dianeR

We are planning a two week trip to Japan next April. We will be attending a meeting in Yokohama April 10,11 and 12 with time to sight see while we are there. We are then thinking of : train to Hakone on April 14 ; April15 train to Kyoto;Kyoto-April 15,16,17,18; April19 train to Kanazawa;Kanazawa -April 19,20;bus or train to Takayama with a stop to see Shirakawa-go;one night,April 21 in Takayama; late afternoon train to Tokoyo on April 22; April 22,23,24 Tokoyo. Does this itinerary work for a first time visit to Japan?We plan to travel by train. Does it make sense to go to Hakone for one day on the way to Kyoto? Is it a good idea to spend two nights in Kanazawa and one night in Takayama? Can you sightsee in Tokoyo while staying in Yokohama? Any suggestions will be welcome.

mrwunrfl

Yes, to all of the questions. It would be by bus from Kanazawa to Shirakawago to Takayama. You will need to check on when the Takayama festival is held in April. A quick google indicates it is April 14-15, but maybe that is this year. Would guess it would be April 13-14 next year. Which means you will miss it, but also that you won't have difficulty getting lodging on your date.

Mara

Your itinerary looks fine to me as well. Are you familiar with this site - japan-guide.com - loads of information. Not sure if a 7 day JR Pass would work for your trip since buses are easier in the Takayama area, but you have loads of time to figure that out. Also that period in Kyoto is prime sakura - cherry blossom - time so you need to get your reservations there sooner rather than later. Enjoy!

dianeR

Since we will only have a day there I thought it would be better to miss the festival in Takayama because of the crowds and increased prices.

hawaiiantraveler

Here's my two cents

Yes to all your questions except for Hakone. I would go there on my way back into Tokyo adding a night there taking away a night in Tokyo at the end. Staying in Yoko or Tokyo is no different and you can get to anywhere in Tokyo from Yoko easily so you will have essentially 6 nights in Tokyo.

Staying 2 nights in Hakone will enable you to see more of the area in stead of just passing through on the fly. You can utilize a Hakone Free Pass and explore the many different venues Hakone has to offer. You have to use the Hakone transport system while in Hakone so you may as well take advantage of it. Also leaving Hakone till the end will enhance your chances of seeing cherry blossoms in the Hakone region and will more importantly enhance your chances of seeing the cherry blossoms in Kyoto. When or if you buy your Hakone Free Pass think about buying your Hakone Pass with a Tokyo train option to cover your ride back into Tokyo. Just another idea to confuse you

See here for Hakone and cherry blossoms info if you haven't already. Cherry blossoms will be earlier next year than they were this year.....only a ht prediction....

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

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_008.html

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2011_where.html

Aloha!

dianeR

Thank you . Iam going to think about rearranging those days. Do you think one night in Takayama and two nights in Kanazawa is the right distribution?

mrwunrfl

It's good. You could add more time at any of your stops, of course, but that would mean taking something away.

You can visit Tokyo while staying in Yokohama, it just means a bit more travel time. Going from Yokohama to Odawara is less than an hour (from there on into Fuji-Hakone), so going there in the morning and leaving for Kyoto in the afternoon or evening gives you about a whole day for Hakone. Then three full days in Kyoto, one full day in Kanazawa, one day Kanazawa- visit Shirakawago- Takayama, a morning and early afternoon in Takayama, two full days in Tokyo. Works for me.

If I were to change the itin then I would just skip Tokyo. Add another night in Kanazawa. Add a night in Shirakawago staying in a gassho zukuri.

Your itinerary has you going to Kyoto on the 15th and returning to Tokyo on the 22nd. That is 8 days. If you want to minimize your train cost then you would need to remove a night from that period and add it to Tokyo or Hakone (in which case I would go from Yokohama to Kyoto.

mrwunrfl

"... and leaving for Kyoto in the afternoon or evening gives you ..."

should read:
"... and leaving for Kyoto in the afternoon or evening <i>the next day</i> gives you ..."

Mara

Yes, there is a lot more to see in Kanazawa and it is a bigger city - I think I spent two nights there and two in Takayama but I was doing a trip of just that area plus from Takayama I visited Hida Furukawa so that took a good couple of hours.

dianeR

Thank you for all the help! Are there day trips from Tokyo and Kyoto that you would particularly recommend with my itinerary?

kja

> Are there day trips from Tokyo and Kyoto that you would particularly recommend with my itinerary?

If you think you have time, Nara from Kyoto and Nikko and/or Kamakura from Tokyo.

Enjoy!

hawaiiantraveler

You have quite a bit on your plate already but if you have interest in pottery then a 2 to 3 hour visit to Mashiko may be for you. Just be ready to shop when you get there cause there is not much else to do there. See here for details on how to get there and what to do.

http://www.frommers.com/destinations...085022415.html

Aloha!