rachill_az

Hello!

My husband and I have decided to visit Japan in November of 2015. This will be our first time visiting Japan. Over the past few months I have been doing extensive research on Japan, mainly using Japan Guide, Trip Advisor, and Fodor. This is my first time posting, and I would love for someone to look over my itinerary and specific questions. Is there anything I am missing or some must-sees that I have not added to my itinerary? Thank you!!

Day 1: Travel

Day 2: Arrive in Tokyo Narita Airport
- Which area of Tokoyo is most convenient to stay in?
- Any hotel reccomendations?

Day 3: Tokyo
- Tsukiji Market, Imperial Palace, Kabukiza Theater, Asakusa, Akihabara

Day 4: Tokyo
- Harajuku, Shinjuku, Omoide Yokocho, Shibuya

Day 5: Tokyo - Day trip to Nikko
- What is the quickest way to get to Nikko?
- Looking into the 7 JR Pass or the Kanto Area Pass, is Nikko covered with these passes?
- I want to visit Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Waterfall, will I have time to do this in a day trip?

Day 6: Mt Fuji - Stay overnight in Ryokan near Lake Kawaguchiko

Day 7: Kyoto - arrive in the late afternoon
- Staying in a capsule hotel this night for the unique experience
- Any reccomendations of what to do this afternoon?

Day 8: Kyoto (Higashiyama)
- Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Sannen-zaka and Ninen-zaka Preserved Streets
- Gion Corner Show in the evening
- Staying at Hotel Mume for 3 nights

Day 9: Kyoto (Arashiyama Area)
- Monkey Park, Tenryuji, Bamboo Forrest, Jojakkoji, Gioji, Otagi Nenbutsuji

Day 10: Kyoto - Day trip to Nara
- Visit Fushimi Inari Shrine on the way

Day 11: Mt Koya

Day 12: Depart from Kansai Airport in Osaka

kja

Welcome to Fodor's, rachill_az -- I'm sure you will have a wonderful time in Japan!

I can only offer comments relevant to a few of your questions, bur FWIW, here are my thoughts:

"I want to visit Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Waterfall, will I have time to do this in a day trip?" It depends on what, exactly, you want to see while in Nikko, but I would think that would be very difficult, especially in November when the days will be short. You might want to consider an overnight stay.

There is SO much to see and do in Kyoto that I'm not sure how to answer your question about recommendations for day 7. You can probably see more on day 8 than what you list, while day 9 could be a bit tight. You don't list Nijo-jo, one of my personal favorites, or Kinkaku-ji or Ryoan-ji or Ginkaku-ji or Sanjusangen-do or Heian any number of other places that many people make a priority, or Hijemi or Uji .... But maybe they aren't the things that most appeal to you, and that clearly should be the deciding factor!

You might want to consider shifting your night on Koya-san to sometime earlier in your trip, as it takes a LONG time to get to / from Koya-san from just about anywhere. (The scenery is stunning, though -- I really enjoyed the journey despite all the changes of transportation.) Be sure you leave time to actually see it, particularly (but not only) Okuno-in (which may be best at dusk or dawn)! And BTW, my understanding is that the temple at which one stays can really make a difference -- I really enjoyed my stay at Shojoshin-in, which still seems to get good reviews.

Hope that helps!

rachill_az

Hi kja, thank you very much for your reply! I found it very helpful.

I'm not sure about staying the night in Nikko, since it will require us to make a very long journey the next day to Mt Fuji area. Since we will be staying overnight at Lake Kawaguchiko near Mt Fuji, maybe it is okay for us to miss Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Waterfall? Do you think if we skip the waterfall we will be missing a lot? I do love waterfalls and nature, but I am willing to skip if time does not permit. What are some of your favorite things to see in Nikko besides the lake and falls?

Thank you for your recommendations for additional sites in Kyoto, I will research each of them and possibly add to the itinerary. Our last night in Kyoto will be the opening night of Fall Illumination at Kiyomizu-dera Temple - do you think this is worth a visit at night? Seems like a unique experience, but will probably be very busy.

