Help needed in deciding if this part of my itinerary is ok
 

I am thinking of including the following 3 days in my trip, and would like experienced travellers to Japan to tell me if it is nuts or if it imakes sense. After 3 nights and 2 full days of touring in Tokyo, this is what the next few days would look like.

Day 3-Check out of Tokyo hotel, send big bag ahead and take a small rollie to Ueno area. Check it at the train station and sightsee in the Ueno/Asakusa area until mid afternoon. Take a 3:30 or 4:30 rapid express (Tobu line) to Nikko. Arrive at hotel in Nikko at 6:30Pm.

Day4-Sightsee in Nikko for the day and take a 4PM JR train to Matsumoto arriving at 9:30PM.

Day 5-Sightsee in Matsumoto and take a late afternoon train to Takayama arriving at 8PM.

Then 2 nights in Takayama and 2 or 3 nights in Kanazawa.

If this were an English speaking country I would have no qualms about doing this. But since I don't know how difficult it will be to navigate the trains, I don't know whether this is advisable. Any thoughts would be appreciated.


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> sightsee in the Ueno/Asakusa area until mid afternoon

It depends on what you want to see and do, but FWIW, I took a bit over 1/2 day to visit Asakusa and wished I'd had more than a bit over 1/2 day for the museums of Ueno.

> Sightsee in Nikko for the day and take a 4PM JR train

I got an early start in Nikko and had just enough time after seeing the sites that were my highest priorities before catching a train at 7:36 p.m.

With very rare exception, I did not think it was difficult to navigate the trains.

do you really want to be arriving in strange places at 8:00 and 9:30PM, possibly not having had dinner, as I know you don't eat a lunch??

I'm less concerned about the food situation as I am about arriving at night and not being able to find a taxi to get me to my hotel. I believe they sell bento boxes at or near the stations, so we can eat on the train ride, I think. BTW, one of the Fodorites said you could buy food and eat on the train, but one of my guidebooks says eating on the trains is frowned upon, so I'm not sure about this. Any clarification of this would be helpful.

frowned upon does not mean not allowed

Which guidebook gave you that info? Eating while waiting for the train or walking down the street would be frowned upon but eating and drinking beer on the shinkansen are a national pastime. I think they meant eating on a subway or a commuter train or while waiting for a train on the tracks would be frowned upon.

I wouldn't worry about taxi's. They know when the trains arrive and will be there. If no taxis are around just asking the attendants "takushi kudasai"(mrw will love this) will get you a response and help.
Matsumoto station is fairly large and connected to a mall complex so as you exit down the escalators or take the elevators to ground level you will see the taxi stand and main street right out front.

Aloha!

> frowned upon does not mean not allowed

I wouldn't recommend that approach for Japan.

Thanks HT. I am much relieved to hear about the taxi situation. And thanks for the Japanese language lesson. I always like to know a few key phrases when arriving in a foreign country.

kja-Thanks for your input. The reason I am shortchanging Nikko in terms of time is that our trip is in Nov. when the sun sets at 4:30, so we couldn't see much after 4:30 anyway. As a matter of fact, I think the sites in Nikko close at 4PM. in Nov. I had wanted to go to Japan this spring when the days are longer, but I was too late in making that decision and could not find any accommodations in Kyoto. If we make another trip to Japan, it will be in the spring.