HELP-- 17 day trip(Honeymoon) to Japan in 2weeks. Need advice.

I'm not one of the resident Japan experts but I have a couple of comments.
First, you can't climb Mt. Fuji in May - here is info about the season. http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6901.html

Your itinerary does seem a bit busy to me. I'm not sure what you mean by Honshu on Day 8. It is a large island.

I just based myself for three nights in Kurashiki and don't think I would do it if I were to redo my trip. It has a cutesy area with old buildings and museums but the rest of the city is just another city imo. And for me as a base it wasted time to get back to Okayama where the shinkansen runs.

You could actually base yourself in Tokyo and Kyoto and do day trips from there. Except for Koyasan - I was there for two nights - even from Osaka it is a long trip of over two hours.

Oops, I pushed 'submit' too fast.

May folks do day trips to Hiroshima from Kyoto as well as Miyajima Island where I stayed one night and really enjoyed.

I was going to say if you're foodies you'd probably like Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto for their many different types of cuisine.

I always get accommodations before I go, but that is me. If you have a laptop you may be able to make reservations as you go - don't really know.

Congratulations on your wedding!

Hey Mara,

Thank you for your kind reply. We were thinking of doing some of the easier hikes on Mt. Fuji, as I do realize that you can not fully hike it unless it is July or August.

Honshu - lol - I'm sorry my bd.. we Want to do Magome and Tsumago hike in the Kiso valley region.

Thank you for the advice on Miyajima Island. We will look into that.

I would prefer to stay in fewer hotels and pack and repack less.

If we get a JR pass, how fast are those trains? From Tokyo and Kyoto we can reach all those places and not spend most of the time on the train, back and forth? That would be a great idea.

Please keep your advice coming.

Thank you,

Mike

Kurashiki has the Himeji castle so we want to do a day trip there.

Hey Mike - No, Kurashiki doesn't have the Himeji castle - Himeji has the Himeji castle.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3500.html

Oh, okay, now I know what you mean - I've wanted to do that hike as well in the Kiso valley.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6078.html

Japan-guide.com is a wonderful source of Japan travel info and has a forum as well.

You can check all the train times on hyperdia.com - there is an English link on the top left hand side of the home page.

Staying at Tsumago and doing the hike between there and Magome was amongst the highlights of our four weeks in Japan. I have no doubt that you would love it.

Getting there and back to Tokyo/Kyoto is fairly time consuming and given your time constraints would need careful thinking about. I think that you are trying to fit in a little too much (very tempting I know) and probably need to cut it back a bit.

However, as a honeymoon couple, if you want a chance to spend some time by yourselves in a beautiful setting, this is one of the places to go and would be a good counterpoint to the extrememly busy and crowded cities. If you have not come across it yet, you can read about our time in the Kiso Valley in my trip report at www.fodors.com/community/asia/trip-report---a-magical-3-week-sojourn-through-japan.cfm

Another place where the two of you could have some time alone is to rework the trip to include a night or two on Miyajima, the little island just off Hiroshima.

As previously mentioned, I wouldn't bother with Kurashiki. We enjoyed our one night there but it is not worth going out of your way though. In relation to Himeji it is easy to fit it in on the way down to Hiroshima so doesn't need a night in itself. Or alternatively, if you should decide to cut the Hiroshima part of your trip it is an easy day trip from Kyoto.

The Shinkansen are fast, the rest of the trains are efficient but none are exceedingly swift. The fastest trains go about 168 mph between Tokyo and Kyoto, and up to 186 mph between Osaka and points south; the non-Shinkansen do not exceed 90 mph. It's about 2.25-2.5 hours from Kyoto to Tokyo on Shinkansen -- more like 2.5 hours if you have a JR pass because the fastest train (Nozomi) is not available (but the Hikari lines are plenty swift). Non-Shinkansen trains from Kyoto to Tokyo are not a legitimate option.

We used Kyoto as our base of operations in Central Honshu for Osaka (15 minutes by Shinkansen), Himeji (40 minutes by Shinkansen), etc. There is no Shinkansen from Kyoto to Nara (yet).

