Castellanese

Hi everybody,

I was wondering how you would split 10 nights between these two cities. I'm mostly interested in strolling and enjoying the cities. I'm not interested in museums.

Thanks for your opinions!

Castellanese.

puttakka

You sound like us!!!

At what time of year will you be going and will you be flying into one city and out of the other or are you flying in and out of the same city.

Are you interested in any day trips or are you more interested in getting to know the 2 cities?

296vancouver

I've been twice and split my time half-and-half and was happy. The cities are so different that you can't really pick one over the other. Kyoto has a ton to see, so I wouldn't go fewer than 4 days no matter what. Like puttakka says, what time of year are you going? If it's busy (like New Years or cherry blossom season) you'll need to book the Shinkansen ASAP.

Castellanese

Hey guys!

I'm planning to go in mid June. The only daytrips I am interested about are Nikko and Himeji Castle.

Thanks!

Castellanese

By the way, I keep reading that "cash is the norm" in Tokyo and that credit cards are not widely accepted. How true is that?

Thanks again,

Castellanese.

puttakka

I dunno. I had no problem with credit cards in Tokyo.

We were in Tokyo last June. It was HOT. We were lucky to escape the tsuyu rains but that was because we headed to Hokkaido.

I would try to check out the Izu Shoto islands (off of Tokyo). There is a ferry that leaves from Takeshiba pier. We wanted to go but by the time we decided to book, the ferry was full. If you can't go to Izu, I would try Dogashima.

If you are doing a railpass, I would spend two days in Tokyo, then take the shinkansen to Tazawa-ko (tusrunoyo or kuroyo onsen - spend 2 days here) and on the 6th day head to Kyoto and spend the rest of your time there. A nice, cheap and convenient hotel is the Palaceside Hotel.

Paul1950

I was able to use credit cards most places in the big cities. But there are a lot of places that don't take them as well. It's not much of a problem as ATMs are all over the place. I used ATMs in the post offices and 7-11 stores.

expat1

Credit cards will usually work except at small family owned restaurants. As mentioned above, US debit cards work at 7 11s, but often not at Japanese banks, so if you do not plan ahead you can run short of cash.

A lot of people love Kyoto, but to be honest, I got bored very quickly with the temples.

If you like exploring neighborhoods I would spend more time in Tokyo. You can spend a day easily in Omotesando/Shibuya/Yoyogi park. Another day in Shinjuku. A third day in Asakasa. Lots of good blogs with information on walks in Tokyo.

Castellanese

I live in Venezuela and we have the following foreign currency restrictions:

We are allowed to spend no more than $ 3000 with credit cards and no more than $700 in cash "per year". If we try to spend more than this, the credit card just won't work because after reaching this limit, it would be blocked. If we want to spend more than that, we'd have to buy foreign currency at the black market, usually at a much higher price.

I've always managed to travel despite these restrictions, but I keep reading that credit cards are not widely accepted in Tokyo and that cash is usually expected, so that worries me.

Thanks!