I am arriving to Japan through NRT 15:10 and have same day reservation at Westin Miyako Kyoto (don't ask how it happened ).

Question(s) - is possible to travel to Kyoto same day? LP advises that bullet trains are not running at night... so I guess question is when last Shinkansen departs from Tokyo station to Kyoto?
Is it utterly complicated or is still possible to do being jetlagged?

Is it worth buying railpass if all my rail travel will be from Tokyo to Kyoto (rtn) with possible side trip from Kyoto to Hiroshima?

Lastly, as my return flight departs 10am I am considering spending a night at NRT - in Holiday Inn Narita. Is it any kind of shuttle which would go between NRT terminals and NRT hotels?

Advise will be much appreciated

1.) You can do it same day, but prepare to be pretty wasted.

Figure an hour and a half to get through C&I and get train travel arranged. If you have checked luggage, add a half hour. There is a Narita Express train to Tokyo Station at 17:13 - arriving at 18:13. The next one is at 17:44, arriving at 18:44. They run approximately every half hour and take about an hour. Leave 20-30 minutes to find the shinkansen platform at Tokyo Station. More is better if you are a first-timer in Japan or are hauling much luggage.

The shinkansen runs roughly every half hour until the last one at 20:06, taking just under 3 hours to get to Kyoto IF you are using a Japan Rail Pass. If you forego the Pass, you can use the Nozomi, which runs more frequently and has a last departure at 21:18. You cannot use the Rail Pass on Nozomi.

A great tool for checking train times and departures is: http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperWeb.cgi

2.) My take on the Rail Pass is that it is not worth it for just the roundtrip Tokyo-Kyoto-Tokyo plus the N'EX both ways. I'd rather just pay out-of-pocket and be able to use the Nozomi. If you add Hiroshima, then it certainly would be worth it. This all assumes that all of your train travel is within a 7 day period. If you need longer duration for the Pass, the costs and economics change. What are your dates?

3.) Can't answer about the NRT Holiday Inn, but I think a last night in either Tokyo or NRT is a very good idea for a 10:00 departure. Most of the NRT area hotels provide shuttle service to/from the airport. Check the Holiday Inn website. If you want some other choices, here is a website I trust:

http://www.japanhotel.net/data/pref/...BA&Area=NARITA

JR

Yes there is a free shuttle that runs between the HI (AKA Tobu Narita) but only once every 30 mins or so. Trip takes about 20 minutes or so (you need to go through a security check - which means that the police will stop all traffic, board the bus and check everyone's documents).

The hotel itself is OK. Certainly good value for money.

To make the most out of your last day in Japan, I'd strongly suggest getting a room within Narita town itself.
Pricewise, Comfort Inn is a good deal for one person: http://www.choicehotels.com/ires/en-...fo?hotel=JP026 (just under 6,000 yen)
for two people, I'd advise staying at the Mercure Narita (usually 9,000yen through www.mytrip.net/en)
Getting to the HI in the evening is a pain in the butt, once you're there, there's nothing to do - just a convenience store. And it'll take at least 30 minutes to get from the hotel to the airport.

By staying at Narita town, you'll be checking in just minutes after the train gets there. Plenty to do in the evening, lots of nice restaurants, nightlife if you want it. In the morning, you can have a nice stroll around the temple gardens (the temple is a major draw in its own right), check out, and if you're aware of the train timetable you can leave the hotel and be inside the airport within ten minutes. Works for me!

Could the OP change to a flight arriving even slightly earlier? There is a domestic JL flight NRT-ITM ( Osaka-Itami ) departing at 3:40 pm. From Itami you would have a direct bus connection to Kyoto taking maybe an hour or so.

Turns out that Narita-Kyoto combined with just Kyoto-Tokyo, without using Nozomi, is Y29750, which is already above the cost of the 7 day by Y1450. So those two trips alone justify the pass, and the return to Narita and any additional JR travel are bonus.

Yeah, but my preference to use Nozomi stills counts for something. For just the price of one way on the N'EX, I'll do without the Pass. If there is additional JR travel to do during my stay, then I agree with you that the economics outweigh that consideration.

JR

Can your agent add Narita-Itami (Osaka Airport) on to your ticket for a small fee? If he can then it would save you having to buy the rail pass. There's a convenient bus from Itami to Kyoto station or you can book the MK Taxi "Skygate Shuttle" door-to-door.

Yes - as abmj pointed out.

Others have pointed out that there are flights to Itami. I believe you can make the 16.55 flight. It may be the quickest way - although it won't get you to your hotel much earlier than the train:
IBEX AIRLINES flight 3111 (code share with ANA as NH3111)
NARITA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT 16:55
OSAKA AIRPORT (Itami) 18:15

... and it won't work for you if you are aiming to save money with the railpass...

Is your trip seven days or less? (For example - Depart for Kyoto on Sunday and return on Saturday or earlier). If so, then you can save money by using a JR railpass - especially if you also go to Hiroshima. Some people also appreciate the "hassle free" feeling of being able to walk onto any JR train without calculating fares etc.

However, if you go for the railpass, then you must accept a somewhat longer journey to Kyoto - You won't be flying and you won't be riding the Nozomi Shinkansen trains (which are the fastest and most frequent). You will be taking a Hikari train from Tokyo. That's going to take 30 to 60 minutes longer than a Nozomi. It's your choice.