Do not assume you will get JR passes, go get them. The cost of going from Tokyo to Kyoto round trip without JR passes will be more than a two-week pass. Get the two week pass and activate it at Narita Airport and set its effective date to cover the day you fly home, NOT THE DAY YOU ARRIVE. You won't need the JR pass in Tokyo. You each get a Suica card at Narita Airport (3500Y), it covers the Narita Express to Tokyo (1500Y on the card, 3100Y retail) and about 8 train rides (either local JR lines or Tokyo Metro) in Tokyo, which would be about 160-220Y each.

Yes, you go to Nikko from Tokyo and consider taking the Tobu deal (http://www.tobu.co.jp/foreign/), which includes RT train to Nikko and entrance to the main temples and shrines.

It is easy enough to book accommodations along the way. You will find a travel agency in the train station. You are moving around a bit, but that is ok, it is not very far/long on most days. It is up to you, your style of travel.

I think you are squeezing the time in Kiso Valley. Also, your plan of leaving Hiroshima and getting on a plane at NRT on the same day might not be reasonable.

You probably should get a 14-day JR pass unless you can firm up your plans.

You can scratch Osaka and just go to Koya-san.

We just returned from Japan Saturday night (USA). You might want to consider a mix of buses and trains. We saved over the price of a train pass by using buses where the travel time difference was not significant--buses cost a lot less than trains. Our itinerary was not the same as yours, but it still might work well for your itinerary. We went Tokyo, Kyoto, Nagoya, Shirakawa-go, Takayama, Tokyo. Used the train (Skyliner) to and from Narita and from Tokyo to Kyoto, and buses for the rest.

The subway system in Tokyo and bus/subway system in Kyoto are great and easy to use.

thanks for the great train & bus tips...we are still working on cutting down & stream lining our itinerary. So we decided that we are going to make Tokyo and Kyoto our main-hubs (stay in each city for about 5-6 days & make some day trips i.e. Nara, Osaka, Himeji will be day trips from Kyoto and Nikko will be a day trip from Tyokya). And we definitely want to do the hike from Tsumago to Magome (in Kiso Valley)-- how long should we spend here and do you have any recommendations for accommodations? We also want to go to Mt. Fuji/Hakone, is this a day trip or do we need to stay over? Should we eliminate Hiroshima from our itinerary? We are eliminating Kurashiki.

We'd love to try the hot springs and the onsen (& eat a big traditional meal)- any reco's for an outsstanding one?

Also, regarding the JR railpass, we plan to purchase a 14 day pass, can we just buy it at NRT or should we purchase this online before our arrival? Do we have to book trains prior to arrival or this we can do once we get there?

One last thing, as this is our honeymoon, we want to stay somewhere special, doesn't have to be fancy or anything, just nice with comfortable beds, do you have reco's for Tokyo, Kyoto?

Many Thanks! Holly & Mike

You cannot buy your JR Pass in Japan. You must purchase your voucher outside of Japan in your home town preferably. See here for more details:

http://www.japanrail.com/JR_japanrailpass.html

I agree with mrwurfl that Kiso would be a strain on your time.....doable but not advisable

How about an itinerary that looks something like this?

Tokyo day 1-5
Hiroshima day 6
Miyajima day 7
Kurashiki day 8
Kyoto days 9-12
Mt Koya day 13
Mt Fuji(Fuji Five Lakes)or Hakone days 14-16
Tokyo days 16-17

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6900.html

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3401.html

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5200.html

What's your budget and we'll give some recos?

Looking back over this, you could do Kiso if you want to cut out or into something else......

Aloha!

or stay in Narita on the last day and do something from here:

http://www.mgnewman.com/narita/index.html

ht, would you say with your revised itinerary that they may manage with a 7 day rail pass since some parts of the railway trip to Mt.Koya and Hakone are non-JR?

Personally I would cut out Kurashiki and put Himeji-jo in - maybe on the way back from Miyajima.

Also depending on departure time, going from the Hakone to NRT is very doable - I did it by taxi from MotoHakone to Odawara and highway bus to NRT with my fractured foot.

You cannot buy a JR pass in Japan and you cannot buy it in the US. Here is what the transaction actually is:

(1) you purchase a voucher in the US from a travel agency for a JR pass.
(2) you exchange the voucher at Narita International for the pass.

HT's itinerary suggestion is good, but shortchanges Kyoto a bit, I think, especially if you're going to day-trip to Osaka (just a quick hop on the Shinkansen).

And I'd be da*ned if I spent times on buses in Japan instead of zipping from place to place by train. How much is your time worth?

