Air tickets secured, now we just need a plan!
 

We're arriving in Japan (Narita) on March 26 and will be there until April 7. Our flight lands at 2:30 and we plan on going straight to Kyoto on the first available Shinkansen we can catch. We'll be in Kyoto at the Granvia for 4 nights and then????? Perhaps Nara for 2 nights? We missed Nara last time around so I thought it may be a good place to hang out. Any suggestions on places to stay or other places to visit?

Right now, I am thinking of spending the last 6 nights in Tokyo but will consider staying somewhere else for 2 nights, either near Tokyo or on the way from Nara to Tokyo. Any suggestions on places/hotels are welcome.

Last time we were in Japan, we were in Tokyo, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Kyoto and felt we didn't have enough time in Tokyo or Kyoto, so less than 4 nights in either place is out of the question. (Besides, our hotel in Kyoto is now prepaid and I can't cancel without losing a lot of money!)

March 30 - April 7 is yet to be planned.

You could...
30 Kanazawa
31 Kanazawa or Shirakawa-go minshuku or Gokayama (Shirakawa-go is about an hour/hour and a half drive from Kanazawa, Gokayama about 15 minutes closer), so a day trip is easy.
1 Matsumoto/Nakasendo
2 " "
3 Tokyo
4 Tokyo
5 Tokyo
6 Tokyo

http://web.mac.com/teaghanmackenzie/...er%202006.html
is Gokayama. Shirakawa-go is a bigger town with more of everything, including tourists. Takayama is a city with a preserved old area.

Thanks Kim. I'll look into these suggestions and do some reading and web searches.

Anyone else have any suggestions?

We stayed at Hakone (about 30 min Shinkansen ride from Tokyo) and enjoyed our stay there. It is a quaint little town with a lot of hot springs and mountains. There is a cable-car, rope-car, sulphurous volcanoes, boat rides on Lake Ashi, etc.

A lot of people find is somewhat touristy (we did not - we went in the off-season).

Perhaps you would be interested in staying at small little quaint towns? I know that there are some around Kyoto and are strikingly beautiful. If I had more time, this is something I would have done and there is info on this forum about these towns. The scenery is supposed to be quite beautiful. Do a search and you might be able to find something. Or if you post a question regaring this, someone might respond.

i like the jnto website for info

like this page in particular

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/rtg/index.html

hit the s-go and takayama or kanazawa buttons for useful info

Aloha!

It depends on what your interests are, but I enjoyed my time in some of the places already mentioned - Nara, Kanazawa, and Takayama. You might also consider a temple stay on Mt. Koya (Koyasan).

It looks like I have my work cut out for me this weekend. I'll be looking into all the suggestions, including the ones posted on my other thread.

HT, we will definitely be in Tokyo from April 3 until the 7th, possible even from April 2. You will be there from the first to the fourth so we should plan on the 3rd or 4th (unless we get there earlier). Talk to Ken and anyone else who may be around. Maybe some fun at a Yakatoria? Last time, Eric and I went to a Yakatoria in Ginza and ate God knows what and I had several large sakes and Eric practically had to carry me back to the hotel! We had a great time there.

Laurieco...Are you coming to the L.A.GTG? Happy Travels!

laurie,

A yakitori place on the Ginza serving copious amounts of sake sounds like home to me.

I hope Eric is capable of carrying all of us home(only kidding, luckily Linda always carries me home :)

April 3rd would be perfect for us as we leave the morning of the 4th to go up north.

We can zero in on the place and time as we get closer and your schedule becomes clearer. Do you remember the name of the yakitori place that you went to?

Hopefully kuranosuke is reading this as I know he and sake are very close relatives.lol

Aloha!

laurie and ht, i think yakitori, sake and good company sounds like a winner. anyplace is fine with us.

if you all want a yakitori place, i can also do some research for a suitable place for such an auspicious group. i once went to a yakitori place in roppongi, and it was great.

we will be tokyo from 4/1, so 4/3 is ok.

btw, i did see a few yakitori place next to the keio plaza in shinjuku, but i fear its for regulars only.

ht, don't forget our hanami gtg.

i hope mwr, emd, and others can join us, especially the locals. ja.

April 3 it is then. I'll see if I can find the name of the place, it may be written down somewhere. If not, a yakitori place in Roppongi sounds good as we plan on staying at the old Mansions at Roppongi (now Oakwood) so Eric won't have far to carry me if I get smashed again O-)

Guen, I'm hoping to come to the LA GTG but it's still too early for me to know for sure. Eric probably won't be able to as his vacation time will be all used up between Japan and Australia later in the year.

OK...Laurieco. Happy Travels!

heres a site(not too much info) for yakitori. i've been to toricho in roppongi. it was quite good, a bit smokey. i will post more as i get rec.

http://members.aol.com/tokyojapan/toricho.html

Any place is fine with me. If you have any more recommendations, just let me know, then we could put it to HT as well and see if he has a preference.

ken & laurie,

Sounds like a winner to me as long as they have a sake menu :)

Aloha!

Absolutely. No sake, no go!

laurie and ht, a couple of other recos.

http://www.ginza.jp/isehiro/eng.html

this place looks good, and they serve my favorite sake, yoshinogawa. however, if i read the menu correctly, they are going to 86 us after three glasses of sake. lol

i believe toriyoshi is a chain, and i was told they have a restaurant in ginza.

http://www.bento.com/rev/0645.html

ken,

mahalo for doing the research!

I would vote for Toriyoshi on the Ginza (it 's across the street from El Torito which I bet serves a mean martguerita if they 86 us after 3, lol) :-B

or toricho sounds good too. Whatever one is ok with us.

Hmmm, not sure about the "gigantic stereo amp and speakers in the main dining room pounding out classic sixties jazz." It may be a tad too loud.

laurie, which restaurant has the music? like ht, any yakitori place is ok with us. doesn't have to be one of the three i posted.

perhaps others can reco. other places.