Craig, We are staying with Bob and Karen but would love to meet up in Kyoto for your 50% cocktails :)
I am sure by the time we reach Kyoto we will have discussed the particulars.

shelley, the Grand Hyatt Kauai is one of our favorite island getaway weekenders for Linda and I. We should have been there this past month actually as we often go in the Feb/March time frame to whale watch and just chill out but family and work commitments are keeping us trapped here on Oahu this year....actually not a bad thing,lol.

Aloha!

I looked at the Kyoto Citadines for our October trip but in the end I decided against it on location. Although it's central, and looks fine for transport, when I looked on Google Maps it didn't seem like the kind of area I would find interesting to walk around of an evening, in terms of restaurants etc.

But since we didn't book it / didn't stay, I can't comment.

The one in Shinjuku looks like a superb location.

Regarding Kyoto, here's some of what we did:

On our first afternoon, Nishiki food market + nearby shopping streets, and Yasaka Shrine, near our ryokan, where we had dinner

Day 2, explore traditional Gion and Higashiyama districts, visit several temples and shrines including Kennin-ji, Yasui Konpiragu, Yasaka Pagoda and Kiyomizudera, browse many traditional food, drink and craft stores, dinner in local area

Day 3, completely scrapped because of illness

Day 4, visit Suntory Yamazaki Distillery and then Fushimi Inari Shrine (had also planned to visit Sanjusangendo Temple and sake breweries but reduced our plans as still recovering)

Day 5, visit to Sagano/ Arashiyama, bamboo forest and Tenryuji Temple, then shopping and walking in area near hotel (original afternoon plan was to visit Miho Museum but as before, scaled back because of that illness)

I've written about the temples and shrines we visited during the whole trip here: http://www.kaveyeats.com/2013/03/mes...of-love-6.html

Smeagol,

Maybe you can take advantage of the "Explore Classic Japan" special going on now till the end of the year since you will be staying at a Hyatt in Tokyo and Kyoto. Might get you one free night in Kyoto anyways. See here for details:

http://tokyo.grand.hyatt.com/hyatt/h...sBookable=true

Aloha!

craig--we have added the night of the 28th at Hakone at the hyatt, cutting back one day from kanazawa.

agree with KimJapan about skipping the handicraft center.

How about dinner and a stroll in old Gion, or Pontocho?

Also,
http://www.kyoto-gioncorner.com/global/en.html

and
http://www.kyotoguide.com/ver2/event...archive10-.htm

Did anyone else notice that on Mrwnrfl's second link that the Special Autumn Opening of the Kyoto Imperial Palace and will be held and having a free admission and no reservations required days between Oct 31 thru Nov 4th? Perfect timing for some of us. Bob are you ready to get up early and stand in line? ;)

Aloha!

s.a., we won't be there those days...

I wish I was going to be there those days!

HT thanks for the heads up ref the Hyatts I'll look into it and let you know how it pans out.

ooh ooh ooooooooh

s.a. we are there from 11-2 till 11-7

we could try 11/3 or 11/4. I will set my alarm for you. Just about a twenty minute walk from the house :)

lots of comfy old chairs and pillows to sit on if no one is looking while walking around the palace.....

Kathie, You will be there later in Nov. Check the calendar for Nov dates and see there are a few things you might be interested in....maybe the chrysanthemums at the temples or the festivals at Nijo-jo.

Smeagol, hope it works out for you! No need to prepay yet as it is early and more specials may come out during summer but be aware that the Hyatt Kyoto is a popular place and may sell out for a few Nov days by early fall.

Aloha!

Its saying it's not available for the Park Hyatt in Tokyo for my dates!!!
I already have reservation there and great rates for the Kyoto HR, but will continue to check for offers.....
Thanks again. :)

duh... i read it as the imperial palace in tokyo--duh... how many houses do these royals need anyways??

better still we can send craig to go early and hold a place for us in line and we can show up mid-morning when the gates open...

Bob - I'm sleeping in that day...

Peter - is the Imperial Palace a must do?

Craig,

I have never been because of the reservation process(always so many sights to see in Kyoto with no hassle). You still won't be let into any of the buildings I understand but you don't have to take a tour and can walk freely. There are only a few days in the spring and autumn periods when Kyoto Imperial Palace can be entered without advance reservations and without joining a tour. So if you wanted to see without the hassles, this would be the time.

I don't think we really need to wait in line early, just be there relatively early in the day....lines might be longer than usual but not a busy time of year anyway and passport would still probably need to be in hand especially people who look suspicious like rhkkmk.....and remembering that he freely admitted recently online to the world what the h in his name stands for.....he probably would be placed in the same category as Paul McCartney and given the anal probe.

Smeagol, too bad about the Park Hyatt in Tokyo. Really one of the better hotels in all of Japan but you can also stay for less at the Grand Hyatt Roppongi and the stay includes club privliges which would get you free breakfasts and free heavy hors duervres and cocktails every evening. Roppongi is a very vibrant neighborhood, one of our favorites and the Grand Hyatt is a very lux place in itself. Check to see if they have an opening unless of course you really want the PH.

You can visit the PH for a drink at the NY Bar and still get the feel of the place along with ¥2000 martini prices,lol

Aloha!

I DO,like the look of the GH in Tokyo but I think I have sold myself the "lost in translation" experience @ the PH Am I wasting my yen? Is the location of the GH better than the PH??? ( my eyes water every time I see the rates per night....)

For the most part, the GH has a better location than the PH. The GH is in a major shopping/restaurant complex, sits on top of two important subway lines, is more or less in the geographic center of Tokyo, and has a lot going on in the immediate vicinity. The PH is in a business district, well away from the subway and in the westernmost part of the city.

That said, the PH is one of the very best hotels in Tokyo, if not the planet. It would not be a burden to spend several days there, even if (or maybe especially if) you never left the hotel.

As Peter says, the GH is no slouch, either. While its service might not match the PH or the other very top tier hotels (Peninsula, 4 Seasons), it's still a very, very comfortable and welcoming place to stay and compares favorably to nearly any other hotel in any other city.

Peter has stressed this before, but it's often overlooked: in Tokyo, consider carefully the places you'll want to visit when choosing a hotel location. If you're planning to spend time in places like the Ginza, the Imperial Palace, Asakusa, and Tsukiji, then you're better off at the GH. If you're planning to isit mostly the Meiji shrine, Harajuku, and Shinjuku Gyoen and maybe also wouldn't mind just hanging around the hotel bar for some long stretches, then the PH is a better choice.

and if you plan to do both of those things, the Y is the best choice...

nicky--go with GH and save money for Gaggan