I'm traveling with my nephew in Japan the last half of this month. We have come up with a rough itinerary but have not booked rooms or figured out the train schedule. I would greatly appreciate suggestions and comments on our plan. We are especially in the dark on lodging in Kyoto. We'd like budget but it doesn't have to be the rock bottom price. We would like to be in a location where it's easy to walk out the door and roam. Thanks!

Sat 3/18 - Arrive in Tokyo in the afternoon.

Sun 3/19 - Tokyo

Mon 3/20 - Around mid-day head to the Matsumoto area

Tues 4 (3/21) - Hike betwen town of Tsumago and Magone. Get to Kyoto for last evening of lantern festival.

Wed 5(3/22) - Go to Hiroshima. If time permits, stop during trip to see Himeji Castle.

Thur 3/23 - Go to Miyajima for the day and then back to Kyoto

Fri 3/24 Kyoto with trip to Osaka for sumo tournament

Sat 3/25 through Thur 3/30 Kyoto. Return to Tokyo. Alternatively, leave Kyoto on Wed 3/29 and go to Shirakawa-go. Then on Thur 3/30, return to Tokyo.

Thur 3/30 through Sun 4/2 Visiting friends in Tokyo

The last half of March! You better get your hotels pretty quick! That is sort of prime time. I will be in Kyoto from 3/30 to 4/6 and got my reservations almost two months ago and some places I tried were unavailable then. You can try the Toyoko Inn chain - toyoko-inn.com/eng - they have 3 hotels in Kyoto. The location of the two on Karasuma-dori are better than the other one, I think.

Welcome Inn Reservation Center can try to find something as well:
http://www.itcj.jp/index.html

Have a great trip!

If you are planning to see Hiroshima on 3/22 you won't have time to also see Himeji. I also think the next day will be tight going to Miyajima and then back to Kyoto. I would suggest a day trip to Himeji from Kyoto - looks like you left yourself enough time in Kyoto and its an easy day trip. I think it's definitely worth it- we skipped it our first trip to Japan but stopped our second time and really loved it. Alternatively, you could skip Miyajima and see Hiroshima that day and then head back up.

Also, might I suggest a day or two in Osaka since you want to go anyway for Suma? It's a great city and worth a day to explore. You can stay overnight (I suggest the SwissHotel- very convenient to everything and reasonable) and then go on to Kyoto (which is less than an hour on the train). We only had a night in Osaka our first trip and when we came ack we planned to spend a few days there b/c we felt like we missed out.

In Kyoto, we stayed at the Westin which I would not recommend- not convenient at all. The Royal and Sun Hotels have really great locations- I didn't stay at them though so I can't tell you about the price or the accommodations.

Try this website for train schedules and planning your travel time:
http://grace.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperd01.cgi

Don't forget, you want to buy a rail pass before you leave. You'll need to check the individual ticket prices versus the pass price for your trip. Looks like you may need a 2 week, but may be cheaper to buy a one week and pay for trip from Kyoto to Tokyo.

Thanks, Mara and Punky144! I will check out all the links, and it might make sense to spend a night in Osaka. How about help with these questions?

What can anyone tell me about the walk between Tsumago and Magone? Is it worthwhile? Do people generally walk one way and catch transportation out of the destination city, or do people generally walk an out-and-back because they have to get back to luggage?

I think I've read that you have to get tickets ahead of time for the old imperial palace. Is this something I do now or when I arrive in Kyoto?

Thanks!

I travelled to Japan at the end of March and I booked nothing in advance, granted I stayed with friends and family in Tokoyo and Nagoya but I stayed at this hostel in Kyoto: http://www.j-hoppers.com/ - it's cheap and clean.

I saw Hiroshima and Miyajima Island in one day and my base was out of Kyoto, it is totally doable especially if you wake up early and have a JR pass. There's not much to do in Hiroshima except the Peace musuem. I would also recommend to go to Nara.

If I remember correctly, you don't have to make a reservation to use the JR...just make sure to get your voucher BEFORE you leave for Japan otherwise you can't get one. Once you're in Japan then you trade in your voucher for a JR pass in order to use it. It's incredible fast and very efficient...I believe it's only 3hours from Tokyo and Kyoto - and it's unlimited travel for the time your pass is valid.

Looks like a good plan. You are moving around a lot though most of your travel times are not long.

You will need a 14-day JR Pass. Activate it on arrival and use the Narita Express. The pass will be good through the 31st, the day after your return to Tokyo.

On 3/20 you definitely want to visit Matsumoto castle.

On 3/23 you could just go to Osaka. Get to the sumo tournament around noon on the 24th, or earlier if you like, but not later than 1PM and you stay until it is over.

The 24th is two days before the end of the tournament and tickets will probably be selling out. You should get the tickets on the 19th or as soon as you can.

You could go to sumo on the 22nd. You'd have time to see something in Kyoto in the morning, then shinkansen to Shin Osaka and drop your overnight bag in a locker (your main bag will be left at the hotel in Kyoto for your return a day or two later), go to the sumo tournament which ends at 6PM, back to Shin Osaka for a shinkansen to Hiroshima that evening. Go to Miyajima on the 23rd and overnight there or Hiroshima, Peace Park on 24th morning and Himeji-jo that afternoon and back to Kyoto that night. Just a thought.

Thanks for the suggestions. This "talk" is great!