Forget the Holiday Inn. Stay in Narita City - as LapLap suggested.


ALTERNATIVE -

In all of the above, I assumed that you simply must spend that first night at the Westin Miyako in Kyoto. But if there is some way to cancel that first night at the Westin Miyako....then I would suggest that you spend your first night at a hotel near Tokyo Station or Shinagawa Station.

Next morning you can catch an early Shinkansen to Kyoto - give your luggage to the Westin Miyako's reception desk at Kyoto Station (open from 09.00am to 6.00pm) and go straight to whatever you want to do in Kyoto.

This might be less stressful for you than going straight from NRT to Kyoto.

When I had to stay near NRT I chose the ANA NRT Hotel. It was quite nice for the US$110 (net) that I wisely chose to include the buffet breakfast when I booked it. Shuttle was free, frequent, and efficient.

To everybody: thank you very much for providing valuable input and a feedback. Upon its review I decided to re-sequence my travel plans and they now look as follows:

September 11: arrival to Tokyo (NRT) 15:30, transfer to Tokyo, check-in to the hotel.
September 11-14: Stay in Tokyo (Courtyard Tokyo Ginza). Some side trips by rail are possible.
September 14: Train to Kyoto
September 14-17: Stay in Kyoto (Westin Miyako Kyoto).
September 17 (AM): Train to Hiroshima, day in Hiroshima, afternoon ferry departure to Miyajima, night in Miyajima (Ryokan-type accommodation tbd).
September 18 (PM): train to Narita, check-in to one of airport hotels (Holiday Inn Tobu Narita as a possibility)
September 19: Departure from Narita 11:30

I am planning to buy 7 day railpass which would cover Tokyo-Kyoto-Hiroshma-Narita (in this case I will need separate ticket Narita-Tokyo on day 1).

Comments to itinerary above would be greatly appreciated.
AX

Hi AX
Your itinerary looks really nice - not at all overstretched.

You have several ways of getting to Higashi Ginza from NRT (the route you'll need to take before your JR pass kicks in) - the cost varies from around 1,160yen to just over 3,000yen (if you go by N'EX or Limousine Bus).

Personally I'd take the Keisei line to Ueno - you can take the more expensive Skyliner (51 minutes 1,920yen) or the cheaper Limited Express (76 minutes, 1,00yen - my usual route) to Ueno station. Then there's a bit of a walk to the Hibiya line, from there it's just 8 stations down to Higashi Ginza. Whole thing will take from 1hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes (2,080yen to 1,160yen)

---------------------------

The only refinement I'd suggest for your itinerary (because I've stayed there a few times) is to give the Holiday Inn Tobu Narita a miss. The location is a real drag. The only advantage to this hotel is if you want to stay somewhere comfortable and cheap where you can spend as much time as possible in private with someone you won't be seeing fo a very long time. It's also good if you're desperate for Priority Club points bonuses - but I emphasise desperate.

For your last night, and morning, in Japan I'd urge you to instead consider one of the hotels or inns in Narita town itself.

If it's just you - then the Comfort Inn offers just as good value as the HI does (and you get a modest breakfast too).

If you are travelling with a companion, the Mercure is usually the best option (often available for just over 9,000yen inclusive for a twin/King bed room through http://travel.rakuten.co.jp/en/)

If you'd prefer a more traditional experience there's a Ryokan in Narita available http://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/d...atsuhonten.htm


Find out about the train timetables once you arrive, and if you stay at the Comfort Inn or Mercure and time it right you can go from hotel check out to Airline check in line in about 10 minutes (forget the hotel courtesy bus and just pay the 250yen rail fare)

If you stayed at the HI (and didn't have the JR pass) you would have paid the extra 250yen the night before to get to the airport to get the courtesy bus to the hotel anyway - and wasted well over half an hour hanging around for it.

There just isn't anything to do once you've been dumped at the Tobu - in Narita town you'll still have loads of options so your trip won't yet feel it has ended ubruptly.

I agree with Laplap - it looks like a fine plan. If Priority Points are a motivation, then its worth looking out for ANA hotels which are in locations all over Japan and currently going through a rebranding. However, with regard to accommodations near Narita Airport (NRT) I think LapLap's recommendations will be more enjoyable than any of the hotels which are situated on the approach roads to the airport. I also think it is nicer to be in the town of Narita itself where you can step out of the hotel and straight into regular "small town" Japan - than to be in the HI or Radisson or ANA or Nikko where everything is a shuttle bus ride away.

You'll certainly get value from the rail pass. When you arrive at NRT, exit customs and look for the signs to the JR Travel Center office in the basement. Present your rail pass voucher and passport. If you know the trains you want, give them the dates/times (written is better and easier) and the lady will make all your seat reservations. You will receive a small envelope with all your seat tickets. We were offered a complete JR timetable (a very skinny booklet), handy for knowing exactly when all the trains go.

The little JR Travel Center can get busy, but they are very efficient and have extra personnel to help. When we got there a few days ago all two of the "English side" desks and chairs were occupied, so a clerk came out to the waiting area and helped us. Very efficient.

BTW, there is an exchange form you must fill out (name, passport number, first date of pass use). You can download and print the form to save time by already having it filled in when you arrive: http://www.japanrailpass.net/images/application.pdf