Zoe15

Please critique our preliminary itinerary below for Japan in June 2007. Background: My husband and I have traveled extensively in Europe, but never been to Asia. I use a wheelchair. We always rent a car when we travel outside big cities and avoid public transportation (taxis are good, though) because of accessibility concerns and the hassle. This itinerary probably isn't for everyone, but we'd appreciate comments on if it's doable and especially thoughts on whether there are areas besides the Japanese Alps between Tokyo and Kyoto that would be good with a rental car. We could reduce the days in Matsumoto or Takayama. Thanks.


Days 1-3 Tokyo (Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel, booked)

--Rent car on last day in Tokyo and drive to Matsumoto

4-5 Matsumoto

6-7 Takayama (daytrip to Shirakawago and Ojimachi)

--Leave Takayama and drive toward Kyoto

8 Open (somewhere between Takayama and Kyoto)

--Arrive in Kyoto and drop off rental car

9-12 Kyoto (Gravina Hotel, will decide on daytrips later depending on train station, etc., accessibility)

--Take bullet train back to Tokyo

13 Tokyo

14 Fly back to US

mrwunrfl

Yes, you could reduce your days in Matsumoto. If you got there in the evening on day 3 then you could leave in the morning of day 5. I don't think that the castle in Matsumoto is wheelchair accessible. Maybe you could go inside, but it is quite a site to see from outside if you can't.

The castle in Nagoya is wheelchair accessible. It is one of the few castles that was built on a plain (usually they are on top of a mountain or hill and can be a bit of a strenuous climb on foot). So the terrain is flat and I am pretty sure the walkways are paved (not sandy or soft gravel), I will check my photos if you are interested in going there, but I'm all but certain. And the castle has elevators inside! Also, there is a modern structure in front for the purpose of providing wheelchair access.

On your way from Matsumoto to Takayama you can pass through Kamikochi. It is a very scenic spot. There is a stream and you can walk/roll! a circle route crossing the stream on two bridges. I think that the surface is softer, not paved, but I think that a wheelchair would not get bogged down. I am not sure.

For the most part, Takayama is flat, so you should be able to get around pretty well.

Ogimachi, Shirakawago is one place.

mrwunrfl

A day <u>or less</u> would be ok, just would prefer to drive over the mountains in the daytime.

Zoe15

mrwunrf--Thanks a lot for the information. I'd like to cut back Matsumoto to one night. Do you know about how long it takes to drive from Matsumoto to Takayama, passing through Kamikochi? I would like to actually get inside a castle, so I'll research Nagoya. The city might be too big to drive into easily but we could take the train from Kyoto for a daytrip, assuming the station is accessible. (This is a hard trip to plan.)

The revised itinerary will leave us two days to kill on the drive between Takayama and Kyoto. I'd like to find one or two interesting areas to stay overnight on the way (or a little out of the way).

hawaiiantraveler

zoe,

You can check out this site if you haven't already.

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

If you click on the takayama-s go button you wil see info and maps of the area in question,maybe you can get a sense of the scale and size of the area from this. Hope this helps!

Aloha!

mrwunrfl

On the pdf that ht is referring to there is a transportation map at the top of page 3. That shows that the time is about an hour and a half (a bit less) from Matsumoto to Kamikochi. It is also another 85 minutes from Kamikochi to Takayama (according to my bus schedule).

For the most part the drive will be on two-lane windy mountain roads. I think I would want to drive it on a weekday, in June.

In Kamikochi there are a couple of places to stay and/or have lunch and/or enjoy a bath.

At Hirayu Onsen there are a couple of bath places. One is in the big building that is the main bus stop. It is on the 3rd or 4th floor, accessible by elevator.

I meant to say that a day or less would be ok <u>for Matsumoto</u>. But I do recall that Elainee spent some time there (two nights?) and enjoyed it.

I think I would prefer to drive on from Shirakawago and not return to Takayama. You could go to Kanazawa.

The Noto Peninsula, that fist of land jutting out into the Japan Sea, north of Kanazawa, is one region that is better visited by car.

JR Nagoya station is one of the most import and busiest train stations in Japan, so I would assume it is accessible, but I don't know for sure.