kyra_leanan

Good morning again,

This is a great site with wonderful information.

We'll be in Japan for 3.5 weeks.
Anybody have an idea which of The following cities we should use baggage forwarding services in? It would be nice to give the baggage over, get on the train and have it arrive at our ryokans later that day. And how much will it cost approx to get the bag there on the same day? Basically for each city listed, we get on a train or bus and arrive there on the first date by the city if that makes sense.

Our itinerary is currently as follows:

Nov 9 & 10
Tokyo
Staying at Homeikan /Bekkan

Nov 11 & 12
Nara
Staying at Kankaso Ryokan

Nov 13, 14 & 15
Kyoto
Staying at Kanamean – Nishi-Tomiya

Nov 16 & 17
Mt. Koya
Staying at Temple Ichijoin
(needs final confirmation for 1 of the days)

Nov 18 & 19
Himeji
Homestay

Nov 20 & 21
Kurashiki
Staying at Tsurugata
(needs final confirmation)

Nov 22 & 23
Osaka
Staying at Kaneyoshi
(needs to be booked)

Nov 24 & 25
Takayama
Staying at Nagase Ryokan
(need to check for alternative dates)

Nov 26 & 27
Shirakawago
Staying at Magoemon
(needs final confirmation & to check for alternative dates)

Nov 28 & 29
Kanzawa
Staying at Murataya
(needs to be booked)

Nov 30 & Dec 1
Matsumoto
Staying at Tobira/Myojinkan
(needs final confirmation)

Dec 2
Take The Jr From Matsumoto To Narita –
Fly Home Late In The Day (5:45 Pm-Ish)

Thanks for any and all help,

Kyra

KimJapan

When you use delivery service your package or bag or whatever arrives the following day, sometimes 2 days later. The price varies by size, and it is slightly more expensive from airports. A wheeled suitcase that it carryon size is around ¥1500, a larger suitcase about ¥2000.

I don't think the delivery service would work very well for you as you want the bags the same day, and that won't happen, and you are only 2 nights in each location. Better to pack wisely so you can manage the bag on your own.

Shinkansen trains have a small baggage area in the ends of the cars, or you can sometimes put bags behind the last row of seats. Airport trains have baggage space. Other trains do not have baggage space other than above the seats, and that space is too small for anything bigger than a suitcase. You would have to use the space behind the last row of seats for larger bags. Buses have a baggage place underneath. The biggest challenge is station and street navigation...often escalators go up but not down and often elevators are not easy to find and require an attendant be called to operate them (because they are for disabled persons really). So really, best to pack in a way that you can manage the luggage on your own.

emd

You could potentially sen the luggage ahead from Tokyo to Kyoto on the 10th, and take just a small duffel (one that you would take in your suitcase and unzip when you need it) to Nara. Then you'd have your bags at the hotel when you get there in Kyoto.

But as Kim said, you are doing so much travel all over so quickly that you'd be wise just to pack very lightly and take the suitcases everywhere you go.

mrwunrfl

For that kind of an itinerary you need to be able to put the bag on the overhead rack.

As I understand it you will arrive Tokyo on the 9th and stay two nights, on the 11th travel to Nara and stay two nights, on the 13th travel to Kyoto and stay three nights, ...

Just a thought: you could leap-frog a couple of bags. Send one from Tokyo to Kyoto and carry the other. In Kyoto send a bag to Kurashiki. ...

So you are staying two nights in each place, except for Kyoto which is three nights. The travel time (and effort) between some of those places (e.g. Himeji, Kurashiki, Osaka) is not long.

You could add a day in Kyoto. Subtract a day in Kurashiki or Himeji.

For Takayama, you could stay the first night at Best Western and then go to Nagase for the second night.

I think that you are going the wrong way. From Osaka go to Kanazawa. Then go to Shirakawago and then to Takayama. After Takayama, go over the mountains by bus to Matsumoto. On the way stop in Kamikochi. Better yet, stay overnight in Kamikochi and then one night in Matsumoto.

The way you have it has you going north and east (to Tak) then west (to Kanazawa) then east (to Matsumoto). Better to go north to Kanazawa then east to Takayama and east to Matsumoto.

I recommend going from Takayama in the morning with a stop at Kamikochi for a few hours and continuing on to Matsumoto. One night there and then next afternoon go to Tokyo (Shinjuku or somewhere) for your last night before your flight.

You'll need a 21-day JR Pass activated on the 11th and use it for the Narita Express on the 1st.

kyra_leanan

Wonderful info!

I just asked my agent to change my itinerary around in the Japanese Alps region.

My only concern is - can I get a bus from Takayama to Matsumoto so late in the season (Nov 30). It looks like it won't be a problem. It also looks like the loop between Kanazawa-Shirakawago-Takayama runs all year long. Does any one here know for sure that the above statements are true? I can't read Japanese and when you translate the web page, it looks like they run all year, but the translation is not the best. So I just want to make sure.

And I like the leap frogging bag idea. When you send it on ahead, where does it go? Do you pick it up from the office of the comapny you sent it through? Or do they deliver it on a certain day? How does it work? And where do I find these services?

Thanks for all your help!

Kyra

someotherguy

Links to Takayam-Kamikochi-Matsumoto bus schedules in English were posted in one of your other threads. For information on luggage services, just type takkyubin in the search box near the top of the page.

mrwunrfl

<b>Good question!</b> Definitely need to check the seasonality of the buses. No, the Kanazawa- Shirakawago bus DOES NOT run year round. I was in Kanazawa in January of last year and had to go to Takaoka to get a bus to Shirakawago. Takaoka is not far from Kanazawa. The bus ride was a bit tiring, over two hours in a city bus. But it was worth the trip, the getting there part, anyway. I am pretty sure that the Shirakawago- Takayama bus runs year round but better make sure.

Am not sure about the Kamikochi buses but there is skiing up there (between Takayama and Hirayu Onsen, at least).

KimJapan

When you send something, it goes to wherever you address it to. You should address your bags to your hotel. You will need the name, address and telephone number of the hotel. Also your name and arrival date on the slip will be good for your hotel so they can receive your bags. I'm not convinced you need to send your bags though...it's a lot of extra expense. We regularly travel for a month at a time with a carry on size roller bag each.

KimJapan

One more comment. Your choice of Murataya in Kanazawa doesn't seem to be of the same standard as your other choices. Murataya is a popular with foreigners guest house, but is not going to provide you with a ryokan &quot;experience&quot; apart from sleeping on a futon on the floor. It's location is in the heart of the old bar and restaurant area, and is convenient for sightseeing. It is very inexpensive, so is a good bargain, but if price is your main consideration, you will do better at the APA Chuo, booked in Japanese for better rates. The APA Chuo is also in the same area, but on the main street. If you are paying more than 9000 yen per night for room total for the Murataya it's too much. It's OK, but not special in any way, and I'm afraid it may disappoint in comparison with your other choices.

moxie

As always great advice from the others.

It seems to me that you only need a 14-day rail pass for the beginning of the trip since from Kanazawa onwards will be by bus; you'd have to price the difference between the the limo bus from the airport to Tokyo hotel and the 21 day pass.

It looks like you still would need a one way rail ticket Matsumoto-Tokyo.

Leap-frogging the bags worked great for us and I would highly recommend it: Tokyo-Kyoto
Kyoto-Himeji
Himeji-Osaka