We stayed at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel and although the location was great, the room that we got was very small. I compared it to a cruise ship cabin. But I hear that the rooms on the Annex Tower are bigger and better. We did get a great deal though through Travelocity.com.

All reservations are confirmed except for the two nights in Kyoto thanks to all of you. I am heading to Kyoto w my son, daughter in law(Japanese american),and wife.We are looking for a moderate priced Ryokan fron the 2nd of June through the 4th. We do not want service in the room as we would like to eat our meals together.any suggestions? Matsubaya only has western style rooms available. Thanks.

In Kyoto, we enjoyed the hospitality at Sawaya Honten: 25 Kawahara-cho Shogoin, Sakyo-ku. We made our reservation through http://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/index.htm

There are some nice, inexpensive restaurants in the area, too.

Thanks Paul. Where do you pick up Hakone pass. When you leave Tokyo by train, where do you connect w Hakone local lines? After you leave Japan Rail, How long to Gora? Thanks.

What do you think of the Hotel Granavia at the station in Kyoto?

I loved the Granvia in Kyoto. Very convenient to transport and shopping, restaurants in the station which is a site in itself. Discount is given with JR Pass. I write about it in one of my trip reports

Aloha!

When you leave Tokyo you will get off at JR Odawara station which is the gateway to Hakone. You can buy you Hakone Free Pass at the Odawara station and connect right there to the Hakone Tozan Railway. I forget but takes maybe one hour or less up to Gora via the train systems. See here for details:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5206.html

Aloha!

Thanks as always for all of your help. Here is the itinerary I have put together. Comments, suggestions? 5/28-Miami to Tokyo.Private home in Tokyo 5/29 to 6/2. 6/2-6/4-Kyoto.6/4-6/6-private home in Tokyo.6/6 t0 6/8-Hakone. 6/8- 6/9 Hiroshima. 6/9 to 6/10-Miyajima,6/10-6/13-Osaka.6/13-6/15 Matsumoto.6/15 to 6/17-Tokyo.
We love crabs, oysters,whole fish,calamari and sashimi. Any restaurants that stand out for these on our trip? We especially like crabs!
Any particular medium level hikes that stand out.Is it possible to see Mt. Fuji and from where?
Thanks a lot.

I forgot Octopus and good bars to eat in. Thanks for everything.I promise to file a good trip report.

Here are links to two posts on my blog, packed with information from a friend who has visited Japan 10 times and talks about his favorite things:

bit.ly/4hITHy
bit.ly/jHVuP

Enjoy your trip!
boldlygsolo.com

In Hakone, there's a nice hiking trail behind the Hakone Checkpoint in Hakone-Machi. The trail takes you around lake Ashi and takes you to the Hakone Detached Palace. There's not much to the palace, but the view along the trail was absolutely beautiful and they say that in a good day, you may even be able to see Mt. Fuji. There were a lot of steps involved though, so it may be hard for families with small children or for people that have trouble walking. You can visit this site: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5207.html

You can see Fujisan if she is out from the Hakone Ropeway between Owakudani and Togendai. Then on again Lake Ashi near the Hakone-machi shoreline and in some spots along that same shoreline. There is also a spot in the Hyatt in Gora through the windows behind the reception desk so there must be other spots in Gora up on the hill but I don't know where.

Look along the Dotombori shopping arcade in Osaka for that big crab sign you saw in my pictures, can't miss it. There under the sign is a great crab restaurant. A few doors down is a good octopus restaurant, just look for the big octopus sign outside,lol. No English names but picture menus and plastic food displays that explain all they serve.

Here is the explanation of the hike mentioned above. I loved it too.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5205.html

Also highly recommend Gonpachi Japanese Restaurant in Roppongi, Tokyo for great sashimi and other seafood you mention. We had a gtg here with some other fodorites and really enjoyed ourselves. Reservations are a must and they may put a two hour time limit on your table because of the popularity of the place.

http://www.gonpachi.jp/en/nishi_azabu/home/location

Looking forward to reading your report when you return.

Aloha!

Thanks Panda and my friend Hawaiian traveler. How far is the walk from the castle? There are two walks described in Hawaiians link. I assume it is the first described walk. Sounds great and there is a place for lunch nearby.Hopefully, I can get a glimpse of fujisan in early June.Gonpachi looks like just the place I was looking for.
Thanks.