Sometimes the bus doesn't take any longer, or not significantly longer, than the train, and it costs a lot less. For example, Nagoya to Shirakawa-go would have taken 4 hours by a combination of train and bus. and cost over 9,000 Yen per person. Direct bus took 2-3/4 hours and cost 3,500 Yen per person.

It just depends on where you are going and your travel schedule.

Taking the bus from Tokyo to Kyoto or Kyoto to Nagoya made no sense, but it made sense Nagoya to Shirakawa-go and Takayama to Tokyo. Plus from Takayama to Tokyo the bus went through a scenic area we wanted to see but had no time for a stay--besides taking only a little longer than the train (about 1/2 hour on our schedule, and it cost less than half as much as the train would have).

Of course, if someone buys a rail pass because it works well for their particular trip, that changes the cost factor.

What it comes down to is that no one way of travel fits all schedules. And if you want the best combination for your trip you have to do some research--sometimes all train is best; sometimes all bus may be best; sometimes a combination is best. Or even air travel or car rental might be best--it just depends on the particulars of your trip.

Rufus, I'm trying to answer the question based upon the OP's stated itinerary.

The OP is discussing Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Nara -- those are train accessible on mainline JR trains and all but one are on the Tokkaido-Sanyo Shinkansen. Shirakawa-go is a bit further off the beaten path. For places accessible by main line JR trains (check the japanrail.com website for the main intercity train lines), trains will be faster than buses. Figuring out to the yen each trip if you don't get a JR pass is a bit time-consuming, at the least. And given that the OP wants to go from Tokyo to the Kansai area and back, there's almost no way that a JR pass won't make sense unless the OP only stays in Kyoto and Tokyo.

The RT from Tokyo to Kyoto on the Hikari Shinkansen is 12,710 or 13,520 (non-reserved or reserved, respectively) each way -- or 25,420/27,040Y total for round trip. Kyoto to Hiroshima is another 10-11Y each way, which is 20-22K round trip. If the OP goes from Tokyo to Kyoto, Kyoto RT to Hiroshima and back, and then Kyoto to Tokyo, he's already exceeded the cost of the 14-day JR pass.

Even paying a la carte rates for Tokyo-Hiroshima (18,000+Y) without going to Kyoto first, then Hiroshima-Kyoto (10,000+Y), then Kyoto to Tokyo (13,000Y), and finally Tokyo to Narita (3,000Y or 3500Y Suica) means the OP will blow 44K yen on those four tickets. The 14-day pass costs 45,300. Any other local JR lines (which are highly useful in Kyoto because it does not have an extensive subway system, unlike Osaka and Tokyo), trips to Osaka or Himeji, etc. are extra.

Can't really say what the OP's itinerary is. Last post was asking if Hiroshima should be cut. My guess is that will happen. I'm guessing based on question number 2 which the OP asked and later answered (Mike thought the original itin was good but Holly wanted to make home bases). Is that right Holly?

I missed the Tokyo/Kyoto being a hub part, sorry.

Hey guys,

Thank you for all your replies. We are both kind of doing this on the fly. We are getting married in 3 days and also sold our house and are closing on it in a week. Which does not mean, that we are not totally excited about Japan. We both like to be a bit spontaneous and flexible. So, although I definitely wished that we had more time to research it, I feel confident that we will make this work out well.

Thank you for explaining the JR pass ordering for me. I just
ordered it. I didn't realize that it had to be ordered in the USA. Almost blew it. Cost is not as much of a concern, and I do want to maximize our time. I do understand the points made about buses. Thank you for the lively discussion on this topic.

I feel bad that I didn't get to learn more, but now that the other things in my (our) lives are more in control, I can focus on this. I know, people plan their HM for year, and we are doing it under a week.

Budget - I'm hoping to stay within 15K for 17days. Is that reasonable? Any suggestions for great onsens and ryokans are welcome.

The hard part is the itinerary. Holly wants to make hubs. I'm ok with it as long as it makes sense logistically. I would love any any all suggestions, as I'm not totally clear on all the distances involved.

I like the idea of going to Hiroshima first and working our way back. However, our plane leaves at 6pm so we can still get on in the AM and be there by the afternoon, as I understand.

