My first trip was just 7 days, I did my own research and never took a tour.

I’d stick to a city (either Tokyo or Kyoto/Osaka) and go on day trips from there.

From Tokyo – Hakone (as I did), Kumakura, Nikko or even Mount Takao

From Osaka/Kyoto – Nara, Mt Koya, Himeji.

5 days should be enough of a taster, if you like it, you’ll go back.

I think we liked the historic, mountain-town atmosphere. Tourist Japan on a human scale, I guess. We used the opportunity to stay at a ryokan. And I still remember the little kids shouting "gaijin" at us.

If you're heading down from Tokyo to Kyoto on a railpass, I think it's very worth the detour if you have the time.

Oh, I remember that too........it was just like yesterday, actually it was :p .......

You devil, you. :)

I'm actually surprised it still happens. In China, I was in Guangdong province about 10 years ago (less than 100 miles from H.K.) and people stared at us like we were Martians. I visited the same town 5 years later and they had seen so many Martians by then that nobody gave us a second look.

I guess it's a "different" thing in Japan among the younger set.

First, let me thank all for their valued input.
Q shoe guy - what is Phr d?
As much as Takayama sounds quaint, it seems like a no-go.
BUt - how bad is getting to Takayama from Fuji/Hakone?
What does anyone know of the Romance Car (train) from Tokyo to Fuji Hakone? is it on JR pass?
asking again, does anyone know of Prince Ryokan at Lake Ashi (Hakone)?
How will I get from Fuji to Kyoto?
How much time will a day trip to Himeji castle take?

Phr d is another poster who can do all of Tokyo in 18 hours(latest estimate, the true Tokyoites can fill you in more :) )....it's a not so inside joke on this board.

With regards to one of your questions .......
Himeji Castle is easily reachable on Shinkansen or regular JR lines in short order. You can then walk from the station up a large street to the castle. The tour around the castle might take 1-2hours.

Let's assume that you stay the night near Hakone Yumoto station
From there you need to take a train to Odawara. That's about 20 minutes:
http://www.odakyu.jp/english/railmap/index.html
From Odawara you take a Shinkansen to Nagoya.
(However, you should note that Odawara is not a "main station" on the Shinkansen route - so the trains are not so frequent).
From Nagoya you change to the Hida Takayama line for a scenic trip up to Takayama (slightly over two hours).

It's not "BAD" ... but I don't think train travel in Japan is ever bad .... It's more a question of how much train travel you want to do during your 10 day visit... and how much interest you have in Takayama. It's your call.

Exact train times can be found on the following site:
http://grace.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperd01.cgi

Be careful what you ask for - I'm pretty sure that Railroad Tycoon could write several volumes on what he knows about the Romance Car. :D

No - The Odakyu railway company is not part of the JR group. The JR rail pass is not valid on the Romance Car and other Odakyu services.

The Odakyu company does offer it's own explorer pass, which might be of interest:
http://www.odakyu.jp/english/freepass/hakone_01.html

If you're spending 10 days in Japan and you're planning on getting a 7-day JR pass, then this is not a problem. Do the Hakone trip at the start of your 10 days. You could arrange for your JR pass to become valid after you do the Hakone trip. Then use the JR pass for the trip to Kyoto + possible trip to Takayama + return to Tokyo + journey to Narita airport.


(You can specify the "start" date of the JR pass at Narita airport when you arrive. I would recommend setting this up immediately upon arrival at Narita Airport - because only a few stations are equipped to set up a JR pass for you. One of them is Narita Airport).

Let's assume that you stay the night near Hakone Yumoto station
From there you need to take a train to Odawara. That's about 20 minutes:
http://www.odakyu.jp/english/railmap/index.html
From Odawara you take a Shinkansen to Kyoto.
(However, you should note that Odawara is not a "main station" on the Shinkansen route - so the trains are not so frequent).

Exact train times can be found on the following site:
http://grace.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperd01.cgi


2 or 3 hours is good for the castle itself. If you take a picnic lunch or a bento to enjoy in the gardens in front of the castle and a trip up the mountain to the Engyoji temple that I mentioned before, it can be a full day out.

