Finally going to Japan -- need help planning (and need to book soon!)
Jan 28th, 2013, 05:59 AM
#81
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Oh almost forgot....if still interested you can also book Hakone Ginyu through the Ryokan Collection
http://www.ryokancollection.com/eng/
Aloha!
http://www.ryokancollection.com/eng/
Aloha!
Jan 28th, 2013, 07:26 AM
#82
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HT,
I'm not actually headed to Narita from there. I'm going *to* whatever onsen we pick from Tokyo after we first arrive in Japan.
Izu also looks wonderful, but looking at the train schedule it looks like it's equally as far (even though further south than Tokyo) from Hiroshima. Is that correct?
Thanks for the tip on Ryokan Collection. I'll put in an inquiry and see if I have another Cheerios-spitting moment.
I'm not actually headed to Narita from there. I'm going *to* whatever onsen we pick from Tokyo after we first arrive in Japan.
Izu also looks wonderful, but looking at the train schedule it looks like it's equally as far (even though further south than Tokyo) from Hiroshima. Is that correct?
Thanks for the tip on Ryokan Collection. I'll put in an inquiry and see if I have another Cheerios-spitting moment.
Jan 28th, 2013, 07:58 PM
#84
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This is a long thread and maybe I missed it, but where are you staying in Kyoto?
There are some nice hot spring onsen ryokan in Ohara, which is a really lovely and quiet area about 40 min up north into the mountains outside of Kyoto. Lovely pastoral area, a nice shop-lined path up to the temples, nice walking path by a canal w/waterwheels, some very cool temples (Sanzenin and Jakkoin in particular, and several others who serve tea as part of their admission), otonahi waterfall, lovely neightborhoods to walk though. Very quiet and breathtaking, lovely area.
Seryo is a really nice onesen royakan in Ohara, next to Sanzenin temple. SOme of th guestrooms there have private open air hot spring baths. Ohara no Sato is another onsen ryokan (and they specialize in Miso-Nabe, a splendid series of one pot food dishes w/many different fresh ingredients). I was in Ohara in April, but I have seen pics of the fall foliage colors in Ohara and it is magnificent.
http://www.seryo.co.jp/english/index.html
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3932.html
http://www.oohara-no-sato.co.jp/english/
There are some nice hot spring onsen ryokan in Ohara, which is a really lovely and quiet area about 40 min up north into the mountains outside of Kyoto. Lovely pastoral area, a nice shop-lined path up to the temples, nice walking path by a canal w/waterwheels, some very cool temples (Sanzenin and Jakkoin in particular, and several others who serve tea as part of their admission), otonahi waterfall, lovely neightborhoods to walk though. Very quiet and breathtaking, lovely area.
Seryo is a really nice onesen royakan in Ohara, next to Sanzenin temple. SOme of th guestrooms there have private open air hot spring baths. Ohara no Sato is another onsen ryokan (and they specialize in Miso-Nabe, a splendid series of one pot food dishes w/many different fresh ingredients). I was in Ohara in April, but I have seen pics of the fall foliage colors in Ohara and it is magnificent.
http://www.seryo.co.jp/english/index.html
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3932.html
http://www.oohara-no-sato.co.jp/english/
Jan 29th, 2013, 08:22 AM
#85
You have lots of good options and plenty of time (months) to decide.
My comment on Izu is that you have the same issue about getting to Hiroshima as you have with Hakone. And, your answer to "why Hakone" was a good one: (hopefully) seeing Fujisan, riding the circuit, hot springs, ryokan, seeing the lake and some geothermal features on the route.
My comment on Izu is that you have the same issue about getting to Hiroshima as you have with Hakone. And, your answer to "why Hakone" was a good one: (hopefully) seeing Fujisan, riding the circuit, hot springs, ryokan, seeing the lake and some geothermal features on the route.
Jan 29th, 2013, 08:42 AM
#87
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Cheerios spitting moments are common for me in planning trips to Japan, lol
I think I got your and Kathie's threads mixed up, sorry.
From Tokyo I would agree with Arima Onsen being the closer to Hiroshima thus maximizing your time in Hiroshima. From Shin-Kobe to Hiroshima is only 80 minutes on the shinkansen. Tokyo to Shin-Kobe about 195 minutes with JR pass.
Takitoritei looks like a nice place for an evening ryokan stay and not as expensive as GK or Hakone Ginyu and you can get a look(actually walk) around an authentic onsen town and if you get in early enough even have a Kobe steak lunch in a steak restaurant around the JR Sannomiya station in Kobe before heading to Hiroshima or a late lunch before heading to Arima Onsen on your arrival into Kobe.