So, here is what I'm thinking:

Tokyo -Day 1-5
Niko - Day trip from Tokyo
Hakone-Mount Fuji - Day 6/7
Tsunamu/Magone (Kiso Valley) - Day 7/8
Kyoto - Day 9-15
Nara - day trip as part of Kyoto stay.
Osaka - day trip from Kyoto
Mt. Koya - day trip from Kyoto
Himeji - day trip from Kyoto
(do these day trips make sense, or some are too far)? Mt. Koya sounds like it is the farthest)
Day 16 either go to Hiroshima for a night or maybe scrap that and take an extra night in Osaka or Mr. Fuji?

What do you guys think? Are we making loops or it is flowing fine logistically? i.e. We are not going from Pittsburgh to Detroit by way of Miami?

Let us know your thoughts. Still too busy? I think we will be utilizing trains enough to make JR worhtwhile?

Any accommodations reccs would be appreciated. Esp Kyoto, Hakone and Kiso valley.

I want to thank you once more. You folks will be helping making our HM truly memorable.

Cheers,
Mike

What is OT? Sorry, we are newbies

I think you meant 'OP' and it's Original Poster....

Koyasan is not a day trip, imo - first of all, it's over two hours each way even from Osaka and second of all, since I was there two weeks ago, the essence is staying overnight in a Buddhist temple and having the vegetarian meals and getting up for the 6 am service - yes, for me, Miss Sleep-in, that was tough but worth it!

I did a day trip to Himeji and a little of Osaka from Kyoto and that was on a really slow train as I had a different type of pass which was not for the shinkansen so those are definitely doable. You could probably do Himeji and Hiroshima in one day.

I haven't yet been to Nara but I think it is a day trip as well.

You do need to be at the airport two hours before departure.

What about cutting out the Kiso Valley and substituting Miyajima in between the Tokyo and Kyoto legs? Miyajima has nice places to stay for a honeymoon couple, I think - no personal knowledge but from what I've read...and there's hiking up on Mt. Misen. You could stop in Hiroshima on the way back to Kyoto - there are lockers for your luggage at almost every train station.

The trip from Kyoto to NRT is about four hours.

In Hakone, there are ryokan (japenese style accommodations) with onsen (hot spring) on premise. I stayed in one some years ago but forgot the name. The little hot spring bath was in the garden (simple elegance with great peace and tranquility) so you sign up for the time when you want to use( i suggest right before you sleep because it is really relaxing). It was great. I am sure if you tell them you are honeymooners, they'll make special arrangement for you.

Hakone was very humid in April when I was there so soaking in hot spring made a world of difference.

Once outside of Tokyo , people speak little English. If you lose your way, you are on your own. You might want to carry a phrase book with you.

I find Osaka just another city. I wish I did not stop there.

If you haven't bought your tickets already. I suggest go to Jal.com I have been doing comparative shopping and find the best deal on jal website. Phone is 1800-525-3663.

You really don't want to be that far from Narita on the last day.....trust me. Unless your flying in.

If you hub, you will tend to just stay in the hub city....nothing wrong with that though. Its the easiest way to see Japan, and with your lack of planning time, looks like what is in store for you.

You could see the JR travel agents at Narita airport when you arrive or at the Kyoto and Tokyo rail stations to make your reservations and plans for you if you arrive with nothing in hand. They will have options for you and are very helpful if you are patient.

On your last day you will already have a 12 hour or longer commute in front of you if you are heading back to the States. I wouldn't want to add another 4 to 6+ hours to that commute along with the added stress of making every connection perfectly. Not to mention having to wake up early on your last day. Good Luck!

Hey Mike and Holly - After offering our help, don't we get a wedding invite?

Congratulations on your wedding and enjoy your trip to Japan!

We just got back from abouy 18 days in Japan. Go to myblogs at Travelblog.org under the name golfkat. I have about 10 blogs on Japan. Make sure you buy your shinkansen pass here before you go. Feel free to email me at golfkat@hotmail.com

Hawaiian, I must address your post.

I think people plan their trips differently. I know for some it takes months and months and everything else seems rushed and stressful.

For me, I love to be flexible. Yes, now, things are happening on the fly, but I love the spontaneity and the fact that I will only savor things for a few weeks beforehand as opposed to months in advance. Which will lead to lower expectations and an overall better experience for me. We have done this before and of course had mixed results (sometimes we ended up staying in crappier places, but also changed things on the fly).