I will manfully refrain from commenting on the aforementioned "inside joke." Needless to say, I think you need more than a day and a half for Tokyo. ;)

For Himeji, the train from Kyoto is less than an hour and the walk up to the castle is a nice 10-15 minute stroll. A leisurely visit to the castle would eat up an hour or two, but don't miss the gardens just outside the castle entrance. Then, there are several of nice little places to eat along the way back to the station, followed by the train ride back to Kyoto or Osaka. You could "do" Himeji in a few hours, including travel time, but most of a day would be more rewarding.

JR

agreed ^

It seems go with tour is cheaper and better use your time. All of my friends told me , so...

Thanks. By the way, Kyoto=Osaka ?

No, but the cities are adjacent to each other.

That's not a statement of fact - it just depends on who you are and what kind of touring you like to do. As your friends know you well and are more likely to share similar tastes and interests than I suggest you listen to them.

However, an organised tour would not be suitable for me, nor for my multi-cultural family. And certainly not cheaper either.

duplicate post

Wow! I really don't agree with that. It all depends on the traveler and his or her needs and desires. If you are more comfortable traveling with an organized group and seeing many sights in a few days, then definitely do it. You will not have to figure out how to use trains, subways and buses or order in restaurants and find your way around when you do not know the language. I, on the other hand, probably spend less than half what a tour group would charge for an equal time and I can set my own agenda on where to go and what to see.

It is all about your expectations and needs, but guided tours will rarely be cheaper. :)

JR

Disclaimer: This message reflects a lot of my personal preferences. Your mileage (or anyone else's) may vary. Also note that I have planned our first trip to Japan for April - so I don't speak from personal experience. I've simply planned our trip based on the way I like to travel.

One of my preferences is that I spend as little time packing/unpacking and traveling once I've arrived somewhere and as much time as possible seeing and experiencing what's there. Unless you are a very light packer - that seems to be - from what I've read here - a good idea in Japan (I've read that trains aren't geared up for people carrying large amounts of luggage - so we plan to forward ours for our 2 hotel transfers). Another preference is that I never want to arrive in a foreign country without hotel reservations (don't want to spend *any* time finding a place to stay - I had to do it when I was a student staying at youth hostels - I don't have to do it now).

With 10 nights - I would spend 5 in Tokyo and 5 in Kyoto - and take day trips out of those cities if you'd like. That will give you lots of time to explore 2 very different places - and attractions close to them. I don't think you mentioned when your plane left for home - but if it's in the afternoon - you can take the train from Kyoto to the airport the day of departure (that is in fact what we're doing - and it's an easy connection). (Like you - we are flying on an airline that only flies into Narita - so we don't have a choice of airports.)

From Tokyo - I believe it is a relatively easy day trip to Mt. Fuji (I assume you don't want to climb Mt. Fuji - which - if I recall correctly - is an overnight trip involving a stay on the mountain - and I don't think March is the season for it).

I disagree with people who say that Tokyo is not "authentic Japan". I believe Tokyo is the largest city in the world these days - with 14 million or so Japanese inhabitants - and if that is not "authentic Japan" - I don't know what is. Although I think shrines and castles and the like can be interesting (in terms of providing historical context and forcing you to learn some history if you want to understand what you're seeing) - my primary goal when visiting a country is learning about contemporary culture.

And I don't know how you can do justice to a city like Tokyo in a day or two. Especially if you have any interest in food - the food possibilities are simply mind-boggling. For example - I am planning to spend the better part of a day with a friend touring the "food halls" in a few department stores in Ginza. That may not be your cup of tea (perhaps you like gardens - or art - or design - or video games :) ) - but I'm sure that Tokyo will have something to entice you. Tokyo is very much a city of neighborhoods (some of which are very different at night than they are by day) - and if you read about the neighborhoods - you will probably find at least a few you'd like to explore. I recommend getting a copy of Time Out Tokyo (a guide to the city) for a very readable summary of what the city has to offer. Robyn

P.S. Kamakura is an easy day trip from Tokyo (about 1 hour each way on the train) - Nikko is 2 hours by fastest method - the latter is too long in terms of a day trip for me.