Aloha!
I think I got your and Kathie's threads mixed up, sorry.
From Tokyo I would agree with Arima Onsen being the closer to Hiroshima thus maximizing your time in Hiroshima. From Shin-Kobe to Hiroshima is only 80 minutes on the shinkansen. Tokyo to Shin-Kobe about 195 minutes with JR pass.
Takitoritei looks like a nice place for an evening ryokan stay and not as expensive as GK or Hakone Ginyu and you can get a look(actually walk) around an authentic onsen town and if you get in early enough even have a Kobe steak lunch in a steak restaurant around the JR Sannomiya station in Kobe before heading to Hiroshima or a late lunch before heading to Arima Onsen on your arrival into Kobe.
Aloha!
Jan 30th, 2013, 08:15 AM
#89
Ohara works, like Osaka or Arima, as a midpoint stop:
Depart Tokyo station 8:33, Hikari to Kyoto arrives 11:13, lunch at Kyoto station or not, transfer to bus or subway+bus and be in Ohara by 12:30 - 1PM.
Leave Ohara around 9:45 be in Hiroshima by 13:30.
Depart Tokyo station 8:33, Hikari to Kyoto arrives 11:13, lunch at Kyoto station or not, transfer to bus or subway+bus and be in Ohara by 12:30 - 1PM.
Leave Ohara around 9:45 be in Hiroshima by 13:30.
Jan 30th, 2013, 09:19 PM
#90
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So it looks like we got the last room at Hakone-Ginyu. How on earth it booked up 10 months in advance I probably will never understand, but ok...
So we're locked for Tokyo and Hakone. Upon a bit more pondering, I'm more open to caving into the idea of going to Kyoto from Hakone. The driver there is that I don't want to do 2 ryokan (Hakone and Miyajima) so close to each other.
So here's the revised itinerary:
Nov 15 Arrive Tokyo
Nov 16 Tokyo
Nov 17 Tokyo
Nov 18 Hakone
Nov 19 Kyoto
Nov 20 Kyoto
Nov 21 Kyoto
Nov 22 Kyoto/Nara
Nov 23 Hiroshima
Nov 24 Miyajima
Nov 25 Osaka
Nov 26 Depart for LAX
One question:
Would you think it's worth spending the 4th night in Osaka in Nara? I've only ever envisioned it as a day trip.
I really don't want to stay in another ryokan and I see a ton of ryokan as options in Nara. Happy as punch to stay at the Hyatt in Kyoto and do a day trip from there...but curious to get your input.
So we're locked for Tokyo and Hakone. Upon a bit more pondering, I'm more open to caving into the idea of going to Kyoto from Hakone. The driver there is that I don't want to do 2 ryokan (Hakone and Miyajima) so close to each other.
So here's the revised itinerary:
Nov 15 Arrive Tokyo
Nov 16 Tokyo
Nov 17 Tokyo
Nov 18 Hakone
Nov 19 Kyoto
Nov 20 Kyoto
Nov 21 Kyoto
Nov 22 Kyoto/Nara
Nov 23 Hiroshima
Nov 24 Miyajima
Nov 25 Osaka
Nov 26 Depart for LAX
One question:
Would you think it's worth spending the 4th night in Osaka in Nara? I've only ever envisioned it as a day trip.
I really don't want to stay in another ryokan and I see a ton of ryokan as options in Nara. Happy as punch to stay at the Hyatt in Kyoto and do a day trip from there...but curious to get your input.
Jan 31st, 2013, 07:40 AM
#94
>>I really don't want to stay in another ryokan and I see a ton of ryokan as options in Nara.
Am not sure if that was a typo and should be "do want". If you "do want" then it is a good option. If you don't then there are Western hotels in Nara, but no Hyatt.
Nara to Hiroshima is about 3 hours. One route is via Shin-Osaka. The other way is via Kyoto. Kyoto to Hiroshima is about 2 hours. So, do you want to spend that ~1 hour difference by returning to Kyoto or enroute to Hiroshima? Another night in Hyatt Kyoto (followed by 3 one-night stays) or 4 consecutive one-night stays?
Other options to consider and probably toss:
Nara (hotel) after Hakone
Nara for 1 or 2 nights, dep Kyoto night of the 21st
Kyoto for the last night, day-trip Osaka at some point or no Osaka
I am very surprised that a Monday night in Hakone is sold out ~10 months in advance.