Knowing me (and my better half) we will definitely get out. We haven't had a vacation yet where we haven't walked for at least 8 or 9 miles on most days. One good thing about the hubs is we stay in one hotel/onset/ryokan and the day trips can be interchanged and adjusted. Booking 8 or 9 hotels is tough and for me stress-provoking since I feel pinned down and without much wiggle room.

Any recommendations for lodging along our route, esp traditional ryokans outside of tokyo and on our itinerary? I
love this forum, because I get to share and exchange different ideas and styles with you guys.

Please keep it coming.

Regards,
Mike

PS All are invited to the wedding. Open vodka bar, so bring your liver.

PSS. We are also huge foodies...I believe Japan will not disappoint.

http://bento.com/tokyofood.html

Hi Mike - Maybe above website will help for restaurants.

http://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/index.htm - This site can't help you as it requires making reservations five days in advance. However, maybe you can use it for research and then contact the inn on your own - particularly if you have a laptop with you as it doesn't list contact info....

ht is right about spending the night in Tokyo before flying home. Koya is not a day trip.

So I was right about Holly wanting to use bases. That is not my style, and not the best way to see Japan, imo, but this is not my trip.

You can skip Osaka, in general, unless you have specific sights/interests there.

I think it is worthwhile to spend a night in Hiroshima. All you need to take is for one night and leave the rest at the hotel in Kyoto. Leave early and stop in Himeji and visit the castle in the morning and then go to the Peace Park and museum in Hiroshima. Have okonomiyaki or local oysters or beef. Maybe the Carp will be in town (baseball). Visit Miyajima the next day and then train back to Kyoto in the evening.

You can use hyperdia.com to get train travel times.

Hey All,

Thank you for the suggestions. So far we have the airfare, a hotel right next to the shibuya JR station in tokyo for first 5 nights and a JR pass (came today). So it is coming together.

Hawaiian is most certainly right, that a long train ride is not the way to prepare for a long plane ride. I will take that under consideration.

Mara -- thank you for that website...I have and will look into it. R some of the ryokans really 70,000 yen a night? Since we are looking for ryokans for After may 6th and on, the website might actually be very useful.

mrwunrfl, thank you for the detailed suggestion on Hiroshima.
I am not a big fan of bases either. How long do you stay in each place? And would your itinerary include less stops than others? Do you also rely on the local tourist office to book the places right there, or do you book everything before? So far, we can still either do bases or not, but I was just wondering how the logistics work out? If it is relatively easy to book on the fly, than it might be an alternative. Please let us know.

Mike

Mike,

For what its worth I am in Japan right now, we have been here 5 days and are about $3500 spent. We are staying at a very reasonably priced, small but very clean hotel, have seen many sights and have spent majority of our money on food (of course), train and our Ryokan ate up a chunk but very worth it. We are still in Kyoto right now. You can read the Japan part of my Trip Report. That should give you some ideas.

J

Hey jayc,

what ryokan are u stying at in Kyoto?

What is your total budget going to be? Just trying to figure out how much to budget. We also plan to spend on food, moderate price lodging and sightseeing? I assume that Tokyo, JR pass and airfare will be the major expenses. Please correct me (jayc and everyone else) if I'm wrong.

I know that budgets can run the gammit, but I just want to have a rough idea.

thanks as always

Might stay a night or two depending on my interests in a place and how long it takes to get there. I like to see a place after the day trippers have left.

I often book in advance but sometimes book as I go. On my most recent trip I booked a room in Aso before my last night in Takachiho. Once or twice I have booked a place in the morning for the same night before traveling, but usually at least the day before.

Basically, I think if it takes four hours to get to a place then I will stay two nights. Two hours travel then maybe spend one night. I might go from Tokyo to Koyasan to Hiroshima to Nara to Tokyo while others would just hub from Kyoto. But I don't have to contend with maintaining marital harmony!

Your trip is fairly mobile, with an overnight in Hakone and another in Kiso Valley. I think Koyasan demands a night's stay. It is worthwhile to spend a night in Hiroshima or on Miyajima.

Another way to go south from Kyoto is to make a stop at Himeji in the morning and then head to Miyajima. Check in to a nice ryokan there in the afternoon. Next day you can spend some time on the island and/or head to the Peace Park and museum/memorial in Hiroshima. Or spend all day on Miyajima and then go to Hiroshima in the evening to check in, etc. See the sights the next day and travel the next afternoon.