I'm not sure how else to fit Koyasan into the itinerary. I ended up taking it out of my itinerary at one point because I was worried about getting to the airport from Koyasan on the same day. But I have since added it back into the schedule because it seems like I just cannot miss out on this experience. I have read many reviews about temple lodging at Mt Koya and have narrowed it down to Shojoshin-in and Eko-in. It's good to hear that you enjoyed Shojoshin-in.

Thanks again for all of the useful advise!

kja

Only you can decide about Nikko and no decision is wrong. Just one thought: If you are interested, you might consider going there straight after your arrival in Japan. I haven't looked up the transit options, and maybe it is NOT an option, but if it is, well, if you'll be tired, you'll be tired no matter wherever you end up doing and if it saves some time and allows an option, then it might be worth considering. Just a thought.

One of my favorite things in Nikko is its very small museum of exquisite Japanese screens, the Nikkō Tōshō-gū Museum of Art. But I also enjoyed all the major sites AND Kegon no Taki AND a glimpse of Lake Chuzenji AND a bit of Kanmangafuchi.... You aren't hurting for options here!

"Our last night in Kyoto will be the opening night of Fall Illumination at Kiyomizu-dera Temple - do you think this is worth a visit at night?" OMG, I would LOVE to see that!

I wonder if you could move your night in Koyasan to the night you leave Lake Kawaguchiko? Again, I haven't checked the schedules -- it might not be possible. Or you could consider putting Koyasan between Kyoto and Nara, with a stay in Nara between Koyasan and your flight. I know that adds to the number of hotel changes, but luggage forwarding in Japan is SO easy that it makes changing hotels a less onerous thing than it is in many places.

I'm just throwing out some ideas here -- only you can decide if any are worth pursuing! And I trust that other experts on travel in Japan will weigh in....

cmstraf

When we went to see the lake and waterfall it was completely fogged in--could see nothing. Some other tourists with sense of humor took photos of themselves against poster backdrop.

kja

@ cmstraf -- Oh, that's too bad! I was fortunate enough to see this area on a glorious day, full of sunshine, and OMG, it was stunning!

rachill_az

Thanks kja for all of your ideas, it really has me thinking!

I think for Nikko, we will plan to visit Toshogu Shrine, Taiyuinbyo Shrine, Kanmangafuchi Abyss, and the Shinkyo Bridge. Maybe if the weather is nice and clear we will try to make a quick trip to the Kegon Waterfall. Do you know how long this would take round trip from central Nikko?

Now you have me excited, we will defintely make it a priorty to view the Fall Illumination at Kiyomizu-dera Temple! (Even if it will be crowded on the opening night).

"luggage forwarding in Japan is SO easy" - I have never used this type of service, can you tell me how it works? Would I need to make arrangements for each hotel and let them know to expect my luggage before my arrival and to hold it for me? Have you ever had any experience with lost luggage using this service? Would we be able to forward our luggage from Kyoto to a temple in Koyasan?

Do you think it makes sense for me to purchase a 7 day JR pass activating it on day 5? Or just purchase the Kanto Area Pass? I have heard it is not worth it to get the 7 day JR pass if you arent making a round trip from Tokyo to Kyoto. Also, I have heard about a bus/train card that you can get and put money on it, to make it more convenient for travel not covered by the JR pass - is this something that I should look into?

mrwunrfl

Overnight in Nikko would make sense if going to Hakone the next day but not Fuji Five Lakes.

What is the quickest way to get to Nikko?

Depends on where you stay in Tokyo.

If you stayed in Shinjuku then JR would be the fastest way to Nikko at a cost of about ¥9500 round-trip. In this case the Kanto Area pass does make sense as it would get you to Nikko and back then to Kawaguchiko and from there to Shin-Yokohama for ¥8300 where you buy a ¥13000 shinkansen ticket to Kyoto. So about ¥21,000.

Shin-Yokohama doesn't appear on the map here: http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/kantoareapass/
but that station is on the JR Yokohama Line between Hachioji and Yokohama.