Am not sure if that was a typo and should be "do want". If you "do want" then it is a good option. If you don't then there are Western hotels in Nara, but no Hyatt.
Nara to Hiroshima is about 3 hours. One route is via Shin-Osaka. The other way is via Kyoto. Kyoto to Hiroshima is about 2 hours. So, do you want to spend that ~1 hour difference by returning to Kyoto or enroute to Hiroshima? Another night in Hyatt Kyoto (followed by 3 one-night stays) or 4 consecutive one-night stays?
Other options to consider and probably toss:
Nara (hotel) after Hakone
Nara for 1 or 2 nights, dep Kyoto night of the 21st
Kyoto for the last night, day-trip Osaka at some point or no Osaka
I am very surprised that a Monday night in Hakone is sold out ~10 months in advance.
Jan 31st, 2013, 08:07 AM
#95
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I am not surprised at Hakone Ginyu selling out. I have tried several times over the years to get a res there with them always being sold out.
I have day tripped to Nara from Kyoto and the Hyatt before. It was enough for me and I plan to get back one day for the western part of the city and its major temples. If you are really interested in seeing more of Nara and its significant sights you should do at least an over night there. But for a first trip you have enough on your plate already to fill your time imho. Lots to do and see in Kyoto and you have to make it back to the Hyatt by 5pm for the happy hour(50% off)in the basement bar
Aloha!
I have day tripped to Nara from Kyoto and the Hyatt before. It was enough for me and I plan to get back one day for the western part of the city and its major temples. If you are really interested in seeing more of Nara and its significant sights you should do at least an over night there. But for a first trip you have enough on your plate already to fill your time imho. Lots to do and see in Kyoto and you have to make it back to the Hyatt by 5pm for the happy hour(50% off)in the basement bar
Aloha!
Jan 31st, 2013, 09:07 AM
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Late to the thread but hope I can contribute too!
We went to Japan for the first time in October and absolutely fell in love with it. I'm already dreaming about when we can go back but with a new job, it may be a while.
We went for 17 nights, so had a little more time, which meant we could include Tokyo, Takayama, Nara, Kyoto, Koyasan, Osaka, Hiroshima and Miyajima in our itinerary. (For full itinerary and web resources, see http://goo.gl/Dy8yV).
We enjoyed the whole trip but particularly adored Kyoto. You won't regret focusing your itinerary there.
Regarding ryokan stays, we included quite a few. It was a splurge, in terms of cost, but then we found that we spent far less on food than expected, and as a food blogger, I'm obsessed with food!
Our favourite ryokan meal was in Nara, at Ryokan Kankaso. Our favourite ryokan overall was Shiraume in Kyoto. It's in the heart of Gion, which is a perfect location. It's owned and run by a wonderful wonderful woman who has travelled internationally and lived in the UK so has good English and a great understanding of what international visitors enjoy. It's very traditional but with excellent attention to detail on comforts like thicker futon mattresses, large towels, hair dryer and so on. The other huge benefit is that she offers B&B rate as well as dinner rate. So we had the kaiseki ryori meal one night, and ate elsewhere the second night. (After that, for budgetary reasons, we transferred to a Western hotel in Kyoto station for 3 nights). I can also recommend Watanabe in Miyajima, family business, very friendly, great food and very good location.
For all the ryokan bookings, we chose to pay more for en-suite accommodation with beautiful wooden bathtubs for private use. I wasn't keen on the idea of using the shared bathrooms, given my body size. And I wasn't sure about availability of the private (but not ensuite) bathrooms one can book for a specific time slot.
I wrote about what to expect from a ryokan stay here: http://goo.gl/bko9v
Because we had the time, we did go to Koyasan and are very pleased we did. A unique experience. The train journey was beautiful, not at all scary, nor was the funicular (they call it a cable car but it's a funicular) up from the train station to the town. From there you take a local bus to the various temples where most visitors stay. We stayed at Shojoshin-in, which is the closest to the beautiful cemetery.
We adored Nara, partly because of the fun of the semi-tame deers and watching the way other visitors interacted with them, of course, the actual temples, and our ryokan there was beautiful. We were lucky to be the only guests that night so it felt like some magical private experience.