Hi and congratulations!!

First advice is make sure you pre-book everything outside of Tokyo that falls in the first week of May. This is Golden Week - the busiest national holiday if the year. Everywhere will be booked out and you will end up with no choice if you don't pre-book. In Kyoto they actually put up signs at Tourist Information saying Kyoto is full! This is no joke - it actually is!

Miyajima is lovely - a perfect honeymoon destination. My colleague stayed there on his honeymoon and loved it. It is really beautiful especially after the crowds leave in the early evening. A nice two night stay in a ryokan would be fabulous.

http://www.iwaso.com/e_introduction.html

3/ Budget - you have plenty of cash available. 15K will get you a fabulous stay in Japan for your honeymoon.

4/ As the above post said - do not go to Koya as a day trip!

5/ The Minshuku Daikichi in Tsumago is really great. http://www17.plala.or.jp/daikiti/ (Japanese only)

6/ Don't carry your luggage with you - use Takuhaibin luggage forwarding service. Cheap (1500 yen for a large case) and with delivery next day pretty much anywhere in the country - certainly next day the places you are going. Traveling light makes any trip more enjoyable. Keep those stress levels down. This service is available from all hotels. Just ask at the lobby and pay on the day.

7/ As you are planning a whole week in Kyoto why not break it up with an overnight in Nara. It is only 40 minutes away on the JR Yamatoji Line and is a lovely place to stay overnight. There are some fabulous ryokan or you could stay in the grand Nara Hotel (discounts available with JR pass).

http://www.narahotel.co.jp/english/index.html

Edosan is a fabulous and very traditional ryokan

http://www.edosan.jp/index.shtml (Japanese only)

8/ You MUST stay at an onsen resort or an onsen ryokan. I see you are planning to stay in Hakone and there are lots of options there but why not try Kurama Onsen for a night. It is beautiful and would be a great stay in the middle of your Kyoto stay as it is really just on the outskirts of Kyoto. if you like hiking there is a fabulous course here. Gets my to recommendation. I loved it!

http://www.kurama-onsen.co.jp/index_e.html

I could go on for a long time but best get back to work! You will have a fabulous time but do make sure you get some stuff booked before you go.

For some general travel tips in one easy place check out InsideJapan Tours. The FAQ pages seem to have a lot of useful advice even if you are not traveling with them.

http://www.insidejapantours.com/travel-tips/

If you have any specific questions post them up and I will get back to you ASAP. Not long to go now eh!!

Cheers

Ali

Thank you.

Mike,

Here is the Ryokan contact info:

Hotel Okuyumoto
www.okuyumoto.co.jp
E-mail: info@okuyumoto.co.jp
0460-85-6271

It was really good. An East meets wet type of experience. Some western food on the menu but good traditional Japanese Ryokan experience.

Our plane tickets were booked on Airmiles so don't include that for our budget but we are probably looking at about $6000 CDN all said and done for 10 days including some shopping and staying at a fairly low budget hotel Toyoko Inn which has been great. Hotel alone was $1170 and Ryokan was about $400, traveling costs were about $1000 total as we went from Tokyo-Hakone-Kyoto-Tokyo by Shinkansen (Big TIme Saver and Great Experience). Japan is very $$$$$. A bottle of water is about $3-$4 CDN. Cheap bowl of noodles is $7 CDN. We have not been totally penny pinching, have had our splurging moments but have been saving when we can, and have had some cheap days but have seen all the sights we wanted. Hope that gives you a good idea. I have a more detailed trip report if you have time. That may give you a better idea of what to expect. Have a great trip, Japan is really fun!

Thank you so much, your advice has been super helpful, we have made reservations at a few of the ryokan's you've suggested and we will be flying to NRT in just a few hours! We will defiitely let you know how our stay is. Thanks again for all of your help.

Do you think we should stay at Ryokan vs Western hotel in Kyoto (we are staying at a western hotel in Tokyo and 2 Ryokan's in Hakone). Any reco's for our accomodations in Kyoto? Thanks!

Holly & Mike

I highly recommend a ryokan at least 1 night while in Japan. It can be very romantic to have dinner served in your room while soaking up Japanese culture. Miyajima is an ideal place to do this. I like Momijiso or Iwaso.

Good Luck with your plans.