wheeejee

I've enjoyed reading all the posts on Japan and have come up with the following schedule. I would appreciate comments, advice on trains (like do I need a JR pass?) and hotel recommendations for Shinjuku.
Arriving KIX 7/27 traveling to Kyoto staying at Granvia Kyoto till the 30th.
7/28 Kyoto
7/29 Osaka or Nara?
7/30 Travel to Kamakura to stay with friends until Aug 2.
7/31 Kamakura
8/1 Yokohama
8/2 Travel to Tokyo. Would like to stay in Shinjuku area. Leaning towards staying at Shinjuku New City Hotel?
8/3.4.5 Shopping in Tokyo
8/6 Departing out of Narita

Thanks for any insights you might have.

KimJapan

Spend both of your days in Kyoto. There is more than enough to see that in only 1 day you will not even touch it really.

A JR Pass doesn't seem necessary to me unless you plan on some distant side trips, which you really don't have time for. You can price out your trips on www.hyperdia.com. Use the total price, not just the fare, as the total is what you pay (the extra is for the kind and speed of train).

The New City is fine...rooms are tiny, tiny though. They offer cheaper rates by booking on their website in Japanese. It's about a 15 minute walk from Shinjuku station, or there is a shuttle bus that runs about every 20 minutes and takes about 5 minutes. Their online English booking engine doesn't even seem to work, but they have single rooms for as low as ¥3,900 for your dates...some cheap rates are sold out for your dates, too, as they only sell a limited number of rooms at that rate. There are nicer choices with bigger rooms, but if you can get rooms at their internet promo prices, it's great. Prices listed on asiarooms.com for this place are MUCH higher than direct booking, so I'd encourage you NOT to use asiarooms. At about ¥5000/single ¥7000/double, it's a good value. Higher than that I'd look elsewhere.

wheeejee

Thanks for the reply. I'll be traveling w/my daughter who will have just spent a month in Kyoto, so we just plan on hitting the areas that she's missed around Kyoto/Osaka. Do you have any other recommendations for hotels in Shinjuku? Also any recommendations for great deals in shopping in Tokyo for a teenager?

KimJapan

I see. Maybe go to Nara then one day. Osaka is great for shopping too, if that's what you both want to do. It is going to be HOT, so shopping is a great air con activity.

I like Shinjuku, and have stayed there a few times at the Hilton. It is fine for shopping with lots of choice, and is a great location in terms of train access. Even Japan's only Krispy Kreme...which regularly has lines waiting 2 hours or more for reasons I have yet to understand.

However, there are lots and lots of areas in Tokyo that are great for shopping, so you might pick your hotel based on a hotel that you like that is in a good location for subway and/or Yamanote Line, and explore the city as you wish, and return to a place you like.

What is your budget, and what kind of place do you like? For 2 of you, and considering shopping, I really think a business hotel like the New City would be rather unpleasant for 4 nights...there is no room for luggage or shopping bags, a narrow passageway for walking between bed and "desk" and a tiny unit bath that will amaze you that it fits in the space they have allocated it.

Business hotels are designed as a place to sleep for one night for someone with no/minimal luggage...they aren't tourist hotels really, but many tourists use them.

So what is your budget?

wheeejee

Thanks for your wisdom, that makes good sense. I would like to stay around $150'ish per night. We don't really plan on being in the room much, but do need for it to be clean and well kept.

KimJapan

OK. The Royal Park Shidome is not in Shinjuku, but in a great location with several subway lines right there, Tokyo Bay and the Sumida river, and Hamarikyu Garden (which is lovely). They have a package (in Japanese website only, but maybe if you e-mail them in English they will give you the package rate). Standard twin room for 4 nights (8/2 - 8/6) for ¥73,776 ($599.00). Standard twin room is 26 m2, which is small, but not miniscule...there is luggage space and space to walk between beds. That rate is check in at 7:00PM and check out at 10:00 am...no problem to go there earlier or stay later leaving your bags at the desk. Add breakfast for two and it's ¥92,976...you can easily get breakfast in one of the many, many restaurants in the area (in malls and office buildings as well as just on the street) within a 5 minute walk. We stayed at the Conrad in this same area last March, and while the hotel disappointed us, the area we really liked in terms of transportation, shopping and the view of Tokyo Bay, Hamarikyu and so on.