I was confused. I meant the train station and not the castle.
Thank you.

Actually the one that I was talking about is neither one. The trail that I mentioned is one of the trails in the Hakone Detached Palace Gardens. The entrance to this one is right after passing thru the Hakone checkpoint. The trail takes you along Lake Ashi and leads to the Hakone Detached palace. If you buy the Hakone free pass, it includes the sightseeing cruise on Lake Ashi. You would take the boat from Togendai station to Hakone-Machi. You can then find the entrance after you visit the Hakone checkpoint which is about 5 minutes from the boat stop.

All of the hikes sound great.Anybody know of any good ones in Monsumato?That being in the mountains must have some good spots.Thanks.

The printable Nagano guide on JNTO's website has walking routes for Matsumoto and Kamikochi: http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/rtg/index.html
There are lots more guides there: e.g., Hakone.

I am out of the itinerary phase of planning. Now, I turn to my wifes favorite-Shopping. Any suggestions on things to buy for the home.Do the Japanese have any worthwhile art or any other suggestions? Thanks as always.

Our wives should meet,lol. What kind of shopping do you like to do specifically? Here is the tried and true list to give you some ideas.

http://shops.japan-guide.com/shops

There are specific areas of Tokyo and now Osaka I like to haunt, Ameyoko in Tokyo and The Dotombori-Namba areas of Osaka.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3012.html

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4001.html

I hope you don't mind me leaving the links but it sure beats typing out all explanations,lol

Aloha!

hawaiiantraveler-you have been a blessing. I usually like shopping for clothes but at 6 ft. 200 lbs I think I will have difficulty w the Japanese sizes. My wife likes knives and will probably find what she wants. I always count the knives before I go to sleep-lol.She loves to shop but is limited because of 22 inch suitcases. However; in Thailand, we bought and filled two duffel bags for our trip home.

If its knives and kitchenware she wants the Dotombori in Osaka is good and especially Kappabashi Dori in Tokyo right around the block from Sensoji Temple in Asakusa are the places for you.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3020.html

Aloha!

Citiboy, I would contact your local Customs office and check on the regulations for importing bladed implements. I know that in Australia that the importation of knives without a permit is illegal. On the other hand it sounds like you have done this before.

Ack, I mean to say that the importation of knives without a permit is prohibited, not illegal.

My wife is Puerto Rican. Knives to Puerto Ricans are like Candy canes to kids on Christmas eve.LOL. So happy we are spending 3 nts in Osaka. It looks like we will be shopping and eating a lot in Dotombori. We can always send the knives. Since we have such small suitcases, what is the best way to ship to Miami? We have a FEDEX acct. Is that econocically feasable or do you think we should go in a different direction? Thanks Sydney 2000 and Hawaiian traveler.

Want to catch the USA, Brasil and Japan opening world cup matches. Are the dates in Japan the date after the EST schedule? I will tell you where I will be and ask for suggestions where to watch it.I guess the matches will be in the early morning. Correct?Thanks.

Japan is 7 hours ahead of S Africa.

The USA opening match (vs England) is June 12 at 8.30pm local time, which would be June 13 at 3.30am in Japan.

Brazil's opener is June 15 at 8.30pm, so June 16 at 3.30 in Japan.

Japan opens on June 14 at 4.00pm, which is 11.00pm in Japan on the 14th.

Full schedule of opening round matches is at http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/index.html.

I am struggling to remember, but there are Kinkos all over the place- you may be able to send your knives from there (filling out the appropriate Customs paperwork.) Remember though that English language proficiency may be limited. Failing that, any of the big post offices should do- the one near JR Osaka should do, and they should have English-seaking staff.

Oh, and don't forget that South Africa is in the southren hemisphere, so you will need to turn your TV upside down to be able to watch the matches.

:D

I was just planning to stand on my head . Thank you.And I fly out from Miami Friday morning.

Have a nice trip citiboy!!!

Aloha!

Oh and most places that sell the knives will have the ability to ship worldwide for you. You might have to fill out the US address for them though, good luck!

Have a good trip! I'm looking forward to hearing about it - I'm heading to Japan in September.

I am back from Japan and just coming back to earth from an incredible trip. I have a question. Does my secy have to type directly into the website or can we download our trip report?How do we download? Please advise. Thanks again for all of your help.
Rick

I brought back two great knives w other things.

How do we download? - copy and paste. Looking forward to reading it...