Hi everybody,

I'm sort of planning a trip to Japan for next year's July and I wanted to get some orentation as far as places to visit with 10 nights.

I recently bought a bookguide (National Geographic) and, even though there are so many places that seem to be interesting, considering the time I have available, my priorities are Tokyo, Kyoto and Himeji-jo Castle.

I'm a bot confused in terms of the amount of time to dedicate to each place. I've read that Himeji-jo Castle can be done as a day trip from Kyoto, so I have no problems there, but what about Tokyo and Kyoto?

I'd thought of 05 nights in Tokyo and 04 nights in Kyoto with a day trip yo Himeji-jo Castle and 01 night back again in Tokyo in order to go back home the following day.

This is what I'm interested in vsiting in Tokyo so far:
Ueno & Asakusa
Aoyama, Harajuku & Shibuya
The Imperial Palace
Ginza, Hibiya & Yurakucho
Tsukiji Outer Market

Any advice?

Thanks!

Hi, Castellanese -

You might consider flying into Narita (Tokyo) and out of Kansai (near Kyoto) or vice versa to avoid backtracking.

Personally, I would shift at least one night from Tokyo to Kyoto, so that you have at least 5 days in Kyoto. But that depends on what you want to see and do!

Also, if you haven't seen it yet, you might find the following web site helpful:

http://www.japan-guide.com/

Hope that helps!

castellanese:


I agree with KJA...spend the extra night in Kyoto especially if you are considering a daytrip. You can get a legitimate feel for Tokyo within the four days.

Ueno, Asakusa, Harujuku (especially on Sundays), Imperial Palace (you won't be able to vsit the interior or the gardens...offlimits), Ginza and Tsukiji are doable inside of the four days, with plenty of time for strolling , shopping and eating...and for the transit distances between sites.

Within a full five days in Kyoto, there won't be much you will have to miss. We were just there for five full days last year and felt quite satisfied that we xperienced everything we wanted to without any rushing...and we included a full day to visit the unique Miho Museum (bus and train ride).

I have an "alnum" bunch of selected pix if you would like to see them, I'll post them up.

stu t.

What is your lodgng budget? Perhaps we can recommened a few in each city. Also restaurants.

stu t.

Hi again -

Stu wrote: "Within a full five days in Kyoto, there won't be much you will have to miss." I guess it really depends on what you want to see! I had four extremely busy days in Kyoto plus two in Nara, and while I was very pleased with all the wonderful things I did get to see, there were still other things I would have liked to have had time to visit in that area! But I agree that five days would allow you to cover many of Kyoto's treasures at a comfortable pace.

kja:


You're right...perhaps i should have mentioned that I visited Kyoto for a week 61 years ago, as a GI...not a tourist in sight, and every important site was open to see since Kyoto was spared from the bombings. All young kids, we were treated like dignitaries.

Stu - What a wonderful experience that must have been! And thanks for your service (as well as for your contributions to Fodors forums).

Castellanese - please forgive the aside!

Thanks kja..

Thanks Stu & Kja,

I really don't have a fixed budget, but I'm usually a low-budget traveler. I've never been to Japan, but I couldn't spend more than a 100 Euros for a double room with breakfast. I'm not interested in museums. I'm mostly interested in religious and historical sights and strolling in interesting areas.

I haven't read much about Kyoto yet, that's why I'm still not clear about how long to stay.

As for Tokyo, I'd thought of this:

day01: The Tsukiji Outer Market & Ginza-Hibiya-Yurakucho.
day02: Aoyama, Harajuku & Shibuya.
day03: Ueno & Asakusa.
day04: The Outer Palace Garden & Shinjuku.

Am I making a mistake by not including Roppongi, Ikebukuro & Akihabara? What about Akasaka, Ningyocho, Jimbocho & Odaiba?

Thanks again!

a few thoughts

Can you fly into NRT and out of KIX? This way you don't need a pass and the train money saved can be used to offset the more expensive open jaw airline ticket. This will save you one day of travel and give you 5 nights in each city if you wish.

I am one who believes that with all said, Tokyo deserves more nights in my book. A much bigger city with a lot more area to cover and explore with more time needed.

I love Kyoto but the town is much smaller and more compact than Tokyo and although there is much to see, 4 to 5 nights would suffice in a first trip. You can see the major Kyoto attractions in 4 nights....less stressfully with 5

For what you want to do in Tokyo, you would need a least 5 nights imho.....and that's with what you've just mentioned, not the ht Tokyo special, lol

Aloha!

Hi again, Castellanese -

> Am I making a mistake by not including Roppongi, Ikebukuro & Akihabara? What about Akasaka, Ningyocho, Jimbocho & Odaiba?

I don't know - I chose to skip most of those places! I did make a short trip to Odaiba, but just for the views. I took the Yurikamome elevated train over, stopped for coffee with a view of the Rainbow Bridge and bay, and then returned by the elevated train. That took about an hour.

> I'm mostly interested in religious and historical sights

Are you planning to stop at the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo? You might like it.