Hi,

We've finally locked down our FF seats and travel plans for the end of July/early August, and I'd really appreciate some feedback on our plans.

Right now we're planning to spend 5 nights in Kyoto and 4 nights in Tokyo, with day trips from each city. Is this smart? Normally we try not to change hotels/cities very often because it eats up time, but in this case is there somewhere else we should stay for a night or two in between the two big cities?

In terms of weather, I know it will be hot and steamy. Is there anything else we should take into consideration about the weather? About school holidays?

Many thanks in advance for all your help. It's greatly appreciated.

Why not 5 nites in Tokyo and 4 nites in Kyoto instead.

Day 1 Arrival, at leisure to adjust jetlag or Yokohama excursion
Day 2 city tour Tokyo: Tokyo Tower, Imperial Palace, Asakusa
Kannon Temple.....
Day 3 Nikko excursion: Kegon Waterfall...
Day 4 Kamakura excursion: Big Buddha.....
Day 5 Mt. Fuji/Hakone excursion
Day 6 Morning bullet train to Kyoto, afternnon city tour Kyoto
Day 7 Nara excursion: Deer Park and shrines...
Day 8 Bike tour in Kyoto on your own or Osaka excurison
Day 9 Get ready to go home...

Day trip can be booked at the hotel.
Japanese are the most efficient people, just like the automobiles they made.

Tokugawa Ieyasu, the Shogun who unified rule in Japan and set up his Tokugawa Shogunate that lasted 250 years, setup his summer palace in Nikko because of the summer heat of Edo(Tokyo) in late July and August so an overnight or two in Nikko or some other area with elevation might be a good idea.

A bike tour of Osaka or spending lots of time in Tokyo and Kyoto might not be a good idea at that time of year. Lots of Japanese businesses and people take time off in August and some business do close for a time....just be aware of this. Then again hotel prices should be at a low.

This ryokan is in the mountains and only a short train ride from Tokyo

http://japaneseguesthouses.com/db/gunma/osenkaku.htm

Aloha!

Hi

My wife and I did 2 weeks in Japan a few years back and we went to Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima etc. Here is a trip report with photos and links http://gardkarlsen.com/japan_tokyo.htm . Maybe you can find some useful info there For weather I would check http://www.weatherbase.com .

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

We were two weeks in Japan June 2008. We were not impressed with Tokyo. While it had assorted interesting things, in my opinion the city itself can't compare with Kyoto (which we loved). We skipped Nikko because of the long travel time. We are planning a trip back for next June and will spend more time back in Kyoto instead of Tokyo. We also loved Hakone, and I think it deserves more than a day trip. Hiroshima to me is a must see day trip from Kyoto. I can't speak too much about weather in July/August because I like hot weather anyway. BUT I can speak about rain, which I hate when I travel. I've traveled a lot and there is one place I didn't mind the rain, Japan. Don't know why, but for some reason it was actually nice. It seemed to fit in, and was no bother at all. Something like snow in Salzburg. As for school holidays. I'm sure tourist spots will be busy, but we thought any crowds of young people we came across were wonderful. Quiet, polite and well behaved. Very cute, and never a problem. The transportation system in Japan is fantastic, so having a base is a very good idea. With such a short trip, I would spend 3 nights in Tokyo, with very well planned sightseeing, one night in Hakone in a traditional tatami room (fun), and 5 nights in Kyoto. Whatever you do, you'll have a great time.

Thanks for all the excellent advice and suggestions!

Gard – a lot of great info in your trip report.

Hawaiian Traveler - thanks for the ryokan recommendation.

TravMimi – great stuff, glad to know in particular about Hakone, the rain.

Cat - thanks for the day trip ideas.