The Park Hotel in Shiodome is very nice, but I can't find availability of twin room on August 4...just queen...unless you pay rack rate, which is way too much. You could inquire there as well.

The Keio Plaza in Shinjuku might be nice...be careful of room size. Plaza Premier room with breakfast is ¥125,185...more than you want to spend, but about 33 m2 room that is quite nice. Less than 10 minutes walk to Shinjuku station. Reservation can be made using English language booking.

The Shibuya Excel Tokyu has twin rooms about 24 m2 for the four nights for ¥99,800. Location is fantastic for shopping and subway/trains.

You can go cheaper in a business class hotel, but I'm worried about the space for the two of you and luggage and shopping. I'm also finding that there is something about August 4...it's sold out in many places at the lower priced rate plans or sometimes for any rate at all, which is making your stay a little more expensive than it would be without that day. If you don't like these choices or want to go to business hotel, let me know and I'll have a look in Japanese for you if you like.

kevin109

Hello, I really think you are not spending enough time in Kyoto. I'd say 2 nights, 3 days is needed. Tokyo can probably be done in 2 nights, 2 days. I don't think Yokohama/Osaka are all that interesting

mrwunrfl

No on the JR Pass.

No on Yokohama. I would consider staying a night at a nice ryokan in Hakone. Then take the Odakyu train to Shinjuku.

wheeejee

Has anyone had any experience with the Oakwood Apartments in Shinjuku? I like that it has kitchen and washer/dryer in the unit.

KimJapan

No, but Oakwood is an international company that rents out serviced apartments, mostly to companies. They are very well respected. They have a kitchen and washer/dryer in every unit. The studio is a tiny tiny 22 m2, so would be too small...it also only has one bed. I'm actually not seeing any offering for 2 beds unless you get a 2 bedroom.

emd

Mrw, I think the OP is staying in Kamakura with friends from 7/30 til 8/2, and is looking for a place to go from a day trip Kamakura on 8/1 (since she is spending one day exploring Kamakura).

Why not Yokohama? Below are just soem of the things I have had on my list to do in that city...

Baseball: The Yokohama Baystars are playing the Toko Giants in Yokohama on the evening of 8/1/07. That is where I would be, after Chinatown, Motomachi shopping area (and the tin toy museum is there also, and good views of Yoko. Bay bridge from Minato-no-Mieru Oka Koen (Harbor View Park), perhaps a boat ride from the harbor that includes sampling Japanese fish dishes and tempura on a 'yakatabune' Japanese-style roofed boat with bombori lanterns, and MM21 (waterfront district) shopping and Cosmo Clock Ferris Wheel in Yokohama.

http://www.japanesebaseball.com/team...=YBS&Year=2007

http://www.att-japan.net/modules/tin...te/tc_100.html

W9London

Another vote for spending an additional day in Kyoto, and for skipping Yokohama. The original itinerary looks like 1 full day in Kyoto. Kamakura is less than 1hr from Tokyo, considered as a daily commutable distance. Yokohama is only 30 min from Tokyo. You can definitely do Tokyo shopping/sightseeing easily during your stay in Kamakura. (I would allocate one full day for Kamakura itself.) Do you really want to spend just 1.5days in Kyoto, and spend in Tokyo area for 6.5days?

wheeejee

Thanks for all the input, especially from emd for the tips on Yokohama, we are going to try to catch the baseball game for sure.

And to KimJapan for the places to stay. I took what you advised about not focusing on the area as much as a nice place to stay. I've tentatively booked with the Akasaka Prince Hotel, any comments about this hotel? I got a pretty good deal on Priceline.com for 56,000 yen for 4 nights for a twin room.

KimJapan

That'a a good price and the twin rooms are listed as being 36.5 m2, which is great. Location is fine, too. I'd stay there.

mrwunrfl

I've stayed in Yokohama at the beginning and end of a trip to Japan. Enjoyed seeing the sites and going to a ballgame. Certainly can spend a nice day there but the sites are all second tier or lower.

Other thing is that OP's itin is all city, so a visit to a natural area would be just the thing, for me. Even for a day trip.

Baseball, of course, is important so I will note that from Kamakura it's about 85 minutes to Hakone Yumoto and 75 minutes from there to Yokohama and then 30 minutes to Kamakura. So it would be reasonable to visit the national park and get to a night game.