If you stayed in Asakusa, OTOH, Tobu Railways would be better at a cost as low as about ¥2700 roundtrip. There is/was a Tobu pass, which might be offered: http://www.tobu.co.jp/foreign/pass/2day_nikko_pass.html
Add ¥3000 to ¥4000 to get from Asakusa to Kawaguchiko and then another ¥16,0000 to get to Kyoto. Call it ¥23,000

The Kanto Area Pass is a clear winner, I think, not just on the ballpark price, but you would be able to use the shinkansen for Nikko and a limited express enroute to Kawaguchiko. And you get full use of the 3 days.

rachill_az

@mrwunrfl, thank you! It seems like you have a lot of knowledge about transportation in Japan. I did some quick research for all of my routes. Do you mind taking a look and letting me know if you see abetter/easier/cheaper way for my destinations?

Day2: Narita Airport to Tokyo
-Narita Express TOKYO Direct Ticket One-Way (¥1500)

Day5: Round trip Tokyo to Nikko
-Use Kanto Area Pass (¥8300)
-Will this cover the entire route?

Day6: Tokyo to Lake Kawaguchiko (Mt Fuji area)
-Use Kanto Area Pass for Tokoy to Otsuki
-Fujikyu Railway: Otsuki to Kawaguchiko (¥1140)

Day7: Lake Kawaguchiko to Kyoto Station
-Fujikyu Bus to Mishima Station (¥2260)
-SHINKANSEN from Mishima Station to Kyoto (¥6480)

Day10: Round trip Kyoto to Nara Park
-JR Nara Line Rapid Servic (¥1420 round trip)

Day11: Kyoto Station to Mt Koya
-JR Rapid Service from Kyoto-Osaka-Shinimamiya (¥920)
-LTD. EXP from Shinimamiya to Gokurakubashi (¥870)
-Nankai Koyasan Cable Car to Mt Koya (¥390)

Day12: Mt Koya to Osaka Kansai Airport
-Nankai Koyasan Cable Car to Gokurakubashi (¥390)
-Nankai Koya Line to Tengachaya and Nankai Airport Exp to Kansai Airport (¥1400)

Mara

The Narita Express ¥1500 ticket ends in March so that won't work for you. There are several ways to get from the airport into the city depending on where you are staying:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2027.html

I'll let mrwunrfl answer the others... ;-)

rachill_az

@Mara, thanks for the heads up!

kja

"Maybe if the weather is nice and clear we will try to make a quick trip to the Kegon Waterfall. Do you know how long this would take round trip from central Nikko?" I don't think that's really an option -- there is a one-way road to Lake Chuzenji and then a one-way road back (the road is called Irohazaka). Partway to Lake Chuzenji, I got off at Akechidaira Plateau for the views. I took the bus and I believe it took 3 or 4 hours round trip. I could be wrong....
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3816.html
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3812.html
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3819.html

luggage forwarding, called Takuhaibin, is VERY easy! WELL worth using.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2278.html

mrwunrfl

I was impressed that you knew that overnighting in Nikko would not work with going to Kawaguchiko. And I see you have done some additional logistics planning. Go a bit deeper and spend some time here: http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/kantoareapass/

Referring to the map at that link:

Day 5 - Yes, the KAP covers that!

On the map, at the top find Kinugawa Onsen. Just south of that see Nikko. Below that see Utsunomiya and the green/white shinkansen line. Follow that line down to where it says Ikebukuro. That is sorta the start of Tokyo. Follow that green/white line to Ueno and Tokyo. West from Tokyo station find Shinagawa. Then north to Shinjuku and northeast from there goes back to Ikebukuro. On, in, or near that loop is "Tokyo".

Yes, I have some knowledge about traveling in Japan and enjoy working out the logistics. Please try and follow the map reading that I described above. Find that loop that I am trying to describe - Ikebukuro- Ueno- Tokyo- Shinagawa- Shinjuku- Ikebukuro. Then you will be oriented to the largest city by population in the world.

Let's drop the "Lake" from "Lake" Kawaguchiko (it is redundant, like saying Mt Fujiyama) and the area is Fuji Five Lakes (not Mt Fuji area). Forgive me for this.