Personally, the only place I didn't fall for was Osaka but then we only had one night there and less than a full day so I'm aware we didn't give it a fair chance. I did have fun at the pot noodle museum. Our hotel was a budget Western one suggested by Japanese Guest Houses and was probably the best value accommodation of the trip - we chose a Western room, non-smoking, and it was huge and comfortable too. The other budget choice was our second stint in Tokyo, when we stayed in one of the larger rooms in the Asakusa Dormy Inn. The bathrooms are small but the beds were super comfortable and the larger room was a good size.
If I can help answer any more about our experiences, do let me know.
x
We went to Japan for the first time in October and absolutely fell in love with it. I'm already dreaming about when we can go back but with a new job, it may be a while.
We went for 17 nights, so had a little more time, which meant we could include Tokyo, Takayama, Nara, Kyoto, Koyasan, Osaka, Hiroshima and Miyajima in our itinerary. (For full itinerary and web resources, see http://goo.gl/Dy8yV).
We enjoyed the whole trip but particularly adored Kyoto. You won't regret focusing your itinerary there.
Regarding ryokan stays, we included quite a few. It was a splurge, in terms of cost, but then we found that we spent far less on food than expected, and as a food blogger, I'm obsessed with food!
Our favourite ryokan meal was in Nara, at Ryokan Kankaso. Our favourite ryokan overall was Shiraume in Kyoto. It's in the heart of Gion, which is a perfect location. It's owned and run by a wonderful wonderful woman who has travelled internationally and lived in the UK so has good English and a great understanding of what international visitors enjoy. It's very traditional but with excellent attention to detail on comforts like thicker futon mattresses, large towels, hair dryer and so on. The other huge benefit is that she offers B&B rate as well as dinner rate. So we had the kaiseki ryori meal one night, and ate elsewhere the second night. (After that, for budgetary reasons, we transferred to a Western hotel in Kyoto station for 3 nights). I can also recommend Watanabe in Miyajima, family business, very friendly, great food and very good location.
For all the ryokan bookings, we chose to pay more for en-suite accommodation with beautiful wooden bathtubs for private use. I wasn't keen on the idea of using the shared bathrooms, given my body size. And I wasn't sure about availability of the private (but not ensuite) bathrooms one can book for a specific time slot.
I wrote about what to expect from a ryokan stay here: http://goo.gl/bko9v
Because we had the time, we did go to Koyasan and are very pleased we did. A unique experience. The train journey was beautiful, not at all scary, nor was the funicular (they call it a cable car but it's a funicular) up from the train station to the town. From there you take a local bus to the various temples where most visitors stay. We stayed at Shojoshin-in, which is the closest to the beautiful cemetery.
We adored Nara, partly because of the fun of the semi-tame deers and watching the way other visitors interacted with them, of course, the actual temples, and our ryokan there was beautiful. We were lucky to be the only guests that night so it felt like some magical private experience.
Personally, the only place I didn't fall for was Osaka but then we only had one night there and less than a full day so I'm aware we didn't give it a fair chance. I did have fun at the pot noodle museum. Our hotel was a budget Western one suggested by Japanese Guest Houses and was probably the best value accommodation of the trip - we chose a Western room, non-smoking, and it was huge and comfortable too. The other budget choice was our second stint in Tokyo, when we stayed in one of the larger rooms in the Asakusa Dormy Inn. The bathrooms are small but the beds were super comfortable and the larger room was a good size.
If I can help answer any more about our experiences, do let me know.
x
Jan 31st, 2013, 07:53 PM
#99
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Thanks Kavey. What an awesome post. Definitely will chew on that.
I have to say planning this trip--at least hotel-wise--is extremely frustrating. I'm already finding a bunch of places that are booked up.
Since we decided to move Kyoto earlier (and therefore moved Miyajima later) Momiji-so is now sold out on the date we want.
HOW ON EARTH ARE ALL THESE PLACES SOLD OUT SO EARLY? MY GOD!
Now I need recommendations for other ryokan on Miyajima. Looking at Iwaso, but guessing that's another place that's out of our price range. The nice thing about Momiji-so was that it was affordable (well affordable for Japan)
I have to say planning this trip--at least hotel-wise--is extremely frustrating. I'm already finding a bunch of places that are booked up.
Since we decided to move Kyoto earlier (and therefore moved Miyajima later) Momiji-so is now sold out on the date we want.
HOW ON EARTH ARE ALL THESE PLACES SOLD OUT SO EARLY? MY GOD!
Now I need recommendations for other ryokan on Miyajima. Looking at Iwaso, but guessing that's another place that's out of our price range. The nice thing about Momiji-so was that it was affordable (well affordable for Japan)
