Rikyu. Other parks will also be beautiful. I recommend Ueno Park with all of the different museums and interesting historical sites and the Imperial Palace East Garden. You and your daughter might also enjoy a visit to a top Ginza department store. For heaven's sake don't buy anything unless you are independently wealthy, but the experience is incredible. White-gloved attendants holding doors for you, bowing and welcoming you as you walk in and more attentive staff than any five American stores. If you do this, leave some time to visit the basement for fresh food sampling. All the top stores have a food department down there.

If you are limited to in/out of the country through NRT, you can still take the shinkansen to Kyoto for a few days. Kyoto is even more beautiful in April than Tokyo - not to be missed. Your daughter might enjoy trying some of the traditional Japanese arts and crafts. There are many places that have short, one-time lessons. Also, she might enjoy a visit to the Toei Uzumasa Movie Land theme park. It is a real movie lot where many "samurai" movies were filmed. They occasionally still have movies being filmed there. The Imperial Palace is available for tours, although that might be a bit dry for a 10 year old. Even if you skip the tour, the park around the Palace is really beautiful and a great place for a picnic lunch on one of the benches. Nijo Castle is also open for self guided tours, as are more beautiful temples and shrines than anyone could ever visit in one trip. Choose those with care. Most are delightful but you can get "templed out" in a hurry. Pace yourselves. Particularly nice are Kinkakuji (the golden pavilion), Heian Jingu Shrine and Ryoanji Temple, but there are at least a couple of dozen others just as nice.

The shinkansen takes less than 3 hours to travel between Tokyo - Kyoto and trains run every few minutes. You could even depart from Kyoto to Tokyo and catch the Narita Express to NRT on your departure day if your flight is not too early. Figure 5 hours total Kyoto - NRT. While in Kyoto, a great day trip is to take the short train ride to Nara, the ancient capitol from the 8th century. There are many really old, historic sites around Nara Park and kids seem to love the tame deer that wander around begging for handouts. You can buy deer snacks to feed them, but be careful. The deer have been known to be a bit aggressive seeking the snacks and sometimes frighten kids.

April will be a wonderful time to visit!

JR

Thanks again for all the wonderful input.

Problem is...the only hotel I was able to redeem points for is the Tokyo Bay Hilton. While we do want to go to Disneyland and DisneySea, is it really a pain to make trips into Tokyo or other day trips.

Or...should I bite the bullet and pay for a hotel in cental Tokyo?

Other option is InterContinental Tokyo Bay on points -- either one a decent choice?

Thanks!

I haven't stayed at either the Hilton TB or the IC TB, but going purely on location, the IC is in a much better one. The Disney resorts and hotels are way the heck and gone out in Chiba and not convenient to much else other than the Disney properties. You could commute into the city using the Keiyo line train until you get to a station that connects to the subway system or go all the way to Tokyo Station and switch to the Yamanote line, so you would not be stuck but really, once you have seen Disneyland in California, you have seen Disneyland Tokyo. Are you going all that way to ride the Pirates of the Caribbean?

The IC is in a pretty good location for getting around the city. Just south of Hama Rikyu Garden on the bay, it is near several subway and train connections. LapLap was just talking about her plans for a stay at the IC in a thread 3 or 4 down from this one. You might touch bases with her.

My two cents - all other things being equal, I would select the IC and take the train out to Disneyland one day. If you do select the Hilton Tokyo Bay, you will not be isolated, just a bit of a train ride from everything other than Disney.

JR

I think this is a mistake. These hotels are somewhat isolated. Part of the unique experience of being in Tokyo is being in the middle of the action, even for small kids.