Day 6 - Ok, so off to the left on the map see Kawaguchiko hanging down at a 7PM angle. That map says that the KAP will get you to Kawaguchiko. The KAP webpage mentions that it covers travel on the private (non-JR) "Fuji Kyuko Line". That's the Fujikyu train between Otsuki and Kawaguckiko station. So no, you don't have to pay that additional ¥1140.

Day 7 - I guess you can do that if you think that the bus to Mishima would have entertainment value. But Mishima to Kyoto is going to involve a change of trains and a Kodama shinkansen. That bus you are considering is additional cost and it takes 2 hr 20 min to make the trip (http://www.japan-guide.com/bus/gotemba.html). I don't think there is enought entertainment value in that trip to make it worthehile.

Day 7 is Day 3 of your KAP and that can get you from Kawaguchiko station to Shin-Yokohama. From there you just get a Nozomi shinkanens to Kyoto.

Bottom line, to keep it simple: the Kansai Area Pass gets you to/from Nikko and to Kawaguchiko station and on to Shin-Yokohama where you get a Nozomi shinkansent to Kyoto. That KAP was designed for your trip,

mrwunrfl

What day in November is Day 2?

rachill_az

@kja - thanks for the luggage forwarding link, seems like a very useful service!

rachill_az

@mrwunrfl - thank you very much for your detailed response, it is very helpful!

Day 2 is Friday, November 6th.

Day 6 - Great news that the Kanto Area Pass will cover the Fujikyu train between Otsuki and Kawaguckiko station. By the way, am I not able to purchase the KAP until I arrive in Japan? Looking at the link you provided me, it seems like it is not available to purchase prior to leaving for Japan. Should I purchase the pass at the airport when I land and not activate it until Day 5 when I go to Nikko?

Day 7 - That makes much more sense, thank you. I will use the KAP to get from Kawaguchiko to Shin-Yokohama, and then take the Nozomi shinkanens to Kyoto for ¥7880.

Should I make all of my train reservations for my entire trip on my first day in Tokyo? I have read of people printing out their routes on HyperDia to help make the reservation process smoother and then requesting that their tickets be printed in English. Do you recommend doing this?

Thank you again for all of your advise, you have been a HUGE help!!

russ_in_LA

Hi rachill,

You've received a lot of good advice so far, so I'll just chime in with my 2 cents on Koya-san. I recommend not deleting it from your schedule. I too was afraid to go to KIX from Koya-san, so I spent my last night in Kyoto, but once I went from Koya-san to Kyoto and then Kyoto to KIX I realized that Koya-san to KIX would have been no more difficult or time consuming.

Also, if you have not already booked your stay, I highly recommend Shojoshin-in. I went based on kja's recommendation and it was the highlight of our trip. Have fun!

kja

@ russ_in_LA --

mrwunrfl

Day 6 - Just read the info about purchasing the KAP. This is not something to stress about.

Day 7 - Yes, except that your shinkansen ticket with a reserved seat will be ¥13,050. It would be 12,420 without a reserved seat. On hyperdia, look the the info to the right of the blue box that says Route1. See the "Take time" and below that the Total.

The ¥7880 price you see is the base fare.

To the right of the base fare that you see, there is a dropdown where you can select the unreserved price. The default is Reserved seat.

The difference between the unreserved and base prices is shown as "Seat Fee:¥ 4,540". But that amount is actually the "limited express surcharge" that is paid on limited express and shinkansen trains.

The difference between the Total price for reserved and unreserved is the actual price of the reserved seat (in the ballpark of 500 to 700 yen).

I do recommend asking that tickets be printed in English. All the rest is overplanning, IMO, but go ahead if it makes you comfortable.

mrwunrfl

You might want to go to Meiji Jingu on the Sat or Sun the 7th/8th tho it might be a week early for Shichi-go-san. Consider visiting a Shinto shrine the following weekend for that. THE day for it is the 15th.

Meiji Jingu ought to be on your itin. It is impressive and in a beatiful park. Even if it is too early for Shichi-go-san you have a good chance (on the 7th/8th) of seeing a Shinto wedding procession. There is also a sweet little house or something built for the empress or princess to visit (it is off on the left side of the path heading to the shrine). It is by a little lake. I missed it on my first visit to MJ.